Stargazer Window Leak

PaperDesign

I am looking for some advice on a stargazer window leak issue.

This weekend we were finally able to pull our 'new to us' 2018 TAB 400 out from under it's cover and check out our systems. 

We acquired the unit from a non TAB dealer in early December and have not had reasonable weather til now (here in southern Ohio).   During the night we had significant rain and the trailer was uncovered. 

This morning, there was water around the rear window shade on the upper passenger side of the window.  The water had transferred down the shade rail to the rear wall and a small section of the bed mattress.

During the purchase process for the unit, the dealer replaced the rear shade along with one of the upper tail lights.  We did not test for any leaks as the unit was stored inside at the dealer.  The rubber seal on the window looks OK.

I saw a mention of stargazer leaks on the forum but did not see any fixes.  Has anyone run into this?  This is an early model 2018 unit.

Have been monitoring this forum for awhile but this is my first post.

dragonsdofly

@PaperDesign, there have been a couple of threads here about the rear stargazer window having alignment problems. In some cases, the window was so misaligned it could not latch or there were latching difficulties. Please use the search function in the upper right of your screen and use a few key words such as stargazer won't latch or something akin to that. There are instructions on how to check for fit and how to adjust the latches. I'm not suggesting this is definitely your problem, but is an item to check for troubleshooting. Resident experts will chime in soon with other things that are possible causes and remedies. Good luck with this. BTW, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your trailer! 

Denny16

You need to make sure that both the front window and the Stargazer window are both centered in the opening, so the seals contact the window all the way round.  Both windows can be slid side to side by several centimeters.  If the window is too far one way, it will not seal corrected coild leak.  To shift the window, open it slightly and wiggle it sideways towards the direction you want to move it.
cheers

williedean

Our brand new 2021 T&B 400 had a similar leak issue. For us the problem was found to be that the red tail lights above the stargazer window had not been sealed properly. In a heavy rain, the water leaked inside the camper where the light was against the roof. It  then ran down the side of the stargazer window and leaked on the bed. At first we though the window might be leaking. The remedy was very simple. Just some caulking around the top of tail light.

PaperDesign

Thanks to all for the quick responses.  I was able to caulk upper tail lights and test this weekend as the weather warmed up.  It seems to have fixed the issue.

bigbus01

I'm getting a lot of water below my star gazer window.  There is a waterproof panel that sticks out below the  fabric on the back wall.  This waterproof panel is damp and there is water on the aluminum track underneath it.  I also have mold and moisture (as well as rotted wood) on the edge of the wood inside the storage panel.  I assumed it was the tail light penetrations so I took both lights out and re-caulked the penetrations.  I could not do anything with the license light penetration.  It rained a lot last night and the area was really wet this morning.  I am hoping the issue is the upper tail lights as I recaulked the top of the star gazer window and it didn't help the situation. The star gazer window doesn't seem to be leaking into the living space and the fabric in the camper is all dry.

Williedean, I appreciate your suggestion on the upper tail lights. I didn't even think of them as a problem.

Tomorrow is supposed to be dry so I will caulk the lights and go over the window again.  I'll post my results (it will take a while as my only indication of water coming in will be the wood at the storage hatch since I have to put the bed back together).  Photos attached are tail light wires/moist panel and wet moldy wood in storage hatch.

Mark

2018 Tab 400

Deb55

We had a leak in our 2018 T@B 400 dinette window, that was caused by a warp in the center top of the window. We discovered that leaving the shades closed in the direct sun of our driveway trapped the heat and warped the window. The fix was to have a new window installed. The temporary fix while we were waiting for the new window was to put layers of painter's tape all across the outside top of the window. This kept the water from coming in until it was replaced. I don't know if this is possibly the issue with any of the stargazer window leaks, but it's nevertheless good to know that you can warp the windows by trapping heat. 

bigbus01

Update, none of the caulking helped. I think I'm down to something under the rear bumper leaking. 

Does anyone know how the center section of the rear bumper is installed and how to remove it?

I'm guessing you remove the screws on the bottom of the bumper and then it is on hangers?

2018 Tab 400

N7SHG_Ham

@bigbus, i think it might just be double sided tape, but haven't had to remove ours. There shouldn't be an leak points under there as it a single piece of aluminum skin from front of trailer to under that rear bumper, as long as there is no holes for anything that doesn't seem like it could provide a point for water to get inside.

bigbus01

Update,

I did a water test per email from Creed at Nucamp.  I took the bed apart again and verified that my leakage area was dry.  I then hosed down the bumper area very thoroughly and found that the water was coming in from under the bumper in the middle.  The only penetration in that area is the license plate light wiring.  I had already recaulked the tail light penetrations and they are dry.  I then installed a seal that I got from Amazon (photo attached) and repeated the water test to include the window and 3 roof tail lights.  

No more water is coming in so it is definitely the license plate wires and not the window.  The seal works for now but is probably not a permanent solution.

Mark
bigbus01
2018 Tab 400 

Bayliss

@bigbus01, can you provide a link for the seal you purchased.  It might be helpful for forum members in the future.  Thanks!

bigbus01

Below is the link for the seal I bought for the back bumper. To get it on, I sprayed the area with Windex to lubricate the seal and the bumper. I had the work it on a little at a time. I used about 5 feet to go across. I bought 10 feet so I used half.  We'll have to see how long the seal lasts. 

Mark

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H7QFOAK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_4HT7N6CS058FV7675SNK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

MattE

@Bigbus01, I saw your post from a year ago, wondering if what you did with the rubber seal fixed the leak? I am experiencing the exact same leak, same area. I sealed the taillights, the license plate tube area, removed the black bumper panel and resealed the entire area and still have the leak. I have not sealed the lights above the stargazer window yet, but that is next on my list. Do you or anyone else have suggestions? Matt