I found mold and moisture in my canopy. help/suggestions

Hello Tacoma world,

I'm in search of some suggestions and help.

December 7th 2017
I had an appointment with my Leer dealer to do a "water test" and fix a water leak in the side windows. They said they found a few leaks to fix and sealed the windows.


I drove the truck all over the state during the holidays visiting family. I didn't notice anymore moisture issues, figured they solved the problem.

January 7th 2018

I open my canopy to find it looking like this.(photo really doesn't do it justice, because of the color of the headliner )

I send this photo to my Leer dealer and he said he would need to get a special mold killer/cleaner from his GM that won't harm the headliner.

January 10th 2018

Leer dealer cleaned the mold out of the headliner and did a leak test. He said couldn't find any leaks. Sprayed it with water and air for an hour. Said in 10 years of installing these in Washington he has never seen a mold issue like this. he suggested putting a light bulb back there to try and dry it out.

Right now Ive got a bucket of Damp Rid gaff taped to the top of my storage bin. Thanks for the suggestion I'll see how that does.



Should be stated I live just outside of Seattle (it rains from October until July 5th) I dont park in a garage and I do park on a bit of a slope

 

I have heard of caps leaking from the front corners. Might want to try to put more sealer in those areas. And the water gets in, and is hidden between the bedrug and the bed.
@EatSleepTacos

 

Lol, it's very common on boats. My '09 AC with a Snugtop Supersport did the same thing. Completely dry under the bed mat, fogged windows, mildew. It took Damprid to dry it out, but it was a big bag of it in a bucket

 

I’m more intrigued by your ability to time travel

 

DAMN IT!

FIXED

 

What did you just leave a bag of it in there all winter?

 

Id pull that bed rug out till you get issues sorted. Will make identifying where its leaking easier also.
Been dealing with a leaking snugtop since we got it. Water is wicking under the ends of the canopy and running down the bed rail caps till it hits a gap in the ridges then leaks into the bed. It can happen from the back or the front in my experience. I think parking on a slope may make this worse.

Taking ours to shop for 2nd time Friday. Wish me luck...for 2500 bucks this damn thing should not leak.

 

The front is sealed with silicone and the Bedrug is completely dry


most of my moisture is in this area

 

Check around the 3rd brake light and the roof rack bolts.

 

Yup, I dumped a bunch in a bucket & secured it with the rails & d-rings. Just left it there.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! Roof Rack bolts completely dry along with 3rd break light. Whole roof area dry

 

I might as well take it out. its not even damp but it might help me figure out whats going on.

I couldn't agree more. 2500 should be leak proof. Good luck let me know what you find out! maybe We can help each other

 

On my '09 it did not leak at all, but did exactly the same thing. It's the humidity around here

 

I take it you won't be buying a shell for your new PRO?

 

Lol, probably not now, but that relates more to needing a suspension upgrade for it. I'll probably get one and the shell once the warranty expires.

 

Hopefully I have all my moisture issues figured out by then

 

+1 - Once I figured out it was just the humidity I started putting the small damp rid's in there, just taped it into a corner and replaced it a couple times a winter. When it was like yours I went down to West Marine and grabbed a big bag of it and a bucket. Used that on my boat before. Works pretty quickly when there is lots of area (bucket vs small container).

 

I'm thinking the same as ksj - especially when you look at the mold forming at the highest point. When water leaks in, it's going to travel down. Might wick up a bit, but if it can travel down, it will travel down first.

Where your mold is forming looks to be exterior facing areas. You have static humid air inside the bed area (because Washington) and it is slightly warmer than outside are that is blowing over the top of the canopy. Same as moisture fogging the inside of windows, but this is trapped in the headliner like material on the canopy.

Short term, repeated gentle Lysol & vacuuming.

Long term, I have no idea. Maybe try scotch guarding or something that might prevent mold growth. Periodic lysol to prevent growth and frequent vacuuming to keep it clean? Is there any way you can park this inside? If the Leer dealer is no help, talk to a boat dealer.

 

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but my house was flooded in 2016 and I've had to deal with flood stuff because of it. Usually mold needs something for food.... either the fiberglass, glue, carpet has to be food for the mold. I was just questioning if mold even could eat that stuff. It's usually something like wood or paper that it'll eat.

Anyways if you are sure it's mold, use Sporicidin, seriously awesome stuff. Bleach doesn't work on anything that isn't a hard smooth surface because it doesn't penetrate stuff like wood.

 

What if it's NOT leaking?? Just too sealed up and trapping the humidity?? If there is NO airflow, you're going to get that crap.

G.