16' Series Another water damaged Expanda

[2slow]

Found some water damage in front right corner of our 23 month and 25 day old Expanda on the weekend. Just sneaks in under the 24 month warranty period. I can guarantee that the neighbours must have thought an OMC had moved into our place, the air was blue.

When I had a look on top it was obvious that the sealant around the edge of the roof had split and would have been letting water in whenever it pooled slightly on the roof.
The irony is that when we first got the van I used about a tube and a half of sealant on the underside of the van to keep the dust out but ignored the necessity to slather it on up top as well to keep the water out.
What is it with Jayco and silicon sealants? They never seem to use enough and they must buy it by the pallet load.

The Goldstream camper we used to own had sealant on the roof which looked as if it had been applied with a butter knife, thick and everywhere. It wasn’t pretty but it was better than a mouldy ceiling.

Now I have to tow the van right across the city twice to get it fixed, once for the inspection and then again for the repair.
Can't leave it there cause they don't have room for storage They deal in caravans but can't store one for a few days until their ready to fix it, why me!!.

That concludes my whinge for the day.

 

[Drover]

Glad you caught it in time................................ since the Hail damage reskin I have been inspecting Big Mal each time it rains, in every nook and cranny with a led torch checking for tell tales.

 

[BJM]

Just remember that the 24 month warranty is Jaycos .The ACCC Australian consumer manufactures warranty will legally extend far longer than Jaycos two years.Make sure the repairer takes off and reseals the exterior corner trims especially in that corner.I replaced mine corner trims because they were badly degrading,and badly sealed.My exterior roof was sealed with a urethane sealant. Jayco also recommend sealing the roof every few years!,Note also in cold weather with a heater going a large a mount of condensation /water forms where the interior roof panel meets the alloy extrusion.

 

[DRW]

If you haven’t already I would contact Jayco the quite often will fix things out of warranty

 

[Boots in Action]

Just remember that the 24 month warranty is Jaycos .The ACCC Australian consumer manufactures warranty will legally extend far longer than Jaycos two years.Make sure the repairer takes off and reseals the exterior corner trims especially in that corner.I replaced mine corner trims because they were badly degrading,and badly sealed.My exterior roof was sealed with a urethane sealant. Jayco also recommend sealing the roof every few years!,Note also in cold weather with a heater going a large a mount of condensation /water forms where the interior roof panel meets the alloy extrusion.

Hi @BJM , I used the urethane sealant (white) too, after carefully digging out the old sealant. Mentioned this is an earlier post as I thought it might be a warning for others. There was a hairline gap between the roof surround and the roof itself which would have let water into the ceiling if water pooled in that area. Fortunately, noticed before any visible signs inside! Now on my guard every time I wash the roof area. If water does enter, a lot of damage is done BEFORE it is obvious.

 

[2slow]

Thanks for the replies.
Have to admit that I slipped into the “out of sight out of mind” trap on this one.

Reckon I might use a few tubes Sika Roof & Gutter or Sika Pool sealant on the roof when it eventually gets the current problem sorted.

I just wished they had been more generous in the factory.
As I mentioned the sealant on our Goldstream roof was applied with a spatula and now that I’ve focused on it the thin bead of sealant they use on Jaycos just looks like a problem waiting to happen. The smallest amount of movement up top and it cracks like a scab in the sun.

 

[Drover]

I discovered the seal on the roof of the 14.44 Tardis looked a bit dodgy, I sliced off the stuff then scrubbed it back and relaid with some sort of Sikaflex and used a medium sized scrapped to trowel it on, laid it so the water pool in corners was less and always parked the van so it had run off.......Big Mal on both roofs has it laid with the end of a shovel I think.

 

[Boots in Action]

I discovered the seal on the roof of the 14.44 Tardis looked a bit dodgy, I sliced off the stuff then scrubbed it back and relaid with some sort of Sikaflex and used a medium sized scrapped to trowel it on, laid it so the water pool in corners was less and always parked the van so it had run off.......Big Mal on both roofs has it laid with the end of a shovel I think.

Hi @Drover , remember it is not the width that matters, it is the careful insertion of sealant that is forced into the groove. And I am referring to the roof of the van of course!!!

 

[Drover]

Hi @Drover , remember it is not the width that matters, it is the careful insertion of sealant that is forced into the groove. And I am referring to the roof of the van of course!!!

Not going by the van constructors handbook , I've seen heaps of brands and they all layer the stuff. wider the better and the mob who builds them should know, they are the experts ............................................. ..................................... Oh I crack me up sometimes. You are certainly correct Booties but on some roofs you seal the crack then trowel the rest over the hollows so the ponds are filled in......Preperation of the surface is crucial.............

 

[Boots in Action]

Not going by the van constructors handbook , I've seen heaps of brands and they all layer the stuff. wider the better and the mob who builds them should know, they are the experts ............................................. ..................................... Oh I crack me up sometimes. You are certainly correct Booties but on some roofs you seal the crack then trowel the rest over the hollows so the ponds are filled in......Preperation of the surface is crucial.............

Hi @Drover , your mind works in devious ways!! Fortunately??? for me, there are no hollows, only a thin section between the two parts and yes, proper preparation is absolutely necessary for a great job!! Enough of this talk or Mrs Boots will have something to say.

 

[2slow]

Have to say that I am so far impressed by Jaycos response to my problems.
The quote for the repair was approved today and will be actioned in September.
All the rooftop sealant will be replaced as will the damaged ply.
Here is a pic of the culprit, top right hand corner. The split runs for approx. 600mm along the edge.

 

[Marv_mart]

I discovered the seal on the roof of the 14.44 Tardis looked a bit dodgy, I sliced off the stuff then scrubbed it back and relaid with some sort of Sikaflex and used a medium sized scrapped to trowel it on, laid it so the water pool in corners was less and always parked the van so it had run off.......Big Mal on both roofs has it laid with the end of a shovel I think.

When i put my van in storage, I always make sure it has a reasonable tilt to make sure water doesn’t pool on the roof.

 

[Marv_mart]

Have to say that I am so far impressed by Jaycos response to my problems.
The quote for the repair was approved today and will be actioned in September.
All the rooftop sealant will be replaced as will the damaged ply.
Here is a pic of the culprit, top right hand corner. The split runs for approx. 600mm along the edge.View attachment 63710

Hi, I can’t actually work out where this is, could you post a wider angle shot please?

 

[DRW]

Even though I don’t own a Jayco I still feel the roof design let’s them down especially if they spend long periods in the weather we had a similar instance when we lived in it while building but noticed it straight away

 

[2slow]

Hi Marv_Mart,
Hope this helps.
Obviously taken from above, it is the front drivers side looking back.
The sealant has peeled away from the roof surround for approx. 600mm along the side. Not sure but I wonder if the weight of the solar panel caused that side to move a bit.

 

[2slow]

Hi DRW,
I agree that Jayco drop the ball with the roof design.
I would have thought it would be better if the main roof piece was sitting on top of the roof surround. I can see how that would/could create other problems but I'm sure that the design experts could have work a way around it. As it is there is more of a swimming pool effect happening on top of the Jayco with water sitting below the roof surround with no way of escaping.
Greg.

 

[Jaybird]

I have just done all my Dicovery Poptop as a preventative measure. I drilled out the corner pieces and re sikad them all then cleaned up the seams and used Eternabond tape. I can't see water getting past that but I guess only time will tell, they say it's good for 15 years, man that tape sticks you can't make a mistake as you can't pull it off. Just have to do the solar panel brackets now and will probably re sika those.

 

[Marv_mart]

Hi Marv_Mart,
Hope this helps.
Obviously taken from above, it is the front drivers side looking back.
The sealant has peeled away from the roof surround for approx. 600mm along the side. Not sure but I wonder if the weight of the solar panel caused that side to move a bit.

Yep, i know where to look now!

 

[BJM]

When I resealed my 2015 Journey outback a few months ago the gap between the alloy extrusion and the flat fibreglass roof was non existent.I think the extrusion may also have a flat shelf section the roof panel is sealed to.There are better products on the market now than Sikaflex.Over many years in the marine industry we found S did not like ongoing expansion and contraction.The co polymers give much better all round performance.

 

[2slow]

Picked up the van from the service agent today, the section of ceiling lining which was damaged was replaced and looks good.

The only complaint I have is that although they removed all the old sealant from around the roof piece and did a nice neat job of resealing it they still were not overly generous with the sealant.

When I dropped the van off for repair I did ask them to use more sealant but the response was that more is not always better and they think that the current fix is more than adequate. Maybe I should have offered to pay for the extra sealant.