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Old 11-06-2018, 04:21 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Miramar 35.3
State: Florida
Posts: 186
THOR #6451
Water leaking from furnace area

I have an issue with rainwater getting in our motorhome around the furnace. If we have a driving rain that sheets down the side of our motorhome (the furnace side), I start getting water pooling from underneath our cabinets and the fridge. I guess I depends on how level the motorhome is back to front on where the water starts seeping out on the floor. The first time it happened, I couldn't figure out where it came from. The second time it happened, I took out a drawer that is near the floor next to the fridge. Underneath the fridge is furnace. I saw water dripping from the edge of the furnace metal case. It would pool up on the floor and start leaking out under the wood cabinet that is in front of the fridge. At first I thought maybe the water was coming from the vent exhaust pipe but we just recently had a very heavy rain and I felt water on top of the furnace. I posted something about this awhile back and someone mentioned that it could actually be the fridge vent on the roof leaking. I have a residential fridge and I don't see any vent on the roof near the fridge. I did take out the exhaust tube of the furnace and was surprised to see that it angles down from the outside to the inside. I would think it would be the other way around so water couldn't go up the pipe.

Has anyone ever had this problem before? If I have a straight down rain or the rain is hitting the other side of the motorhome I don't have the issue. I have been taping a plastic bag over the vent and furnace box on the outside when I travel now but it looks stupid and I need to get this fixed. I did speak with Thor and they said to call Atwood as the motorhome is out of warranty. I spoke with Atwood and they told me to take it to an authorized Atwood service center. I have made an appointment with a local RV place but I was hoping to be able to fix this myself to save some $$$. Has anyone had an issue with this type of leak and if so, what did you do to fix?

Burch

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Old 11-06-2018, 04:34 PM   #2
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THOR #7035
Lotsa people have had problems with water leaking into their furnace area and causing problems with the control board. I don't recall any having issues with water getting inside the coach though. Look at the vents on the furnace cover: do they point down and in or down and out?
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Old 11-06-2018, 04:36 PM   #3
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I recall there were a number of folks that had the vents on the outside access door to the furnace upside down, which allowed water to get into that area. There, I believe was a fix, a new door that solved the problem. Have not seen any posts about that in over a year, though.
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Old 11-06-2018, 05:03 PM   #4
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THOR #6451
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Originally Posted by Tfryman View Post
Lotsa people have had problems with water leaking into their furnace area and causing problems with the control board. I don't recall any having issues with water getting inside the coach though. Look at the vents on the furnace cover: do they point down and in or down and out?

I don't have those type of vents. Here is a picture of what the vent looks like.



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Old 11-06-2018, 05:35 PM   #5
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Could it be caulking missing from the vent cover. I found many areas on my Miramar lacking in caulking allowing leaking around the RV.
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Old 11-06-2018, 06:24 PM   #6
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THOR #3584

We have been having this issue for a while now, the water entering from the furnace will make its way to our outside TV area then to the kitchen floor, what a crazy design. We have removed the furnace cover and caulked the entire area with negative results. The water just comes down the side of the motor home and easily enters the furnace chimney. How I have been handling this until someone comes up with a solution is to extend my awning out about 5 inches when we are parked, this diverts the rain from running down the side of the motor home into the furnace.

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Old 11-06-2018, 07:01 PM   #7
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I have added some self adhesive "J" channel above certain areas such as outdoor kitchen, outdoor TV, hot water heater, etc. This redirects the water around those vulnerable areas.
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Old 11-07-2018, 05:18 AM   #8
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Model: Challenger 37KT
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THOR #8714
Here’s my furnace panel leak solution

I took my Thor Challenger to the Wakarusa plant TWICE to get a similar leak fixed. Rain water would get onto the furnace circuit board and cause erratic operation. Technicians actually replaced the access panel and bezel (new paint and all), but the leak continued.

I finally determined that water was entering through the seam between the panel and the bezel... specifically around the six screws that hold the panel in place. The foam gasket inside the panel did not make proper contact in those six areas allowing water to enter the furnace compartment.

Eventually, I put clear tape over the top and side seams. It worked... but was a clumsy, unattractive solution.

A month ago, I removed the tape and pushed some small diameter plastic spline (the kind used to secure screen material to a screen door) into the seam with a rolling spline tool. This solution is nearly invisible, and the spline can be easily removed/replaced if needed. Since then, the Challenger has been exposed to several driving rainstorms, but there have been no more leaks!
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Old 11-07-2018, 01:20 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Foxflyer View Post
I took my Thor Challenger to the Wakarusa plant TWICE to get a similar leak fixed. Rain water would get onto the furnace circuit board and cause erratic operation. Technicians actually replaced the access panel and bezel (new paint and all), but the leak continued.

I finally determined that water was entering through the seam between the panel and the bezel... specifically around the six screws that hold the panel in place. The foam gasket inside the panel did not make proper contact in those six areas allowing water to enter the furnace compartment.

Eventually, I put clear tape over the top and side seams. It worked... but was a clumsy, unattractive solution.

A month ago, I removed the tape and pushed some small diameter plastic spline (the kind used to secure screen material to a screen door) into the seam with a rolling spline tool. This solution is nearly invisible, and the spline can be easily removed/replaced if needed. Since then, the Challenger has been exposed to several driving rainstorms, but there have been no more leaks!

I am a little confused on where your leak was. Can you take a picture? When you say the 6 screws that hold the panel, are you talking about the outside door that also holds the vent?
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Old 11-07-2018, 02:00 PM   #10
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I think that it's likely more the 'access door' than just the furnace outlet itself. Water runs down the wall of the coach, over and into the top of the access door, and ultimately into the furnace box itself. When it's there, it will find the lowest and easiest path, probably back into and thru the furnace box, which is inside the coach, usually under a cabinet, and eventually onto the floor, etc.

Our outside storage bay doors all do this, as well, and I've constantly struggled to find the 'answer' to this. I've added additional seals to the inside top of each door frame, but it seems to not completely stop incoming water, even if only small amounts.
My ultimate correction is one that's not a popular thought: using an 'eyebrow' type diverter over each door frame, like the ones used above car side windows. Probably not many of us want to go that route, though.
I used this same type of solution, right above my bedroom driver side 'exit' window, which allowed water in the inside frame of the bedroom during rain when the window was open(push out type window). It works fine, though I hesitate to do it on all the storage bays - that would be very noticeable, especially when traveling.
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Old 11-07-2018, 02:44 PM   #11
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Model: Challenger 37KT
State: Indiana
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THOR #8714
Quote:
Originally Posted by Metalgator View Post
I am a little confused on where your leak was. Can you take a picture? When you say the 6 screws that hold the panel, are you talking about the outside door that also holds the vent?
Yes. The outside door. Mine looks just like yours. When you remove your door, check the compression marks on the foam gasket that’s adhered to the inside of the door. Pay particular attention to the area around the screws. On my door, I could see where the seal was broken, because the gasket did not extend close enough to the edge of the door.

I have not seen evidence of water getting in through the exhaust chimney. I believe it is designed to stand off the door a bit to allow combustible air to enter around the edges of the chimney. I would not apply caulk.
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