leak

KAK

Leak!
We just picked up our 2017 Sofitel T@B that we bought from the original owners in Seattle Washington.   Shortly after taking possession we noticed water staining in the aft left corner.  We drove from Portland Oregon to Santa Cruz California in pouring rain and when we got home the blankets that were stored in that same corner were soaking wet. We thought maybe the leak was coming from the tail light area and heavily sprayed the area with our garden hose - no leak.  Curious is anyone has had a similar experience and suggestions.  

Bayliss

@KAK , if you have a wall mounted air conditioner on the upper driver's side wall, with the exterior vent, and it was raining and blowing hard (sounds like it probably was), is it possible that the water blew in through that vent?  It doesn't seem likely that would cause the blankets in that back corner to get wet, but something to consider.  Also, if rain water was entering through the A/C vent, it would be wet there as well.  Another possibility is the driver's side window on the camper if it was slightly open or there is a problem with the seal.  Finally, if you are not completely confident that it was water, and depending on exactly where you see the staining and the where the blankets were stored, it might possibly be a leak from the Alde reservoir/expansion tank located at the rear driver's side corner behind a removable wall panel.  There are a few of discussion threads on this forum about possible Alde leaks at that location.   Just guesses on my part.  Hopefully, others with more experience can provide some better ideas.  Good luck!  (Greg)

dragonsdofly

@KAK, we noticed the same staining after our first winter. We watched and couldn't see where it came from. Our t@b was less than a year old. We were baffled as to where the leak originated. When we attended the ÜCamp  event that summer, employees doing the minor repairs we had scheduled took a look and diagnosed it as a poor caulking job in the rear taillights, as you suspected. They explained that in a heavy downpour, water will often run off, but in a drizzle, or during a slow snow melt, the water seeps, not pours, behind the taillights, and if the caulking job is not perfect, find a it's way into the trailer. It is any easy 10 minute fix. Unscrew the taillight trim and lift off. Remove any old caulk and recaulk the screw holes and the wire pass through. Screw the taillight trim back into place. The stained piece of luan is merely cosmetic, so we opted not to replace it. You have no wood in the floor or rear wall to get damaged, so the quick taillight recaulk should suffice. Here's what our rear panel (behind and under the sofa) looks like.

Door side rear.
Drivers side rear.

Awca12a

If you can’t do a full recaulking job right now, this is an ideal use and place for Captain Tollys Crack Seal.  
West Marine and Amazon have it.  
Good tool to have available considering our exterior is fiberglass.  
https://theboatgalley.com/capt-tolleys-penetrating-sealant/

KAK

Thank you for the comments

Marceline

@KAK If you live in Northern California you might want to join this Facebook group if you're not already a member. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/norcaltabfamily/

KAK

Yesterday we removed and resealed everything in the tail light. This morning, after a night of rain, the towels we laid over the leak area are again wet. Today we are going to reseal the side light however we can't figureout how to remove it.... Does anyone have any ideas?

Verna

I performed a search (upper right of this page) for “running lights”. Someone else wanted to remove a running light on a Dutchman T@B, but that question wasn’t answered (rare, but it happens).

If you can’t remove it as you did the tail light, try emailing tech@nuCamp rv.com and he will be able to tell you. 

Be sure to tell us how you did it so you can help others. Please ask the tech about your leak, also. 

4ncar

dragonsdofly said:

@KAK, we noticed the same staining after our first winter. We watched and couldn't see where it came from. Our t@b was less than a year old. We were baffled as to where the leak originated. When we attended the ÜCamp  event that summer, employees doing the minor repairs we had scheduled took a look and diagnosed it as a poor caulking job in the rear taillights, as you suspected. They explained that in a heavy downpour, water will often run off, but in a drizzle, or during a slow snow melt, the water seeps, not pours, behind the taillights, and if the caulking job is not perfect, find a it's way into the trailer. It is any easy 10 minute fix. Unscrew the taillight trim and lift off. Remove any old caulk and recaulk the screw holes and the wire pass through. Screw the taillight trim back into place. The stained piece of luan is merely cosmetic, so we opted not to replace it. You have no wood in the floor or rear wall to get damaged, so the quick taillight recaulk should suffice. Here's what our rear panel (behind and under the sofa) looks like.

Door side rear.
Drivers side rear.

As I am preparing to head out on our first trip, I have spotted this exact symptom, to a lesser degree, but the same none the less. In resealing the tail light(s) did it resolve your issue? TIA.

dragonsdofly

@4ncar, yes, resealing the taillights has completely eliminated the leak. The repair was done at üCamp 17. They removed both back taillight trim pieces, cut away the old caulk, resealed the screw holes and the back of the trim pieces, reinstalled the trim piece screws and the job was done. Took less than 10 minutes each side. However, it was done by the crew at Sugarcreek and they probably have done quite a few, so they moved very efficiently. Although we continue to check regularly, we've had no further issues. The repair was done during July 2017. So good so far.

4ncar

@dragonsdofly good to hear.  I did this yesterday.  When I removed the tail light assembly, I found that the hole in the lamp cup, where the wires come though was devoid of any usefull caulk. They applied it, but missed the hole! Lol. I hope my repair hits the mark!

PNWtabber

Can anyone suggest what caulk to use?  I have the water staining in my trailer, too.  Thanks.

dragonsdofly

@PNWtabber, nüCamp used a pure silicone sealant on my taillights repair/recaulk. Although some people feel that the pure silicone is not an adequate sealant in exposed situations on an rv, it was used inside of the taillight trim, the wire holes through the body and in the screw holes securing the taillight trim to the body. My repair/reseal was done in July 2017 as stated previously and we are still leak free.

PNWtabber

dragonsdofly said:

@PNWtabber, nüCamp used a pure silicone sealant on my taillights repair/recaulk. Although some people feel that the pure silicone is not an adequate sealant in exposed situations on an rv, it was used inside of the taillight trim, the wire holes through the body and in the screw holes securing the taillight trim to the body. My repair/reseal was done in July 2017 as stated previously and we are still leak free.

Should I look at an auto parts store?  Plumbing store?  I've used silicone sealant on aquariums, too!
Edited to add:  guess I should look to see if the original owners already did this!

Bayliss

@PNWtabber, nuCamp uses "Geocell 2300 MHRV" sealant.  You can also use "Geocel ProFlex RV Sealant."  Silicone does not adhere well to aluminum or fiberglass, so a polyurethante sealant (like the Geocell sealants) is a better way to go.  You should be able to get them from Amazon or an RV shop.  (You can Google these products to learn more about them.)  

PNWtabber

Thanks, @Bayliss

duckblind123

We had the same leak issue with our 2016 T@B.  Leak had gone on for a little longer than we realized.  Damage is shown in the first 2 pics.  Water had damaged the flooring as it was soft (squishy) in certain places; plus, mold had begun to grow.  We contacted NuCamp with pics.  This is an issue of which they were familiar.  They advised that they would cover the all of the work (materials and labor).  We dropped off the trailer and it took them about a month.  They removed the interior all the way down to the base floor.  Replaced the floor with the new composite flooring and then finished it off with a new floor covering. Since the original floor covering style was no longer available, they used something similar that is just a little more grey in color.  Overall, leak was corrected, all molded/damaged wood was replaced, floor was fixed (no more soft spots) and it did not cost me a thing.  Love NuCamp and the fact they stand behind their product.  Last pic is the finished product.

Bayliss

@duckblind123, did nuCamp identify the source of the leak (i.e., rear tail light, side running light, something else?)

duckblind123

Yes, they identified the leak as being from the passenger side rear tail light.  They stated when the went to remove the tail light, they found two cracks in the sealant around the light.  This was a "known" issue they were aware of and therefore, they stated they would cover all the materials and labor to fix all of the damage.  Even with my T@B being a 2016 model, they fixed the leak in the light (resealed) and then corrected the interior damage without any cost as I listed in my above post.

AirBoss

duckblind123 said:

Yes, they identified the leak as being from the passenger side rear tail light.  They stated when the went to remove the tail light, they found two cracks in the sealant around the light.  This was a "known" issue they were aware of and therefore, they stated they would cover all the materials and labor to fix all of the damage.  Even with my T@B being a 2016 model, they fixed the leak in the light (resealed) and then corrected the interior damage without any cost as I listed in my above post.

When folks ask (let alone complain) about nuCamp customer service...this....this...is what I point to. In my experience, getting an RV manufacturer to respond even under warranty service can be a royal pain. Highly unlikely you'd get Keystone to step up and cover this under similar circumstance. 

Botton line: I'd put nuCamp customer service up against almost any other RV manufacturer. Period. 

duckblind123

AirBoss said:

duckblind123 said:

Yes, they identified the leak as being from the passenger side rear tail light.  They stated when the went to remove the tail light, they found two cracks in the sealant around the light.  This was a "known" issue they were aware of and therefore, they stated they would cover all the materials and labor to fix all of the damage.  Even with my T@B being a 2016 model, they fixed the leak in the light (resealed) and then corrected the interior damage without any cost as I listed in my above post.

When folks ask (let alone complain) about nuCamp customer service...this....this...is what I point to. In my experience, getting an RV manufacturer to respond even under warranty service can be a royal pain. Highly unlikely you'd get Keystone to step up and cover this under similar circumstance. 

Botton line: I'd put nuCamp customer service up against almost any other RV manufacturer. Period. 

I agree 100%.  Once we discovered the level of damage on the interior, we got very nervous on the cost to fix.  But NuCamp stood behind their product and took care of it.  Yes, I highly doubt another manufacturer would have done the same.  We are extremely happy with out T@B and know that we have a manufacturer that will work to make it right.

Denny16

Yes, nüCamp steps up to the plate and takes care of any manufacturing issues in their products.  We got one of the bad 2018 TaB400 floor installs, and nüCamp re-did the floor in 2020 (before the Pandemic issue), covering all costs.  Totally happy with their customer support, and our dealer support.
cheers

dragonsdofly

@duckblind123, you had more damage than those of us with 2017 models and newer as the 2016 models still had wood in the floor. Sorry you had to sustain that amount of damage, but so glad you are a member of the nüCamp family and everything was made good in the end.