2nd Generation refrigerator vent leak fix

[cpaharley2008]

After performing the first fix and still having leaks, Escape now is recommending a bead of sealant along the entire bottom of the refer vent. See attached photo from Escape parts and service received minutes ago. In addition to the bead, it is also suggested to remove the 4 stainless steel screws and apply Proflex to them to seal the screw holes also.
I also have a awning made by Charlie @ Widget Works that will help prevent water from entering. So I am performing a 2 prong approach, prevent water on the outside and preventing it on the inside. Pictures to follow once installed today.

 

[LosAngeles]

wow. thanks for posting...

following this thread.

john

 

[NW Cat Owner]

Thanks Jim.

If you apply it to the screw holes, won't that make it hard (or impossible) to remove the screws later if need be? Clueless about this stuff.

I know Dirk put an awful lot of that stuff around when we worked on it a few weeks ago. We're going to look at it this evening to see how it's holding up. Knock strongly on wood - haven't had any water inside the trailer. Definitely will be keeping an eye on this though.

 

[cpaharley2008]

I do not foresee any possible reason for removal but like other items that have been sealed with ProFlex, they can be accessed. Here are my pictures...

 

[cpaharley2008]

You can see Charlie's awning fixture in the last picture above and more here. I also installed eze gutters over the water heater door. Contact Charlie at RV Widget Works | ,
for details if interested.

 

[cpaharley2008]

In the first picture you can see where I also removed the screw holding down the refer drain hose and sealed it, less holes less chance for leaks.

 

[Mike & Donna]

In the first picture you can see where I also removed the screw holding down the refer drain hose and sealed it, less holes less chance for leaks.

Thanks for indepth posting about the problem and it's solutions. Haven't taken delivery of my trailer so it will be interesting to see if ETI is applying Rease's recommended fix to trailers now entering production.

If not, it is an easy fix.

 

[freespirit]

so the bead of stuff applied across the bottom of the inside of the vent frame creates sort of a water damn, and this is because the vent frame does not have a lip along the inside of the bottom of the frame to keep the water out?
does the vent frame have a lip on the inside at the top of frame ?
also curious why the water if it enters here , doesn't go down what appears to be a drain hole visible in the pics?

also wondering if other trailers who use these same parts and also have straight side walls have this issue....

 

[cpaharley2008]

so the bead of stuff applied across the bottom of the inside of the vent frame creates sort of a water damn, and this is because the vent frame does not have a lip along the inside of the bottom of the frame to keep the water out?
does the vent frame have a lip on the inside at the top of frame ?
also curious why the water if it enters here , doesn't go down what appears to be a drain hole visible in the pics?

also wondering if other trailers who use these same parts and also have straight side walls have this issue....

There is no lip at the top inside and it is not upside down, I thought of that and everything looks kosher, so to speak. the frame and inside trap were made to be joined, sealed and work as one piece. the water lays on the bottom as the drain hole is more for the refrigerator drain of condensate. Movement under way may allow the water to drain but sitting still that water finds a way inside. The top has 4 tab inserts to hold the removable vent cover with the 2 bottom locking tabs. Gravity should make any water to travel down the cover to the bottom. The awning definitely keeps water out of the top and most out of the bottom. without the awning the bottom lip of Proflex should prevent water intrusion. Another alternative to the awning is the EzE Gutters, a flexible lip for window and other rv openings https://www.amazon.com/Esssentials-...F8&qid=1492082334&sr=8-1&keywords=eze+gutters

 

[War Eagle]

Reace's initial temporary fix (applying water-proof tape all the way around the access door and door casing) may still be the best solution until this problem sorts itself out and a real fix is worked out rather than a continuing series of band-aids. If you use some nice white tape, it's not all that bad looking (and who's really going to see it besides us, anyway?). Tape is cheap, and it's not like I need to get in there all that often. So for now anyway, tape it is....

 

[cpaharley2008]

Not aware of any tape fix, just the pictures and tube of Proflex Escape sent out to customers earlier instructing us to remove the expanding foam and seal the wall/front joint area. Now we are sealing the vent area, where was the tape area information posted?

 

[freespirit]

Reace's initial temporary fix (applying water-proof tape all the way around the access door and door casing) may still be the best solution until this problem sorts itself out and a real fix is worked out rather than a continuing series of band-aids. If you use some nice white tape, it's not all that bad looking (and who's really going to see it besides us, anyway?). Tape is cheap, and it's not like I need to get in there all that often. So for now anyway, tape it is....

Thought the same thing previously in a post, but was unaware of how much gap there was between the vent frame and the removable vent so as to find a gasket tape to be applied to the vent frame and then fit the removable vent in nice and snug...but the vent frame design sounds a bit lacking without a lip. While effectively building a damn with the sealant probably works, it seems like a real kludge IMHO...would prefer to find a fix that's more invisible like the gasket, a proper frame, a small plastic strip to create a lip glued with adhesive sealant on the inside of the frame along the lower edge if possible..and hopefully with no exterior awning required...just an opinion.

 

[War Eagle]

Not aware of any tape fix, just the pictures and tube of Proflex Escape sent out to customers earlier instructing us to remove the expanding foam and seal the wall/front joint area. Now we are sealing the vent area, where was the tape area information posted?

Jim, It may have been an initial heads-up letter about the problem from Tammy. I need to go back and find it. At that time, the concern was rain water leaking in through the gap around the access door. In essence the instructions for a temporary fix were: 1) run tape along the bottom, 2) run tape down both sides, 3) run tape across the top. My original masking tape job is still doing it's job. I guess I should replace it with some of that nicer-looking "no discoloration" tape just for peace of mind. I did get the follow-up package from ETI with the tube of sealant. Just haven't gotten around to doing that suggested fix yet, and I think I'll keep holding hold off on it to see how this all shakes out before cutting open the tube.

 

[cpaharley2008]

All I know is that I have had water inside the past 2 stormy episodes and I agree it is a band aid approach, but other than the awning what else is there? I have never seen a gasket on these refer vents and this new one is a lot larger than previous models, perhaps to help with the cooling, which so far had been fine.

 

[steve dunham]

The approaches to the refrigerator leak issue ( Tape , caulk , gutter)
seem more like an educated , hopeful guess than a proven solution to the problem. Considering the design of the vent , keeping wind driven rain out of the refrigerator area is probably impossible.
Any solution needs a way to drain that water safely and effectively outside the trailer. Caulk/ tape can keep water out but it can also trap water where you don't want it.

 

[Greg A]

Scamp had water intrusion issues with their fridge vents in 2015 which are similar.
Here is the thread, almost identical issue, maybe some ideas from this to help:
https://www.scampowners.com/forums/leak-through-refrigerator-vents
We aren't hearing this issue has continued in 2016 so maybe Scamp figured it out.

 

[cpaharley2008]

I can say that my intrusion was not wind driven, but 3-4" rain over 2 days, sometimes there was a sheet of water running down the side, from the refer vent on the roof, down the sides, across the vent and down to the ground. My trailer sits about 3 feet from the garage so little room for wind driven, but mainly down the straight sides with added water from the refer roof vent. The weatherstripping on the top and sides may help.
The pictures on the Scamp site appears to be same as our vents and they mention weatherstripping.

 

[Kountrykamper]

This is the first email sent February 28th from ETI

Escape Trailer Industries is always working to improve their trailer. With the new design and components, unforeseen issues can arise once a trailer is in use that cannot be predicted.

It has come to our attention that the new lower fridge vent is potentially allowing water to enter the trailer.

The lower fridge vent has three ‘vent’ tracks in the bottom portion of the frame. These tracks are to allow propane to escape the fridge compartment in the event of a leak. Without these tracks the propane would have to build up high enough to escape through the lower exhaust vent hole which can dangerous.

Under the proper conditions rain water may run around the vent and enter the back of the fridge cavity through the vent tracks. Once the water enters this cavity, there is a drain installed to accommodate this seepage. However, with this new vent, our installation method did not allow this potential seepage to reach the drain. With the water unable to reach the drain, it can find its way under the fridge cavity allowing the water to enter the trailer body.

At this time we have already rectified this potential water leak issue. However, until we are able to provide everyone with instructions and the necessary sealant required to properly seal the vent area, we are asking you to temporarily apply tape over the vent seam as shown in the photo below to prevent potential water damage.
Please apply the tape as follows:

1) Across the bottom
2) Both Side Pieces
3) Top Piece

***PLEASE ENSURE YOU DO NOT TAPE OVER THE LARGE EXHAUST HOLES. JUST THE SEAM.


Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will be contacting you within the next couple of days providing detailed instructions on how to properly rectify this issue. We will work with you to resolve this potential issue.

 

[Ian and Sue]

This is the first email from ETI

Escape Trailer Industries is always working to improve their trailer. With the new design and components, unforeseen issues can arise once a trailer is in use that cannot be predicted.

It has come to our attention that the new lower fridge vent is potentially allowing water to enter the trailer.

The lower fridge vent has three ‘vent’ tracks in the bottom portion of the frame. These tracks are to allow propane to escape the fridge compartment in the event of a leak. Without these tracks the propane would have to build up high enough to escape through the lower exhaust vent hole which can dangerous.

Under the proper conditions rain water may run around the vent and enter the back of the fridge cavity through the vent tracks. Once the water enters this cavity, there is a drain installed to accommodate this seepage. However, with this new vent, our installation method did not allow this potential seepage to reach the drain. With the water unable to reach the drain, it can find its way under the fridge cavity allowing the water to enter the trailer body.

At this time we have already rectified this potential water leak issue. However, until we are able to provide everyone with instructions and the necessary sealant required to properly seal the vent area, we are asking you to temporarily apply tape over the vent seam as shown in the photo below to prevent potential water damage.
Please apply the tape as follows:

1) Across the bottom
2) Both Side Pieces
3) Top Piece

***PLEASE ENSURE YOU DO NOT TAPE OVER THE LARGE EXHAUST HOLES. JUST THE SEAM.


Thank you for your patience and understanding. We will be contacting you within the next couple of days providing detailed instructions on how to properly rectify this issue. We will work with you to resolve this potential issue.

What years and models does this cover??? I am the second owner of a 5.0 TA built in Dec 2014. Is this me? Thanks.

 

[Donna D.]

What years and models does this cover??? I am the second owner of a 5.0 TA built in Dec 2014. Is this me? Thanks.

No this doesn't affect you. You have a 5.0TA classic, this is for the second generation models only.