I noticed in the front left pass through storage area that it was wet after a strong rain. I started poking around and the corner (less than 2" square) is soft. The piece of wood that runs across the camper looks a little damaged at the corner (1"). This is a 2011 keystone summerland bunkhouse. We bought this to keep it a long time and liked the tin and stick because we didn't want the delamination. First I need to find the leak. I noticed on the corner area that the seam sealer has some holes. Would this do it? the only issue is that the holes are lower than where the top bar is, unless it capillaries up. Any ideas where else to look?Second, when I find the leak and fix it, do I go ahead and fix the spot or leave it. How hard is it to fix something like this?Thanks Bill

I think I may not be in the right forum. Is there a forum for trailer repair or maybe a different website someone could point me to. I found my leak but I have to get the tyvek on the bottom side off without ripping it and wanted to see if there were any suggestions.

You can cut the belly fabric with a razor knife and fold out of the way. Do your repair, then use spray adhesive (waterproof one), gorilla tape, or both.Good luck.

If it is a really small area, you can use an epoxy to fix it. I did this on last TT. West Marine sells an epoxy that is used for transoms with small rot areas. You drill holes close together an then use the epoxy. The capillary action draws the epoxy in and the repair ends up being very strong. The product is called "Git Rot" and it worked well for me. You can repair in place without splicing together in hard to reach areas. Hope this helps. Good luck.

I don't know for sure maybe other people will chime in. But, if you fixed the leak the soft spot is only 2 inches square, and it's in a storage compartment. If it were me I would not bother to fix it. But, that's just me and I'm a Caveman.

First thing is find the leak. I'd see about a SealTest place that pressurizes the rig, then uses a soapy water spray and looks to see where the bubbles appear. Fix it on the outside first. It only will get worse and more damage will happen until this gets done.Once the leak is addressed, I'd go for the Git Rot. This solves the problem the right way, although it takes patience and quite a good amount of Git Rot as the wood will soak up a lot of the epoxy. If possible, the best fix is cutting out and replacing the rotted section, but this might not be doable if the board is a load bearing item.

Soft Spot | Good Sam Community

11 Replies

kzspree320
Explorer
Mar 14, 2014
NCMODELA wrote:
If I dry it out and use the git rot, do I need to worry about mold?

This is what I did with a 6"X6" small area of plywood flooring. I had no mold problem, but I let it dry out completely. Good luck.
NCMODELA
Explorer
Mar 14, 2014
If I dry it out and use the git rot, do I need to worry about mold?
BossCamper
Explorer
Mar 13, 2014
dry it out and re-evaluate. If you've found and fixed the leak, git-rot might do the trick. Amazing stuff! I used it while restoring an old airstream a couple of years ago and it works great.
If the corner is too far gone, you might be able to put a same thickness patch in and support it from underneath. Then fill the seams of the patch with git-rot, drill and inject git-rot into the soft but still holding together areas, and you're good to go.
NCMODELA
Explorer
Mar 13, 2014
I wanted to pull the belly fabric because it gave me better access to the cross member underneath.

I found the leak, it is the door. I pulled up the carpet and the osb in the corner is really bad and it is real wet and kind of soft around the door area. Should I dry it out and re-evaluate or will it have to come out because of mold issues.

I don't mind tearing the carpet out of the storage area anyway, we never liked it, we were going to lay down vinyl laminate instead. Much easier to get sand out of.
Double_Haul
Explorer
Mar 13, 2014
Not sure why you want to remove the belly fabric. I had a soft spot the same size and location as yours. I carefully pulled back the carpet in the storgage pass through, removed all soft wood, coated the adjoining area with "git rot". Then mixed fine sawdust with git rot to make a paste and filled the hole. Glued the carpet back down when dry. Very solid. For the cross member if soft, drill some small holes for better penatration and throw a coat on it too.
Gene_Ginny
Explorer
Mar 13, 2014
I thought I had a leak in a compartment door once but it was the latch that was loose and wasn't closing the door tight.

Try putting a worklight inside the compartment at night and close the door. See if there is any light shining out the edges. It is a cheap easy test.
mlts22
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
First thing is find the leak. I'd see about a SealTest place that pressurizes the rig, then uses a soapy water spray and looks to see where the bubbles appear. Fix it on the outside first. It only will get worse and more damage will happen until this gets done.

Once the leak is addressed, I'd go for the Git Rot. This solves the problem the right way, although it takes patience and quite a good amount of Git Rot as the wood will soak up a lot of the epoxy. If possible, the best fix is cutting out and replacing the rotted section, but this might not be doable if the board is a load bearing item.
Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
I don't know for sure maybe other people will chime in. But, if you fixed the leak the soft spot is only 2 inches square, and it's in a storage compartment. If it were me I would not bother to fix it. But, that's just me and I'm a Caveman.
kzspree320
Explorer
Mar 12, 2014
If it is a really small area, you can use an epoxy to fix it. I did this on last TT. West Marine sells an epoxy that is used for transoms with small rot areas. You drill holes close together an then use the epoxy. The capillary action draws the epoxy in and the repair ends up being very strong. The product is called "Git Rot" and it worked well for me. You can repair in place without splicing together in hard to reach areas. Hope this helps. Good luck.
GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Mar 12, 2014
You can cut the belly fabric with a razor knife and fold out of the way. Do your repair, then use spray adhesive (waterproof one), gorilla tape, or both.
Good luck.