Leaking Shower Vent?

Thane · 03-04-2011, 08:00 PM

I have the oddest leak in my unpowered shower vent. There are no gaps in the vent cover door gasket, no missing sealant on the rivets, no apparent gaps in the sealant between the outside vent flange and the trailer. No water marks inside or outside. Yet a drinking cup I have on a small shelf in there collects water.

I don't know how the water is getting in, anybody have this problem?

This weekend I am going to apply water and look for leaks but it may be a snow melt issue, not a rain driven event.

Thanks.

Geo · 03-04-2011, 08:39 PM

Mine only leaks when open and it is raining.
Other than that it is fine.
Geo (19)

escape artist · 03-04-2011, 09:02 PM

Hi: Thane...Condensation

Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Thane · 03-04-2011, 10:16 PM

Not condensation. Once the shower floor drain was closed and it collected a half inch in the shower and half filled a 10 oz cup on the shelf.

Weird thing is no obvious leak path.

Maybe I'll grind up a piece of colored chalk and powder the vent so a leak path will be traced.

barry · 03-04-2011, 10:34 PM

I had a leak in mine. I tracked it to a hairline crack (it was so small you could hardly see it) in the corner of the vent. My water went down between the shower liner and the fibreglass shell and then ran along a ridge in the shell and out through the condensation weep hole in the front of the trailer. Reace sold me a new vent and since I installed it I haven't had a problem; the trailer is bone dry. Personally I think I will change these plastic vents every four or five years as they get so brittle with age and one only has to hit it while washing the trailer to induce a crack.

Barry

Thane · 03-05-2011, 02:33 AM

Thanks for the tip, the water must be dripping from a corner as that is where the cup is, so there may be a hairline crack. It is 5 years old so it sounds like a new vent is a good idea. I'll seal any crack I find and replace the vent when I get one.

**Donna D.** · 03-05-2011, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barry

Personally I think I will change these plastic vents every four or five years as they get so brittle with age and one only has to hit it while washing the trailer to induce a crack.

Barry

There's a saying "Don't fix it, if it ain't broke." While I'm definitely a huge maintenance freak, I think replacement like this is a bit overboard. You can extend the life of plastic parts... paint the plastic with Fusion paint (http://www.krylon.com/products/fusion_for_plastic/) and yes, keep it waxed. A good marine wax also contains particles to protect from UVs. As you know, UVs are killers of plastics.

YMMV

barry · 03-05-2011, 02:55 PM

I think you'll find that there is more than just time related UV deterioration with these vents. Plastics become more brittle with a drop in temperature as well.

The design of these small vents causes the frame to flex each time it is closed and this could also be a cause of premature failure and hairline cracks especially if one is camping in cooler weather.

True, don't fix something unless its broken but if you know the life of a fixture then it's prudent to replace it before it fails. These vents are cheap (under $20) and only take about 20 mins. to replace.

Barry

Thane · 03-05-2011, 05:50 PM

Turns out the blackwater tank vent was leaking and the water was running on top of the fiberglass shower liner and out via the square vent.

Removed, cleaned and reinstalled the blackwater vent and expect all is well.

memobug · 03-05-2011, 11:44 PM

Thane: Interesting! How did you trace the leak? Did the ground chalk help? I have been getting an ounce or two of water in there. Too much for condensation, I think.

Any details you can provide would be a big help!

Regards,

Matt

Thane · 03-06-2011, 10:15 AM

I used a garden hose and ladder and put water on selected areas of the bathroom vent while the wife watched inside. After a bit I was drenching everything yet no leak.

I then checked out the blackwater vent and noticed an exposed fastener head so I dropped the front of trailer a little (to expedite water flow to the other vent) and wetted that vent until the leak was noted. With a full drenching water came out of the flange around the vent line inside the trailer.

I removed and cleaned up the vent and the existing sealant but didn't remove it all as it was very secure and it was late in the day.

I replaced the butyl tape that seals the gap between the blackwater vent pipe and the hole in the top of the trailer and forced the tape into the gap.

I caulked the cap and reinstalled the vent and we should be good for the rains expected later today.

memobug · 03-06-2011, 06:37 PM

Great, thanks for the detail, Thane. I think I understand now - it was the black water vent FLASHING that was leaking, not the vent itself! You had me worried there. I know it's mostly fumes coming up that stack, but...

Regards,

Matt

grape_escape · 12-02-2012, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thane

I used a garden hose and ladder and put water on selected areas of the bathroom vent while the wife watched inside. After a bit I was drenching everything yet no leak.

I then checked out the blackwater vent and noticed an exposed fastener head so I dropped the front of trailer a little (to expedite water flow to the other vent) and wetted that vent until the leak was noted. With a full drenching water came out of the flange around the vent line inside the trailer.

I removed and cleaned up the vent and the existing sealant but didn't remove it all as it was very secure and it was late in the day.

I replaced the butyl tape that seals the gap between the blackwater vent pipe and the hole in the top of the trailer and forced the tape into the gap.

I caulked the cap and reinstalled the vent and we should be good for the rains expected later today.

Was the leaking that you had coming out of your vent? We have water that is pooling in our shower base and moisture collecting on the screen. Any help would be appreciated.

Thane · 12-02-2012, 11:56 PM

On mine the leak was at the blackwater tank flashing and running on the top of the shower liner,

All it took was a little sealant missing on a rivet thead so I scraped all the rivet heads on the roof and recaulked with a marine grade sealant.

You may have a little bad sealant on the vent.

escape artist · 12-03-2012, 06:11 AM

Hi: All... I was up the ladder washing the roof one day when the ladder started to wiggle. I reached out to steady myself and grabbed the black water vent cap. It crushed like a soda biscuit. UV damage I guess.
They only cost a few bucks and some rivets and butyl tape to reseal/replace. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

**Donna D.** · 12-03-2012, 06:43 AM

If you need to replace any of the plastic stuff on your trailer due to UV damage, do yourself a favor and paint the new plastics with Fusion paint before installing! Really slows down the UV damage.

DeadEyeDan · 10-23-2015, 12:57 PM

We are parked in McKinney Texas, and the bathroom vent is leaking, when fully closed.

Had a Texas sized thunderstorm go through last night, still raining, still dripping. Everything else seems OK. Might get some drip rails over the windows though.

Have to wait till we get home to check it out. Thanks for the tips.