water damage

[brennaman]

I just picked up my mother-in-law's 1999 24' winnebago minnie.? I drove it from Philadelphia to Kansas City without incident.? The unit has been well maintained, and has low mileage (23k) but was sitting the last year.? Somehow water got in over the cab, I think it came in thru the overhead yellow running lights.? There is no sign inside of any damage, but over the driver, on the outside, you can see a stain in the seam, and if you push up on it, you can see a couple of drops of water come out of the seam.? We are in charge for the family to sell the unit, or we may keep it for ourselves.? What could I expect to pay a profesional to replace all of the wood over the cab that is wet, or how easy is it to replace myself?? There is a TV with shelves over driver, but I could not see any obvious way to get it out to replace the bad wood.? I am sure that I could get it apart after looking at it closer, but are there good manuals for the do it yourselfer?? If I do repair it, I will probably take it to a dealer to have them profesionally seal it so the problam does not come back, what could I expect to pay for this?? Sorry this is so long, any help would be appreciated.? Phil

 

[Shayne]

Seal the lightsd immediately and get some bids.  I've had a roof replaced on 1 coach and it sure isn't cheap by any means. If you can do it yourself, not all that bad, but not an eay coule hour job.  In fact it's a PITA to do, to do it right. I won't try it again for sure.  good luck

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The front cap seam and/or front windows is a notorious place for leaks. So are the marker lights, so start out be re-sealing them all.

Hard to say whether you could do the repiar yourself, since we have no idea of your skills.  Sounds like you haven't done this sort of thing before, though. I'm not aware of any books that cover this sort of Rv repair either.

This sort of repair can be very labor intensive, in which case expect to pay heavily. You will pay shop labor rates at a dealer or RV repair shop, and that may be anywhere from $60-$120/hour depending on rates in your area.

 

[chaajoad]

Hey Roamer -

I have no water damage - that I can see, at least - in my 99 Bounder but I'm wondering if a little pro-active sealing on those lights and other roof fixtures might not be a bad idea. Your thoughts? What would you use to seal? Is that rook ok to walk on?

And I can't afford to build a garage/carport for the Bounder right away. I've seen in other threads where some say - maybe you - it's okay to leave a MH exposed to elements as long as you do basic maintenance. I'm thinking of getting a cover and I've seen pros and cons here - again, can you share your opinions?

Thanks!

Danny
Poulsbo WA
(home of LOTS of rain!)

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Well, I've never used a cover or a garage (we live in Florida when not on the road, about 6 months/year) and so can't comment on the use of one. However, I see no need for one either. I do park the RV under messy pine and oak trees, though, and have to wash the rig down thoroughly in the Spring and then "wax" it (I use Protect-All on most of it, Dri-wash 'n Guard on the rest).  Some sort of cover or port will certainly save you some cleaning, especialy if you are in an area with industrial dirt & grime or heavy smog in the air.

I've found the filon side panels and the fiberglass front & rear caps of Rvs to be quite low maintenance. Roofs on late model rigs with fiberglass, Britek or similar materials are also easy enough to wash clean. Older, uncoated  EDPM rubber roofs can get a lot of nasty stuff in the pores of the rubber and can be a bear to clean - sometimes downright impossible.

As for proactive sealing, by all means regularly inspect and reseal the front & rear cap seams, marker lights and any other roof and sidewall openings.  You can use Rv-specific caulks or clear silicone.  Both types have their supporters among RV owners and both types have some advantages and disadvantages.