Need ideas on water leaking into RV via Atwood Furnace exterior vent

Hi Heartland Owners Forum - first post for me!

I have a 2016 Heartland Runner 25 SLE travel trailer. I’m having an issue with rain water leaking into the unit from the furnace (Atwood) area.

To me, it seemed that the water was getting into the unit from the furnace exterior vent. I spoke to my Dad (jbeletti) about it and he suggested I speak with Atwood directly to see if they felt rain water could get into the the exterior vent. I described the situation to Atwood and they felt that rain water could enter the vent with heavy rain. I asked them if they felt the furnace vent was installed improperly and from what I described to them, they felt it was installed properly.

We’re not using the furnace at this time and for now, I’ve wrapped the vent with plastic to prevent water entry. We’ve had a LOT of rain lately - and no water has been noted inside the unit. So I’m pretty sure, regardless of what Atwood felt, that my furnace may not have been properly installed. I’m unsure as to what the proper process is but I’ll probably contact Heartland Customer Service about it this week.

The Trail Runner is a stick and tin unit. As such, the exterior siding is ribbed aluminum. This means that there isn’t a flat surface for exterior items to seal tight against. I guess gaskets and sealants is the key here.

Would anyone be willing to hazard a guess as to why water enters the unit, seemingly through the furnace vent? I’m attaching a couple of pictures I took. Two are exterior and one shows a paper towel on the floor behind the furnace. The paper towel is absorbing water that seems to come from “underneath” the furnace. To my knowledge, water is not coming into the unit from within the furnace, but perhaps around the furnace.




Thanks.

ok So My first though is you have found your issue and now you need to take the next step. In my opinion I would pull the furnace out to see the condition of the gasket material behind the plate. You can also see if you can pull the face plate off and the furnace can stay inside. Can you get some model numbers off the unit so you can look up the manual for it.

Hi Mike and Lorena,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the extended Beletti family. Seems we are all members of a large family that likes or loves our RV's and camping.

I am thinking like you, that the only way for the water to get inside would be past the gasket and sealer. Let us know what you find or do stop the leak.

I am sure by your name you have heard of the Heartland Owners Club, but if not, ,this is link for more information and how to join the club and attend some rallies and meet lots of great folks.

Enjoy the forum and your new unit.

Jim M

Hi Mike,

A roll of Butyl Tape can come in handy. My furnace and water heater exterior covers both have Butyl Tape under the edges of the outside covers, sealing the exterior walls against water coming in.

Since the plenum is a sealed unit I highly doubt that water is entering from the exhaust vent or intake.
I'm with the others on checking or removing and resealing the furnace.

Peace
Dave

Take the screws out of the outside cover and pull the cover off. It will have a short pup of pipe that slides over the vent tubes from the furnace so you may have to wiggle it a little to get it off. As suggested previously, clean off the back of the plate and install new butyl tape. Reinstall the plate and caulk around the edges.

Thanks for the advice. We had a couple nights of steady rain this weekend and no water was observed inside! I removed the bug screen to inspect the vent and it appears to be well sealed. My plan is to pick up some additional sealant and butyl tape before removing the vent to inspect further. The night we encountered water inside was after strong storms. Hopefully it was an isolated incident. I'll advise if additional water finds its way inside.

Thanks again.