I need HELP!!!: Bad leak

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Bad leak

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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=15573
Printed Date: 08 Jun 2025 at 6:14pm
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Topic: Bad leak

Posted By: RP195Joe
Subject: Bad leak
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2023 at 10:15am

Hi everyone!

Name’s Joe. So, as I’m sure many of you are aware, we’re getting a whole lot of rain in California lately. I have a RP-195 that I purchased a few years ago that is suffering from a nasty leak at the front of the trailer, where the roof curves down. I do check and maintain the roof on a regular basis and I don’t see any obvious places this could be coming from, except maybe the two small LED marker lights mounted on the front panel near the top of the trailer, or possibly the A/C unit, and the water is just making its way to the front? I realize leaks can be very difficult to troubleshoot, but if anyone has experienced a similar issue and has anything helpful to share, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks.

Unable to upload pic at this time but I’ll try later. Thanks!

Replies:

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2023 at 11:02am

You are going to have to get on top of the roof and carefully inspect the caulked seams along the top rails on both sides, the leading edge of the spoiler, as well as the dicor that is used around your 2" vent, antenna, and the A/C unit. Any or all of these areas may have cracking or have been compromised due to bountiful sunshine you experience over the years, which can degrade both the dicor and caulking. There have also been numerous instances of loose bolts on the A/C unit which result in a poor seal on the roof, allowing water to enter.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2023 at 3:49pm

Hello Joe, and welcome. If you have a window on the front of your rpod, it may be the culprit as well.

When our 190 came from the factory the big front window leaked. I covered it with a piece of heavy plastic taped all around the top and sides till we brought it back to the dealer to repair. No problems since.

I completely agree with jato, check all seals, attachments points etc for possible leakage.

Good luck in your hunt for the leak and if possible, let us know what you find as this could help others in the future! (And we are a curious bunch as well)

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Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
Red-Green

Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2023 at 3:52pm

I should add that the dealer used a high quality sealant to re-caulk around the front window. It did the trick and no issues since.

Cheers,

Andy

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Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
Red-Green

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 13 Jan 2023 at 4:21pm

Hi Joe. also check the joint between the walls and the roof. Water can travel sideways a long way so it can be very difficult to identify the leak location. A wood moisture meter might help. They're around $20 o the Zon and elsewhere.

One other thing. Unless you think the CA drought is about to restart, consider tarping your rpod till you can get this sorted out, and maybe also place a space heater inside. Get it dry as soon as possible, it doesnt take long for rot to set in and destroy a travel trailer.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: RP195Joe
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2023 at 3:07pm

Thank you everyone for your responses and suggestions! Another rainy weekend so fingers crossed. I’ve used a few tarps in select locations for now until things dry out a bit and I can troubleshoot. I’ll share some pics of the process, as soon as I can figure out how to post. May need to use an image hosting site as I think since I’m a new member I’m not able to post pics yet.

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2023 at 7:00pm

Hello Joe,

Use the Full Editor (overlapping boxes with arrow pointing toward the upper-right corner). That will take you to a full message editor that has an icon that looks like a picture in a frame. Use that to insert images. You will likely have to use an imaging editor program such as the GIMP (open-source freeware) to resize the pictures to about 800x600 or thereabouts. If the file sizes are too big, they can't be uploaded. Shrinking them down makes them big enough to see without having excessive file sizes tying up server space.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: RP195Joe
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2023 at 7:11pm

I’ll try that StephenH. Thank you!