Friday, April 20, 2007

...you can always skip a step or two...

...but when you're talking about installing those nice MaxAir vent covers it's not gonna work for you. Yesterday, I went to look at a nice little low-mile '90 Dolphin that had obviously spent considerable garage time because the suspect Dolphin graphics hadn't faded or alligatored and the aluminum bright-work was super clean...the interior and carpet was original and as new but the only flaw was some light ceiling moisture marks around a couple of the vents. It was a little surprising considering the obvious care so I hopped up on the roof and found the answer: Max-Air covers had been installed throughout but, rather than installing using the L-shaped brackets that mount on the side of vent base, they were caulked and screwed directly to the roof. I know it's a little more work to read the directions and mount the covers so they're elevated above the roof, but that's the only way they work properly...because they're not intended to be 100% water-proof...and the slight elevation of the cover is to allow water that sneaks into the cover-vents to escape and keep the area draining properly. I grabbed a screwdriver to remove the interior vent frames to make sure the wood framing was rotted...but it was perfectly dry in all three vent openings. I bought the Dolphin, took it home, and took the Max-Airs off to find the culprit: though slight, the water that entered the Max-Air was trapped and eventually found it's way into the holes made in the roof...not to mention the moss and lichen growing around the vent which indicates the presence of moisture. It was an easy fix with a clean-up of the basic vent area and re-sealing the holes and vent base (just in time before the rain started)...and tomorrow I'll visit the RVTS place and buy new Max-Airs so I can make a correct installation that works as it should and give the little Dolphin a bright new roof line...