Roof Leak T176 Spoiler Area? |
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wrong20
Newbie Joined: 17 May 2021 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
Topic: Roof Leak T176 Spoiler Area? Posted: 18 May 2021 at 6:26pm |
Hey guys, I really need some help. I have a leak near the spoiler on my 176T (this is the model that has the bed that folds out the back. The spoiler is different than the spoilers I see on the other models. The leak is coming out of the areas inside marked with the red arrows. It does not appear to be going in to the wall, I can see no evidence of delamination or water issues in the outside walls of the Rpod. It is landing on the floor in the RV where the red arrows show. I sincerely thought it was coming from the seam where the spoiler meets the roof, but I have already used the Eternabond tape to seal that seam and it seems to have made no difference in the leak (see pictures). Questions:
1) If someone has had the same leak, can you please help me find it? 2) Has anyone pealed the inside roof back on an Rpod in order to find a leak? Where did you find replacement materials to redo the interior after you demo'd that out? 3) It seems impossible to me that it is coming from the AC seal or the vent tube from the bathroom because there are no other drips coming from the ceiling between the AC and the rear of the Rpod, and also the bathroom vent tube is on the opposite side of the leak. Is it possible though that the leak is coming from the AC and running all the way back to the bed area? Thanks in advance, J
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2016 RPod 176T, pulled with a 2005 Tacoma
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 19 May 2021 at 5:33am |
I've never seen a 176T up close but is it possible the leak is from the hinge area rather than the spoiler? The overlap covering the hinge doesn't look very substantial, so could water be wicking up under it and getting through that way?
You might try flooding water over each localized suspect area (working from lower to higher) with someone inside watching, and see what that tells you. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 19 May 2021 at 8:53am |
If you have a way to connect a blower to pressurize the inside of the RPods (all doors and windows shut except where you have the blower connected) then use a bubble solution on the outside to see where air is leaking. When I worked at a boat building plant, that is what was done to check for leaks around windows, hatches, etc. Think blower like those used to inflate bouncy castles, not a box fan.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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wrong20
Newbie Joined: 17 May 2021 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
Posted: 19 May 2021 at 5:56pm |
Thank you for the replies! The hinge bolts on the cover pierce through the fiberglass, towards the inside of the cabin, I thought that was the leak at one point, but then I etenrabonded over the bolts/hinge and it didn't fix it... The gap between the door on the back of the rpod is a possible entry point, but it would also cause water to leak on to the tent that is folded up back there, and there is no water getting in there, so I don't think that is the cause. I think it is more likely something on the roof itself that is leaking. That is why I was hoping another 176T owner had already been through this and isolated the location.
I like the idea of the blower to find the leak... I don't really know how to use it to assess the AC mounting seal since it is under the cover, but maybe I can pull the cover off and check it out. It will probably work well to double check the eternabond seal over the spoiler screws... Thanks for the idea.
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2016 RPod 176T, pulled with a 2005 Tacoma
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campman
Senior Member Joined: 26 Mar 2021 Location: La Salle, MB Online Status: Offline Posts: 209 |
Posted: 20 May 2021 at 7:30am |
As you are displaying interest in the blower idea but are wondering about how to find leaks, I think it is time to share how we used to find pressurization issues/leaks on C130 aircraft back on the day. We would pressurize it while the aircraft was sitting on the ground. One of the other people on the troubleshooting crew would light up a cigarette. A slow stroll about the a/c while watching where the smoke stopped wafting about and made a bee line to where there was a leak (usually a window seal, and they were always miserable to pull, reinstall and reseal).
Now, an rpod isn't a sealed/pressurized aircraft but if you have a high volume blower, a sturdy sheet of plastic, some good tuck tape and a similar "smoke generator" it should show you where water could get in...you just have to get close to it. And this way you don't have to let water leak through while doing your search. 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 |
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 20 May 2021 at 8:31am |
But how to get the nasty cig smoke smell out of your rpod afterwards? Better have about 10 bottles of Febreze handy.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Pod People
Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1078 |
Posted: 20 May 2021 at 8:40am |
We had a leak from our AC seal. I removed the interior air distribution box and tightened all 4 of the AC mounting bolts. 3 of the 4 were loose. tightening the bolts compresses the neoprene/rubber AC gasket that fits between the RPod roof and the AC. I think that fixed our leak. The Dometic AC owners manual shows how to remove the air distribution box-there are about 6 screws holding it on and several are well hidden.Once the cover is off, the mounting bolts are easily accessible. Hope this helps you Vann
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campman
Senior Member Joined: 26 Mar 2021 Location: La Salle, MB Online Status: Offline Posts: 209 |
Posted: 20 May 2021 at 8:53am |
The death dart method is a thing of the distant past unless in a pinch...remote locations come to mind.
"smoke in a can" I think is what we used in later years. More cumbersome and more expensive but definitely not as odiferous! 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 |
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wrong20
Newbie Joined: 17 May 2021 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
Posted: 10 Jun 2021 at 8:05pm |
Really appreciate the help guys. I ended up taking a garbage bag and some foil tape (used for sealing AC vents- very sticky and easy to tear) and taped off selective areas of the roof to find the leak. I then used a hose and soaked it and eventually pinpointed the leak. It was not coming from the area covered by the eternabond- so that seal does appear to be working. It was coming from the area where the black screw cover meets the spoiler. There is this little dome of black plastic that covers the screws that run the whole edge of the roof. That area has a channel that allows any water that slips through to drain right near where the eternabond seal is at the spoiler seam. The water was going down in to that channel, and there was a screw in there that was never sealed from the factory... so it was dripping down in to the RV, then running down the wood post on the ceiling... Sealed that up and stopped the leak. I think it has been like that since it came from the factory... so lame. Anyway, hope anyone with this issue might find this breadcrumb trail and it ends up helping someone else... Thanks again for the moral support and hints.
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2016 RPod 176T, pulled with a 2005 Tacoma
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campman
Senior Member Joined: 26 Mar 2021 Location: La Salle, MB Online Status: Offline Posts: 209 |
Posted: 10 Jun 2021 at 8:43pm |
Great job finding your leak...troubleshooting can take time and I am glad you were able to get it done successfully! (And no smoke smell after...;-)
Also appreciate coming back with your findings, could very well help another owner! Have a great summer, 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 |
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