Storage Area Leak

[navybanker]

Well, the new Montana leaks in the pass thru storage area. Water comes in the bottom over the lip in the frame the doors close on at the bottom. The rubber seals look okay but probably not thick enough for the job. Same problem in last Montana which caused floor to rot. Trying to pay closer attention to leaks on the new one. Thinking about "sealing" inside bottom by the doors to keep water on the black "plastic" floor covering so I can keep it soaked up. Hope the plastic keeps water from soaking into the plywood floor. Thinking about using caulk and or gorilla tape inside floor next to the doors so can soak it up after each rain before water soaks into plywood floor. Not a good solution but maybe the best that can be done until more problems need fixing and a dealer visit is necessary. Camper is parked at home so can soak up after each rain. The leak is not as bad as the old camper thus far. Yea, dealer should fix but think this is a engineering/manufacturing design problem that is not easily fixed. Think Keystone should have made a "lip" (sides and bottom) around the doors to make it harder for water to travel up twice!

[jcurtis934]

Since it is parked at home that rules out other leaks as a cause. Try installing some flat closed cell gasket on the door itself, so that it mates to the other gasket. This will instantly tell you if that is the only source for your issue. John

[navybanker]

Jcurtis - where do you buy "flat closed cell gasket"? I did some research and it appears this is used on boat hatches. Thanks for your input.

[MARK A]

I drilled (3) 1/8" holes the frame on the flat part where the water puddles and the water stopped climbing into my basement.

Mark

[navybanker]

Mark A - Where exactly did you drill those hole?

[MARK A]

quote:Originally posted by navybanker

Mark A - Where exactly did you drill those hole?

I ended up drilling about 2-3" in from the corners and one place in the middle. But I would pay attention to where the water is collecting and relieve it there. It will likely be in the same places though. The bending of that aluminum frame around the corners distorts it so as to make the water stand instead of run out.

Mark

[jcurtis934]

Use whatever you can find at home depot, lowes, ace, truevalue, etc for the short term to see if the water issues go away or are reduced. Heck...even the small d shaped closed cell gasket you can get at h.d. or lowes will work. Gives you an excuse to roam the store. John

[Bad Moon]

I noticed on mine, on the basement storage hatches you can see daylight at the lower corners (close the door, and crawl in from the other side). The radius of the hatch does not match the radius of the frame, so there is a gap around the gasket/seal. Have not had this back to the dealer yet, but I don't see any way to do a "quality" fix; it is a manufacturing defect of the door supplier.

[dieselguy]

Bad Moon ... the cargo doors radius not sealing as you've noted has been an ongoing issue for some years ... it's just that not many get inside the cargo bay to notice it. My 2011 has the same issues with the door frame radius. There are little plastic stops in the hinge groove at the top of the door frame that position the door side to side. Sometimes you can redrill the screw holes on these to better center up the door enough to catch some gasket in the radius. Like said ... double up the door gasket as well towards the bottom. It's difficult to do all the way around the door as the OEM gasket is pretty squished at the top to start with. The slam latches are adjustable as far as how tight they close up.

[twindman]

I am pretty sure my older (2006) Montana had adjustments on the latches. I don't know if the new style latches have an adjustment or not, but take a look. Tighten the latches a bit to stop water from entering.

[MARK A]

After several "gully washers" here in the great northwet,(no typo)
My storage area door was still leaking.. It was overwhelming the drain holes I had drilled and water was pooling in the front right corner. I got to looking and there was a definite crown to the door facing the inside, meaning the corners weren't contacting the weatherstrip as tightly as the middle. I didn't use any exact procedure like some of you would come up with, I grabbed the door and slightly bent it straight. Seems to be working. be careful though, there's a fine line between straightened and broken when bending aluminum.

Mark

[hookman]

If it is a 2017 it should be on warranty and get them to fix it.