Why is my Black Series skylight leaking and how do I fix it?

Answered by RV Parts Giant · Upland, CA · September 25, 2026

Short answer: The skylight frame is bedded to the roof with sealant, and the roof flexes on corrugations while the frame does not, so a thin or badly cured bead cracks at the edge and water tracks in. It is the most reported leak point on these campers and often appears early. The fix is to strip the old sealant completely, clean to bare surface and re-bed the frame with a UV-rated roof sealant, never a new bead over the old one.

Skylights and roof hatches are the most frequently reported leak point on Black Series campers, and the one owners most often mention appearing early in ownership. Some were fixed under warranty, which tells you it is a known fault rather than something you did.

Why it leaks

The skylight frame is bedded onto the roof with sealant. The roof flexes on corrugations; the frame does not. Sealant that was applied thin, that had not cured, or that was laid badly cracks along the edge of the frame, and once there is a crack, capillary action pulls water through.

First confirm it is the skylight

Water travels. A drip at a window sill may have entered at the skylight and run along a ceiling panel, so do not seal the first wet spot you find.

Dry everything, then test one area at a time with a hose. Start at the top: skylight and roof fittings first, then windows. Water from a high entry point shows up at every lower one.
Look for the stain, not the drip. A tide mark on a panel shows the path water took while you were not watching.
At dusk, put a torch inside and look from outside. Light leaking out is a gap.

Then get on the roof and inspect the bead around the frame. Cracks, lifted edges or sealant gone chalky mean it is time. Press the frame gently: any movement means the fixings are loose or the sealant has let go.

The fix

Remove the old sealant completely. Do not lay new sealant over old; it looks tidy for a month and then fails along the same line.
Clean both surfaces back to bare and dry. Sealant over dust or damp does not bond.
Re-bed the frame with a sealant rated for roof use and UV exposure. Wheel-arch and underbody products that stay soft are the wrong choice up here.
Check the fixings are snug and the glass is still seated. A pane that rattles in its channel because a retainer clip has broken lets the frame work against the sealant on every corrugation; the OEM skylight window clip is the genuine glass retainer for this.

If the frame itself is cracked or distorted, re-bedding will not hold. The complete OEM skylight assembly, outer and inner, is the replacement.

What is not a leak

A cold skylight in a warm camper drips condensation, and owners regularly mistake it for a leak. If water only appears on cold nights with no rain, that is condensation. A reflective skylight insulator does nothing for a leak but stops that. Window leaks are a different failure: a hardened frame seal fixed with the bubble-profile EPDM rubber seal, or a tired gas strut that lets the pane sag short of the latch.

Genuine Black Series parts ship from Upland, California. Send us a photo of the frame and where the water shows inside and we will tell you which part, if any, you actually need.