Side Door Emergency Exit Leak Fixes

[Titania]

Hi there friends! Happy Monday, lol.


So, our floor is almost all prepped to have the actual flooring over it. The only problem is we can't lay down something until everything is sealed. Our side door emergency exit basically doesn't exist when it rains because there is just a huge spray of water every time it rains.


I've seen adding trim, weather stripping and seam sealers, but what do ya'll think?



Thanks so much!

[Simplicity]

Can you take a picture of the outside top of the door and the door jam with the door open.

This will get you more valid feedback.

On my bus, my gutters do a great job.

[musigenesis]

My side door is kind of a mystery. It has never leaked except one time in a driving rain when water was pouring down the inside of the door. I have a pic of this in my build thread or I would think I had just lost my mind and imagined it. I have some theories about where the water is coming from but my leak theories usually turn out to be wrong.

What shape is the door gasket in? You can replace those and/or add additional weatherstripping on the frame where the gasket presses in to get a better seal. You can also modify the extended arms on the three-point latch so that they pull the door in tighter against the frame.

Or it may be the window in the door leaking? Or the ceiling above the door?

[Titania]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Can you take a picture of the outside top of the door and the door jam with the door open.

This will get you more valid feedback.

On my bus, my gutters do a great job.

Originally Posted by musigenesis

My side door is kind of a mystery. It has never leaked except one time in a driving rain when water was pouring down the inside of the door. I have a pic of this in my build thread or I would think I had just lost my mind and imagined it. I have some theories about where the water is coming from but my leak theories usually turn out to be wrong.

What shape is the door gasket in? You can replace those and/or add additional weatherstripping on the frame where the gasket presses in to get a better seal. You can also modify the extended arms on the three-point latch so that they pull the door in tighter against the frame.

Or it may be the window in the door leaking? Or the ceiling above the door?

Thank you both for replying! Pictures would help wouldn't it hahaha!


So the actual trim is fine, it's actually super clean and looks brand new. I saw Musigenesis' post and I was like... y'know, that's a good point, maybe it just isn't tight enough or lining up.


The entire top area where there aren't hinges have the trims lining up with it, there's a huge gap. Should I add more/bring the door tighter in?


Also ignore the handle, it rusted off, the rest of the bus is in great condition, I swear!! Hahaha.

[musigenesis]

Also ignore the handle, it rusted off, the rest of the bus is in great condition, I swear!!

My handles were similarly rusted, so I cut them off and riveted steel sheet over the openings. In all likelihood you won't ever need to open these doors from the outside (unless you're using them as entrances) and a lock that isn't there can't be picked; the latches will still work from the inside.

[Simplicity]

I can't see anything obvious.

Let's try to recreate the problem.

Shut the door. Assure it's snug. If it isn't snug, determine why and address the issue.

Make sure the windows on both sides of the door are closed.

Lay a garden hose on the roof so water drains from the top of the roof and down both sides of the bus, enough that the windows on each side of the door have water going over them.

Go inside and see if you can find the leak. It may be in the roof and running down to the side by the door and dripping.

Once you find a drip, hose off, fix drip.

Good luck.

[Titania]

Belated hello!!!

Originally Posted by musigenesis

My handles were similarly rusted, so I cut them off and riveted steel sheet over the openings. In all likelihood you won't ever need to open these doors from the outside (unless you're using them as entrances) and a lock that isn't there can't be picked; the latches will still work from the inside.

Thank you so much, this gives me such peace of mind haha.

Originally Posted by Simplicity

I can't see anything obvious.

Let's try to recreate the problem.

Shut the door. Assure it's snug. If it isn't snug, determine why and address the issue.

Make sure the windows on both sides of the door are closed.

Lay a garden hose on the roof so water drains from the top of the roof and down both sides of the bus, enough that the windows on each side of the door have water going over them.

Go inside and see if you can find the leak. It may be in the roof and running down to the side by the door and dripping.

Once you find a drip, hose off, fix drip.

Good luck.

Thank you so much for this! I ended up waiting so long to where it rained, and we discovered that our gutter system has a bit of a gap in between the body and the gutter. This was letting in all the rain and dripping it directly in from above.


I guess we could just either silicone it or flex seal it? Hahaha.

[Ourversionoflife3]

Don’t use silicone! I know it seems logical, and we started out with silicone for some of our leak fixes as well. But, as we learned, silicone will lead to rust because it holds moisture against the metal. After learning that, we switched to using 3M Dynatron 550 ($15 per tube at Autozone) with good results. Ive heard a product called Sikaflex is good also.

[Simplicity]

There's a reason why the gutter is separating. Don't just fill the gap. Inspect and discover what the problem is, fix the problem, clean out any debris or old sealant and then seal with a quality weather PROOF sealant/adhesive.

Sikaflex is a good product. They make many types of adhesives, sealers, etc.. Do some research.

After you've properly repaired and sealed the gap, you're going to want to seal the entire roof with an elastic sealant like

https://www.zoro.com/henry-5-gal-whi...0aAoigEALw_wcB

If you seal the roof first, test it for any leaks, you'll be more assured to continue with the inside conversion. Don't worry if you need to drill or cut into the roof later, because you can always apply more of the coating over any additions/repairs.

[Titania]

Originally Posted by Ourversionoflife3

Don’t use silicone! I know it seems logical, and we started out with silicone for some of our leak fixes as well. But, as we learned, silicone will lead to rust because it holds moisture against the metal. After learning that, we switched to using 3M Dynatron 550 ($15 per tube at Autozone) with good results. Ive heard a product called Sikaflex is good also.

Ah thank you so much! I'll look into both and try them out. I really appreciate it!

Originally Posted by Simplicity

There's a reason why the gutter is separating. Don't just fill the gap. Inspect and discover what the problem is, fix the problem, clean out any debris or old sealant and then seal with a quality weather PROOF sealant/adhesive.

Sikaflex is a good product. They make many types of adhesives, sealers, etc.. Do some research.

After you've properly repaired and sealed the gap, you're going to want to seal the entire roof with an elastic sealant like

https://www.zoro.com/henry-5-gal-whi...0aAoigEALw_wcB

If you seal the roof first, test it for any leaks, you'll be more assured to continue with the inside conversion. Don't worry if you need to drill or cut into the roof later, because you can always apply more of the coating over any additions/repairs.

Thank you very much!

[Meathead]

Is your bus a Thomas Bus???

If so, your bus’s sides angle inward 6 degrees right below the windows..

And your door doesn’t want to stay bent 6 degrees. I could see daylight on mine.

I’ll check back later. I can show you what I did if indeed you have a Thomas bus.

Peace y’all

[Meathead]

Ok, I’m back.

Upon closer inspection, it does look like your bus curves and your door does not.

I trained my door with 2 pieces of 1” x 1” angle iron. I screwed one to each side of the door inside. Then I cut a notch in the angle iron where I wanted the door to bend.

Then I pulled on the door with one hand, closing the notch, and welded it.







I could only find accidental pics on the door.

If you zoom in you will see the weld.
The last picture is what your door should look like when it is open.

Of course you could make the 2 pieces on a bench knowing that it’s supposed to be 6 degrees, and screw them on as you pull on the door.

I later put 1” board insulation in between the angle iron before I finished off the door.

[emoji3522] & good luck!