Water leaks

[Frank C]

Asking as a future owner (May delivery), I’m curious who has experienced or is currently having water leak issues with windows, lights, ac unit, etc.? And what is your hull #? Seeing some of the forum posts, it seems to be a common issue, with a lot of owners adding drip rails over the windows, trying different sealants and caulks (silicone and non-silicone), putting Dri-Dek under the mattresses, etc. Oliver owners appear very patient in dealing with what seems to be a major design or production flaw. Just looking for a trend to see if Oliver has this issue under control or not with newer production. 

[Overland]

I had a leak at delivery from the curb side exterior light over the window.  Oliver said they forgot to seal it.  It was fixed at delivery and hasn't been a problem since.  Hull #256.

 

The drip guards that people have put over the windows on some of the older trailers is to allow them to be open in the rain.  Oliver used to use a different seal between the awning and shell that would allow water to come down the side of the trailer and sometimes into the window if it was open.  That's been changed for some time.  I don't think that the guards would do much anything on a newer trailer.  We get one small drip down the outside from our awning where the seal doesn't quite sit right as it goes around the center awning mount.  Because of the location, it's a purely cosmetic issue for me and not worth bothering trying to reseat the seal.  We leave our windows open regularly in the rain, with the awnings rolled out about 18", and have never had a problem.

 

The mattress pads are more for condensation than leaks.  And I think that's primarily if not entirely an issue with the latex mattress option, the design of which traps body moisture underneath.

 

The windows can leak if the drains aren't maintained.  Arguably that's a design flaw since on the Ollie the windows tilt in slightly, which means an overflow goes to the inside rather than out.  But if you keep the drains clear, it's never a problem.  I haven't had an issue with mine.

 

There's nothing wrong with either sealant Oliver has used.  The discussion stems from the fact that Oliver apparently switched sealants this year and so it's confused people when they've asked which one to buy, which has led to discussion here.  I couldn't tell you the relative merits of either, only that they used the 3M on mine and it seems to be holding up fine.

 

 

[topgun2]

FrankC -

 

I really do not see a design issue here.  Virtually all RV's have holes in them that must be sealed in some manner - usually caulk.  One of the benefits of the Oliver design is that with an inner and outer shell, there are times when any leak through the outside shell will simply "flow" between the shells and out the scupper holes in the bottom.  There is virtually no wood to rot, mildew or grow fungus on either.  While some of the leaks reported here on the Forum were more than likely caused by the lack of proper sealing at the factory during production, many others have been caused by a simple lack of proper inspection and/or maintenance by the owner.  Of course, either way a leak is a leak and can be very frustrating to find and stop.

 

Your mention of Dri-Dek has almost nothing to do with leaking.  In fact, it has more to do with the Oliver being so sealed and tight that moisture/humidity simply can not escape from the interior without measures to reduce it.  Primarily this product has been used under mattresses so that the moist air emitted from our bodies can escape from under the mattress.  However, there are a number of ways that this "problem" has been attacked.  Insulation directly under the mattress, simply lifting the mattress to ventilate that area each day, sleeping while in a vertical position (just kidding), have all been used for this purpose.

 

Finally, the sliding windows on Olivers can leak for a couple of reasons.  If the windows were not properly installed, if the "weep holes" are not clear or if there is a huge amount of rain directed at a window, can all cause leaks.  Of these the most prominent is the maintenance of the weep holes.

 

I own an Elite II, hull number 117 and have been fortunate enough to have never had a leak (that I know of).  I check all places where water could enter at least once a year, repairing as necessary, and clean my window weep holes at least a half dozen times a year - particularly when I've camped under some shedding trees or driven down some nasty dirt roads.

 

Most of these same maintenance procedures should be taken with all RV's and since the Oliver has no seams those potential points of leakage are eliminated as compared to all non-molded fiberglass trailers.

 

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

We have Hull #135 and don’t have any leaks. We picked up in May 2016.

 

I tried the drip guards around the windows but had bad timing with a weather change before the adhesive set (80 degree weather to 30 degree weather in 12 hours). Some of them curled up so I took them all off. I also removed the drip guard behind the awning as all it seemed to do was collect leaves and twigs and other debris that made cleaning a chore. Mike

[Frank C]

Thanks for the comments.  I realize that travel trailers all require regular maintenance just like a house or a vehicle.  And I’m pretty handy with those types of projects.   So I don’t mind doing that kind of work, just wanted to get a feel for whether or not the water leaks were a hopeless battle.  And I’ll be looking at tweaks and upgrades just like most members here do.   As far as design issues, that was primarily as mentioned above, the sloping sidewalls of the trailer create a tilt of the windows so if the track overflows it goes to the inside of the trailer.  As far as the use of dri-dek, it’s more than just a condensation issue.  A few owners have mentioned water leaks coming in at the metal belly band trim that then gets under the mattresses.   Looking forward to our delivery day.  Hope to see some of you at the rally in May.

[bhncb]

I took delivery this past August and had the exact same curbside light problem as Overland. I never saw water inside the trailer but, when I arrived a my destination after driving the last four hours in the rain, both porch lights were so dim I had to turn them off and on a couple of times to see if they were even working. The attaching screws on the rear light had been sealed but the wire penetration had been over looked. I assumed water had gotten in and shorted the wiring somewhere because the lights worked again after a dry day.

 

An actual water leak was the vent fan in the bath. One of the two hood screws wasn't/couldn't be tighten down all the way due to a mfg. defect in the fan assembly. Also, the foam seal was deformed and only partially effective but the leak was definitely coming from the screw because it only occurred when the trailer was stationary.

 

These were both relatively minor issues I took care of myself.