Motorhome leaking roof

Kyran7

Hi Folks,
I'm hoping someone on here could give me some advice. I bought a 1998 Fiat Ducato Campervan 3 summers ago. Although old, it's a very clean and cared for van. I noticed a leak at the skylight last summer and to make a long story short the entire roof skin had to come off and most of the timber roof joists were replaced. I saw the work as it was being carried out and I saw the damage that was in the van as a result of the dampness.

The trouble is my roof has never been right even since the job was done. It's been over a year now and I've been back to Repair shop 6 times already. I want to add that they are a reputable repair centre but I still have the problem. As you can imagine I spent a lot of money on this fix but I still have the issue. Cost me 3,000 to repair of hard earned money.

Can anyone on here give me some advice on what to do? I do find it hard in this day and age that the guys in the shop are basically doing trial and error to get a fix. Is there any definite test that can be done to locate the leak? It comes out at skylight and one other area but I'm sure it could be flowing from somewhere else.

I really love that van and it's been a very disappointing summer not just for me but the kids also as a result. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Or in your opinions who is the best in the country regarding leaks. P.S. I had the van all the way to the Alps earlier in the summer as it was bone dry so the van is perfect, also had interior re-upholsterd. I store under a heavy cover so I'm happy that I don't have any extra damage done.

Thanks everyone and looking forward to any help on this.

316

Are you sure you didn't get ripped off by mens sheds instead of a reputable repair centre? Not exactly rocket science.

Kyran7

A good few guys where I work are Motorhome owners and I would say approx half of the guys would have recommended this Repair centre to me. I honestly don't think he intentionally tried to rip me off but I can also say that I do feel ripped off.

At the end of the day, it's still leaking. Any advice? It's not in my nature to go in fuc.... And blinding but maybe I need to do that. If you were me what would you do?

316

I would not have let this situation get this far.

Aidan_M_M

Maybe get another MH repair place to inspect it? How do you mean it's never been right?

316

It being leaking would be a clue.

Aidan_M_M

316 wrote: »

It being leaking would be a clue.

More details as in where the leak exactly is might help the Op get answers.

Kyran7

Any recommendations on where to go with this in the Munster area.

Kyran7

I know it's not right because I still have water coming in aft of the skylight and behind a cabinet in the sink area.

The skylight has been in and out 3 times and has been fully re-sealed on each occasion. I have pics on I Pad which I have shown to Repair centre.

kadman

Kyran7 wrote: »

I know it's not right because I still have water coming in aft of the skylight and behind a cabinet in the sink area.

The skylight has been in and out 3 times and has been fully re-sealed on each occasion. I have pics on I Pad which I have shown to Repair centre.

You shouldn,t be paying 3k+ if they didn,t fix the problem at the outset. 6 times back to the shop is an absolute disgrace. At this stage I,d be thinking of a small claims issue.

This sort of ripoff gives reputable companies a bad image, as they all get tarred with this sort of image.

Water leak detection scanner will pinpoint the area of concern,
http://www.hirehere.ie/leak-detector-damp-scanner
But you already know that.

Was the skylight replaced or repaired. And what material was used when replacing roof timbers?
If water is still entering here, then they didn,t fix it, and therefore shouldn,t be charging for it.

Aidan_M_M

If the skylight has been received sealed 3 times, either they're doing it wrong (very hard to), using rubbish sealer, or else it's leaking elsewhere. Can I see the pictures?

kadman

Get a friendly BER chappie to take a thermal imaging pic of the skylight while you gently spray water on that area.
Repair centre should have done this anyway.

Troublesome point of entry will soon come to light.
Get the repair centre to foot this bill, and the repair with someone else, and if they dont,
small claims and exposure.

But dont name and shame on boards.ie, as they dont need the legal hassle that could ensue by that post.

Aidan_M_M

kadman wrote: »

Get a friendly BER chappie to take a thermal imaging pic of the skylight while you gently spray water on that area.
Repair centre should have done this anyway.
t.

Steady on there, I've resealed hundreds and hundreds of windows, skylights, vents etc and never called in a BER agent. And have never heard of such a thing from any of my other friends in the Motorhome trade, North, south, UK or beyond. Unless it's literally dripping in, a thermal image won't show it, as most leaks are slow and weeping over a wide area. the damp already there would most likely skew the thermal image anyway.

Where did you see or hear of anyone doing that to a Motorhome? Genuinely interested.

Kyran7

Aidan_M_M, if you were me right now what would you do? What can I do next? Some kind of definite test would be brilliant as all they seem to be doing is trial and error. I was amazed with that in this day and age.

Aidan_M_M

Kyran7 wrote: »

Aidan_M_M, if you were me right now what would you do? What can I do next? Some kind of definite test would be brilliant as all they seem to be doing is trial and error. I was amazed with that in this day and age.

Well. Interesting dilemma. I have never had to do an opening more than once, aside from 2 or 3 years ago when there was a problem with Sika sealer. Since then, once has been enough! I would get it assessed for damp, identify the exact ingress point(s), and try figure out what is the cause. Be it bad prep, bad sealer or something else. Any pictures of the opening before the skylight went in? Was it framed out? I don't want to hang anyone publicly either, but some of the guys purporting to be in this trade are a bit rough and ready unfortunately.

kadman

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Steady on there, I've resealed hundreds and hundreds of windows, skylights, vents etc and never called in a BER agent. And have never heard of such a thing from any of my other friends in the Motorhome trade, North, south, UK or beyond. Unless it's literally dripping in, a thermal image won't show it, as most leaks are slow and weeping over a wide area. the damp already there would most likely skew the thermal image anyway.

Where did you see or hear of anyone doing that to a Motorhome? Genuinely interested.

The only reason i suggested a thermal image pic for the op was that it gives him documented proof that all is not well with his camper, if he decides to persue other avenues .
Its clear that the company he is using has no idea where the leak is, thermal imaging will find it.
Its a well documented system for finding both heat and moisture leaks. It is well used in the insulation/roofing areas of construction as well. So the only difference here is its taking a pic of a house on wheels:)

What has not been mentined is the skylight itself. Maybe it needs replacing as thats where the problem may be.

Yep, its a simple process as you say, re sealing skylights, doors, windows, roofs, and even making and replacing full size body length panels..............if you know what you are doing as you well know, having your experience.

But its so easy to fek up the simplest tasks on a camper, if you dont know what your at. As has clearly happened here.

I wouldn,t be paying for something that has been badly done.

Presumably the brief was to repair the roof, and leaks??

kadman

You wont have heard of them in the motorhome industry probably due to the cost of the equipment.

When I first used them over 10 years ago for house construction , they cost in the region of 15,000 euro for
a hand held camera, which was fairly bulky.
Now the smaller hand held units are probably 3,000 , but they can be hired for 50 euro an hour.

Its guaranteed to take out the guesswork for these amateurs, as they clearly have no idea whats going on.
I feel sorry for the op after forking out all this money, and no result

http://thermalimagers.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/MSX_leaflet-RV-2013.pdf

Kyran7

Yep, the brief was to repair the leak and repair any damage that been caused by the leak. Yes, I did pay immediately after the job was done as I had no reason whatsoever to doubt the work. Please remember that a number of guys had recommended this guy to me.

Kyran7

Hi Kadman,
Could/would you recommend anyone in the Munster area who could do this check for me? My intention was to keep this van. Other than the leak I have no reason to change it (no money anyway). I do a lot of cycling events also, so it's ideal for me and family. The guess work is what really gets to me. Trial and error.

kadman

I dont know anyone down there that would do a thermal image check.

You really need a professional eye run over that at this stage. A thermal pic will tell you what you already know.

The professional will tell you what you need to do now. Pics would help as this is a visual thing. Water in means
there is a poor seal or defective gasket or hole thats allowing this. Good inspection would pay dividends here.

karmaan

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

Well. Interesting dilemma. I have never had to do an opening more than once, aside from 2 or 3 years ago when there was a problem with Sika sealer. Since then, once has been enough! I would get it assessed for damp, identify the exact ingress point(s), and try figure out what is the cause. Be it bad prep, bad sealer or something else. Any pictures of the opening before the skylight went in? Was it framed out? I don't want to hang anyone publicly either, but some of the guys purporting to be in this trade are a bit rough and ready unfortunately.

i would recommend bringing it to Aidan m m, hes the man

kadman

Now that this has had a public airing here with no pictures , and numerous comments on what the cause may or
may not be, I dont think its advisable here to nominate anyone attached with this thread to do any close quarter
assessment on this vehicle.

I would advise an independant person to give an unbiased assessment. Too many comments on here now for any other option. Imho.

I think a few pictures on here would maybe get the thing moving in the right direction first.

Kyran7

Thanks lads for all the feedback. Will get a few pics up here ASAP. Thanks again.

*Kol*

Given that the entire roof was re-skinned it seems likely that it's leaking somewhere around its interface with the walls, or several places around its edge.

I would bring it somewhere else and have the entire thing resealed (including the skylight). I think you have given enough chances to the people who did the work in the first place.

martyc5674

I saw the great Ed China use a smoke generator to sniff out a leak in a car roof once... I'm sure it could be used in a camper van. I think it was dry ice he used...something harmless anyway.
Worth looking into it might be a cheap way of doing similar.
Marty.

*Kol*

The problem with the smoke method is that there needs to be a very direct route between the inside where the leak appears and the outside where the leak starts. Unless the smoke is under pressure it may not penetrate through the structure of a MH.

Macspower

cant give you much advice on the problem but I do have a thermal image camera and it shows very clearly the difference between hot and cold but won't show up a leak unless it's hot water that's leaking.

*Kol*

Macspower wrote: »

cant give you much advice on the problem but I do have a thermal image camera and it shows very clearly the difference between hot and cold but won't show up a leak unless it's hot water that's leaking.

Would it show up water that's frozen if you did it in the winter?

kadman

Macspower wrote: »

cant give you much advice on the problem but I do have a thermal image camera and it shows very clearly the difference between hot and cold but won't show up a leak unless it's hot water that's leaking.

But it would outline the area of contention. And at the moment none of the so called experts doing the repair know where that is.

So what would a pick cost??

kadman

No pics yet, maybe the camera is suffering from leak damage too:D

digger58

How would a thermal image camera be of use for a leak unless as suggested, hot water was used?