Leaking Roof Vent

[Lindylou]

Hi, I am having a problem with rainwater entering through the roof vent into the bathroom on my Autotrail Cheyenne. This only happens when the vehicle has been stationary and is then driven. The two other roof vents are okay. Has anyone else had this problem and found a remedy?

[Derek Uzzell]

It sounds like rainwater is pooling deeply on your motorhome's roof, then, when you begin to drive, the water blows (or slops) up beneath the roof-vent's upper cover and into the bathroom. The roof-vents on most motorhomes incorporate 'permanent ventilation' so that air is able to flow through the vent even when the outer cover is fully closed. However certain vents are available in two flavours - with or without permanent ventilation - and it may be possible on your 'van to retro-fit seals to the bathroom vent to ensure water cannot enter when the vent is shut. (If this were done, it might be a sensible idea to install an additional ventilator into the bathroom ceiling to help remove steam, odours, etc.) Assuming the rainwater pooling/blowing-in theory is correct, another option might be to fit an angled 'spoiler' in front of the bathroom vent so that any water running towards the vent is deflected round and/or over it. Fiamma make a spoiler for 40cm x 40cm vents, but whether this could be used on your Auto-Trail would depend on the type of vent currently fitted and the shape of the roof. (If the Fiamma spoiler proved to be unsuitable then a DIY version could be formed from thin aluminium sheet.) Alternatively, if the design of the present vent makes it prone to rain ingress, you could consider having the complete vent replaced with a more resistant type. If this is an unwelcome design 'feature' on your particular Cheyenne model then it's likely to occur on all similar vehicles. Worth talking to an Auto-Trail dealership about it and, if that fails to be productive, writing to the Auto-Trail factory for advice.

[Lindylou]

Thanks, I'll look into that. Greatly appreciated