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Old 08-26-2010, 02:55 PM   #1
natemoore
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Default Why your Gulf Stream Cavalier FEMA trailer has roof leaks

I would not have expect a four year old trailer to have roof leaks, but after having this 2006 Cavalier home for a few weeks and crawling around and under it, I noticed soft paneling in the rear corners. Sure enough, roof leaks.

I removed the shower surround to get to the interior of the walls. The more I removed the worse it got. Wet swollen particleboard beneath the tub, black and spongy 2x2 studs, wet insulation.

I tried the quick fix to the roof: Proflex RV caulk. Didn't stop the leaks.

Finally had to remove the aluminum cap molding on the top rear edge, on both vertical edges near the roof, and both gutter molding on both sides in order to do the forensics necessary to determine the root cause of the leaks.

This is nothing more than poor design and a "screw it, they're FEMA trailers" attitude at the Gulf Stream factory.

Root cause of leaks: they literally cut the corners of the roof rubber and failed to allow for even a 1/4" of overhand on the rear edge. They relied solely on the liquid rubber that they poured on the seams and exposed sheathing to prevent leaks. Roof rubber breaks down and cracks over time.

Additional problem: the underside of the rubber roof membrane is a fiberous fabric, which wicks the water further up under the roof, causing even more damage.

Take a look at the pictures. Both rear corners were like this.
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Old 08-26-2010, 02:56 PM   #2
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Old 08-26-2010, 03:13 PM   #3
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It's kind of funny, though. I don't become a subject matter expert until after I make a major purchase. Go ahead. Ask me anything about a 1987 Mercruiser 470 engine, transom unit, bell housing, or outdrive.

If you're thinking about buying a FEMA trailer, I highly recommend you invest in a pronged moisture meter and probe around the inside corners where the ceiling meets the walls. The two sharp prongs won't leave a noticeable mark, but it'll tell you whether or not there's water in the wall. Also, probe around the flooring in the corners to see if the particle board floor is wet. I wish I had thought to do this, but it was only 4 years old.

Also, do get on some coveralls and crawl around under every square foot of the trailer checking for wet insulation. The bottom is covered with a heavy black plastic sheet, and the fiberglass batt insulation is between that and the floor. It should be light to the touch. You'll know it when you've reached some wet insulation.

I'm in the process of figuring out how to correct the problem using Endurabond roof repair tape. I'll post more pictures.
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Old 08-27-2010, 04:03 PM   #4
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sorry that you had such a bad go with that. i will have to investigate mine further. i did caulk the heck out of my roof after i got it. what kind of probe did you get?
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Old 08-30-2010, 11:20 AM   #5
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not to make excuses, but.....they were building these so fast to meet the timeframes, that the quality checks went down. My FEMA trailer had never been used but the floor from the door forward was ruined and had to be replaced. Also the front wall was shot too. I knew that going in, so the repairs were not a surprise. I was told the leaks were repaired by Gulfstream under warranty, but the interior repairs were not. I'm not sure if that's accurate, but what I was told by the seller.
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Old 09-06-2010, 08:28 PM   #6
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Default Cavalier roof

Well, I checked my roof and i'm pretty sure its completely shot.

I double checked it after the discussion here, it "looks" ok, with no visable holes or missing caulk. But after I crawled on the roof, i heard and felt the muffled sounds of "cracking".

So i'm assuming the whole roof under the "roofing material" is completely dry-rotted over the whole trailer.

Unless of course its was built with some kind of super thin wafer board that cant support my 200lb frame crawling on the roof.

As long as I dont have any inside leaks....i'm pretty much thinking I'll just use Thompsons water seal on the roof and re "caulk" the seams.
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Old 09-07-2010, 07:34 AM   #7
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Mine cracks when I step anywhere except the ceiling joists. I think it's normal.
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Old 09-18-2010, 10:56 AM   #8
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Default walking on the roof

The roof is made from a 2x2 pine frame spaced about 2' on center, covered with 1/8" thick luan. You are not supposed to walk on it directly. What you're supposed to do is get a 4'x4' piece of 1/2"+ plywood and use that to spread the weight. Read that in the owners manual I found online.
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Old 09-18-2010, 11:18 AM   #9
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Default Totally hidden water damage

I had a visible clue on the inside of the trailer that the left rear corner had a roof leak. The corner of the shower stall was punky, so I knew when I bought the trailer that I'd have some restoration work.

However, the master bedroom seemed to be in great shape. When I visually inspected the corners, I did not encounter any soft wood. Floor seemed firm, too. It was not until I was crawling under the trailer installing the holding tanks that I noticed the front black plastic looking like a giant water balloon. I poked a hole in it with a knife and gallons of water poured out.

Knowing how bad of a job Gulf Stream did with the rear roof joint--they do not know the definition of "drainage plane"--I peeled back the linoleum floor under the bed and inside the closet. I found heavily concentrated black mold.

I quickly realized that I had to gut the bedroom and redesign the front roof seam, making sure that I utilized drainage planes to shed water, not just blobbed on white rubber which only dams the water.

This is the floor in the bedroom.
[/img]
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Old 09-18-2010, 11:24 AM   #10
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Default inside shot of roof, master bedroom

I wish I had thought about bringing my pronged moisture meter with me when we went trailer shopping. It would have saved me a lot of headache. However, we were faced with either buying this trailer or not having one at all, and I'm not sure if the car dealer turned FEMA trailer salesman would have come off the $3k price anyway.

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:25 AM   #11
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Default mold-damaged particle board floor underneath bed

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:27 AM   #12
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Default floor is not salvageable due to mold and moisture

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:30 AM   #13
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Default underneath roof membrane, front right

I peeled back the roof rubber in order to let it dry out completely. I use my moisture meter to tell me when it's dry enough to button up.

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:32 AM   #14
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Default underneath roof membrane, left front

The roof membrane has felt underneath, so that acts as a wick and pulls water further underneath the roof.

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:34 AM   #15
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Default insulation in the roof is wet

It would take forever for the insulation to dry out, so it's easier to just replace it.

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:38 AM   #16
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Default water damage behind shower surround

I'm not going to replace the insulation and paneling until I'm absolutely positive that the leaks are fixed. I sprayed the wood with straight bleach to try to kill the mold.

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:40 AM   #17
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Default below shower pan

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Old 09-18-2010, 11:47 AM   #18
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Default right rear corner where bunks are

The paneling was rotten and insulation soaking wet, so I'll have to remove the bunk beds and tear out the paneling and insulation. Again, I'm not going to replace the interior components until we've had some torrential rains. Once I'm positive nothing is leaking, I'll use a 1/4" utility grade birch/maple plywood that Lowes sells for about $5 per sheet. I like it because it was made from spalted wood, so it has some interesting and rustic-looking black cathedrals in the grain.

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Old 09-18-2010, 12:27 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Yeller
not to make excuses, but.....they were building these so fast to meet the timeframes, that the quality checks went down. My FEMA trailer had never been used but the floor from the door forward was ruined and had to be replaced. Also the front wall was shot too. I knew that going in, so the repairs were not a surprise. I was told the leaks were repaired by Gulfstream under warranty, but the interior repairs were not. I'm not sure if that's accurate, but what I was told by the seller.
Well, it's their reputation. If they want to trash it, that's their choice. It seems more like poor engineering/designing than rushing to meet deadlines, although I'm sure the factory workers had no desire to deliver their best quality on a government contract.
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Old 09-19-2010, 07:53 AM   #20
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True enough....


Hey...instead of waiting for the rain storms, why not just get the garden hose out and test it that way? That's what I did with mine.
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