Yet Another Noob! And Yet Another Roof Problem!

[86Conquest]

Hi Gang! Another Toy newbie joins the fold. My Widget is a 1986 Conquest. 71K miles with a new rebuilt engine that has less than 2K on it.

I think I paid okay for it, about $4K by the time I got it home, but almost every day I'm discovering the seller was a lying sack of you-know-what on the condition of the cab. Blessedly, all the electrical works great and, other than the raunchy carpet, the interior is very nice.

Here's a big surpirse, lots and lots of undisclosed water damage. Today, after 4 days of torrential rain, I went inside and found a puddle on the kitchen table. But, not here to complain, I'll be reading all of your custom threads for the long term repairs. Here's my stupid newbie question. On the roof on the right side, toward the back (just in front of the door), on the edge of the roof, is a long narrow rectangular opening in the roof. Mine has no cover.

What the heck is it?

Is it supposed to have a cover?

Where can I get one or what is a good kludge?

All of the old water damage is on that side of the coach. Could this be at least part of the culprit? Other than that, the roof is fairly clean - other than the sag from the accumulated damage. I have a second story balcony and got up and looked down.

Good to meet you all. Terri

Here's my Widget . . .

[linda s]

If the opening is above the fridge it might be a fridge roof vent. Looks like this or rather one of these cause I don't know what yours should look like but these are the only long narrow vents I know of

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=refrigerator+roof+vent&_sacat=50067&_dmpt=Motors_RV_Trailer_Camper_Parts_Accessories&_odkw=&_osacat=50067&bkBtn=&_trksid=p4506.m270.l1313

Yes cover your rv immediately until you fix the hole. You might have a lot more damage inside the walls already

LS

Hi Gang! Another Toy newbie joins the fold. My Widget is a 1986 Conquest. 71K miles with a new rebuilt engine that has less than 2K on it.

I think I paid okay for it, about $4K by the time I got it home, but almost every day I'm discovering the seller was a lying sack of you-know-what on the condition of the cab. Blessedly, all the electrical works great and, other than the raunchy carpet, the interior is very nice.

Here's a big surpirse, lots and lots of undisclosed water damage. Today, after 4 days of torrential rain, I went inside and found a puddle on the kitchen table. But, not here to complain, I'll be reading all of your custom threads for the long term repairs. Here's my stupid newbie question. On the roof on the right side, toward the back (just in front of the door), on the edge of the roof, is a long narrow rectangular opening in the roof. Mine has no cover.

What the heck is it?

Is it supposed to have a cover?

Where can I get one or what is a good kludge?

All of the old water damage is on that side of the coach. Could this be at least part of the culprit? Other than that, the roof is fairly clean - other than the sag from the accumulated damage. I have a second story balcony and got up and looked down.

Good to meet you all. Terri

Here's my Widget . . .

[86Conquest]

And I do believe that is exactly what it is. DOH! Makes perfect sense when you know the answer. Heaven only knows how long that vent has been open. Excuse me for just a moment @#$%^&*#$%^&*&-+#!!^&*##^^&*().

Sorry to use that kind of language, but I could slap the seller silly. Puts all that money into the motor and leaves a stupid thing like that undone. I bought it online and he provided me 150 photos. Of course, I am now discovering that he very skillfully avoided the worst issues. Surprising that you can take 150 pics of a 20 foot vehicle and "miss" all the bad stuff. My driver was concerned with mechanical issues on the new motor, so he wouldn't have noticed it either.

I'll get that vent covered immediately. Even if I just tarp Widget for the moment. It has rained before and I had no water inside. This was a true three-day long duck-drowning storm and it was only a small puddle. Hopefully covering that vent will close off the new water and I can deal with the old step by step. Reading the repair forum shows I am in stellar company.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Terri

[mulwyk]

And I do believe that is exactly what it is. DOH! Makes perfect sense when you know the answer. Heaven only knows how long that vent has been open. Excuse me for just a moment @#$%^&*#$%^&*&-+#!!^&*##^^&*().

Sorry to use that kind of language, but I could slap the seller silly. Puts all that money into the motor and leaves a stupid thing like that undone. I bought it online and he provided me 150 photos. Of course, I am now discovering that he very skillfully avoided the worst issues. Surprising that you can take 150 pics of a 20 foot vehicle and "miss" all the bad stuff. My driver was concerned with mechanical issues on the new motor, so he wouldn't have noticed it either.

I'll get that vent covered immediately. Even if I just tarp Widget for the moment. It has rained before and I had no water inside. This was a true three-day long duck-drowning storm and it was only a small puddle. Hopefully covering that vent will close off the new water and I can deal with the old step by step. Reading the repair forum shows I am in stellar company.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Terri

That's one nice looking $4K rig! Don't worry. A little water damage is common, very common. Water gets into the ceiling and runs around in there, finally dripping out sometimes quite a ways from the original leak. Unless you have major roof rot, you can simply fix the leak and away you go.

I've found the most usual cause of leaks comes from the original plastic roof fittings...vents, refrigerator vent, plumbing vents, etc. After a few decades of exposure to sunlight the plastic gets brittle and cracks. They usually crack around the mounting screws and in the cornors. Get a ladder, climb up there and take a close look at your roof fittings. You might want to replace some other fittings while you're doing the fridge vent. The good news: they are readily available (eBay), and very easy to replace.

Edited November 15, 2011 by mulwyk