Leaks

[Gearhead94]

I have a leak that is coming in where the floor meets the wall. Any suggestions as to how to fix this. I was planning to, when I paint the bus, to caulk all the seams on the outside.

[lornaschinske]

Are you sure that's where the leak is? It could be leaking farther up, running down inside the walls and appearing only at the floor. Most likely you have a leak at the window or at a seam on the roof.

We had a tiny leak on the bus. I think it was a loose rivet but not sure. I could only narrow it down to the one seam area. I would guess that it had been there for a while because the previous owner tore up the inner ceiling looking for it. Luckily we have designed the interior to where about 95% of the damage will be covered with cabinetry. I simply sealed every seam and rivet on the roof with SolarFlex and reinforcing tape on the "bad" seams. As it was, I had one leak that I missed. It was at a seam line where I made the transition from roof coating to paint. A tube of Henry's Clear 212 elastometric caulk (in roofing section at Home Depot) solved that problem. That 212 tube is great stuff. It's clear, paintable and you can use it when the surfaces are still wet. It has become part of our emergency repair kit (along with Gorilla tape).

[kimberlink]

It could be from the windows sill seams. Just a guess, i would look there first, pull out the windows clean any rust/dirt and seal the seams at least three quarters the way around and see if that fixes it. When you pull the windows look for moisture puddling. A small pin hole will allow water to penetrate. This is of course if you have the orginal school bus type of windows. Mine only takes two screws to remove, one on each side of the window and then they'll pull out from the inside.

Water will follow the path of least resistance, and the leak could be many feet from where you see it. Just running sealant on the outside along the bus panel seams has never worked for me, I think that the sealant must be sandwiched between or protected from the elements in order to work correctly and stay sealed otherwise it'll just peel off and leak again.

My bus leaks around the drivers window which is junk in my opinion and above the RV door I just put in, but that one was because I broke the seal on the drip edge and planning on resealing it later on when the weather permits.

[Gearhead94]

I can't find the leak. When I pulled up the floor there was a huge puddle of water underneath the floor. But it just rained today and yesterday afternoon I sprayed water all over the side and roof of the bus and nothing leaked. Is it possible that water from shoes and such slowly leaked in from the inside?

[mightybus]

I drove a school bus as a source of secondary income. Whenever a kid threw up on the bus, which was quite often, when I would return to the bus barn, I would use a high pressure hose to wash out the whole inside of the bus. Walls, floors, ceiling and seats. I would run the hose for twenty minutes or more on the inside of the bus. Then I would poor straight Clorox in the general area of the puke. I often wondered about the trapped water around the wheel wells etc.

[Gearhead94]

If that is what bus drivers do then that must be the source of the rotton wood and the standing water under the ruber mat. Which will help me keep my sanity from trying to find a leak.

[lornaschinske]

Slow leak? Maybe the wind has to blow the water just right. Try sealing your roof anyway.

[dirtygoat]

Lorna, have you used the clear Henrys on top of painted surfaces that have been cured for a year or more??? If so, how does it look???

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by dirtygoat

Lorna, have you used the clear Henrys on top of painted surfaces that have been cured for a year or more??? If so, how does it look???

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The surfaces were painted last summer. I will cover this stuff when I recoat the roof in the Spring. I was so hot when I coated the roof last summer, that I kinda pushed it a bit. So I would like to pick up some more of the SolarFlex and put a few more coats on.

[dirtygoat]

Thanks for the pic... By the looks of it, it looks like it stays a little pliable???

[sdwarf36]

Is it near the wheel arch?

[Gearhead94]

The wood near the wheel well is rotten because of water but the only other spot where there was standing water when i pulled back the rubber floor was in the middle portion where the floor meets the wall, in the front of the bus. And i cant find the leak in that spot.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by dirtygoat

Thanks for the pic... By the looks of it, it looks like it stays a little pliable???

Yes it does. It's more of a clear colour but NM has lots of dust storms. When it rains it's mud storms. This was applied between downpours one weekend. So it's more "dirty looking" than other places I have applied it. But this was the worst and I would rather show a worst example than a best example.

[doctressjulia]

Can I just weld that whole seam or what? there seemed to be hex bolts that are holding it together and some are missing..? I have oxyacetylene but am going to borrow a MIG welder for the rest of the tiny nail holes... and I need to hire a professional metal fabricator to cut out and patch areas around the wheel wells. I am a little frustrated right now... any help would be so appreciated. I am in Madison, WI so if anyone is in the area and has done this stuff... help?