Hi there- well we found a huge problem. Mold in our 2013 camper that we have had for 1 year. I'm beside myself right now. We take wonderful care if our fiver. I can't believe this is happening. So I discovered these weird little hard spots next to the door.We spoke with the dealer described the problem.took photos sent the to the dealer and it is mold. They contacted jayco and we are getting it repaired- waiting for parts. So- we figured might as well go camping as planned this week. We get to the site and I'm getting everything unpacked and low and behold- all along the back end of the fiver is mold spots. Wth!!!!!! We have done nothing to this camper- as far as any work to it-it's in brand new condition besides this- no visible leaks. And this mold I just discovered was not there 2 weeks ago when I last looked. When we saw these mold bubbles forming I went thru the inside of the camper many times running my hands over every inch of the walls. We called the dealer today with the new problem- they said call jayco- we did- no call back yet. Should we e expecting mold in a basically brand new camper???? I would expect it after say 20 years- but a year??? Any advice in dealing with this issue?- yes we use a dehumidifier all the time even during winter.

Home depot sells spray that will kill the mold spores. Somewhere there is either a leak or very high humidity inside the trailer.

You have water in there from somewhere. You should see some mushrooms soon.

We found mold in a couple cabinets on the floor this summer. I thought it was a leak, but I have come to the conclusion that it was the cardboard boxes from board games sitting on the carpet in a very humid condition, and never dried out so it molded.

You should NOT expect mold in a one year old trailer.With that much mold I would be asking them to replace it. No way are you, or they, going to get that mold out without basically tearing it apart and replacing a lot of materials.

Yes, cardboard of most varieties and or many fabrics hold moisture (water) for a very long time and if there's not adequate moving air ventilation, mold will grow. Almost guaranteed! The higher the humidity and ambient heat level, the faster the mold grows also. The OP lives in Michigan and so do we but on the west side of the state where the ground is mostly a well drained sand base and sand dunes. If the OP lives in an area with lots of clay content in the soil, the humidity level close to the ground will be very high especially during periods having weekly rain a day or so and then hot sun evaporating the moisture up out of the clay.We store our RV's always with 2 to 3 windows on opposing sides open about an inch or more and also have one or more roof vents open because we have Max Air roof vent covers on all our 14 X 14 roof vents so rain can't come inside. Also, all of our RV's have crank out lower window bottoms (we order our new RV's with them always) and of course when open an inch or two, no rain ever comes in. We're on our 51st year of RV'ing and have learned what works really well. Sometimes when there's been a lot of rain (doesn't happen very often) I will put 1 or 2 Damp Rid containers in the 5th wheel basement if we aren't going to use that RV for a couple months. Consequently, due to these various actions taken, we have never had any mold grow but our 3 homes away neighbor who take no preventative actions did have mold in his Cougar 5th wheel along the bottom of some of his walls. He killed it with Lysol spray liberally applied and then left his one covered roof vent open and 2 of his horizontal sliding windows open a couple inches with having the purchased sliding window plastic vents he attached to the outside of the window frame. He told me he emptied 4 cans of Lysol spray as he did all the lower walls, inside all cabinets, basement storage areas, all around the toilet area, etc. The too he may have a leak but he's pointed out two different areas with mold so unlikely to be a leak.

Mold already??!!!! | Good Sam Community

Wet_Coast
Explorer
Aug 26, 2014
Another source of humidity to consider is using the propane stove without venting to the outside; range hood, door open, etc..

Burning 20 lbs of propane will produce 30lbs of water... It's got to go somewhere. Living up here on the west coast, we are very aware of this.

r
magonzo
Explorer
Aug 26, 2014
Is it possible for you to post a picture on here? I am very curious to see what this mold looks like.

good Lcuk!
laknox
Nomad
Aug 26, 2014
Trackrig wrote:
I know a person who bought a new MH. The next spring when they went to use it, the cupboards were full of mold. They fought the mold for most of the summer. As it happened the factory didn't seal either air conditioner correctly and they leaked a lot of water into the ceiling. Their insurance totaled it.

Bill

The manufacturer should have replaced it, no questions asked.

Lyle
rtazz17
Explorer
Aug 26, 2014
BB_TX wrote:
You should NOT expect mold in a one year old trailer.

With that much mold I would be asking them to replace it. No way are you, or they, going to get that mold out without basically tearing it apart and replacing a lot of materials.

Jumping the gun here dont ya think?
Many diff reasons for mold and most are easily fixed.
rtazz17
Explorer
Aug 26, 2014
swift1972 wrote:
Once we get to the next campground with (for the PC)wifi. Later today I will try and get some photos up. We live in michigan too- and we have the dehumidifier going all the time even this past winter. The spots where mold are showing up nothing is stores there. It seems like it's coming from the outside in if that makes sense. This is our fifth camper- and we've had a couple of oldies in the past and never had a problem with this. Oh and i forgot to mention that when the hubby called the dealer the tech he spoke with said the same thing was happening with a forest river about the same age. And he said he'd never seen anything like it. I'm so disappointed I love this camper almost more than my house. We are very shall I say anal about taking care of her. We have the max air vents as well. I'm thinking of pushing for a replacement. We did not pay this kind of money to be dealing with this. I also use those damp rid containers too. In so upset- this is my baby and ya know- it was the floor plan I had always dreamed of. When we tented before we got married- I'd see these big fifth wheels with the big window in the back and always said someday we are getting one just like that. Sorry- I need to vent a little- I just want to cry.! We take such good care of everything we have, and I'm just heartbroken over this.

I understand your upset.
Wait for a proper diagnosis of the problem.You may be getting upset for no reason.It maybe just mold on the outside walls due to high humidity inside the rv with no mold in the walls...Or maybe not but I would think thats more likely the problem then a roof leak,etc..Most worries in life are for no reason in the end.Just cause unneeded stress.
3oaks
Explorer
Aug 26, 2014
rtazz17 wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
You should NOT expect mold in a one year old trailer.

With that much mold I would be asking them to replace it. No way are you, or they, going to get that mold out without basically tearing it apart and replacing a lot of materials.

Jumping the gun here dont ya think?
Many diff reasons for mold and most are easily fixed.

That's what I thought too. Mold spores exist everywhere. They are always floating unseen in the air. Basically all they need is the right climate to grow (a combination of moisture and still air).
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Aug 26, 2014
Well, you spooked me, so I went out and checked our 11 yr old 5er that has been sitting all summer - and it's fine. Even in the 70+ degree dewpoints we've been treated to this week (yuck). But I agree with others - somewhere, you've got a wet spot that is creating the perfect indoor environment to grow mold?

My pontoon boat gets mildew due to a non-breathable cover - I use a product called X-14 to clean it and kill the mold - but keep in mind that most mold-killers contain bleach. Be very careful where you spray it!
hart-attack
Explorer
Aug 26, 2014
is there anything that we should be doing as a preventative measure to prevent this from happening? keep a vent open and/or use some damp-rid?
BB_TX
Nomad
Aug 26, 2014
3oaks wrote:
rtazz17 wrote:
BB_TX wrote:
You should NOT expect mold in a one year old trailer.

With that much mold I would be asking them to replace it. No way are you, or they, going to get that mold out without basically tearing it apart and replacing a lot of materials.

Jumping the gun here dont ya think?
Many diff reasons for mold and most are easily fixed.

That's what I thought too. Mold spores exist everywhere. They are always floating unseen in the air. Basically all they need is the right climate to grow (a combination of moisture and still air).

I have seen enough mold to know that what you see is often the tip of the iceberg. Since it was "all along the back end" it is likely also beneath/behind the associated materials.
rjsurfer
Explorer
Aug 28, 2014
Do yourself a favor and get this moisture meter, this thing works!

Moisture meter

Go along the walls, cabinets and floors with this baby and it pinpoints where all the moisture is centered. This unit can detect moisture between 1/2 to 3/4" below the surface. Don't slide it across the surface lift it as you move it.

I went through my house with this baby and found one spot beneath a sliding door that was leaking a bit and soaked into the floor, and another spot on the wall of my store room pointing to a leak in an outside plumbing pass through.

Good luck with your camper.

Ron W.

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