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RetDA · (09-15-2014)

Spent a couple of days last week at CoachCraft by MacDonald searching for some roof leaks. John Boy Hughes cranked up his low tech "rednek engineered" pressurizer. A plyboard box that fits in a window, a sheet plastic "duct" and a heavy duty fan like the home rehab people use (i.e. Service Masters, ServePro, etc.) Tape over weep slots in the windows and other openings.

About 30 minutes to an hour of forcing air into my bird, then on the roof and around the tops of the sides with a Windex bottle of soapy water, I had more bubbles coming out of my coach than Lawrence Welk ever had on his program.

Some of the clearance lights were allowing water to enter, a few bolts on the goat rails and of all things, three roof plate seams.

Another couple of hours with a caulk gun, sealant and new bolts and a nice mini-monsoon common for this part of the world, the leaks were all gone.

My cost was right at $500.00. And a couple of free nights at the "Luxurious CoachCraft RV Resort".

Anybody got some leaks that you just can't get fixed, you might want to give CoachCraft a call:

706.562.0510

Could well be worth a trip to Columbus, GA.

davidbrady · (This post was last modified: 09-15-2014 22:55 by davidbrady.)

Great stuff Tommy,

Thanks for the report. I'm sold on the idea of pressurizing to find leaks. I think one can cordon off areas of the bus for focused sessions. Say you have a leak in your bath, why not plumb the high pressure air into the fantastic vent and seal off the fore and aft pocket doors with polyurethane and tape. Like you said, you need to seal off the obvious to build pressure, things like drains, vents, and window drains. I'm glad it worked out for you.

***Arcticdude*** · 09-16-2014, 01:16

Great to hear the leaks are fixed! Did they give you any thoughts on how they'd find a plate bolt leaking? IE- roof plating with bolts in the middle of the plate.

RetDA · 09-16-2014, 08:53

(09-16-2014 01:16)Arcticdude Wrote: Great to hear the leaks are fixed! Did they give you any thoughts on how they'd find a plate bolt leaking? IE- roof plating with bolts in the middle of the plate.

There were bunches of "Lawrence Welk quality" bubbles coming out from under the seams after the coach was pressurized and soaped down.

I'm not real sure how BB attached the roof plates. If I'm not mistaken, John Boy told me the plates were bolted (or welded) on the sides, curved over the roof and glued using a "super sealer" of some sort. I seem to remember him saying those plates that are covered with the cat-walk components are more secure because of the screws holding the walkways down.

I may be all wrong, so perhaps someone more technically astute than I am will "educate" us (me). He also stated that its very rare for the seam to develop a leak.

BB's construction of the roof does not really mean much to me - for a techno-challenged person, I am so glad (ecstatic, really) that the source of couple of really difficult leaks have been located and eliminated.

GregOConnor · 09-16-2014, 09:23

The plate attachment bolts and light screws are not unique, they all are scheduled to fail . This is one of the fixes where I would just start up dating all possible leaking spots rather than spend the effort to find the one that has just started.

RetDA · 09-16-2014, 14:59

(09-16-2014 09:23)GregOConnor Wrote: The plate attachment bolts and light screws are not unique, they all are scheduled to fail . This is one of the fixes where I would just start up dating all possible leaking spots rather than spend the effort to find the one that has just started.

Greg - I've been systematically replacing them all. New stainless steel screws, a dollop of DiCor and in some places an application of eternabond tape as well as some Flo-seal C-10. I just didn't know where the leaks were coming from. Never entered my mind the roof plates would leak as well as some of the clearance lights. My roof and attachments don't look too pretty but a pretty roof and functional roof are not necessarily synonymous with a 21 year old 'bird.

Thanks for your response!

GregOConnor · 09-17-2014, 00:32

what is the roof plates? is it the aluminum walk way? I also never thought of the marker lights being a place for a leak. I may pull them and install leds and seal them up. How did you seal the markers, did you need to do the wire holes and screw holes? My bus is for sale but I may just keep it on the east coast after I get a new one. and I dont know if leaking is an issue as we store it in a barn and cover it when it rains at an event. we keep a sunbrella cover on the roof all the time. . none the less, if the markers on your 94 are leaking, my 94 markers will soon leak. thanks for posting the resolve.

RetDA · (This post was last modified: 09-17-2014 08:13 by RetDA.)

(09-17-2014 00:32)GregOConnor Wrote: what is the roof plates? is it the aluminum walk way? I also never thought of the marker lights being a place for a leak. I may pull them and install leds and seal them up. How did you seal the markers, did you need to do the wire holes and screw holes? My bus is for sale but I may just keep it on the east coast after I get a new one. and I dont know if leaking is an issue as we store it in a barn and cover it when it rains at an event. we keep a sunbrella cover on the roof all the time. . none the less, if the markers on your 94 are leaking, my 94 markers will soon leak. thanks for posting the resolve.

Greg:
Remember, I'm the most challenged technically and mechanically knowledgeable person among 'bird owners. But, I'll tell you what I "think" I know and observed during the repair.

1. The roof plates are the steel components of the roof. On my coach it appears the plates are approximately 4 feet long and 6-8 feet wide. Beginning 3 feet or so from the front cap, you can see where the edge of the plate is riveted to the side, maybe 3 inches or so from the top. As I understand, during construction the plates were laid over the roof, forming somewhat of a contour then riveted to the other side. As the plates were installed, Wanderlodge used some kind of material under the plate as well as some form of glue/sealant to finish the install. The process was repeated back to the rear cap.

Regarding the seam leaks of the plates, over the years, the flexing, shaking and general use of the coach can cause the sealing of the plates to deteriorate, thus allowing water to enter.

2. I would never have thought the clearance lights could cause a leak, but the sealing materials, gasket, etc. of the light assembly will deteriorate. Water will enter the hole where the light connectors enter the coach and run through the interior "trace" (where the a/c ducts and wiring harnesses are installed) extending the inside length of the coach.

The process of sealing the clearance lights was fairly simple. Unscrew the light assembly, pull the light and wiring out of the hole in the side of the coach, removing old sealant/caulk, clean around the area then fill the hole with a good sealant (Di-Cor non-leveling caulk). Push the light assembly back in the fully caulked hole, use a little of the sealant around the light base, screw it back in.

Bear in mind my account of the process is plagued with technical ignorance; my 50 years as a lawyer makes me an objective rather than subjective observer. Somebody else on this forum, including yourself would have a better technical observer than I.

Itchintogo · 09-18-2014, 22:42

I am late to the party but "Thank You" to Tommy for making me burst out laughing with his Lawrence Welk bubble comment. I think they could hear me for blocks. Anyone under 40 likely would not understand but I sure thought it was funny!

RetDA · 09-20-2014, 08:33

(09-18-2014 22:42)Itchintogo Wrote: I am late to the party but "Thank You" to Tommy for making me burst out laughing with his Lawrence Welk bubble comment. I think they could hear me for blocks. Anyone under 40 likely would not understand but I sure thought it was funny!

Wonnerful, wonnerful, wonnerful!