Our 2021 Big Horn Traveler will accumulate rain water in the underbelly following a heavy rain which will cause the under skirt to bulge to the point it will pull loose from the screws. No leakage or staining is found anywhere in the interior. This has happened twice. Any suggestions? Thanks
Rain Water in the Underbelly
- Thread starter EAA83
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mlpeloquin
Well-known member
You need to find out where the rain is coming into your fifth wheel. In the mean time, take a small drill and only using your hands, put a hole in the center of the bulge. You have to give the water an exit point. Make sure it is rain water and not a gray water tank leak. You can tell by the smell.
Our last three new fifth wheels all have had this same issue. Basically rain coming off the tires at 60 mph, is being blown past the coroplast covering on the under side of the coach. The coroplast covering is just that, a cover... not a weather proof seal. I had to use a 1/4 or larger drill bit and by hand, put a hole in that coroplast in the low point spots... to let the water drain. Obviously be careful to not drill into anything in the under belly, hence the using the bit by hand instead of a drill to put drains in the material. Its gotten to the point with us, that we refuse to pull the RV in rain.
Also FYI, that water in the under belly setting there will create a very moist climate under the floor of the RV. It will cause mold to start to grow. I ended up slitting the coroplast in two spots and putting large fans blowing up in the belly during dry periods to eliminate that moisture. Our landmark had bat insulation in the belly area, and it was soaked and weighed a ton. It had to be ripped out and discarded due to the water. It by itself would never dry out.
Also FYI, that water in the under belly setting there will create a very moist climate under the floor of the RV. It will cause mold to start to grow. I ended up slitting the coroplast in two spots and putting large fans blowing up in the belly during dry periods to eliminate that moisture. Our landmark had bat insulation in the belly area, and it was soaked and weighed a ton. It had to be ripped out and discarded due to the water. It by itself would never dry out.
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Thanks for replying. I forgot to mention the two times this happened was when the camper was setting. Not moving. We've had no issues when moving. Far as I know. The first time was after a heavy rain in Tennessee and naturally we thought there was a plumbing issue (second time out with the new unit) as the water was clear, thinking an issue with the city water line plumbing or something. Filed a warranty claim w/ Heartland. It was taken to our nearest dealer at Greenwood IN. There they pressured the system for 24 hrs with no loss of pressure so passed it off as a freak event. We did have a pump out service MT the tanks so dealer thought may have been they pressured the line before sucking and blew water out of the tank. But that didn't explain the clear water.
While in FL last winter it happened again following a heavy rain event. Now worried. One week out of warranty. Heartland not interested.
Talked to Alen Wigent at Heartland, he was very nice and we had a long conversation. He told me that with there being no ceiling or side wall dampness or floor water inside the coach there are only two ways rain water can get into the underbelly and that is via the roof plumbing vent or the silicone seal around the metal bottom was not applied. I asked about the slides....he said the way fifth wheels are constructed slide leakage will show on the floor inside and cannot end up in the underbelly. Both look good. He suggested I put a few holes in the skirt to drain if there is no other issue and that the likelihood of mold developing with this scenario was unlikely as it doesn't appear the camper has a construction issue. I've pulled down the skirt as much as I could, not easy but by then everything was dry and looked good.
One experienced RV'er told me he had cut a square hole in his underbelly skirt that he could enter to look around to find a leak and to use FlexSeal tape, not Gorilla Tape, to reattach the plug. He cautioned to not forget about it. Bad idea. So basically despite having a service contract through Good Sam I'm pretty much on my own.
david-steph2018
Well-known member
If you do this, do not cut a square hole. Cut a 3-sided flap with the hinge toward the front of the rig. Then seal it was a good tape, such as Gorilla tape. If you desire, and decide to cut a larger access panel, use a 2x2 piece of pine that goes all the way across frame to frame, then you can use screws to secure it.
mlpeloquin
Well-known member
You might want to look at your plumbing roof vents. Take the round plastic tops off. See if there is a space between the black ABS pipe and the roof. If so seal it with Dicor. Water can get in and fallow that pipe to the underbelly. I had checked mine on my fifth wheel and they were sealed. I remember in another forum that one person had this problem with an unsealed gap that caused water to get in. In my old class C, I had a crack in the antenna cable boot. A small crack that let a ton of water into the coach. Thankfully we were driving in a big down poor at the time and able to find the leak. It does not take much of a gap to let a lot of water in.
