Leak at exhaust roof vent

Kiltym

Active member
So I tracked down some water coming in around the range hood fan exhaust at the roof. If I access the area via the bathroom flip down panel, I can feel moisture on the outside of the hose, as well as the gap between the hose and the plastic vent portion inside that cabinet. Not sure if this is because of an actual leak, or strong wind blowing water in there, but it seems to me there should never be water on the outside of that hose, but maybe some would go inside it.

I looked in the Westy repair manual to better understand how it was put together before repairing, but unfortunately the repair manual has some typos in it, and the description for the "Remove/install range hood ventilation" is the same as "Remove/install forced ventilation in kitchen". And they both match the vent above the cabinet, not the vent for the range hood.

So, has anyone removed this roof vent? Anything I should know before I dig in? I don't see any screws on the inside portion of the vent in the cabinet. And I hope there is some slack in the hose to remove the vent and sort out the leak..... I am hoping I don't have to remove any interior cabinets, so any advice is appreciated.

The only thing I can glean from the repair manual is that the vent is sealed with Butyl cord.
 

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
TNeuer with 4x4 Westy removed and relocated outside vent to the side of fiberglass top (rectangular outlet).

Also, the folks removing their AC units probably have a good visual of the vent from underneath

Can you figure out the possible brand and model by searching for caravan mushroom vent or something like that? Found these but have not checked to see if photos match up to the Westy.

https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/ventilation/vents-miscellaneous/mushroom-roof-vent-plastic

https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/23994-mushroom-roof-vent/

Also, i've noticed some photos of the European James Cook have two little mushroom vents like ours, so could check with the James Cook Friends Forum.

Interestingly, our above kitchen cabinet permanently open vent looks like what others use for an exhaust vent. So even if you destroy (It's already pretty old.), you could replace with something better.
 
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Kiltym

Active member
Thanks, very helpful.

However, based on that looking like a single piece of molded plastic that the hose attaches to, I am struggling to understand how water could possibly leak on the outside of the hose, unless it is a lot of condensation, which could be possible where we are right now, but still seems a bit suspicious.
 

Kiltym

Active member
Couple more questions:

How is the hose attached to the “barb” on the vent? Just friction? At the exhaust fan itself, the hose is riveted to the outlet port, so not sure if it is attached the same at the vent.
And how is the top cover attached? Just clips?
And how is the vant attached to the roof? I assume I will find screws under the cap once that is removed?

Thanks for the help.
 

Kiltym

Active member
I investigated the vent a bit further, and took some photos. I am guessing the "leak" was in fact condensation (a fair amount of it, which we also had in various other locations during a cold rainstorm). I poured some water around the gap between the insert and the outer portion screwed to the roof from up top. As expected, some water came out inside, but not along the hose itself, along the ceiling. And based on the design, it seems nearly impossibly for water/rain to have entered the van via this vent.

I attached some photos for future use.
 

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