Persistent Leak Since Purchase

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Oldgator73

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Joined
Dec 28, 2017
Posts
6,981
Location
Dover, DE & Mouth of Wilson, VA
We purchased a new Winnie Drop in February 2016. We noticed some leaks around the rear widow and the emergency exit window in the bedroom. Since we purchased out of state and no dealership in Delaware, Maryland or Pennsylvania would work on it, we took it back to The dealer in Michigan where it was purchased. They took the windows out and recaulked. Still leaked. I found a dealer in Kent Narrows at the foot of the Bay Bridge that would work on it. He got the leak in the rear window under control but the other window persisted. I stopped in after a trip, the dealership was on our way home, and he said he could no longer work on the trailer since Winnebago did not pay him for prior warranty work. I got in contact with Winnebago warranty and made an appointment to take it to the factory. We did, they worked on it, it still leaked. I contacted Winnebago and they said I could either bring it back to them or they could send us a new window, which we could install at our expense and Winnebago would be done with us. We got the window and had it installed by an independent RV tech. Still leaks. Took it back to the RV tech and he said the window itself does not leak. He said water is traveling from somewhere else and finding it?s way out on the inside of the bottom lip of the window on the inside. He said after the last visit to him that he might have found the leak. It still leaks. A couple days ago I purchased some Dicor and my son caulked everything on the roof. Rained last night and it still leaks. I would just forget about it but it?s in the bedroom and the foot of the bed gets wet. We are approaching the proverbial wits end. Running out of ideas.
 
SeilerBird said:
I thought this was a thread about my bathroom habits. :eek:

Ha! At our age we have to be careful about sneezing or coughing in public. I was at PT the other day and they were manipulating my knee when, well, just let me say, don?t eat chili with beans the night before your PT appointment.
 
Oldgator73 said:
Ha! At our age we have to be careful about sneezing or coughing in public. I was at PT the other day and they were manipulating my knee when, well, just let me say, don?t eat chili with beans the night before your PT appointment.
I have never eaten either chili or beans. I eat nothing that causes gas.
 
Seems like the leak is common with your Winnie.  Here is a link to a possible solution (towards the bottom)
http://www.winnieowners.com/forums/f259/winnie-drop-1780-leaky-window-352017.html
 
Seems likely that the leak is indeed coming from elsewhere.
Have you scrutinized around the door and the roof to wall corner/edges?
I would also review the sealing of the roof. 
It's frustrating. 

Have you tried simulating the leak with a hose?
I would also try jacking the trailer abnormally high, then low prior to rain, or using a hose, attempting to get the water run off differently, and see if it moves, disappears, etc.
 
Buy a large box fan, get some cardboard and blue painter's tape and put the fan in the door and seal the rest of the opening with the cardboard and tape. Close all windows, turn the fan on to pressurize the interior. With a spray bottle of diluted dishwashing soap, spray anything that looks like an opening, seam or whatever. Look carefully for any soap bubbles.
 
Gods Country said:
Seems likely that the leak is indeed coming from elsewhere.
Have you scrutinized around the door and the roof to wall corner/edges?
I would also review the sealing of the roof. 
It's frustrating. 

Have you tried simulating the leak with a hose?
I would also try jacking the trailer abnormally high, then low prior to rain, or using a hose, attempting to get the water run off differently, and see if it moves, disappears, etc.

Yes. I have hosed the roof and the widows and cannot make it leak. I set up a sprinkler to hit the roof and cannot cause a leak. It seems to only leak when the rain is heavy.
 
John Canfield said:
Buy a large box fan, get some cardboard and blue painter's tape and put the fan in the door and seal the rest of the opening with the cardboard and tape. Close all windows, turn the fan on to pressurize the interior. With a spray bottle of diluted dishwashing soap, spray anything that looks like an opening, seam or whatever. Look carefully for any soap bubbles.

Are you saying stay inside and bubble test? I know where the water is entering the inside. I can see it. I cannot find the leak from the outside. I can run tons of water around the window and it doesn?t leak. Water is coming in from somewhere and exiting underneath the window lip on the inside and dripping down the wall.
 
Oldgator73 said:
Are you saying stay inside and bubble test? I know where the water is entering the inside. I can see it. I cannot find the leak from the outside. I can run tons of water around the window and it doesn?t leak. Water is coming in from somewhere and exiting underneath the window lip on the inside and dripping down the wall.

What he's saying I believe is set the fan so air is blowing into the RV in order to pressurize it. Then go around outside checking with the soap solution looking for bubbles. I don't know know how this would work on my rig with all the possible entry points. Ceiling vents, toilet flange on the floor, all water and drain piping going down through the floor, TV antenna, all my cheap windows, doors, cold air returns, entrance panel, fridge vents, dryer vent etc. It would be a real chore to seal all of them.  Now if you had access to a Fire Dept. vent fan, that should work. They're designed to move allot of air.
 
Spray soapy water on the outside, Rene is correct - the fan is blowing in. We've had sailboats for many years and it wasn't uncommon for a leak to ingress ten feet from where it dripped on the inside, and usually right over our bunk in the aft cabin :p .
 
John Canfield said:
Spray soapy water on the outside, Rene is correct - the fan is blowing in. We've had sailboats for many years and it wasn't uncommon for a leak to ingress ten feet from where it dripped on the inside, and usually right over our bunk in the aft cabin :p .

Thanks. I?ll try that when we return next week. Going to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Falls, NY and doing the wine trail. Will let you know how the pressure test turns out.
 
You might want to wait a few days to test once you get home from the wine trail...just saying  8)
 

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