Roof Leak

[Huntsvillian]

So we have a lot of family visiting this weekend, and some will be sleeping in the TT. Long story short I was throwing in some pillows, sheets and blankets when I noticed water at the door, not a lot but enough. We had a lot of rain last night and it was heavy at times. I looked up and the antenna crank had a drop of water on it, so it appears that there is a leak.

Is there any tell tale signs from the outside, or a common place that antennas leak from?

Also, is silicone best or is there something better to use?

 

[JaycoNB]

Hmmm ... I never thought about that being a possible water leak area. I'll be interested to hear the advice of other members.

 

[Usmc616]

While inspecting my roof last spring I saw a crack in the caulking around the antenna. I used Dicor self leveling caulk to seal it up. Never use silicone.

 

[JaycoNB]

What about a possible leak in the hole for the crank? Is that possible?

 

[Huntsvillian]

I found this online:

If there is water dripping from the crank handle, it could also be coming down the shaft. there is an O ring up onthe shaft that has to be lubricated from time to time to keep it from drying out. I will give you a link to a Pdf file for wingard antenna's that shows on page 5 a blow up of the shaft and it's parts. Then on page 8 it shows you how to get the shaft out to inspect the o ring and replace it or lubricate it. It is kind of hard to explain it but as you read and look at the diagram it becomes clear if you are mechnacly inclined. Give it a look, it also gives part numbers in the diagram. It involves lowering the antenna, inside and remove the crank handle and the spring and all the parts inside then you go on the roof and remove the large plastic nut/cap and you can go from there by following the directions.
Here it is Winegard antenna

http://manuals.solidsignal.com/www-solidsignal-com_ANWGS2000 TECH.PDF

 

[JaycoNB]

Thanks Huntsvilian! This is very useful!!

 

[Huntsvillian]

I just went out to take a look and it is still raining and getting close to zero............I wiped the crank and floor, then cranked the antenna up and down a few times as well as spinning it a little, so I will check it again tomorrow and keep everyone posted.

Can you get Dicor at a hardware store or is it RV specific?

 

[RVhiker]

While the antenna mechanism can certainly be dis-assembled to do the lubrication, the easy way is to use a pure silicone spray and spray the gears; then use the spray tube to spray silicone down the inside of the mechanism. All this can be easily done from the roof. Here's a link to some maintenance instructions about the Sensar antenna, including lubricating the "O" rings. Sensar Maintenance.

 

[Power247]

Excellent thread guys. Thanks!!!

 

[Usmc616]

I found Dicor at RV stores. My local True Value does not carry it, I have heard others say they bought Dicaor at Home Depot or Lowes but I id not see it at those stores.

 

[VicS1950]

Because it was asked about silicone...

Being that I've been dealing with a travel trailer that someone used a bunch of cheap silicone products on I would avoid silicone products on the exterior roof area at all costs.

for one thing most silcone based products are not a great sealant. Marine grade silicone sealants have made great strides, but in my opinion even they are still not as good as many other choices. Another issue is that once the silcone is cured almost nothing sticks to it, including more slicone. To reseal properly the previous silicone needs to be completely removed and the residue cleaned. If it is used on roof areas then it can affect future repairs with proper sealants (like Dicor) from getting good adhesion. Silicone lube will creep and wash over to adjacent areas.

As an aside, I suspect that Rain-X washer fluid has silicone in it. Before I learned to hate silicone seal I sealed a leaking windshield on a 1974 Dodge van with silicone seal. After a while my windshield began shedding water like a Rain-X treated window would. I never used Rain-x. I suspect that the silicone seal leached out and flowed down on the windshield. So I also learned that silicone seal can leach out silicone.

Silicone lube may be OK for the antenna mechanicals inside, but I would be careful using it if it can get out onto the roof membrane proper.

FWIW. vic

 

[Huntsvillian]

Been real busy, or would have responded sooner. So I went up on the roof, and I seen a small and I mean small slit in the sealer about 1/8" long. I lubed the antenna and then went inside. I took the cover of the inside of the crank, looked inside and pushed my finger in. I could not feel or see any liquid. Then I got thinking I wonder if the rotation part of the antenna was locked in and if it was not would that leave a spot for water to get in? I plan on sealing up the tiny slit just in case, and as we are supposed to get some heavy rain tonight I have covered the floor area under the antenna crank with newspaper, and made sure the rotation part is licked in place. So we shall see and I will update after the rain!

 

[bigbird-JAY]

Good luck with your leak Huntsvillian. I was glad to read your post as it reminded me to lube my antennae since it had never been done yet.

 

[Huntsvillian]

So it rained a lot last night, and was pretty windy too. Newspaper is as dry as a bone and shows no signs of being wet and then dry. Only thing I can think of is that the antenna rotating crank was not locked in place, as there is no sign of a leak anywhere.

I will be keeping an eye on it, in the mean time anyone know the the crank was not locked in place if that "opens" a seal or leaves it open for water to come in?

 

[tlhdoc]

I have seen Dicor self leveling lap sealant at Lowes. Bought it at my local RV dealer though. Dicor makes several different sealents make sure you get the self leveling.