Outdoor kitchen leak

[Judyg]

Opened the door on our outside kitchen to discover that we had a leak over the winter. The floor is soft so we will begin the replacement process however we can’t seem to find the culprit of the leak. The caulking seems to be good with no separation from the unit that we can see would have let water in. The damage begins in the front and is soft about a foot back in. The door is showing a bubble in the left bottom corner as well. There is no evidence of water leaking in from the roof so we are guessing it was leaking down the door and into the floor. Any suggestions as to where we need to check first? Could the door locks on the sides possibly be the culprit? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[mark5w]

Check any exterior lights. They had a 2" hole for a 1/16" wire on mine. Filled it in and caulked around the top and sides of the light. Left bottom open in case any water can drip out.

[Judyg]

Thank you for the reply. Our light is to the left of the door and doesnt look as though the leak would be coming from there but we did inspect the caulking and it seems to be sealed as it should! That is what is so frustrating, there doesn’t seem to be any breaks in the caulking around the door or top hinge and that is why we were questioning the locks. No sign of rust on any of the screws either! The mystery continues!

[Lloyd]

Ice has a way of forcing it's way into some peculiar places over the winter season.

I would suggest drying the interior, inside of the door also. Then take a garden hose and let it run down the side of the trailer over the door. Just use the hose, not the spray nozzle. It might be something as simple as the door seal.

Good luck and keep us informed.


Did you see this thread?
https://www.crossroadsowners.com/for...seal-8794.html

[Judyg]

Thank you for the suggestions. It has just started raining here so we are going to watch for any signs of leakage or drips and hopefully find the culprit! Will update when we do. Thank you both again for your replies.

[Judyg]

Well we found one of the the culprits! It was a screw that was tucked under the bottom of the door seal, it was originally sealed but the caulking pulled away and it left a small opening beside the screw allowing water to seep in and ruin the floor. The bubble on the door we think is coming in from the lock but gonna investigate a little more. Hopefully once we get this fixed, we will have no more issues. Thanks again for the suggestions and the link, it was greatly appreciated.

[dtseahag]

Had an issue with my outdoor kitchen leaking once. Camper was level when initially set up but during the season must of settled some as it is permanently at campground. Turned out that just a tweak of leveling fixed the problem after caulking all screws thinking they were the culprit. Caught it before any major damage.

[Judyg]

We are also on a permanent site and I am sure ours has settled a bit as well. There was a slight opening where the screw had pulled away from the caulking but it obviously took in a lot of water! Just frustrating!

[Lloyd]

If you find that you have to re level your trailer, you might consider pulling all the screws out and filling the holes with the caulk you use, than replace the screws.
That should take care of any future problems that might be sitting there waiting to pop up.

[Judyg]

Thanks, that is an excellent idea!

[dagst1]

Just a little tip -- if you pull the screw and it has some rust there is a leak. Sometimes you will notice the screw hear will be a little rusty.

Also be sure to check the door gaskets/seals. We had one that leaked and after spraying the area with a hose and having a camera inside found out it was the seal. Looked good but was not sealing.

[Judyg]

Thank you for those tips! Great suggestions