Leakage at Fantastic Fan Roof Area
Moderator: bfadmin
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Charlotte
Leakage at Fantastic Fan Roof Area
Can anyone suggest a sealant for the roof area around the Fantastic Fan? It appears that water is coming in even when the vent is closed. Not ever having any previous roof problems I'm at a disadvantage as to how to deal with this. Upon checking the area I found that some of the 'swirls' of sealant are missing. I'm thinking that if I apply sealant over those areas and all around the lip/roof junction, that it will take care of the problem. I'm not familiar with what sealant to use nor if this is the way to solve the leakage. Any suggestions or advice will be greatly appreciated. (Or is the alternative installing a new fan???) Thanks in advance...
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Randy Wilson
Hi Charlotte,
The manual for my 2004, 26RB states you should use Dow Chemical Silicone Sealer No. 999A. However, when we were at the factory last July, I bought a couple of tubes of sealer and they were Sikaflex #521UV, white, One-Part Silane Terminated Polymer Sealer, product code 521-241 (whatever all that means
). Probably any good quality, white, UV resistant silicone sealer as Sam mentioned would suffice. Just don't use one of the polyurethane adhesive sealers such as 3m #5200 since it is more adhesive than sealer and very difficult to remove when necessary
In any case, be sure the area is completely clean of old sealer, dirt, grease, etc. before applying new product. Usually, items like vents and fans with a flanged frame have butyl or gray putty tape placed under the flange when they are set and any silicone or other sealer would be layered over the outer edges. One last thought - check the cover for cracks or loose hinge attachment points to be sure the leak is not there instead of around the flange.
The manual for my 2004, 26RB states you should use Dow Chemical Silicone Sealer No. 999A. However, when we were at the factory last July, I bought a couple of tubes of sealer and they were Sikaflex #521UV, white, One-Part Silane Terminated Polymer Sealer, product code 521-241 (whatever all that means
). Probably any good quality, white, UV resistant silicone sealer as Sam mentioned would suffice. Just don't use one of the polyurethane adhesive sealers such as 3m #5200 since it is more adhesive than sealer and very difficult to remove when necessaryIn any case, be sure the area is completely clean of old sealer, dirt, grease, etc. before applying new product. Usually, items like vents and fans with a flanged frame have butyl or gray putty tape placed under the flange when they are set and any silicone or other sealer would be layered over the outer edges. One last thought - check the cover for cracks or loose hinge attachment points to be sure the leak is not there instead of around the flange.
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Charlotte
Thank you...I did notice the cover isn't very tight so I'll get back up there & check it out. I haven't had any problems in the past but haven't been in any real rain while on the road either. I park in my driveway & of course that means it's slanted so when it rains here, the water just runs off. However, I allowed my avid fisherman son and daughter-in-law to take it up to Northern Calif. for a few days because the Salmon run was starting and they like to dry camp right at the Trinity River. Of course, it rained heavily and Scott noticed the water coming in even tho the vent was closed. So of course when they got back he wanted me to know so we could fix it. Anyway, I posted so that I would be using the correct product. Thanks for the input. As usual, this club is the best for BF people helping people....
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George Boley
Charlotte,
I almost feel, I'm an expert on this subject as it happened on my 1997, which required a major fix.
First of all don't try to put chalking around or over what is there now. Remove the fan housing and see what is causing the problem. As you remove each screw note to see if any are rusted, a sign the leak is around that screw. Look to see if the chalking was squished evenly between the fan housing and the roof. Also measure the hole to see if it was cut to large for the fan housing. I found that to be the case on my coach, some of the screws and chalking missed the roof all together. The hole 14" as I remember it, should be just large enough for the housing to drop down into.
Run a string or straight edge across the roof to see if the roof settled making it concave. On mine there was a 3/8" dip allowing water to puddle around the fan housing eventually leaking past the chalking. I had to build a 3/4" high waterproof frame, apoxy it to the roof and then mount the fan housing to it using stainless steal screws. This gets the fan housing above the puddle, as there was no practical way to repair the dip in the roof.
This repair required a lot of time, but was very cheap
(my trademark) to do. It came out very satifactory and was permanent. If I can help further don't hesitate to call on me. Good luck and let us know the results. George B
I almost feel, I'm an expert on this subject as it happened on my 1997, which required a major fix.
First of all don't try to put chalking around or over what is there now. Remove the fan housing and see what is causing the problem. As you remove each screw note to see if any are rusted, a sign the leak is around that screw. Look to see if the chalking was squished evenly between the fan housing and the roof. Also measure the hole to see if it was cut to large for the fan housing. I found that to be the case on my coach, some of the screws and chalking missed the roof all together. The hole 14" as I remember it, should be just large enough for the housing to drop down into.
Run a string or straight edge across the roof to see if the roof settled making it concave. On mine there was a 3/8" dip allowing water to puddle around the fan housing eventually leaking past the chalking. I had to build a 3/4" high waterproof frame, apoxy it to the roof and then mount the fan housing to it using stainless steal screws. This gets the fan housing above the puddle, as there was no practical way to repair the dip in the roof.
This repair required a lot of time, but was very cheap
(my trademark) to do. It came out very satifactory and was permanent. If I can help further don't hesitate to call on me. Good luck and let us know the results. George B-
Charlotte
Hi George...I appreciate the reply, even though it scared the daylights out of me!!! I am a senior single female and not very fond of high places anyway, so when I climbed on the roof (which is the first time I've been up there), so my son could show me the area in question, I noticed that the roof is slippery, and very high off the ground/cement street area. I envisioned myself slipping off, damaging my body beyond repair, and my son driving off into the sunset in my BF with a big smile on his face. (Not because of my demise but because he LOVES my BF and would fight off the rest of his siblings saying 'possession' is 9/10ths of the law & the other 10th doesn't count). Anyway, we'll caulk the screws (the ones with no 'goop' on them that are rusted) and I'll have my RV shop check the cover to see if it needs replacement and then wait for the rains. Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to resolve it that way. If that doesn't work, well I've copied your reply for reference if I need it. Thanks again for your response....
Fan-Tastic Vent
Hi Charlotte.
If you have any problems with the Fan-Tastic Vent, call Bob Beratta at (800) 521-0298. He fixed our leak with "Dicor" white sealant 501 LSW, Lap Sealant that is self leveling. The factory is only 20 miles from our home.
Sab & Ann
If you have any problems with the Fan-Tastic Vent, call Bob Beratta at (800) 521-0298. He fixed our leak with "Dicor" white sealant 501 LSW, Lap Sealant that is self leveling. The factory is only 20 miles from our home.
Sab & Ann
2000 RB, E450