Well I got burned...

[Tuckersnator]

My new to me camper is a rotten piece of crap. When I bought it, I didn't look for rotten walls and floors under the bed. I have never owned a camper before and was only looking around the roof penetrations. My wife was cleaning it out the storage under the bed and sank into the floor. I looked at it and also see that the black water tank is basically hanging from the water shield and not securely fastened. Now I suspect the whole rear floor is gone. I started checking the walls and all the way up to the roof in the corner is toast.

Then she was cleaning under the table. Guess what? MORE ROT! it extends about 1.5' into the camper and goes from side to side. I haven't found any rot in the walls up front yet but i suspect there is way more than I can see. I actually paid a little more than i wanted to for this hunk of junk because it seemed to be in decent shape, Guess I learned how to shop for used campers the hard way.

Can I safely use this thing? I really don't want to tear it apart in prime camping season. So far the floor in the walking area seems solid. I briefly considered selling it but I don't want I burn someone like I was burned. First pic is the corner above the bed. Second pic is the floor to wall seem under the front table. I have read through the floor replacement threads and figure I can handle that but the walls.... That seems pretty involved. Can I do it from the inside or do I need to remove the outside shell?

[Mellow Yellow]

Oh gosh. Major bummer. But please do not despair. We have some members here who have done amazing things with the campers with rot, so do please hang in there. I suspect you will have some replies here soon.

[batznthebelf]

oh wow, I too, bought a camper then found out it had a mushy area under the table...well pulled up the floor & that mushy area is actually 4 ft by 7 1/2 feet of pure rotted crumbling floor with a bad nest of carpenter ants so spent today with ant bombs in the camper & underside after tarping the sides to hold in the poison fog....thank goodness only paid $500 for the 17 1/2 footer but will have to replace the floor since this will become my home once the divorce goes thur.......will definitely be a job but I have a friend who can help with it & understands how to put in the floor with the braces so am hoping all works out.......so sorry you got hammered like I did but like mellow yellow said above there are great people here who can help you with this or give you ideas of how to repair it so you can use it.

[Janalee]

And in the meantime,while you are waiting for the team here to chime in, check out youtube.com.....my cousin did an amazing slideout rebuild from the videos there!

[JerryJ]

I couldn't stop thinking about your situation. Nothing bothers me more than someone being ripped off.

We all know it's "Buyer beware" but did you ever contact the seller to ask whazzup? It's very possible the seller had no idea, However it's also very possible the seller did know. Body language may have said it all, or nervous answers.

Not to feel; bad I'm sure all of us have been burned at some point. I know I have been.

Depending on the year of your TT and how much you like it (if it were in good shape) and how much you paid for it could determine if you want to fix it or not. Aside from a crappy floor it might be worth the investment to proceed and install a new floor. One benefit would be that when completed you will know the mechanics of the trailer inside out.
The one downer would be that you'll be one year away from having the trailer you wanted.

I'd check around on various forums and the Google thingy and maybe a dealer or two to get advice, but maybe install new pressure treated plywood for the next floor.
I know there are lots of people here that are specialists on one area or another. and most can help on specifics. Taking pictures along the way is your best tool.


Map out as much as you can and take tons of pictures to indicate where everything goes, electrical, propane plumbing and water plumbing. Then if you're near completion of the mechanical stuff go to an RV dealer to certify or check those electrical and propane connections and leave nothing to chance as far as safety is concerned.
Do your thinking and planning and budgeting homework first. Make sure you know what you're in for before you unscrew the first screw. Even a Do-it-yourselfer has to plan.

If you're NOT a DIY and plan to job it out, it might end up being cost prohibitive and not worth it. Sell it off AS IS and be upfront. Tell the new buyer that you were ripped off and you're selling it cheap to recoup. and cut your losses.

You might also turn a wrong into a right


Just my opinion. Everyone will see this differently

[Tuckersnator]

Resurrection! (Old thread and POS camper).

Hey all, I know we love pic's here so I have attached a few more since working on this thing this year. Last fall I ripped out the floor under the bed and bath. It was then replaced with stronger studs and new plywood. This spring I am fixing the back corner and laying down laminate flooring. Want to at least get it to a point where we can use an air mattress until I get the bed in. Also to note, I am not putting the bathroom back. We decided that we wanted a bigger bed and can use campground bathrooms like the good old days of tenting. I will post more as I go. And this is only for the back. This fall I will tackle the front floor.

My wife has some crazy idea that we can replace all the aluminum siding with wood for the "cabin" look but I am trying to get out of that mess.

[JohnB]

Your doing good!!! Keep up the good progress!

Converting the siding to wood, well... the metal siding will out last the camper unless it gets beat up. It is the one thing that does not rust or rot. But it does corrode so I guess that is a form of rot but in a whole different league of rot.

Good luck, your doing good.

John

[Tuckersnator]

Thanks John. I get pretty disscouraged every time I set foot in it but I just try to keep plugging away so we can at least use it this year. Here are a few more pic's. This weekend I am going to tackle the corner studs and laminate flooring.

[vcrt]

I had a similar situation when we bought our 92 T-2470 in 2004, but I did know there was water damage before I bought it. Nevertheless, as your finding out, rot from water intrusion is always more extensive than first thought.


I ended up replacing much of both ends of the camper and ended up with a nice camper when I finished. Our Daughter and Son-in-law are enjoying it now.
Keep plugging along and keep the good times you're going to have in mind at all times, it's great motivation!
Rich

[mosclark]

Originally Posted by Tuckersnator

Resurrection! (Old thread and POS camper).

Hey all, I know we love pic's here so I have attached a few more since working on this thing this year. Last fall I ripped out the floor under the bed and bath. It was then replaced with stronger studs and new plywood. This spring I am fixing the back corner and laying down laminate flooring. Want to at least get it to a point where we can use an air mattress until I get the bed in. Also to note, I am not putting the bathroom back. We decided that we wanted a bigger bed and can use campground bathrooms like the good old days of tenting. I will post more as I go. And this is only for the back. This fall I will tackle the front floor.

My wife has some crazy idea that we can replace all the aluminum siding with wood for the "cabin" look but I am trying to get out of that mess.

Hi, I hope it's not rude to divert this thread, but I am curious how difficult it was to remove the bathroom. I'd much rather have the space and use public facilities, too....

Thank you,
Mo

[vcrt]

Originally Posted by mosclark

Hi, I hope it's not rude to divert this thread, but I am curious how difficult it was to remove the bathroom. I'd much rather have the space and use public facilities, too....

Thank you,
Mo

Better check with the wife first.
Not married? Anything can be done I guess, seal off the black water tank and water connections and do it.
Rich

[Tuckersnator]

Originally Posted by mosclark

Hi, I hope it's not rude to divert this thread, but I am curious how difficult it was to remove the bathroom. I'd much rather have the space and use public facilities, too....

Thank you,
Mo

Removing the wall was the hardest part because of all the screws coming in from the outside. I ended up just ripping it all down and leaving holes in the back walls and ceiling. We are replacing the wall boards anyway. Any screws that were left sticking out were ground off. Pulling the toilet and tub was fairly easy. I also cut all the black and gray water lines and dropped the black water tank from the bottom. I then removed the back sink and cabinet and sealed the gray water line with a cap. I am now working on rerouting the water line from the pump. Then the wall boards. Then a new bed from and queen mattress.

[Tuckersnator]

Front Rot
P1015495.jpg

P1015496.jpg

Cleaned up and framing in.
P1015499.jpg

Insulation in.
P1015501.jpg

Subfloor in.
P1015502.jpg

[Tuckersnator]

Flooring in. I used some leftover linoleum for the storage area. I figure there maybe some water dripping from the hose that we store there. Will silicon all seems. Also I forgot to take a few pic's of the sill boards I had to replace. Luckily the corners and front wall were fine.
P1015505.jpg

More flooring. Nice birch laminate.
P1015506.jpg

So for now, all the rot is gone and the flooring is down. My next task is to pull the wall boards down and replace. Then I have to build a queen size bed frame in the back and put the front benches back in. Will it ever end???

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by Tuckersnator

I figure there maybe some water dripping from the hose that we store there. Will silicon all seems.

Please, please, don't use silicone caulk. It doesn't stick very well, pulls away over time, and leaves a residue that nothing else will stick to.

Butyl caulks are good. If you're dealing with a rubber roof and the seams up there, use Dicor's caulk; self-leveling is best on the horizontal surfaces.

[vcrt]

I'd say at the rate of progress you're making, it will be finished soon. It's looking great!
Rich

[JohnB]

Really nice work. !!!

Will it ever end, well, don't be thinking of an end, more of closing a chapter...

The good news, you are handy and can do the work yourself.

Keep up the good work.

John

[Tuckersnator]

Originally Posted by Steve Collins

Please, please, don't use silicone caulk. It doesn't stick very well, pulls away over time, and leaves a residue that nothing else will stick to.

Butyl caulks are good. If you're dealing with a rubber roof and the seams up there, use Dicor's caulk; self-leveling is best on the horizontal surfaces.

Well I do use Dicor on the outside but I thought regular silicon would be fine inside. No?

[Tuckersnator]

Originally Posted by vcrt

I'd say at the rate of progress you're making, it will be finished soon. It's looking great!
Rich

Really nice work. !!!

Will it ever end, well, don't be thinking of an end, more of closing a chapter...

The good news, you are handy and can do the work yourself.

Keep up the good work.

John

Thanks guys! Managed to get it usable for the 4th. We'll be sleeping on matresses on the floor but at least it is a rot free floor!

[vcrt]

Glad to hear you're able to get away and use it.
Enjoy!
Rich