Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Water leak at corner of rear Fantastic Fan, after rain last night

April 01, 2024, 10:31:35 am

Had good amount of rain last night and woke up this morning to water dripping down from front-left corner of the rear Fantastic Fan (actually the foam/vinyl snap on cover was soaked)  I’ve already been up on the roof and of course deep Lake Newton is surrounding the fan.  After I pushed the water away and dried with a towel (I removed the fan cover already) iI don’t see any obvious cracks or openings in the sealant.   Back inside I took out the 4 screws holding the plastic square around the fan and definitely that one corner is where the water is dripping through. 
     My thought is once it stops raining and I can get the area around the fan cleaned & dried, I should cover with Dicor all the way around, all 4 sides?   Or just around that one corner where it appears to be leaking(?)   I’ve got quite a bit of Eternabond tape too left over from resealing the side seams earlier this week, but maybe save that as a last resort if the Dicor doesn’t work? 
  Am I on the right track here — please lmk if I’m missing something & thanks in advance for any advice!
It’s interesting that I’ve never seen a drop of water before this morning — it’s rained a lot recently past few months, but now all of a sudden, leaking!??
   Thanks,
 Daryl

Re: Water leak at corner of rear Fantastic Fan, after rain last night

Reply #2 – April 01, 2024, 12:16:02 pm

Hi Daryl;  The weight of the air conditioner causes a depression in the roof, which is what causes 'Lake Newton'. There shouldn't be a puddle around the vent fan.  Taking off the garnish to get a better look is a good move.  I think you can easily take off the internal cover also to get an even better look. That cover can hang by the wires safely.
   Walking around on the roof while you were resealing the edge seams, could have opened a crack in the FFan outside frame.  When I had an air conditioner replaced (years ago, not LD) by CWorld, I had a crack in my fan frame that leaked. The large footprint right on the edge was evidence that the CW guy had stepped on it!
   The sealing job on your present fan on the outside doesn't look the best.  I would clean it all off to try to find a crack in the frame, or at least where the water is entering. I'd then replace the screws with stainless, reseal with Dicor. When everything was dry, clean and not leaking, then you could cover  the edges with Eternabond.  That stuff is really tough to remove, so I'd want to make sure everything was watertight first.    RonB

   edit: what Steve said can happen, in heavy rain water can build up fast enough to creep over the edge of the fan lip. It only takes about 3/4" inch.

Re: Water leak at corner of rear Fantastic Fan, after rain last night

Reply #4 – April 01, 2024, 12:43:32 pm

It sounds like the frame is cracked, it probably was bumped while you sealed the roof, no good deed goes unpunished.
Leaks seldom occur from water getting under the fan's frame exterior sealant.
As suggested, taking the fan's interior cover off may show where the water is coming in, if there is water still present or by hosing the roof.  A very small crack can let in a lot of water.

If you can't find anything indicating a leak, the whole perimeter of the fan's plastic frame could be coated in Dicor or 5200 FC after a good cleaning. Forget about Eternabond tape, it does not stick well to the existing sealants.

Keep us posted on what you find.

Larry

Re: Water leak at corner of rear Fantastic Fan, after rain last night

Reply #6 – April 01, 2024, 09:19:18 pm

Hi Daryl;  Those dark screws around the edge of the fan on the roof are probably for a vent cover that fits over the vent.  That is so you can open the vent even in a rain.  It might also keep some of the rain outside in heavy rain situations. Is your cover missing?   Something like this: Maxxair 00-933066 Translucent RV Roof Vent Cover - White    RonB