Leak

[Nan]

Is there any chance that rain could leak all the way from the little round lights on the outside of the bathroom and wind up coming out the emergency window? 

Thanks,

Nan Wallace. Hull 267

[dewdev]

That is unlikley.

More likely it is getting in at the lighted "Oliver" plaque on the back of the Oliver. Check the caulking around this plaque for any breaks in the seal.

[Nan]

Thank you for your reply. I have had all of the windows removed and taped. Everything on the roof has been caulked. All of the little round lights and the Oliver sign have been caulked too. I still have a small leak under the emergency window...this has been on going since I bought the Oliver. I am grasping at straws and that is why I was wondering about the round lights up by the bathroom. 

[dewdev]

Nan:

Did you make your appointment in Georgia at Southland RV? They must have not found the leak. Can you take it to Oliver Service Department in TN? 

[SeaDawg]

@Nan, sometimes caulking doesn't "fix" the Oliver light.

Hit the rear of the trailer with a good long forceful spray from a garden hose. If it leaks, do this:

Ask your grandson to tape all around it with duct tape, and hit it with a hose for a bit.  If no leak its the rear oliver sign.

Most times, a leak under the rear window is that oliver sign. (I call it the third tail light, but it isn't. )

Could (possibly) be a leak from your fan or ac. Not very likely to be from something really far forward in the trailer.

Leaks are frustrating. 

 

[Nan]

Thanks, Sherry, I will try this. I did not get to keep the appointment with Southland RV in Richmond Hill, Ga. because I wound up with pneumonia and was in hospital for a week...I am still very weak and looks like it will take a while to recover. Maybe it is the Oliver sign and I will try your instructions. I wish Oliver would redesign their camper and leave out the sign because it is a PITA.

[SeaDawg]

@Nan, I'm really sorry to hear that. Hope you are feeling better soon. Take care of yourself! Lots of nasty viruses out there this season.

Honestly,  I'd say it's 90 per cent likely it's the Oliver sign. Most vulnerable bit in that area.

I wish Oliver would just use an applied light there. 

 

[DavePhelps]

Yes, that Oliver sign is a PITA. I would much rather have a surface mounted brake light there, or nothing at all.
Sooner or later, it seems many here have had to deal with it. There are some good posts on the forum on how to tackle removing the lense (yep, it has to come off so the area can be properly cleaned for resealing). Don't forget to also check the rear marker lights on each side of the Oliver light. Mine leaked there as well and since the supply wires to those lights had no drip loop, water ran down the wires forward and on to the floor of the upper cabinet where it would eventually leak out of the overhead speakers. Since redoing the marker lights and Oliver sign, there have been no more leaks. Here's a link about the marker lights. Sorry but I can't find the one on the Oliver sign....

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7018-leaking-marker-lights/#comment-75697

Good luck and hope you are feeling better.

Dave

[rich.dev]

1 hour ago, DavePhelps said:

Sorry but I can't find the one on the Oliver sign....

This might be it, or one of them! 

 

[mountainoliver]

You are absolutely correct, the Oliver sign is a PITN! When my trailer was new the sign leaked four times in the first three years. I took the light assembly out threw it away and patched the inside hole. When we picked up our trailer I asked for several pieces of scrap fiberglass. I got this scrap because I wanted some patch material for just in case and I wanted the gelcoat color to match. I cut out a plug from one of the fiberglass pieces and heavily epoxied the plug in the hole. I later fiberglassed over the patch as well. So for the past four years I haven’t worried about the sign leaking. 

[MAX Burner]

@Nan:  Humbly suggest a PM to @Scuba Steve - he had this exact situation as you've described and can guide you to the solution set... just MHO.  It is fixable - Good Luck!

[SeaDawg]

@rich.dev posted a link to an extensive  discussion on the Oliver sign. It's a really good thread. Also discusses appropriate sealants.

My husband and I  got sick of chasing the minute leaks of bubbles in caulk, etc., and went another direction with the Oliver sign/third light, several years ago.

Mind you, it's more extreme,  requires drilling holes, but we view it as the permanent solution. Still in beta, only three years in. 🙂

The Oliver sign is not that different from fixed acrylic  portlights on sailboats, which typically leak after some magic  number of years. 

In another ten years or so, I'll be able to tell you if our solution was best. Still in beta. But, as you know by now, I'm a big believer in synthetic butyl.  It is not, however,  an adhesive,  so required mechanical fasteners,  in addition to the superlative merits of butyl as a sealant. 

For good measure,  we also applied a length of rv Eze gutter over the Oliver sign.

 

[ScubaRx]

6 hours ago, Nan said:

Are coming to the rally as usual? If so, and it is still not repaired, I will personally take care of it for you. We might just make it a ‘how to’ demo for the group to watch and learn from. We can do it down at the Buckeye pavilion. Let me know. 

[SeaDawg]

In the meantime,  @Nan, ask your wonderful grandson to go out on a nice day, and clean the area around the Oliver sign , and duct  tape it like a  new install window apron. A strip across the bottom first, then sides, then top, overlapping each way. Use white or clear. 

It won't take more than 25 minutes, including ladder set and cleaning, and you'll know the story, if it doesn't leak,  when you test with a hose, or get a good rain..

[Nan]

Steve, as of right now I am coming to the rally, but am in a far away place..I am in F34. 

[SeaDawg]

Maybe Steve could just move the demo to your site.

Send him a pm. He loves to help folks.

[Nan]

Good idea Sherry!

 

[Allen Lee Rohner]

Here is a picture of my Oliver signage leak.

 

Edited February 4 by Allen Lee Rohner
Insert proper image format

[MAX Burner]

20 hours ago, Allen Lee Rohner said:

Here is a picture of my Oliver signage leak.

Don't discount the fact that one or more of the rear LED could be the culprit - and the water is passing along between the hulls to the Oliver sign cut away area.  Just think'n...  In either case, could be a good time to pop out the LEDs and the Oliver sign and re-seal the whole kit-'n-kabootle.

Cheers!

[mountainoliver]

The rear LED marker lights are below the Oliver sign but still an excellent point to note that they should be checked as well. Several of my marker lights have leaked. Your post also reminded me that one of the first leaks that I experienced was from the backup camera cable entrance point. That dumped a lot of water into the attic area. Thanks for mentioning the marker lights!

[SeaDawg]

Any hull penetration can leak, at some magic moment or another. This is true of any camper. And, like any other roof.

Start with the most likely/biggest area, and work from there.

Duct tape has been our friend, on various campers, narrowing the field.

Roofer friends tell me to "think like a rain drop, and do visual inspections. "  That's all good, except visually inspecting caulk doesn't always tell the story. 

Covering areas, one at a time, with duct tape, tells the story, next heavy rain. 

A leak down the rear window can come from anywhere,  if you're high in the nose, and the rear is the lowest point.

Logic. Think like a raindrop.

 

 

[Nan]

Please tell me what "marker lights" are.  Thank you again.

[mountainoliver]

Nan, if you look at the upper rear of your camper from the outside, the marker lights are the five little round red lights. Three towards the middle are just under the Oliver sign. You can see them from inside the attic area in the last two of my photos. They each have two wires attached. The marker lights in the front upper and lower area are amber (yellowish/orange).

[Nan]

OK, got it. Thank you!