Water Leak On Side Of '93 Dutchman Trailer.

by Rod
(Bay City Mi.)

My paneling in rear bedroom was wet so I removed wet paneling and insulation.It appeared that the rear corner was leaking. I went to my local RV dealer and got the caulk they recommended. I took the seam apart cleaned and recaulked. I sealed the roof last fall and it looks good. Today we have a windy rain and I can see water leaking above side window between the top piece of siding and the second row of siding, The top piece of siding is dry. The water seem to be coming from between the panels. The trailer is parked with the rear lower that the front. Any ideas?

ANSWER Greetings Rod thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RVing Question Page.

Sorry to hear you are going through this. The unfortunate thing about water leaks in RVs is that water has a tendency to travel. The leak you are talking about may not be coming from the area you are looking at. The leak could be traveling from the front of the trailer all the way down to the bedroom.

The first thing I would do is get a tarp to cover the roof of the trailer until the rain subsides. Each time water comes into the interior of the trailer or between the walls it is causing more damage and setting you up for a mold or mildew problem.

When it clears up enough, you need to start looking for the leak. I would start looking from the roof down. As I said just because it is leaking in the back does not mean that the leak is not in the front of the trailer. When inspecting your roof, look for any cracked sealant or caulking around A/C, Antenna or anything that is actually attached to the roof. Repair any cracked material that you find. Anything that is attached to the roof could be the culprit.

If everything on the roof looks fine, I would start checking the windows in the trailer, since you say that the leak is near a window, the window may have to be removed and resealed; this is really not as complicated as it sounds. It is a two person job and normally requires unscrewing some screws around the frame of the window, removing, cleaning it and resealing it. If in doubt go to your local RV service center and they can explain the procedure.

Also check the side of the RV that has anything attached to it such as awnings, ladders, etc. The attaching bolts or screws may need to be removed and resealed.

Hopefully, by doing the check from top to bottom, you will be able to identify the cause of the leak. If you are unable to find the problem, you may have to break down and have an experienced RV Technician take a look at your trailer and see if they can find the problem. Yes, this is going to cost you some money, but if you let this leak continue, you are going to create a situation that will create even more expensive damage to your RV.

Below are some links to questions that I have been asked about leaky RVs and sealing RV roofs, etc. Hopefully you might get some more useful information from the answers I gave to those folks.

Sealing A Roof On A Class A Motorhome
I Need Help With An Old RV For A Homeless Woman
We Are Looking At A Used RV That Has A Water Leak, What Should We Do?
What Would Cause A Bulge On The Side Wall Of Our RV?

I hope that this information has been helpful to you. If any of our visitors have suggestions for you they add them by clicking on the add a comment link near the bottom of this page.

I wish you the best of luck.

RVing Al