Leaky Cabover Trim Repair and Screw Cover Questions

[pshipsey]

Same , new post bc I'm a Boomer and I can't follow multiple replies. But keep them coming! Attached are pics of what I think is the issue causing moisture in my cab over.
Big ick!
I'll do the entire camper. My question now is: what brand to use? i found it on RecPro. It's a 1" rv vinyl heavy duty screw cover. Not expensive. Is this a trusted place to buy? I don't want to put in the labor and find it's some cheap chit that fails early. And, do I have to use rv screws while fastening the trim end cap pieces or can i use regular screws?
Big job but I'm excited as it will extend the life of my 'old girl'.
Thanks in advance for your help

 

[RV_Lee122]

where is the moisture on the inside? Have you pulled the mattress out to see how bad it is?

 

[John From Detroit]

If it is the screws leaking I'd suggest remove screw one at a time apply sealant to threads and re-insert so it's under the head... This will make it harder to remove screw in the future however. I normally do this when installing outdoor screws into wood. You may need to have a professional leak finder check it. Here is how they do it. They seal and I mean seal the rig all doors, windows, openings then they "Blow it up" (Like a tire or balloon) just a couple of PSI. and give it a Bubble bath.

Bubbles = Leaks

 

[whiteva]

A leaking cabover usually requires a complete rebuild. The observed damage is the tip of the iceberg. I say that from my experience in the past 15 years. My own class "C" and others brought in for repair at my friends RV shop. Noticed a moisture problem in my Winnie 10 years ago, by the time I had removed the suspected leaky trim I found significant damage throughout the nose. Rebuild required several days to remove the damaged wood, followed by almost a week of replacing and sealing.

 

[pshipsey]

where is the moisture on the inside? Have you pulled the mattress out to see how bad it is?

Yes, I've checked out the damage. It appears to be structurally sound...just signs of moisture which I attempted to dry out before winter. That exterior damage you see in the pics was there when i bought it. Back then I tore out and replaced much of the cabover interior and caulked around the outside seams. It's still looking good inside, but I know the exterior issue needs to be dealt with now. My resources of time and money are not unlimited.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Don't know what an "RV screw" is, but you need to use an exterior use grade of screw, e.g. stainless steel or coated and rated for exterior use. You don't have to buy at an RV store - any hardware or home improvement store will have exterior-rated screws of a suitable length and thread type.

Recpro is as good a source as any for a commodity like that, but what you refer to is just a vinyl cover, cosmetic only. The screws go through the metal molding underneath, and that molding is where the leaks will be. You either seal around that molding (and its screws), or remove the entire molding so you can seal underneath it.

 

[pshipsey]

Don't know what an "RV screw" is, but you need to use an exterior use grade of screw, e.g. stainless steel or coated and rated for exterior use. You don't have to buy at an RV store - any hardware or home improvement store will have exterior-rated screws of a suitable length and thread type.

Recpro is as good a source as any for a commodity like that, but what you refer to is just a vinyl cover, cosmetic only. The screws go through the metal molding underneath, and that molding is where the leaks will be. You either seal around that molding (and its screws), or remove the entire molding so you can seal underneath it.

Thank you. The molding is a hot mess so I will remove it, clean it out, replace screws as needed, seal them, and replace the molding with new stuff.
Do I caulk around the new molding after it is installed? Seems the way to go?

 

[Kirk]

There is probably some type of caulking under the metal molding, typically it is butyl tape type that can be purchased in various widths from Amazon or RV supply stores. The plastic insert of the molding is covering the screws and is also available. I would use stainless steel screws and slightly longer and larger than the existing ones. If the butyl tape is used under the metal molding, you should tighten the screws until some of the butyl is squeezed out all along both edges and you shouldn't need to caulk along the edges of the molding. Once you remove the metal molding, check carefully for water damage in the space you can then see to repair it as needed.

 

[pshipsey]

I'll post what I find when I get into it, which will be after I receive the molding. Thanks so much all for advising me on this new adventure in RVing.

 

[RV_Lee122]

 

[Derby6]

I'm going to be devils advocate here--Take it for what it's worth.

I suspect there is more wood rot than you think. If you remove all the screws and molding, you may have a VERY hard time (impossible) to get new screws to hold in the new molding you are bending/forming around the edges. Unless you are prepared for a full rebuild, I think I would scrape off and clean all old sealant and replace with new. I'd put 2, maybe 3 coats of a good sealant you can brush/roll on. Like flex seal. Thicker than paint, but not puddy either.

I believe this would last 3-5 years and you could redo then. I'm guessing you don't plan to live in this for another 6-10 years?

 

[pshipsey]

I'm going to be devils advocate here--Take it for what it's worth.

I suspect there is more wood rot than you think. If you remove all the screws and molding, you may have a VERY hard time (impossible) to get new screws to hold in the new molding you are bending/forming around the edges. Unless you are prepared for a full rebuild, I think I would scrape off and clean all old sealant and replace with new. I'd put 2, maybe 3 coats of a good sealant you can brush/roll on. Like flex seal. Thicker than paint, but not puddy either.

I believe this would last 3-5 years and you could redo then. I'm guessing you don't plan to live in this for another 6-10 years?

Thanks for your reply. I'd like to keep this one for 5 more years... at the most. I don't live in it, it lives in my backyard.
I like to camp, visit NPs, and to travel with my 2 dogs. Sometimes it's just my mobile hotel.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We like to recommend a reliable and long-lasting repair, but sometimes "good enough" is the more practical fix. Achievable at a modest cost & effort, and yielding some reasonable amount of further use. Derby's suggestion is one of those, I think.

Rot can be challenging, though. It's near always worse than it appears from the outside, so any fix is more difficult (and more expensive) than anticipated.

 

[Kirk]

My resources of time and money are not unlimited.

That is a problem that most of us have or have experienced. It is difficult to predict how long a particular repair might be good for but based on the 5-year upper limit I would hesitate to take the metal strip off. If the plastic insert is not intact, I might replace that or just remove it and fill the channel with caulking.

 

[pshipsey]

I'm going to be devils advocate here--Take it for what it's worth.

I suspect there is more wood rot than you think. If you remove all the screws and molding, you may have a VERY hard time (impossible) to get new screws to hold in the new molding you are bending/forming around the edges. Unless you are prepared for a full rebuild, I think I would scrape off and clean all old sealant and replace with new. I'd put 2, maybe 3 coats of a good sealant you can brush/roll on. Like flex seal. Thicker than paint, but not puddy either.

I believe this would last 3-5 years and you could redo then. I'm guessing you don't plan to live in this for another 6-10 years?

Yep. Five years ago i rebuilt the interior of the cab over and put etrnabond around the front window (cabover). I watch for moisture and this is the first time I found it. I suspect some things are not so pretty underneath but I didn't get into it.
I'm optimistic