Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I finished my first teardrop. It has a rear hatch with a heavy duty piano hinge. I placed a long piece of rubber over this and installed a piece of white metal finishing strip (each has been caulked before applying so the screw holes are protected...maybe not enough tho???) on each side to make it look nice. I then finished everything with caulking. The problem is, it leaks around the hatch (esp the hinge). I noticed this when I opened the hatch. Each shelf within the hatch is covered with metal, so it is protected, but I am not sure if the water is getting anywhere else. I eneded up trying to patch a few suspected areas with caulk, but still not helping completely. I need to stop this leak. Is there anything I can do without tearing the camper apart? Am I missing something? Hopefully these pics help...

Our hatch also leaked. I looked for standing water along our hinge. I caulked it in such a way so that the water runs off instead of puddling. Just a thought.

Greg(and Laurie)

I'll keep an eye on that. I just found one more possible leak area. We used weatherstripping for the side of the hatch. Worked fine in the beginning but, with the weight of the hatch, it is now showing a gap. I wanted to go with the neoprine gasket but my husband chose different. I am thinking--trailer tarp??

alisaalthaus wrote:I'll keep an eye on that. I just found one more possible leak area. We used weatherstripping for the side of the hatch. Worked fine in the beginning but, with the weight of the hatch, it is now showing a gap. I wanted to go with the neoprine gasket but my husband chose different. I am thinking--trailer tarp??

1st off, tarping can sometimes lead to catastrophic failures in plywood due to humidity entrapment and temperature changes. This can happen pretty much in all environments except maybe in arid climates.

The best way I have found to find water leaks is to use a leaf blower to pressurize the trailer (might take a little creativity and duct tape) then with a spray bottle of soapy water look for bubbles, which of course are the potential leaks. Good luck!

I'm a total noob, but here's my take. I think the whole hinge setup needs to come apart and get re done. each layer (hinge, rubber, trim, etc.) needs a nice bead of caulk. You may need more screws in the trim to evenly compress the rubber. I have seen situations where not enough screws and over tightening can cause the metal to actually lift between the screws. Chevy oil pans and valve covers are notorious for leaking if the screws are too tight. Additionally, the caulk should be applied smoothly and not gobbed on. Water can collect in all of the nooks and crannies in the big piles of caulk and migrate to where there is a breach. Lay down blue tape 1/4 inch or so beyond the edges of your trim and also on the trim before final sealing and run your finger along the wet caulk to smooth it out, then pull the tape. I would do the same at the inside trim edge where it contacts the rubber strip. Use a good, silicone exterior caulk. I'm not sure if Dap style painters caulk is the ideal stuff. I build engines and tinker with cars and bikes and always use the good stuff.
Just my substandard observation.

I can't tell for certain from the photo, but it doesn't look like the rubber strip extends past the outside edges of your hatch lid or trailer's walls ... which ever hinge you choose, you need to be sure that any water that flows off of it gets diverted away from the gap/opening on both sides of the hinge.

Good Luck with the fix! In the meantime ...

CHEERS!

Grant

My trailers live outside in the rain, sleet , snow , ice , and blazing sun so I took a great deal of effort to make sure the gally hinge was well protected from water intrusion. Here is a simple drawing of my efforts.



and the end results.....



I did the same exact process with the chuckwagon this month.....

Thanks for these suggestions...I'm a noob,too, and I know my hatch has a history of leaking. The gal I bought it from tried to fix it, but we had a downpour yesterday and sure enough, there was a little bit of a leak into the galley. Now I some things to try. Again, thanks.