Water INSIDE the window

[Tweitekamp]

We were camping last weekend and experienced a pretty darn hard rain. Water was dripping down from the top part of the window inside the rv. I am 99% sure that I ran a thin bead of silicon last fall before we put it away. This window is the one next to the dinet table and has a crank out/tip out window at the bottom.

How is this window installed. I have been reading that some have a gasket and some don't. If the top of the window on the outside of the rv is sealed up well, where is the next logical place to look? This is also on a slide out if that makes any difference. I did notice that there is a plastic trim piece (the normal one that dries up and pops out...never fits right) that is at the top. It has a big gap. Is that a problem? Is that plastic stuff a critical piece because I have never seen a rv that has a nice tight fit with that stuff. I admit that I have not climbed up there and stared at it, but anytime you have water coming INSIDE the window at the top that can't be a good sign at all! I am paranoid about what has happened inside the wall.

I have several areas around this "new" camper that are delaminating. One is directly underneath the outside shower and another is under the refrigerator vent. Is there just a problem with Heartland not sealing things up well or is this going to continue to be a battle I am going to lose. I bought this one because my old one was delaminating bad due to the previous owner and I wanted a new, solid, dry camper and now I am developing 3 areas of concern!

Any help guys??

 

[ParkIt]

A few questions, did you buy it new from a dealer or used from a private party? If you bought it from a dealer, did they give you any certification or warranty it had been thoroughly inspected prior to selling it?
Are the floor or walls 'mushy' around the shower and refrigerator and above or below the window?
How long have you owned it?

If you bought it from a private party you may want to take it to a repair shop and have them check the delamination area's, water can collect under the shower pan and condensation can collect around the refrigerator causing delamination, the window could have been damaged at one point with the previous owners or dealership fixing the seal.

A dealership should take the time to check all areas for any delamination and cause prior to sale. If they said they did, have them show you the inspection report when they bought it (new, trade in or auction) to see if they checked it for any issues you describe. If they didn't you may want to deal with the sales manager directly if not the owner of the dealership, they might be willing to inspect what you have posted to see exactly what is going on in your unit.

Unfortunately with a three year old unit there is no way to tell if the previous owners ran it hard and put it away wet and unless a dealer offered a limited warranty, these may be issues you will have to pay out of pocket to fix.
If you bought it new from a dealership you may want to call Heart Land customer service to see what they recommend.

Good luck and hopefully you can get all this resolved quickly.

 

[Tweitekamp]

I bought the unit used from my local heartland dealer. It was only used 4 times prior to me buying it. There was no delamination prior to purchase because that was my main reason for buying it! It was solid in every place. Now after 5 uses, I have delamination issues. What really torques me off is the delam under the outside shower. It didn't show any signs of it after 2 uses in the fall but after it was winterized.....bubble! I just learned about the refrigerator drain issue. I will look at it tonight and see. I don't mind modifying the drain and maybe that is what it needs!

It is just so frustrating buying a solid rv that is practically new and having 2 delamination issues and a leaking window.

I am seriously thinking of capping off the outside shower since we will never use it. Just another stuipd thing to go wrong! I talked to a very well respected rv mobile repairman and he gave me the stuff to cap it off. I may just run it down and have him do it and seal off any places that may attract water in that are.

I know that buying a used trailer is dangerous but buying a basically new (used 4 times) should be a pretty safe purchase. I read so many times about people buying new heartlands and having worse issues than me. Not sure what to think about it......


Todd

 

[ParkIt]

Todd, I get your frustration and no offense but a dealership is going to tell you what you want to hear...either that or they didn't really inspect it properly. Often times they buy from an auction and have no idea of the history and sellers can and will lie about use though it sounds like you are getting some help on tracking down any issues. On the delamination its hard to tell, it could have been dropped just once and nothing is going to show up until later or when it was in storage developed a leak due to the cap not being taken care of properly on an annual basis. Maybe a call to Heart Land with the VIN will give you some insight as to the delamination issues and best way to address it, they are good at taking your calls and answering any questions with solid solutions.

Its like the Cadillac that was only driven by a little old lady to and from church.
After working at a large RV dealership it always floored me how they'd sell a unit that had taken major damage and never told the new owners about it, you can't pull a report like you can on a car if the dealership buys it, fixes it and resells it.

Keep us updated and call Heart Land, you'll get on the road safely and in comfort soon enough.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Sorry you have issues now....but " it's only been used four times"...."and the check is in the mail". Call HL and see what they can tell you and make sure you have your VIN# handy.

 

[danemayer]

It was only used 4 times prior to me buying it. There was no delamination prior to purchase because that was my main reason for buying it! It was solid in every place. Now after 5 uses, I have delamination issues.

Hi Tweitekamp,

Your frustration is certainly understandable. No one wants to have problems like these.

It's worth considering that the cause of water leaks leading to delamination may have nothing to do with how many times a unit has been used. A trailer that sits on the owner's storage lot for a couple of years without maintenance can easily develop this type of problem.

 

[mlburst1]

Since the window is in a slideout, you may have the problem discussed in this thread - //heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/40113-Tape-on-top-of-Slide-Out - our windows leaked until we replaced the tape.