New questions before the 2nd season- wood rot, air, toilet

[grannytosix]

Hi everyone,
The snow is finally gone here in Quebec and I am looking forward to the campground opening May 1st where I have a 95 Sunline trailer (29ft) parked on a season lot. Hopefully it made it through the winter without any damage.
I have three questions that I have thought about during the winter and am looking for some answers before I start my second year as a trailer owner. I hope they don't seem like too dumb of questions but as a single grandma I need a little help here.

1. The few times I used the air conditioner last year water drained off the roof and along the canopy trim onto the ground. Is this something that needs to be fixed immediately or is it only just a nuisance. It doesn't bother me, I could put a potted plant under where it runs off and not have to worry about watering it. Is this an expensive repair as I would also have to have someone make the trek out to the campground.

2. I have a 26ft canopy on the front. The bolts holding the lower bar on the left side last year became loose and the gentleman across the way that fixed it for me tried screwing it back in where it had come out of but the wood was to soft (rotten???). It is under where the bathtub is located. He did manage to screw it in a few inches to the right and it held. Does this mean one day I will be taking a shower and might fall through to the ground? How do I check the wood as there seems to be a black covering under the trailer? When in the shower the floor of the shower does not feel really hard like solid wood under it but I always thought maybe there was some sort of insulation between the underside of the shower and the wood base.

3. This one is a toilet question, I had never seen a trailer toilet before I had this one so don't really understand how they work. I am hooked up to a holding tank in the ground which the campground empties. The toilet seemed to work fine most of the season but towards the end I noticed when flushing and that silver thing opened that the toilet paper seemed to be getting caught on a circular ledge about .5 in in diameter. I didn't notice this in the beginning. Is this normal or do I have a toilet problem to fix.

I am really hoping that someone can answer one or all of these questions.
Thanks

granny to six ( but now it is almost 8 and that is only two of my seven kids that have produced offspring so far, they all love going camping with grandma)

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by grannytosix

1. The few times I used the air conditioner last year water drained off the roof and along the canopy trim onto the ground. Is this something that needs to be fixed immediately or is it only just a nuisance. It doesn't bother me, I could put a potted plant under where it runs off and not have to worry about watering it. Is this an expensive repair as I would also have to have someone make the trek out to the campground.

This is 100% normal...nothing to worry about. When the air conditioner cools, the humidity in the air condenses and has to have somewhere to go. They have a drain so that it just drains right off the roof. Putting a plant there is a great idea.

Originally Posted by grannytosix

2. I have a 26ft canopy on the front. The bolts holding the lower bar on the left side last year became loose and the gentleman across the way that fixed it for me tried screwing it back in where it had come out of but the wood was to soft (rotten???). It is under where the bathtub is located. He did manage to screw it in a few inches to the right and it held. Does this mean one day I will be taking a shower and might fall through to the ground? How do I check the wood as there seems to be a black covering under the trailer? When in the shower the floor of the shower does not feel really hard like solid wood under it but I always thought maybe there was some sort of insulation between the underside of the shower and the wood base.

That doesn't sound good. The best way to access it is from the top, because if you were to peel off the black tarp (which I wouldn't recommend), all you'd find first is a huge layer of insulation, which really doesn't help to get to the wood. If you have a storage door by the shower, that's an easy way to access it, otherwise there should be panel inside that you can take off. Then, feel the floor to see if it's spongy at all. You may not notice anything there. If you find a spot where you can pull up a corner of the flooring, or maybe cut a small part in it, that's a good way to access it. I think you'll find if that outside board is rotted, you'll find more rot elsewhere, because that board doesn't usually rot by itself.

Originally Posted by grannytosix

3. This one is a toilet question, I had never seen a trailer toilet before I had this one so don't really understand how they work. I am hooked up to a holding tank in the ground which the campground empties. The toilet seemed to work fine most of the season but towards the end I noticed when flushing and that silver thing opened that the toilet paper seemed to be getting caught on a circular ledge about .5 in in diameter. I didn't notice this in the beginning. Is this normal or do I have a toilet problem to fix.

I wouldn't really call this a problem, but it should be taken care of. You should consider investing in a toilet wand, which is basically a piece of plastic pipe with a hose fitting on the end. Run a garden hose into the coach (maybe through a bathroom window) and hook the wand up. Put it down in the tank and let it run, moving the wand around and rotating it. This will also get rid of odors in the tank too. They don't cost a lot and are available at almost every RV dealer. You should probably consider "wanding" your tank every month or so, considering your camping situation.

Filling the tank up with water from the toilet helps get rid of a lot of stuff too, as does using toilet chemicals, if allowed by the campground. The chemicals help break down paper on the sides of the tank so it doesn't stay stuck there.

Jon

[grannytosix]

Hi,
Thanks for all the info. The ac sounds like it is working ok. The toilet wand I will look for at a trailer store near me, sounds just like what I need. I know it will come with instructions but my question now is how do you keep the silver flap open to use it. Do I have to keep the toilet flushing or is there some other way to keep this thing open?

As for the probable rotten wood under the tub area I could remove the cushion floor from the bathroom myself but then there would be subflooring I would think. How do I get through that to check the wood beams underneath. I would like to be able to sound like I know something about it when having someone come to look at it. Being a single older woman I don't want someone to over charge me. Would the whole bathroom have to be ripped out or just the tub area? What kind of renovations would I be looking at. I know it is hard for you to judge without photos or being there but a guesstimate would be appreciated. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your quick response, gives me some time in the next couple of weeks to decide what to do and to visit some trailer repair places.

Sharon

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by grannytosix

Do I have to keep the toilet flushing or is there some other way to keep this thing open?

Yes, you will have to keep the toilet running when doing that, which really doesn't hurt anything. If anything it helps. If you are charged for water usage and don't want it to run, you could always shut off the water supply to the coach while you do this.

Originally Posted by grannytosix

As for the probable rotten wood under the tub area I could remove the cushion floor from the bathroom myself but then there would be subflooring I would think. How do I get through that to check the wood beams underneath.

There's probably a 75% chance that if the outside piece is rotten, so is the subfloor though. If it's not though, you'll have to carefully take each staple out of the bottom strip of black aluminum and carefully pull it off. Just be very careful not to tear the tarp material.

Originally Posted by grannytosix

I would like to be able to sound like I know something about it when having someone come to look at it. Being a single older woman I don't want someone to over charge me.

If that neighbor is around/available, try to plan to have someone come when he can be there too, it might help all the way around. If you don't understand something, he might hear it and be able to explain it better/later on.

Originally Posted by grannytosix

Would the whole bathroom have to be ripped out or just the tub area? What kind of renovations would I be looking at. I know it is hard for you to judge without photos or being there but a guesstimate would be appreciated. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

It depends on how far the damage has gone on your 2670. It may just require pulling the tub and replacing the flooring underneath, as well as potentially some plumbing that might be the source of the leak. However, and hopefully not, the damage could extend all the way up by your kitchen sink, in which case it could be rotted all the way up there. Replacing that entire piece is possible, but very tricky. Most insurance companies will total out coaches with this kind of damage because it takes too many man hours to repair and too much precise work (which techs are not always known for). The damaged stuff would have to be cleaned out, a new piece measured for, cut, and installed, and probably a couple new cross member pieces.

You probably could get away with carefully putting new wood in on the side and attaching it to something (?), if the rest is rotted that is, which would be a lot less labor intensive. The only downside is you'll still have the rotted wood smell inside the coach.

What really doesn't help is that you have all cabinets on that side of the coach, that really does complicate things.

Lastly, did you notice any discoloration of the vinyl flooring anywhere? You may think it's just from wear, but this is very unlikely. When the flooring gets wet on the back, the flooring turns a black tint, which is usually a sign of water damage.

Jon