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Smart_Alec's avatar
Smart_Alec
Explorer
Aug 14, 2014

Remodelling

I don't suppose I'm the only one who has to deal with this,

I'm in an older Dodge motorhome, a Class C Tioga. It's my residence. I don't have a brick and mortar house to retreat to.

The ceiling leaks and there's been some water damage. I need to renovate this thing while still living aboard.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? How did you cope?
  • Did you get it fixed? I'm curious about how you faired and what you did about it?
    I hope it worked out.
  • We've lived in leaky 5ers. I would find a leak while moving furniture and vacuuming. Then DH would go redo caulking on the roof and around end caps and wait until the next rain storm to see if the area stayed dry. We took one back to dealer on our way through town and they just added more caulk where he had. So decided we'll never do that again.

    But if you don't catch the leaks early, then you could be looking at major repairs under the skin.

    That is also something we've done, remodeled our homes while living in them. It's not difficult, put things in totes to keep them dry and out of sawdust. Then remove the ceiling panels to see if there is any hidden damage. The wall or ceiling panels can be replaced via RV Surplus or ordering through a local RV Dealer or Mobile Home Mfg.
  • Consider having the rig pressure tested - should expose all the leaks and give you a better idea of what it's going to take to fix the leaks .. cost about a $100. Don't bother restoring interior until your sure it's watertight again.
  • Rent a garage or an indoor storage space -- for short term, like a month.

    That way, when you take it apart you can protect it while you repair. Not easy to find, but you're not limited to where you look.

    Find a farmer with an old barn, rent the barn for a month ...
  • Normally I would say "Blue Tarp" but over the years I have refined my bubba side so I would now recommend the ones that are cammo color.