How long can moisture stay in walls?

shadows4 wrote:
I had a leak and it took all summer to dry the interior panel. It did dry after the leak was fixed but like I said it took a long time. My interior wall paper wrinkled and came unglued. I tried to fix before it had completely dried, didn't work. After it did completely dry I repaired the luan as best I could and reglued the wall paper with spray on contact cememt.

When I got the trailer from storage to clean up this spring I was amazed at how much the luan had hardened back up. While not perfect the repaired area doesn't look to bad.

Some one posted to just trade it away. That may work for some people but I feel there is still life left in my trailer. I would rather spend a little of my time in fixing the problem than leaving it for some one else. Plus the cost!!!! My labor is cheap. LOL

Thanks for the reply nice to see a more positive outcome, I was getting pretty depressed:-)

I couldn't just trade the camper away, I wouldn't want anyone to do that to me. Do unto others....

Thanks

Ron W.

This is why I'm glad my trailer doesn't have any luan in it!

I had a leak and it took all summer to dry the interior panel. It did dry after the leak was fixed but like I said it took a long time. My interior wall paper wrinkled and came unglued. I tried to fix before it had completely dried, didn't work. After it did completely dry I repaired the luan as best I could and reglued the wall paper with spray on contact cememt.

When I got the trailer from storage to clean up this spring I was amazed at how much the luan had hardened back up. While not perfect the repaired area doesn't look to bad.

Some one posted to just trade it away. That may work for some people but I feel there is still life left in my trailer. I would rather spend a little of my time in fixing the problem than leaving it for some one else. Plus the cost!!!! My labor is cheap. LOL

Op back, well I just installed some 4" rolled Dicor across both drip rails. Pulling the trim off and exposing the screw heads of the drip rail and caulking was an exercise in futility. No way water can get under the rail now, should have done that to begin with.

Took some more moisture readings and recorded them, if in a few weeks I don't see an improvement I'm thinking about more drastic steps as others have mentioned. The only question I have, the wall is vacuum bonded luan/closed cell foam/filon how do expose a large enough area to allow moisture to exit?

Using a chemical thinner might help.

There are no cabinets near where the moisture is being picked up so I can't easily expose a large area without reading the wall paper and luan to shreds.

Will get back here in a week with some new readings.

Ron W.

If there is a seam in material close to where the leak is remove trim pry open about an inch or two and put a fan blowing into wall cavity for 1 week. Will be dry after that, reassemble.

Pogoil.

I am wondering how many others have had this problem with the drip rails and have not found the source of the leak yet. I spent a summer trying to find a leak in the fwd section of the MH. I sealed all the openings on top, clearance lights, tighten AC screws to compress gaskets, sealed front and rear caps multiple times and it still leaked. Finally took my wife's vacuum cleaner and blew air where I saw the leak and saw water coming out of the drip rail 30 ft away in the rear. I have resealed this multiple times and in several locations over the years. Based on my experience I think sealing with tape would be a good idea. To remove moisture before repairing the side walls I parked the MH in the sun for a week and it was still wet. Took a heat gun on low to remove more moisture. Finally sprayed acetone on wet luan. The solvent will flash of quickly and remove the moisture when it does. I think water will enter the rail sit in there and eventually rust out the screws then enter the inside wall. These leaks are hard to find. I think as others have said creating several openings and parking in the SW sun for several weeks would help remove any remaining moisture. I would also compare your good wall with your repaired wall readings before you do anything drastic.

Sorry to say if there is water inside the wall, it's going to continue to rot until it falls apart. The vinyl covering on the walls does an excellent job of sealing moisture in. Rather than cut a hole, you might do better to carefully remove a whole section of the wall from stud to stud. Use a utility knife or one of those oscillating saws to make nice neat cuts. Pull out the insulation and let everything dry out.

Once dry, re-install new insulation and then use brads to re-attach the wallboard. You can caulk or get seam tape to cover the seams.

Seam tape is available here form All-Rite.

I suppose a trip to the desert southwest is not in your plan. The air sucks all the moisture out of everything in a few hours. It is so dry spit evaporates before it hits the ground and all you see is virga thunderstorms. :)

It will take MUCH longer to get the water out than it got in. To get out it has to vaporize, turn from liquid to vapor and get out the hole(s) the water droplets got in. Best bet is to open up the wall.

The only sure way to see if you have fixed any leaking is a pressurized air test. There are a few threads on the Forum about how owners have DIY this test. Sealtech is a commercial enterprise that performs the test.

FWIW, I restored my TT and went to extreme measures to make sure sealant was between material surfaces. I ended up with a couple small leaks. I determined the leaks were at the screws in the aluminum trim on the roof. I covered that edging with Eternabond tape and have had no leak issues since.

Depending on how your walls are built, you'll be rolling the dice on whether the wall cavity spaces will dry before the moisture works it's way out from sun and heat and when rot ensues. I'd suggest to either pry loose an edge of the interior paneling or make holes. Maybe you wanted an outlet or switch close to the moisture area? Good time to cut the hole,introduce air, and then install a box.