water leaks!

[MrsNewCamper29]

Hi everyone! My husband & i are new to the camper world (me new to camping altogether) we recently purchased a 5th wheel from Craigslist...thinking it was a steal. No dents, no crinkles, no water stains, no odor (its an 84, so we went in expecting these things) it was in immaculate condition!! So we jumped on it! To give a background we looked at it and bought with 1 1/2 ft snow on ground. When it was delivered to our house the snow was melting. And thats when they appeared! Dozens and dozens of stains. Never any actual water and never damp to the touch, just slightly discolored spots everywhere. At every vent,ac unit,seams, cranks etc. We immediately covered trailer with tarp to prevent further damage. My question is----is this water damage or possible condensation from extreme weather change/conditions? Help! Thanks

[MrsNewCamper29]

nano wrote:
Good luck! Hopefully you don't find any major problems.

So far its just cosmetic repair on the water leaks. No mold (keeping fingers crossed). I haven't braved the water lines on my own just yet. Thinking that I may schedule an appt the local rv center and having them do all the checks etc. But so far so good!

[nano]

Good luck! Hopefully you don't find any major problems.

[MrsNewCamper29]

Thanks everyone! We have 60+ degree weather all week-its gonna be a busy one!!

[azrving]

Come back and visit as you work on it. You want to use the correct sealers on the roof etc. Plenty of good help in here.

[MrsNewCamper29]

Dave H M wrote:
so is the exhaust from the furnace venting/blowing to the outside?

Yes.

[MrsNewCamper29]

Well we've gotten ice/snow and water off of roof, its completely tarped and we're keeping the heat on to hopefully help keep it dry. We've marked around the stains to see if they "spread". So far nothing. We'll continue this with dehumidifier until it is warm and dry to climb up top. We have checked every nook and cranny for mold and mildew, no rippling or bubbling in paneling or wallpaper, no sagging or bulging in ceiling---just the stains. We're certain we caught it in time-its just a matter of fixing and repairing. (And maybe the previous owner was privy to the fact of water leak, who knows,and that's why it was such a steal....or so we thought!) Lol either way, spring will be busy for us in Kilz, bleach and caulking/sealant! Thank you all so much for advice, for listening and helping! Hope to see you along the way!

[azrving]

Huuummm, well it sure looks like water stains. You own it so there is no turning back now. Continue on with getting the ice off the roof and go from there. Keep the tarp on until you can verify the roof condition. When you can get up there do a very close inspection. Come back and post pics.

[Dave_H_M]

so is the exhaust from the furnace venting/blowing to the outside?

[MrsNewCamper29]

not sure how to post multiple . these are the water spots.

[MrsNewCamper29]

Dave H M wrote:
I am thinking these little water spots/drops could be condensation.

Per chance with that age could have one of the old ventless heaters inside like my antique trailer had.

Does it feel humid inside?

Its been below freezing all week so no. Even with furnace on, no humidity. My first thought was condensation as well. Sent the hubs out to crank heat up and to tilt it so that the melted snow and ice run off. I'll post pictures in an hour or so. Its still only 6* & I don't want to go outside just yet! Lol

[Dave_H_M]

I am thinking these little water spots/drops could be condensation.

Per chance with that age could have one of the old ventless heaters inside like my antique trailer had.

Does it feel humid inside?

[azrving]

Yes, crank it up, watch the propane for the first tank to go empty as it's going to suck it down fast. Keep the heat going and get it thawed out then be sure it's covered until you know what is going on with the roof.

If your propane is low try to go to a propane place tomorrow so you can make it until Monday. Good propane places wont charge for a full fill if you have some propane left in the tank. They will only charge for what they put in. Don't buy rhino's at walmart. Pay attention to your change over valve, some auto switch to the opposite tank and you may not realize one tank is empty.

When changing tanks over, turn the valve on slowly or it may stay on red in the change over valve window. If it wants to stay on red, turn the valve off, turn on a stove burner and it will release the system pressure, then turn the burner off and again slowly open the propane tank valve. Tractor supply has good propane prices if you have one near that sells propane.

[MrsNewCamper29]

blofgren wrote:

MrsNewCamper29 wrote:
So it would be wise to crank it up as if we were about to hook it up?

Yes, definitely. Get the water to run off of it as quickly as possible.

Will have to wait a few days. Snow turned to ice-wiyth forecast of more snow!thanks!

[blofgren]

MrsNewCamper29 wrote:
So it would be wise to crank it up as if we were about to hook it up?

Yes, definitely. Get the water to run off of it as quickly as possible.