2010 27BHS water damage

Hello all - I am getting some water in my TT but cannot figure out from where. I have inspected the roof and it seems good - all the caulking is solid with no loose spots and the A/C unit is sealed well. The damage is isolated to the floor of the front baggage compartment - mostly the slide side but I have just noticed a little starting on the awning side as well. I have never actually seen water in there but the floor is soft. Also, when I tilt the tongue down to hook up, water regularly spills out of the plastic covering that is under the frame (I hope it's related!). I do not think the leak is plumbing related since (1) when I hooked up this Spring, water poured out of the covering and (2) when the pump is on, it does not run unless a faucet is on. My thoughts are the baggage doors - some of the screws around the door frame are rusted and I had to add some weather stripping to the slide-side door last year because it was not sealing right. Do you think this much water could come in the screw holes or over the hinge of the baggage door? I want to pull the door frames to inspect around them but we're in a 14-day "rain every day" weather pattern right now so I'm kind of stuck. Any thoughts as to where else I should look? Thanks for your time. Joe

Hi Joe,

Welcome to the posting side of the Heartland Owners Forum. If you have been looking around all this time you know we have a lot of great folks here. I'm sure someone with a North Country will jump in soon with some ideas to help find your leak.

I am also moving the thread to a better area for help.

Jim M

Joezeppy, I also had damage to the floor of my storage compartment. Water was seeping in through the screw holes on the baggage door. The carpet had mold on it and the floor/storage area had to be rebuilt Caulk/sealant around the screws has solved the problem. Check the carpet/covering on the inside of the door for wetness after a rain. Good luck.

Mark

A couple thoughts, based on what I've seen on my North Trail as I rooted out a minor leak:
- Where does the discharge from the front end of the roof gutter run down the side of the trailer. Might that stream of water be finding its way into the baggage compartment?
- Do you have a piece of trim running horizontally along the outside of the trailer at the level of the interior floor? If you do, pull back the plastic part that looks like a rub strip and see if you have water or green scum behind it.
- Do you have a piece of trim running horizontally along the front cap a few feet up from the bottom? My North Trail has a trim piece there that runs along the top of the diamond plate covering the bottom of the cap. If you do, check behind its plastic strip also.

I had this exact problem on my Caliber North Trail, however, I caught and corrected it in time before any damage. I found that the weatherstripping profile was not enough to make a good seal on the baggage compartment door. So I took some 3/16" OD clear plastic tubing from an oxygen hose and cut a length long enough to run from one bottom corner up and over the top and down to the opposite bottom corner. I placed this tubing up under the weatherstripping to raise the profile of the rubber. It has worked perfectly for 18 months now. I also caulked the screw heads along the bottom trim as well. Not a drop of water has entered the baggage compartment.
You can find the plastic tubing from any medical supply company (Oxygen suppliers). It is the type used for breathing concentrators.

Jim, thanks for moving the message - I appreciate it. I have not actually been lurking - signed up back in 2009 when we were shopping but never really got back here - I'll have to make it a point to make regular return visits! Mark and RuralPastor, sorry you had similar experiences but glad to see that the baggage doors are the most likely culprit. If we don't get a break in the weather, I might have to do a quick fix with some Eternabond over the bottom screws for now but at least I know where to start. Luckily the storage bay is laminate and not carpet so I can hopefully just cut it back, replace the flooring and put the laminate back. There is a small corner of soft flooring that has crept into the bedroom, though - that might be a little more complicated. It might be worth it to pay for indoor storage this winter so I can dry it out well and have someplace to work on it. Mike, the front gutter spout is directly in line with the door - I did put those plastic extensions on the gutters last year but before that the water used to just run down right onto the door hinge! No other trim pieces near the baggage doors or on the front cap (the white siding just overlaps the diamond plate). I actually have some of that hose in the house - my kids have nebulizers and we have some extra tubing laying around. Thanks again everyone...and sorry for the long paragraph - my return/enter key does not seem to want to work - I'll have to check my settings, I guess.