Need emergency caulk recommendation. My 2019 T@B 400 has a roof leak!

NCNative

Hi All. I just spent several hours trying to discover how water was getting into the back of my closet. It is storming here, and I checked to make sure that it was not the Alde or waterlines leaking.  Water was dripping from the roof, coming from behind the closet roof seam and also where the solar wires come in from above. I plan on emailing Nucamp photos and asking what they recommend I do before I can get my T@B to them. I have lined the closet with plastic, a towel, and a bucket. I also put a large heavy duty plastic sheet on the roof to prevent the rain from coming in from what I suspect is the culprit: the entry point of the solar panel wires which are next to the grey water vent. I want to get some caulk to put around the area of the suspected leak to prevent further damage. I will email and call Nucamp, but seeing as it is Friday night I hope one of you can recommend a caulk that I can use in the rain to stop the leak for now. My T@B is in storage and unfortunately I do not have access to shore power to run a dehumidifier. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you. I am exhausted, so I will check my messages in the morning. Thank you in advance!

tabiphile

Sashco Through the Roof caulk.
Run to WM and buy several large buckets of desiccant and put those inside the trailer....good luck.

ChanW

I did a search for 'emergency caulk wet surfaces', and it seems that DAP has a couple. A 'clear elastomeric', and a 'roof asphalt' sealant popped up. you might need to go to the hardware store and read the labels...

Good luck with this mess. Sorry to hear. Be sure to take care of the lingering moisture, to avoid mildew.

JustJohn

Native, I would put a ceramic heater in the wet area and run the vent fan if you can. I did this when my mixer valve failed and leaked under the back bench of my T@B. The little heater dried the floor very quickly and I had no permanent damage. Good luck.

ChanW

I don't think @NCNative has access to shore power...

jkjenn

I would also try to put a tarp over your roof. You can bungee to the  handles.

tabiphile

The OP noted that she put a tarp over the roof of the camper.
She also noted that there is no power available.
Sashko Through the Roof caulk may be applied to wet surfaces and remains flexible. It is clear and elastic and may be painted.
It is available at Home Depot and probably other similar stores. 

Awca12a

The best stuff I've found has been Sikaflex 221 for roof applications repairing broken seals and re-caulking around penetrations like fans and such. You can find it at Camping World, Amazon and most likely marine outlets.

For the really difficult to find and seal cracks, Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure is the thing that will get deep into a very small crack like those around screws.  It was designed for marine use anywhere you have a stress fitting such as a deck fitting, porthole, etc.

JustJohn

ChanW said:

I don't think @NCNative has access to shore power...

Missed that in the OP.

NCNative

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I have not  been able to reply until now due to a family emergency this weekend. (when it rains it pours!) I spoke to Renee at Nucamp this morning and she recommended Dicor as well. I am waiting to hear back from Austin to see if I need to send off N@venoste to Nucamp right away or if he feels I can patch it up and bring it to Nucamp in May. I am also currently searching for anyone with room and shorepower in the SF Bay Area where I can plug in for a few days and run my dehumidifier

NCNative

In the meantime, I will also run to Walmart for those large tubs of Damp Rid.

Awca12a

Might not require a trip back to nuCAMP.  If you suspect the solar wiring, it is easy to expose this area by taking out 4 Phillips heads screws at the back of the panel in the closet.  This panel covers the AC duct that goes to over the bed and exposes the solar panel wiring and entry point to the trailer.   I had this open because I was running a thermometer wire under the trailer to check on tank heat levels so this photo shows that area.

NCNative

NCNative

These photos show where the water was coming in, and also where the solar panel wires enter my roof.

Awca12a

It looks like they changed both the panels and how they made the penetrations for the solar panels on the December delivery 2019 units like mine.  From what you've shown, that needs to go back to the dealer and the combiner box (where the panel wiring comes in and goes down), needs to be fully re-caulked.  Not something you would want to fix yourself so long as the warranty was in place.   In the meantime, absent seeing where there was an obvious gap in the sealant, I'd try the Captain Tolley's as it works with and around existing sealant.

The attached might help.

tabiphile

That was very poorly caulked and should be redone properly. Don't be shy with the calk...layer it up and make sure to cover every possible entrance. You might want to consider removing what is there and starting over...it's that poorly applied. The good news is that you will be able to seal it up quite easily. The "pro" trick is to wear vinyl or latex gloves to work the calk where you need to....don't be shy with it. Depending upon what you use, it's self-leveling so it will settle.

mikewisniewski

I am new to the TAB Forum,  I worked in Aircraft Maintenance for 45 years and I can say for you want a sealant that will seal and stay flexible and last for ever. I would recommend "High Temp RTV or also called High Temp silicone sealant.  The key words are "HIGH TEMP"  It will keep very flexible and expand and contract and not break a seal.  It comes in different colors, Red, Black and Clear.   It is also UV resistant.  Places to purchase are any auto parts store, home dept etc,   Note,  silicone sealant cures with humility and moisture.  If you need to cure it quickly mist it with water and it will activate quicker.  As always I think you should ck with Nucamp to make sure it is compatible with the materials they use in their manufacturing.  (I have used it around house sky lights where temps are extreme and its amazing how well it holds up!)  Just FYI,  Mike 

2Cougs

@mikewisniewski- welcome to the forum... And thanks for that tidbit of knowledge.  Exactly why I love the forum... The wealth of knowledge!

NCNative

Thank you all for your helpful advice, I truly appreciate it. I will patch it up, and seeing as I am waiting to had additional warranty work done soon, I will add new caulk to the list. I plan on going to Nucamp the week before Ucamp19 to get some mods/service done and they will check out the leak site then. I feel so much better than I did on Friday night!

BigGrover

That caulk job looks bad.  Did it come that way from the factory? Did the dealer do the install?  I'd send that picture to the warranty department folks!

NCNative

It came like this from the factory. I have not had a chance to take it to the dealewr yet as they are still waiting on parts.

BigGrover

Have you been able to stop the leak?

NCNative

I am planning on adding some dicor today, now that it is clear here. The plastic tarp I put down has stopped the leak and my closet has remained dry. I will take N@venoste to a local dealer to re-caulk as I will be getting some minor warranty work done there soon anyway. Austin will inspect it and take care of any problems when I go to Nucamp in June.

Adam_Hough

So the white junction box that has the 2 wires going into is not sealing correctly allowing water to get between then rubber gasket and the wire and then into the camper.  You can check to see if the rubber gasket is okay by unscrewing then connectors or just pulling on the wires to see if they move any.  If it is good then the wires should not move easily or at all.  

I used that same junction box on my solar setup but added some lap-sealant to the wiring connection as well to be on the safe side.

The "poor caulking job" is most likely Dicor's self leveling lap sealant as that is what it looked like when I used in on my Maxxaire fan install.

BrianZ

That white junction box looks to me like it was designed to be positioned 180° from the way it looks, with the aerodynamically designed end facing front instead of the wire entry holes catching water blown into them.

WilliamA

I've posted this elsewhere, but for "through the roof" fittings and wiring, I use these guys:



These are a two-piece system.  You screw the base onto the roof over the hole, (with caulk) and then route your wires through the rubber insert.  Once you screw the insert tightly down onto the base, the angled rubber insert gets tighter and tighter wedge-style to provide an atomic seal for wiring.  They are made for boat through-hull wiring so are waterproof as wiring gets.  They come in a variety of sizes and configurations for your application.  You can check them out at West Marine or other boaters gadget websites.  If there's a West Marine near you, they probably have them on the shelf.  All stainless hardware too.  I think I gave $20 bucks or so for this one.

I long ago abandoned the junky, weak cheesy RV parts and decided to think like a boater when it comes to water.  I swear by them and won't use anything else.  Incidently, I also use the same source for electrical connectors, switches, fuses and etc.  It's more expensive, but generally 10 times the quality.  

WilliamA