Where have you found leaks?

[BobbyandGenee]

Well we got our rig back today. The dealership has fixed the immediate problem. They removed the top angle piece, re glued the roof back down including around the front, and re secured the angle piece. Then applied new sealer on top and clear sealer between the panel and the angle piece.

HOWEVER.... this repair comes with hitch. The dealership has now seen and has photo evidence that the panel is insuffixiently backed, and will likely fail again. This will be a huge issue if it fails while driving down the road in the rain.

Although they will submit their stuff to Heartland, I have been advised to contact Heartland directly also about this. I don't know what will come if it, but our idea is to make sure Heartland is aware of this. Fingers crossed that my dealers repair holds!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mlpeloquin]

Thanks for the heads up. We haven't gone over the whole exterior seams yet. If we find any loose panels, we will use 5200. Works great, stays flexible, seals and will never come off.
Hopefully we will get it back from the dealer soon...we have camping to do.

I assume that 5200 is 3M Maureen 5200 Adhesive/Sealant fast cure whit paste. It says 1 hour fixture time with a 24 hour cure time. Is this thick and does it stay put without letting gravity pull it from where you put it? If it doesn't, then how is it with long time UV exposure? Does it get chalky over time?

 

[Furious10]

I assume that 5200 is 3M Maureen 5200 Adhesive/Sealant fast cure whit paste. It says 1 hour fixture time with a 24 hour cure time. Is this thick and does it stay put without letting gravity pull it from where you put it? If it doesn't, then how is it with long time UV exposure? Does it get chalky over time?

5200 is a marine sealant. It is great to adhere anything and once applied, it won't let go. We used it on the teardrop we built to adhere the aluminum top skin to wood. My husband repaired yachts all over the world and always carried 5200 with him, so it's something we know. There might be other sealants/adhesives that are better but we know this one. It does not dry out and get chalky, it is applied with a caulking gun and can be spread, and it stays put.

 

[BobbyandGenee]

Just a follow up:

We got the rig back and took it to Yosemite and back in very windy conditions. Everything held! So onward we continue with our adventures, ever so cautiously watching.

The dealer took the entire molding off the top and resealed back behind the front panel. Then they added additional sealant when they re installed the angle molding. A few extra screws and new roof compound and it look right!

Thankfully that didnt happen on a cross country trek!

 

[Furious10]

Just a follow up:

We got the rig back and took it to Yosemite and back in very windy conditions. Everything held! So onward we continue with our adventures, ever so cautiously watching.

The dealer took the entire molding off the top and resealed back behind the front panel. Then they added additional sealant when they re installed the angle molding. A few extra screws and new roof compound and it look right!

Thankfully that didnt happen on a cross country trek!

Glad the problem appears solved. Ever vigilant.

 

[Greggshere]

We have a leak in ours and I can't determine the source. It has to be a hard blowing rain to leak and it doesn't leak much. It is on the main front/side glass in the lower wood work on the refrigerator side. It drips down on the top booth cushion right where the wood work ends. I looked outside and everything looks sealed up. I don't see any voids or gaps, so I'm not sure how to stop this. It's dry on the finished side of the wood work but if you look up from underneath you can see it is slightly wet.

 

[BobbyandGenee]

I am sure where in the build your unit was. (I tried to get the info from Heartland but they didn't number the first 266). The four that our dealer got had EXCESSIVE clear silicone (or RTV sealant) under all metal trim around the window. We had goopy silicone streaks on all the glass, which we still have not been able to get completely off. After multiple washes we have had no leaks (knock on wood).

I would have your dealer figure it out while you are under warranty!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PondSkum]

Found my leak that was pooling in the window sill finally. My outdoor speakers are bad. I knew they were bad, cuz they did not sound right. Finally got around to climbing up there and checking them out, and the cones have completely disintegrated.. So will be replacing them soon and hopefully the leak will stop.

Edit: I didn't realize this post was in classic section... most of you guys don't have outdoor speaker systems I imagine.. LOL

 

[Greggshere]

Actually the Terry does have an outdoor speaker system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BobbyandGenee]

Although an upgrade to the Terry speakers is on the ToDo list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Furious10]

Actually the Terry does have an outdoor speaker system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes we do...

- - - Updated - - -

Although an upgrade to the Terry speakers is on the ToDo list.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes it is...one word. Bose!

 

[JohnD]

I wish Heartland would put decent outdoor speakers in their products.

I know there are better outside speakers on the market (they install the smallest and cheapest speakers available - I remember when Jensen was the big name in car audio), and it would be nice not to have to cut larger holes in the side of a brand new trailer to upgrade the speakers and just have them put in at the factory in the first place.

And as far as I know there is no speaker upgrade offered!

This is what both of those cheap Jensen speakers did on our previous Heartland Trail Runner:



Got the same speakers on our Prowler and after two years haven't come apart like the one pictured above . . . but they still sound terrible.

 

[PondSkum]

Actually the Terry does have an outdoor speaker system.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome! learn something new every day! I'd keep an eye on them. The cheapo speakers they put in my RW are disintegrated after only 2 years...

I wish Heartland would put decent outdoor speakers in their products.

I know there are better outside speakers on the market (they install the smallest and cheapest speakers available - I remember when Jensen was the big name in car audio), and it would be nice not to have to cut larger holes in the side of a brand new trailer to upgrade the speakers and just have them put in at the factory in the first place.

And as far as I know there is no speaker upgrade offered!

This is what both of those cheap Jensen speakers did on our previous Heartland Trail Runner:

Got the same speakers on our Prowler and after two years haven't come apart like the one pictured above . . . but they still sound terrible.

At least they put Jensen's in yours.. I can't remember the brand, but it was one that I've never heard of in my RW.. That said, I was looking at some Jensen marine speakers on Amazon.. they look different from yours though.. I really don't want to spend too much, because I'm not sure if even the top of the line brands will last much longer than a few years being in the rain and sun all the time..

 

[JohnD]

Awesome! learn something new every day! I'd keep an eye on them. The cheapo speakers they put in my RW are disintegrated after only 2 years... At least they put Jensen's in yours.. I can't remember the brand, but it was one that I've never heard of in my RW.. That said, I was looking at some Jensen marine speakers on Amazon.. they look different from yours though.. I really don't want to spend too much, because I'm not sure if even the top of the line brands will last much longer than a few years being in the rain and sun all the time..

What would be cool would be if there was some kind of snap-on cover to keep the outside speakers out of the elements when not in use.

Hmmm, maybe an invention for me to retire on!

 

[PondSkum]

What would be cool would be if there was some kind of snap-on cover to keep the outside speakers out of the elements when not in use.

Hmmm, maybe an invention for me to retire on!

I was thinking the same thing after this post, and a storm rolled through right after I found out my speakers were causing the leak... I have new ones on the way now though.. but covers would probably be a great idea. But in my case, they would need to be easy to uncover with a broom handle or something, cuz I don't carry around a ladder everywhere I go... MY RW is TALL! LOL

 

[Greggshere]

I'm going to have to try and locate this little leak I have somewhere on the drivers side front window. It is very small and only occurs if we get a hard rain. It drips VERY slowly right at the end of the lower window woodwork. If you look under there its on the lower plywood that the woodwork attaches to. I put a paper towel in there and it just becomes damp during heavy rain. It's got to be a very small void or opening somewhere. I've looked all around the window on the outside and see no voids anywhere in the window sealant. I'm thinking it must be coming in around a screw hole or something. This weekend I guess I'll go out and seal around every screw head and see how that works.

 

[BobbyandGenee]

As a contractor, I deal with leaks more often than I want to. The funny thing about water is can travel inches or feet before it comes out. So look at your RV from a birds eye view. Check your deals at the roof line (we had our roof come loose because the front panel was not sealed properly). Heavy rain may be the gutters are full for long periods of time, so the joint between the roof and gutter should be checked. Also, look where the antenna is. If water gets past the seal it can travel sideways down the slopes roof right about to where your leak is.

Just some ideas for you! Keep us advised as I already know I am going to go through our entire exterior before winter and re seal voids


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Greggshere]

Thank you for the advice! I'm off today so I will definitely look at those areas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BobbyandGenee]

I found a new issue this morning. Two areas at the rear on both sides of the rig. The panels are only secured by the sealant, which has already failed. Is anyone using a product that is super good for these areas so we don't have to keep sealing them? I feel like I need to go through and redo the entire rig. So many areas where there is just a bead of surface sealant, with nothing actually in the voids.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Greggshere]

I found a new issue this morning. Two areas at the rear on both sides of the rig. The panels are only secured by the sealant, which has already failed. Is anyone using a product that is super good for these areas so we don't have to keep sealing them? I feel like I need to go through and redo the entire rig. So many areas where there is just a bead of surface sealant, with nothing actually in the voids. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, that's not good. I checked mine and they are still tight but it's probably just a matter of time. Make sure to post what you find that works great. I didn't get to check my roof on Weds. because a bunch of unexpected stuff happened. We had another hard rain storm today and again just a tiny leak, about the diameter of a quarter. It is supposed to rain hard from now until Thursday of next week, so I went out a little while ago and pulled all of the screws on that side and used clear silicone when I reinstalled them to seal them. I don't know if it will help, but I needed to do something quick. I will find out tomorrow if it helped, because it is supposed to rain.