Rotted floor????

grannytosix · 05-24-2009, 05:15 PM

I have an 1995 Sunline trailer. Last summer the screws for the awning were loose on the bathroom side of the trailer. My neighbor came to rescrew them in but had to move the post a few inches to the left as the wood appeared to be rotten and that was why they weren't holding well. I bought the trailer used and did recalked around the tub as there didn't seem to be much there. I am wondering if this could have been where it was leaking as I don't have leaking water I can see. The bathroom floor appears to be in good condition but has a few soft spots near the door. The tub also feels a little soft when standing in it ( I am not sure if this is normal or the tub should feel hard on the bottom.) There is no smell of rotting wood that I can detect. I did post about this before and was advised to lift up the bathroom floor and check the wood underneath. Now being a senior woman I thought I could do this but the floor extends under the bathroom cabinet so am not sure how to go about it without cutting into the vinyl and then ruining the flooring. Sort of thought I could lift a corner and put it back down after!
I know nothing about this and am wondering if the wood has now dried out does the rotting still spreads. Should I be calling a trailer shop and having them come out to the campground to repair it. I can't afford big bucks as I am on a pension and still raising two adopted kids. If just left alone is this something that will render the trailer unusable in a few years.
Any kind of suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I have googled a few places and people seem to be making these repairs by themselves but I think they must be the handy man type.
Thanks
Sharon

larry818 · 05-24-2009, 05:20 PM

What happened on my '86 is that the awning mount was a bit much for the lower edge of the wall to hold up, and over the years, worked loose and beat up the wall. I'm sure rain water got in there too making things soft. Mine attaches far from any interior water source.

It hasn't fallen off yet, so I'm planning on backing that area up with an angle iron that's about a foot long.

WandaLust · 06-01-2009, 12:22 AM

Hi Sharon, if I were you I would ask the CG owner to recommend someone you can call out and get an estimate from. CG owners, like mobile park owners, always know someone who does this kind of work. You may make it worse and more expensive to fix if you try and do it yourself. Good luck!

kanyonkitty · 06-01-2009, 04:38 AM

Sharon,

This topic might get more views & replies if you'd post it in repairs & maintenance.

Kitty

Draftman · 09-07-2009, 10:04 PM

Ditto on the rotted floor Sharon. I bought a 2003 Solaris SE 2980 and had to replace a 5'x2' section of floor in the very back of the unit this summer. Last year when I bought it, I noticed fluid dripping out from under the unit about 5 days out of warrenty. I took it back to the dealer and they wouldn't help me out other than look at it and charge me for the repairs. $180 later they said they couldn't find anything but a possible small crack in the fill tube for the freshwater tank. Fast forward to this May. Again, I notice this dripping from the nylon canvas that lines the bottom of the unit. So I undid all of the seamwork they did last year and tore it apart, and when I moved the insulation away to see where the water was coming from, a large portion of the floor fell in my face. It took me a week to fix and all of my craftiness to pull the job off, but I got it done. But as I went out camping the week after I fixed it, I went to put the awning up, and like you, it pulled out from the side of the camper. So yet one more fix for this unit for me. I'm totally disappointed with this unit so far and can't help but think the dealer knew something about this. We got an amazing price on it when we bought it........go figure!

I'm just wondering if there is anyone else out there that has experienced this in their unit and what have they done to remedy the problem. Thanks!

Lode · 09-08-2009, 08:57 AM

Chances are if your awning pulled out from the top of the camper you've got a leak in the roof somewhere or water is coming in through the screw holes that hold the awning assembly in place.

If left unchecked over a long period of time the water will run the whole way down the inside of the wall and create floor rot problems as well. The OSB they used for flooring is a sponge for water and doesn't have much strength once it soaks full.

It's a huge trouble shoot to find out sometimes where water is coming in. If your water pump cycles while you're not running water or flushing the toilet then you're leaking water from the plumbing. If the pump stays off while water is not in use, you're very likely to have a leak from the outside somewhere.

Does your pump turn on regularly when you're not using the water?

Did you notice the dripping after it recently rained?

I'd climb up a ladder and try to get a look at all of your roof and see what things look like. Peeling or split sealant along the edge seam and on everything that comes up through the roofline? Any tears in the roof material? Broken shrouds on the fridge vent, AC, air vents, etc.

Remember to take precautions if you're actually going to get up on the roof with support planks that run edge to edge, the width of the camper.

Hope that helps you gain an angle on your problem.

Take care,
Lode

Draftman · 09-08-2009, 03:28 PM

Thanks for the reply Lode. The awning arm actually pulled out from the bottom of the arm, not the top. When I repared it, I took the two lag bolts out of the side of the camper and the wood was wet and crumbly. So I wound up cutting the nylon canvas from directly underneath it and removing the rotted floor like I did for the other repair I mentioned in my previous post. I patched it with pressure treated flooring and caulking and installed through bolts this time instead of lag bolts. It should be ok. But this past weekend I noticed in my back storage area that the vinyl flooring was soft and low and behold, that area is also rotted. So I've come to the conclusion that I may have to patch a bunch of these spots over time as I find them....not sure how but I'll figure it out.

As far as climbing up on the roof to check for leaks, I will do that so I can get the unit ready for winter storage. When I replaced the the large piece of flooring this summer, I pulled out the shower unit, fresh water fill cap/bay, and the freshwater drain petcock valve from the back wall of the camper and removed all the old plumbers putty and put new stuff in. Once it was in place I tightened it all down and then sealed everything with white silicone caulk. It looks great. So in time I will probably most likely do the same to the rest of the unit.

Thanks again for the help. It's appreciated. Now, can someone tell me where I can find some replacement spare tire covers with the Sunline emblem on it? Hehehe!

Jim