Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage


jdl

New Member
Hi! I am new to this site and pretty new to Rving. We bought our first camper back in April. We went small and cheap. We wasn't sure if we would have time or if we would like it. We loved it but needed a bigger camper. We sold our small camper and found a newer and bigger 5th wheel. It had some minor spots in the floor that needed repaired and that was it, we thought! We were out of town when all the rain and flooding happened here in N. Georgia, when we got back it seems that at least three of the corners of the trailer has a leak and some damage from these leaks. First question, what would be the best way to seal these corners so that I can stop the water, what kind of caulk or silicon should I use. It has aluminun siding on everything except the front nose, and it appears to be fiberglass or plastic. Second, what is the best method to repair the damaged walls and some minor flooring.
 
G

Guest

Guest
RE: Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage

well welcome first off ,, and for the sealent ,, i use the Dicor self leveling type caulking ,, it is good for most roof including rubber ,, but i have to say this ,, that may or may not be where the leak is coming from ,, over my many few yrs , i have seen leaks that were so easy to fix ,, but were not ,, was leaking somewhere else ,, i would try the corners first ,, and then go from there ,, as far as reparing the damage ,, well that depends on how far it got ,, the floor would be my first concern ,, take up the carpet/tile or what ever u have ,, and see what kinda damage u really have ,, as for the walls and such ,, well the damage maybe more than u really know ,, there agian ,, u will have to get at the main area behind the walls ,, and just see ,how much is damaged ,, hope i didn't scare u ,, but a leaking rv is a very bad thing ,, if not caught in time ,, but it can be repaired :approve: :) :)
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage

I agree with the last post about the importance of correcting this problem quickly. Most likely your front cap is fiberglass as nearly all of them are. I would never use silicone to seal an RV because when you do, once it cures you have to get 100% of it off before anything will stick to it, even more silicone.
 

utmtman

Senior Member
Re: Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage

I had a trailer that was leaking and I bought the rv paint type sealant and painted the entire roof with it. Solved the problem. As for the rest I go along with what Rod said in the first reply.
 

jdl

New Member
Re: Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage

Thanks for all the replies, the camper is a 5th wheel and at the front corners on both sides at the top, it almost looks like the metal shrank so that the corner rubber trim is not holding together. The camper is aluninum with the front nose over the 5th wheel being fiberglass or some sort of hard plastic. It almost looks like it needed a wider peice of the corner rubber trim. Does anyone know if you can get a wider peice and how hard or how much $$$ would it be to replace?
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Re: Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage

If you what have is the trip that fits into an aluminum strip of channel material, that isn't the seal to prevent leaks but just the trim to make things look nice and to hide the actual joining of the edges. You probably need to remove it and possibly the channel as well in order to get the sealant into the place that is actually leaking.

If Ken of GTS will jump in, he may have some experience in such repairs. What make and model of trailer are we talking of? Also the year?
 

brodavid

Senior Member
Re: Corners Leaking and some interior wall damage

sounds good, Mr Kirk
love to you and yours
 
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