Water leaking through forward compartment door

[kgetch]

Hey all,

Was thinking the water was due to old/bad seals so I changed those. One side is great. One side still leaking. Thought it may be the top hinge so taped that to test. Still a leak.

When I was looking more closely, I noticed a water trail which was coming from the upper part of the actual door seam. This is that seam where the outer edge of the door meets the inner panel. Looks like a laminate or formica type material. So it looks like the water is getting to the inside of the door itself and seeping into the camper.

Anyone ever see this type of leak? Unsure how to fix other than buy a new compartment door. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[dagst1]

Where the door skin meets the frame have you sealed it there and also where the frame meets the wall.

 

[kgetch]

Hey there, Yes I have sealed where the frame meets the side of the camper. I have not tried to seal the door skin yet. Was not sure if that was possible or not.

What type of sealant for that? I have dycor and plain old silicone sealant. Its the inner face of the door so I guess if it gets messy it may not be that bad. Should I be sealing the outside AND inside?

 

[dagst1]

I would try where the door skin meets the frame with your choice of sealant. Silicon is what is used. On ours we could not find the source so had to get inside the compartment with the door closed while the wife ran water over the side of the door. Be sure to clean the area thoroughly. Not sure how big your compartment is but you could set up a camera with some lights to try to locate the source. Finding the source is not easy good luck.

 

[kgetch]

LOL, Its the front BR which is where I found water damage to the left side so the bed, etc have been ripped out so completely open inside. I already found where its coming into the compartment. Just not sure how the water is getting inside the door itself. Guess I will try to seal that outer seam in the door.

 

[Wingerdinger]

I would try where the door skin meets the frame with your choice of sealant. Silicon is what is used. On ours we could not find the source so had to get inside the compartment with the door closed while the wife ran water over the side of the door. Be sure to clean the area thoroughly. Not sure how big your compartment is but you could set up a camera with some lights to try to locate the source. Finding the source is not easy good luck.

Silicone is NEVER used any place on an RV for many good reasons.
Use a poly sealant meant for the job, like Geocell.
Except for the roof, where Dicor is used.

 

[dagst1]

Silicone is NEVER used any place on an RV for many good reasons.
Use a poly sealant meant for the job, like Geocell.
Except for the roof, where Dicor is used.

Strange Tiffin uses it and a self leveling silicon on the roofs. While it has to be removed to re-apply but lasts for years so re application is not that big of a concern. And Dicor is a Silicon Elastomeric coating. Straight from there website. So Yes Silicon can be used or your favorite sealant your choice. My mobile guy uses Dicor Silicon products to seal our 5th wheel.

 

[Wingerdinger]

Strange Tiffin uses it and a self leveling silicon on the roofs. While it has to be removed to re-apply but lasts for years so re application is not that big of a concern. And Dicor is a Silicon Elastomeric coating. Straight from there website. So Yes Silicon can be used or your favorite sealant your choice. My mobile guy uses Dicor Silicon products to seal our 5th wheel.

This is from the Dicor website:
Dicor lap sealant is a rubber-based sealant that is used to create a secure, secondary seal along the roof's edges, air vents, vent pipes, and screw heads. It is compatible with EPDM, TPO, and PVC membranes, and adheres firmly to aluminum, mortar, wood, vinyl, galvanized metal, fiberglass, and concrete.

 

[dagst1]

This is from the Dicor website:
Dicor lap sealant is a rubber-based sealant that is used to create a secure, secondary seal along the roof's edges, air vents, vent pipes, and screw heads. It is compatible with EPDM, TPO, and PVC membranes, and adheres firmly to aluminum, mortar, wood, vinyl, galvanized metal, fiberglass, and concrete.

And here is the link to there website for the silicone coating https://dicorproducts.com/product/signature-extended-life-rv-roof-coating/. So Yes there are both kinds avaliable. Your choice. And I understand that if you use silicone other sealants will not stick to it so if you recoat you would need to remove and clean the joint before resealing. Your choice of what to use.

Now any advice to the OP about sealing there camper would be helpful. Leaks are a pain mostly becouse a leak here will show up over there.

 

[mark5w]

I'm of the "don't use silicone" group. Hard to remove and you take a chance of ripping the roof if that is where you are removing it from.
There is a hint I did find for removing silicone: cover it with Vaseline for a day or two and it will make it easier to remove the silicone.

 

[kgetch]

Thanks all, I too am on the No Silicone" on the camper. I have seen it in spots from the previous owners and have pulled out what I can to reseal. I will try to seal that outer edge of the compartment door to see if it helps.