Found a leak...

[surfbeetle]

Started having a smell coming from the rear of the fifth wheel. It's a bunk house with storage underneath. I unloaded the rear and found that the seam at the rear corner must have been leaking. When we're camped, the A/C runs right down that corner, this with the rains we had last winter, the rear corner is definitely damp. I plan to use some sort of silicone sealant on the outside seam, any suggestions? In addition, I plan to remove the paneling inside and dry it out and hope that there isn't any rot. If there is, I'll get some "Git Rot" and treat the wood. Here are my questions: if there's mold, what's the best way to treat it, use bleach or is there something better? Also, if the paneling is too damaged to reinstall, what's the best place to get a couple of replacement pieces? The paneling is the typical white with a kind of a faint swirl pattern that was used in a lot of the RVs built in the 2000's.
Thanks

 

[TCollier]

Dicor sealant seems to be pretty good. I've used it and application and clean up it reminds me of 3M 5200 which is a heavy duty marine sealant/adhesive that is virtually permanent above and below the waterline. Though I haven't had experience over long enough to attest to the longevity of the Dicor, a lot of RVers swear by it. Eternabond tape is popular as well.

100% silicone can turn in to a real pain because if you have to seal it again nothing will stick to silicone and it's difficult to completely remove.
You might want to check out this link about corner repair. https://youtu.be/pVS0zkWcQEo

 

[surfbeetle]

Thank you TCollier.

 

[JR]

I'll second the dicor. There is a self leveling type for roofs and a standard type for vertical applications. Silicone is not recommended for the reasons above plus I think it doesn't hold as well with all the flexing an RV does going down the road.
As to your panels and such, do you have an RV dealer near you? I've been able to source anything and everything I've needed yet for mine (03 Wildcat). If they don't stock it they can get it within a few days.

 

[B.G. Smith]

Be sure and check the roof where it meets the rear cap. If the AC runs down that side you may have a low place where water puddles. Also if you have to seal any of the roof, check comparability of the sealer with roof material. If you have a leak at the roof joint look into Eternabond. Great stuff. bg

 

[TCollier]

Be sure and check the roof where it meets the rear cap. If the AC runs down that side you may have a low place where water puddles. Also if you have to seal any of the roof, check comparability of the sealer with roof material. If you have a leak at the roof joint look into Eternabond. Great stuff. bg

Roger on checking the compatibility.
My roof is a Dicor EDPM but the top of the slide outs is something different, I guess some type of textured TPO. I used the Dicor to seal the metal trim & screws on the inboard side of the slide out roof and it seemed to slightly draw up (or expand) the roof material that had the sealant on it. I read that this could happen but shouldn't damage the material. I was inspecting it for this effect the next day and just could feel it. The Dicor I had said it was good for most types of TPO. This area stays behind the wiper blade when the slide outs extended so it'll never be seen or directly in the elements so hopefully it should be good for the life of the camper.
I'm going to use the eternabond on the outboard seal trim since it's a more finished look and will be a lot easier.

 

[surfbeetle]

I ordered the corner seal kit from dicor referenced in the above video, just waiting for it to show up. Yesterday I pulled the corner trim strip and peeled back the siding. I have a vertical 2x2 that is rotten and a horizontal one that is also rotted. I removed the insulation and then saturated the area with out mold remover bleach. I have left it all open and exposed to dry out. Fortunately the rotten wood will be easy to replace and I got some 2x4 fir that was recommended as being better at resisting moisture. I'm going cut the 2x4's down to size and repair the rot. As for the panels that were damaged, it's a small area so I got some panels that I can cut down and glue to the inside of the panels to reinforce them. After it's all fixed, I'll put the tape on and seal it up. For good measure, I'm going to reseal the other rear corner as well. Definitely a pain but not impossible and I'm glad I'm addressing it now instead of letting it get worse. This is our third fifth wheel and we've had this one for ten years, it's a 2003 and will be paid off this year so I'd like it to last a while longer.

 

[surfbeetle]

Okay, the wood and structural repairs are done. The corner seal kit is on back order and I should have it soon. I have the trailer covered up with the typical blue tarp and duct taped the seams while I'm waiting. Here in San Diego, we've had the threat of thundershowers over the course of the last couple of weeks but really nothing has shown up. I'm waiting on re-stapling the siding back in place in case it does in fact rain, I'd be able to easily open it back up and let it air back out. Fingers crossed.

 

[surfbeetle]

I finally got the Dicor kit and have completed the repairs. The first side I did was the right rear corner, which of course is the side you'll see when sitting at a campground. It's sealed but it's ugly. When I glued it, I had put blue painter's tape on the edge of the trim and next to the trim so that when I smeared the caulking, it would look nice after I pulled off the tape. But it was late in the evening and getting damp. The dam(p) tape would not stick. When I did the other side, the tape stayed in place until I was ready to remove it. The end result looks much better IMHO then the first side. I guess the next task will be to see what can be done to prolong the life of the roof. I saw on Amazon, that Dicor also sells a roof kit for $450.00 that will cover a 30 foot rig.

 

[Brian Sullivan]

I have used this product on a couple of campers roofs https://gaco.com/product-details/gacoelastomeric/

 

[mfurrh55]

Started having a smell coming from the rear of the fifth wheel. It's a bunk house with storage underneath. I unloaded the rear and found that the seam at the rear corner must have been leaking. When we're camped, the A/C runs right down that corner, this with the rains we had last winter, the rear corner is definitely damp. I plan to use some sort of silicone sealant on the outside seam, any suggestions? In addition, I plan to remove the paneling inside and dry it out and hope that there isn't any rot. If there is, I'll get some "Git Rot" and treat the wood. Here are my questions: if there's mold, what's the best way to treat it, use bleach or is there something better? Also, if the paneling is too damaged to reinstall, what's the best place to get a couple of replacement pieces? The paneling is the typical white with a kind of a faint swirl pattern that was used in a lot of the RVs built in the 2000's.
Thanks

I do disaster relief for SBTC , we treat houses for mold and we do not use bleach, we use a hospital disinfectant called shockwave, kills mold on contact and doesn't let it return like bleach does, if you can't get some shockwave" mean green works better than bleach, hope this helps, Monte

 

[surfbeetle]

I do disaster relief for SBTC , we treat houses for mold and we do not use bleach, we use a hospital disinfectant called shockwave, kills mold on contact and doesn't let it return like bleach does, if you can't get some shockwave" mean green works better than bleach, hope this helps, Monte

Thank you! I'll definitely keep this in mind for the future, this time around, I used a combo of bleach and an went back with some industrial cleaner from Home Depot that was supposed to kill the mold.