2012 17b, water in front right corner

[ericbirk]

Hello,

Mid season last year I noticed that the wood base underneath the cushions at the front of the trailer were showing some water damage. I pulled the vertical corner trim and attempted to find where it was coming from without any luck. I sprayed the entire front section with water, and no joy either. I left everything off and let the trailer sit for awhile and did not notice any further wetness.

This year I pulled the cushion and the water damage is worse, the lino in the front cubby has peeled up, and there is alot of moisture and debris underneath the wood floor in the corner.

Window seals and frame drains are in good shape, no moisture around there at all.

I noticed there are external drain holes in the bottom of the trailer, is the floor on these a 2 piece design ie. dual fiberglass and then the wood floor?

I ask because I had a bit of a mishap on our first trip out this year. I had a couple friends winterize the trailer for me as I had a bit of a whoops on my bike and was in the hospital last fall. They winterized properly but also unhooked the water pump, which I dont do as it gravity drains. Well first go out I hooked up external water and I bet you can imagine what happened next...
There was water coming out of the rear of the trailer through one of the drain holes. I wiped up as much as I could and have let everything sit open since. Note to self, double check everything when you weren't the last to touch it...

I am very suprised at the amount of debris in the corners between the fiberglass and wood, this has me a touch worried that maybe the drain holes could be plugged but I dont want to start ripping into anything unless I have to.

Hoping someone on here has a better idea on the floor design and could point me in the right direction.

Thank you,

-Eric

[Mike G]

It is a completely FG underside with wood laid inside, on top of it. And thus the drain holes, as you observed. (Beyond that I'm not much help.)

[rubicon327]

I know you said you sprayed the front of your trailer but check your upper marker light on that corner closely. Water can get in and will run right down that corner behind the wall covering trim piece.

[Gingerdog]

Might be the belly band strap a loose rivet ?? 2012 17B don't have marker lights up front.
.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Gingerdog

Might be the belly band strap a loose rivet ?? 2012 17B don't have marker lights up front.

Good call on the belly band. I didn’t realize 17’s don’t have the front marker lights up high near the corners.

[ericbirk]

Originally Posted by Mike G

It is a completely FG underside with wood laid inside, on top of it. And thus the drain holes, as you observed. (Beyond that I'm not much help.)

Gotcha, so wood floor then singke layer FG to exterior?
So the drain holes drain the area below the wood interior floor?

[ericbirk]

Originally Posted by Gingerdog

Might be the belly band strap a loose rivet ?? 2012 17B don't have marker lights up front.
.

Thats my next step I think. Its weird as its been pouring for 2 days now and there is no water in that front corner now. I even bunched up paper towel and its totally dry.
Its parked on the driveway slightly nose down to help everything drain.

I'm going to keep an eye on internal plumbing too, maybe something is leaking down behind a cabinet or something.

There sure seems to be a ton of debris in those corners too...

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by ericbirk

Gotcha, so wood floor then singke layer FG to exterior?
So the drain holes drain the area below the wood interior floor?

Yes, but the draining is only along the sides. You should see a curved step in the mold down each side if you get underneath the trailer. There isn’t a void between the fiberglass and wood under the entire floor.

[BobG]

When I was preparing to place a solar panel mounting bolt in the front right corner I found water between the foam liner and the fiberglass (roof). The water was forward as far as I could reach under the foam in the upper cabinet. I never figured it out. The running light is well below the water.

This spring I was washing the trailer and noticed there was a 3" gap in the seal/caulking on the top side of the metal rail the awning attaches to. I'm not sure it is high enough to be the source of my water but is high enough for yours.

If water got into that area then it could probably get through a fastener hole or a hole that was drilled but not used and then work its way to the corner under the right conditions.

When I asked Escape where the water could be coming from they suggested the MaxFan. I looked at that and it seemed to be sealed tight.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

small leaks can be hard to find. a smoke test would probably find it if you can find a rv place to do it. Another place to check is the front window. I have seen them leak on bottom of window where the joint is the window trim is. never showed up on a hose test because it only would leak while towing as it needed the wind to push the water up. Just a place to check

[ericbirk]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Yes, but the draining is only along the sides. You should see a curved step in the mold down each side if you get underneath the trailer. There isn’t a void between the fiberglass and wood under the entire floor.

Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by BobG

When I was preparing to place a solar panel mounting bolt in the front right corner I found water between the foam liner and the fiberglass (roof). The water was forward as far as I could reach under the foam in the upper cabinet. I never figured it out. The running light is well below the water.

This spring I was washing the trailer and noticed there was a 3" gap in the seal/caulking on the top side of the metal rail the awning attaches to. I'm not sure it is high enough to be the source of my water but is high enough for yours.

If water got into that area then it could probably get through a fastener hole or a hole that was drilled but not used and then work its way to the corner under the right conditions.

When I asked Escape where the water could be coming from they suggested the MaxFan. I looked at that and it seemed to be sealed tight.

I'll be checking that as soon as I can! Thank you.

Originally Posted by NEWYORKHILLBILLY

small leaks can be hard to find. a smoke test would probably find it if you can find a rv place to do it. Another place to check is the front window. I have seen them leak on bottom of window where the joint is the window trim is. never showed up on a hose test because it only would leak while towing as it needed the wind to push the water up. Just a place to check

When it finally dries up here, I am going to take a better look at all the window seals. It's driving me crazy not being able to sort out where this is coming from.

[Lanark Camper]

Sorry to hear about the leak, Very frustrating I’m sure.

We also have a 17B so far so good, no leaks.

We have the manual awning. It’s mounted with lag bolts that penetrate the shell, screwed into wooden backer blocks. Possible leak if wind has worked on the mounts ?

I’ve seen leaks detected in small sailboats by somewhat pressurizing the cabin with a reversed shop vac. A soap solution found the leak. Obvious cracks, space around the hatch, companionway etc. was taped up to get a few psi of pressure.

Let us know what you find out, good luck, Bob

[mlowther]

This may sound silly, but also check your outside fan exhaust vent (not sure the technical term) from your stove hood - on our 2005 17A it had cracked and started to let water in - once we replaced it, water stopped coming in!

[NCBill]

As mentioned, could be a leak when it is towing (at speed), so nothing when parked. I had window weep hole problem that gave me similar issue. Start with anything on top of the trailer, and then work your way down the sides. Water can travel a long way under the elephant hide.

Escape design is similar to my old Trillium. Pontoons along the side to catch leaks. Trillium had pontoons on all four sides.

[ericbirk]

With my luck it will definitely be a towing only leak haha.
Hoping to get some time to dig into it this weekend. I appreciate all the replies, it gave me some great ideas to look into.

[ericbirk]

I haven't touched the belly band yet, ended up getting distracted fabricating and welding brackets to mount an aluminum checker plate storage box to the front. This checked a couple boxes. 1. front storage and filling in the big gap. 2. a bit more protection from rock's.

I had been meaning to remove the license plate holder and figure out why it was pulled away from the body. Turns out the previous owner, at least I assume it was him, used a bolt/nut that was too deep and would touch the fiberglass before it was tight. As he continued to tighten it, the entire bracket would pull away from the trailer body. It was screwed in using drywall plugs. I also found both wires merretted externally. I removed it entirely, drilled out and reattached the ground lug to the bracket, plugged all the holes with Proflex, then fished the wires into the trailer and reattached the bracket with rivets. Which of course were then sealed with Proflex as well.

I then moved onto the taillights. Removed and cleaned off all the old sealant, then resealed and reattached.
There was also an old Winegard TV antenna on the right rear of the roof. I yarded that off and reinstalled the bolts with fender washers and an generous glob of Proflex.

We had 3 more days of rain and no water inside. Today I will lower the front end again and see if anything splashes forward.

Next up will be the belly band. I am mentally using every excuse I can to try and get myself out of that job as it looks like a total pain in the butt...

Oh, and I have a new main door seal coming. I had the typical corner gaps on the rounded door, and damage to the lower portion from it getting stepped on over the years. I could not find the stock seal so I went with an enclosed bulb seal instead. The new seal is 6mm larger from the center (where the fiberglass edge will be) to the end of the bulb seal compared to the existing measurement I had taken. I'm still sorting out how I am going to protect the lower portion from getting stepped on...
While I think the door looks super cool, it isn't overly practical. The door curvature means that I almost always step right on the seal when getting out as I need to duck to avoid hitting my head.

This is the seal I went with, https://mmseals.com/en-ca/collection...-0-55-u-height

[ericbirk]

I got lucky and was working inside the trailer when we got a significant rain storm. Turns out the leak was the right front window after all...

I've since pulled all windows, cleaned, taped and reinstalled. The trailer has been through another couple downpours since and zero water inside!!