[T3] Water Leak and fining it

[Gary Forsmo]

*We are full-time motor homers, and have been for almost 10 years.   We
don't own a "sticks 'n bricks", permanent residence like most of you.  I
tell my wife "We're homeless."  She says: "Houseless".

Motor home owners are chronically plagued with water leaks.  One immutable
fact:
*

   - *We either have a leak,*
   - *Are going to have a leak, or*
   - *Have had a water leak!*

*Our 38'+ motor home has (no less than) 113 lineal feet of "seals" for
windows, door, windshield, etc.  Plus over 150' of roof seams and other
various "holes" that are cut into the shell roof, side-walls, front and rear
caps.  "Holes" for antennas, roof A/C's, solar panels, vents, rear camera,
lights (tail lights, stop light, driving, clearance, porch, etc.), furnace
access, refrigerator access, water heater access panel and on and on.

No wonder when the RV is out in the elements ALL of the time, leaks happen.
And then we drive them down all sorts of roads at highway speeds.

A common "water leak" is that happens, shows up on the ceiling.   .... but
the actual source of the leak can be 12', 15' or 30' away from where the
water enters.

One "trick" we use is the "dollar bill" check.  Like checking the seal on a
refrigerator or freezer door.  Put the dollar bill in the opening, close the
door and s-l-o-w-l-y pull the dollar bill past the seal.  You should feel
some resistance.  That may work for your doors and window seals.

On "fixed" (non-opening type) windows, wind shields, etc. we carefully
"bend" the rubber seal away from the body, so we can use a proper sealant
between glass-to-rubber or rubber-to-fiberglass.  There are different
sealants for different applications.  Older rubber seals have a tendency to
"tear" when disturbed, so be careful and go s-l-o-w, when you "bend" the
seal with a blunt instrument.  I use a piece of smooth, slightly flexible
Plexiglas tool about 1" X 6" by 1/4".  Sometimes it takes two people: one to
bend the gasket open, while the other follows with the sealant tube.

Sorry for the long response, but as I said:  Water leaks, and fixing them is
a "way of life" for motor homers.

Good luck with locating and resolving the source of your water leak.

FritoBandito - '69 T3 Squareback, MT, FI  *
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.vwtype3.org/private.cgi/type3-vwtype3.org/attachments/20110220/01a919f0/attachment.htm>