Water leakage and damage June 28, 2017, 05:25:24 pm I have a 1995 Lazy Daze, 26.5, Rear Bath. This year I’ve discover severe water damage around the rear window. I noticed the wallpaper bubbling around the rear window, in addition to the rear window sill being very soft. Upon removing the window sill, the internal framing was rotten, wet, and full of mold. My first thought was that a water line has ruptured to cause this much moisture inside this wall. Upon inspection, there is no water line in this wall. In 2012, I had Lazy Daze re-seal the roof, as well as re-attach/seal the end caps. Has all this damage been caused by a leak in the rear window? I’ve inspected the rear window and the gasket appears to be intact, without any cracks. I’m at a loss as what to do next, hence my reason to reach out to you. Can this damage be repaired? Or is the damage so extensive, that I should consider purchasing a new Lazy Daze? Your suggestions are appreciated,
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #1 – June 28, 2017, 07:39:54 pm That is a stomach-dropping discovery; sorry! The damage can probably be repaired, but if you aren't able to do the work yourself, it will be expensive to make it right. The factory could provide an estimate for repair. This damage can certainly come from a poorly-sealed window, but you might also want to check around the spare tire mount; if the mounting area was not sealed and the strip not screwed at 2"-3" intervals, water can penetrate and wick in every direction. I hope this can be resolved; good luck.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #2 – June 28, 2017, 07:55:54 pm I am not an authority on such damage but if it were mine I would take it back to Lazy Daze and see if they would bid on the repair, assuming they would assume no responsibility for it relating to the 2012 resealing. Maybe they can find the leak which appears to be above the rear window. Maybe around the luggage bars on the roof or ladder attachment.Should you decide to repair it yourself I expect Lazy Daze will allow you to take pictures of an RB under construction.Once you have a bid then you can decide what to do., repair, junk, or sell it to someone with the skills to fix it. My sympathies. Who knows, I may be next. Wood and water are the LD's weakness and the damage looks extensive.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #3 – June 28, 2017, 08:03:34 pm "Maybe around the luggage bars on the roof or ladder attachment."----Thanks for mentioning these potential water entry points. I have two cartridges of Dicor non-leveling, non-sag lap sealant waiting for me to do the re-seal job on the luggage rack/ladder entries. Tedious, but necessary, job.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #4 – June 28, 2017, 10:06:22 pm This looks very much like mine. I posted about my repairs on this same issue here: Photos of LD showing what happens when end caps aren't sealedWater could come from a end caps, window or ladder. Once it gets in it likes to run along the window frame and sit there. It is repairable. On balance, I am happy we spent the time and money to fix ours, because we spent so little on the purchase of our LD. Best of luck with yours.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #5 – July 20, 2017, 03:58:41 pm Quote from: JCT - June 28, 2017, 08:03:34 pm"Maybe around the luggage bars on the roof or ladder attachment."----Thanks for mentioning these potential water entry points. I have two cartridges of Dicor non-leveling, non-sag lap sealant waiting for me to do the re-seal job on the luggage rack/ladder entries. Tedious, but necessary, job. Does anyone have any experience removing these mountains of sealant on the roof standoffs and inspecting the screws? My sealant seems OK, so I'm not sure I want to tear it off, but it seems to me, that the tubes are just big cups holding a lot of water, and the first place it'd want to go is out the bottom of the tube, right near the screws, where it should essentially be trapped by the big pile of sealant...
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #6 – July 20, 2017, 04:41:48 pm "...it seems to me that the tubes are just big cups holding a lot of water, and the first place it'd want to go is out the bottom of the tube, right near the screws, where it should essentially be trapped by the big pile of sealant..."---I'm missing your point. The "piles" of sealant are on the top of the motorhome where the luggage rack/ladder rails enter the roof. (The roof rack/ladder rail was eliminated in later model years.) If the sealant around the entry points is cracked or missing, water could easily enter the framing, but the "tubes" themselves are sealed except for around the screws where the braces attach. Could you provide additional explanation of your concern?
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #7 – July 20, 2017, 06:05:09 pm if the roof feet are the same as the ladder feet, the cross section looks like this. so the tubes can basically store up water and it can wick out down inside the sealant (i think)
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #8 – July 20, 2017, 06:05:29 pm Quote from: mcnugget - July 20, 2017, 03:58:41 pmDoes anyone have any experience removing these mountains of sealant on the roof standoffs and inspecting the screws?An electric oscillating vibratory tool, along with a shape chisel blade, will easily slice through the sealant.RIDGID JobMax 4 Amp Multi-Tool with Tool-Free Head-R28602 - The Home DepotUniversal Fit Rigid Oscillating Scraper Blade - RW8921 | Rockwell ToolsSonicrafter Accessories | Rockwell ToolsBe careful of the screw heads. they can dull the blade.If you are going to attempt this repair job, this a great tool to have for the reconstruction, useful for cutting many things, in hard to get to places.Larry
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #9 – July 20, 2017, 06:06:50 pm thanks Larry, i'm more interested in maybe how likely the above scenario might occur... seems like it would get inside without having the edges of the sealant compromised...i did use your tips when re-doing all of my corner seals. worked great....
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #10 – July 20, 2017, 06:29:20 pm I am hopeful that some people will take away from this tragedy that long term parking, so that water can stand on the roof, will not lead to good things. Get the front or rear up high enough to ensure it drains.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #11 – July 20, 2017, 06:31:51 pm Quote from: mcnugget - July 20, 2017, 06:06:50 pmI'm more interested in maybe how likely the above scenario might occur... seems like it would get inside without having the edges of the sealant compromised...Have you checked the spare tire well? I found a 2003 RB where the convex spare tire well was pulled away for the body, about a 1/2", allowing rain water to enter and rot the lower part of the rear wall. During construction, polyurethane had been applied to the well but it had not been screwed down, secure it while the adhesive cured. Inspecting our 2003 FL, I found its spare tire well had not been screwed but, luckily, it had not pulled away and was still sealed.I have also found tiny holes where small rocks had penetrated the aluminum roof, I guess from being stepping on, I couldn't determine a cause.In some cases, it seems impossible to find the leak, this where pressuring the body, spraying it with a soapy solution and then looking for bubble, is the only way to pin point a leak. Some RV and auto body shops are set up to do this.You can also attempt to do it yourself.Leak detection | FlickrLarry
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #12 – July 21, 2017, 04:13:51 pm thanks, don't currently have any leaks that i know of to chase, just wondering if it's worth tearing one of these 18 year old cones up, just to check the screws, as it seems like it could be a likely unseen problem.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #13 – July 21, 2017, 05:20:41 pm As I am looking at your illustration it is not what I see on either the ladder or roof rack. Wish I could better explain, or illustrate. There are penetrations of the aluminum skin where screws enter, easily sealed. The brackets on my LD in both locations are attached to the LD by resting in a flange, a cup on a flat plate, screwed into the LD, and the tubing does not penetrate in these areas at all. I'm not at all worried about the screw hole in the tubing where the stand-off bracket is installed. All that can fill with water and there is no way through the LD skin except the bracket screw holes. The mound of sealant is a bit of overkill. I have dealt with leaks, but not in this area.
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #15 – July 21, 2017, 05:41:37 pm I had some screws holding the roof rack rail onto the vertical posts that were rusting. I replaced them with stainless button head (I think 1/4-20) screws. There is a threaded plug inside the tube, under the black plastic piece that seemed firmly attached. If I were to use straps around that rail, I'd expect them to be fastened in tightly. I don't remember much about that detail. Too many other more likely places for water to infiltrate. RonB
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #16 – July 23, 2017, 04:30:55 pm Quote from: paul banbury - July 21, 2017, 05:20:41 pmAs I am looking at your illustration it is not what I see on either the ladder or roof rack. Wish I could better explain, or illustrate. There are penetrations of the aluminum skin where screws enter, easily sealed. The brackets on my LD in both locations are attached to the LD by resting in a flange, a cup on a flat plate, screwed into the LD, and the tubing does not penetrate in these areas at all. I'm not at all worried about the screw hole in the tubing where the stand-off bracket is installed. All that can fill with water and there is no way through the LD skin except the bracket screw holes. The mound of sealant is a bit of overkill. I have dealt with leaks, but not in this area. OK, I guess I was concerned about the joint you don't see under the sealant where the tube fits in to the flange... Since the tube is not one piece with the flange, water can exit the bottom of the tube, under the sealant and get to the screws . Just hypothetical I guess, but it seems possible /likely to me for some reason heres an image of most of the standoffs I've seen, though I haven't had mine off the ld
Re: Water leakage and damage Reply #17 – July 23, 2017, 06:08:58 pm To allay any possible water intrusion I can think of a couple of solutions. Remove the rack and fill the standoff support tubes with polyurethane sealant then reinstall the rack and do the following- - do like most and remove, reseal and replace the screws and sealant. This seams to work for anyone I have talked to about it. Or remove all of the rack and fill the remaining screw holes with polyurethane sealant then cover those spots with Eternabond tape. I can think of several other areas for leakage that have been widely recognized.
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Topic: Water leakage and damage (Read 532 times)
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