Water leak through light on wall above head of bed

I purchased a new (2011) North trail 30RKDD caliber about a week ago. First trip out and lots of rain. It is leaking in through one of the lights on the wall above the bed and soaked the pillow and mattress. To make it worse, it was my side of the bed. I suspect a possible leak on the seam at the top of the front cap or through one of the outside lights. Has anyone else experienced this? We are still at the lake and I do not have a ladder. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
sigma

Hi sigma,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I have not heard of any leaks like that before, but hopefully some other North Trail owners will jump in with some ideas for a cure.

Enjoy the forum and your North Trail.

Jim M

Sigma:
If you are still at the lake and want to try to remedy the problem, its time to swallow your pride and ask your neighbor RVers for help. Maybe they or the park owner can loan you a ladder. Many RVers carry all sorts of sealants (like Eternabond patches), and most are ready to help a neighbor in need, even in the rain. Maybe someone can loan you a tarp and duct tape (or bungee cords) to cover the roof.

When you get home, you need to persue this as a warranty claim.

Is this leak from the roof of a slide? If it is, then it's a good reason to invest in slide toppers.

I'm not sure of the floor plan of your model, but if it is a slide that's leaking, check the rubber seal on the top and make sure it's not stuck in. On our first weekend in our trailer we had a bit of dampness on the living room floor by the main slide and realized (after first scolding the dogs - sorry girls!) and then reading all the helpful posts on the forum that it was just the top corner of the slide seal that was tucked into the trailer. The seal should be out all the way around so the water is not drawn into the trailer. Easy fix - just had to flip it out - no tools needed. Hopefully your leak is just as easy to fix. Good luck!

JohnDar said:

Is this leak from the roof of a slide? If it is, then it's a good reason to invest in slide toppers.

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Do you have slide toppers John? If so, do you like them? I've been thinking about them because we're in a fairly wooded area, but I've heard that some people don't like them - not sure why. This is our first trailer with slides, so it's all new to me. (OK, it's also our first trailer not made in the 1980's!) Do they really keep the slides clean? Would be nice to not have to sweep the leaves and nuts off the slides all the time. Do you still climb up to check the tops before putting the slides in? I get a little nervous climbing up to clean the slides when I'm at the camper alone. I am not the most coordinated person in the world! (Sorry to get off topic from the leak - I was just curious.)

AnnR said:

Do you have slide toppers John? If so, do you like them? I've been thinking about them because we're in a fairly wooded area, but I've heard that some people don't like them - not sure why. This is our first trailer with slides, so it's all new to me. (OK, it's also our first trailer not made in the 1980's!) Do they really keep the slides clean? Would be nice to not have to sweep the leaves and nuts off the slides all the time. Do you still climb up to check the tops before putting the slides in? I get a little nervous climbing up to clean the slides when I'm at the camper alone. I am not the most coordinated person in the world! (Sorry to get off topic from the leak - I was just curious.)

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Yes, I have toppers on all four slides. Although it might get a little dusty under them, they keep rain and tree debris off the tops. I wash them when I wash the roof of the rig, using a long handled brush. When we had a TT, it didn't have a topper or a ladder and I had to back the truck up to it to clean the junk off. With this rig, the truck bed would not be high enough. But I don't have a problem on the ladder, roof, or the extension ladder I carry.

If the bed is in the front nose of the trailer, check the caulk around the marker lights. I seem to remember this being a vulnerable place for water intrusion on the NT.

Yes the bed is in the nose and the leak is not close to a slide. It rained hard today and no leak. We will head home tomorrow and I will check out the roof and lights.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. This is a great forum.
sigma

Just an update on the bedroom wall/light leak on my 2011 NT 30RKDD. The front clearance lights at the top of the front cap were fine and appeared to be caulked properly but there was about 18" of seam on top that was not caulked properly on the front side of the seam where the front cap joins the roof. The roof and cap are bent down a bit at this location. It looks like a heavy guy stood there when sealing the roof. (I did find lots of footprints on the roof.) As it would require a 200 km trip to the dealer for warranty which I am sure would require me to leave it there for a few days and then another 4 hour round trip to pick it up, I decided to take pictures then re-caulk it myself. The wife asked me why I did not climb on top when we bought it and check all the seams out. I will on the next one I buy. While on top, I checked all other caulking and sealing on the roof before putting the ladder away.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.
Sigma