Got me some work to do!

[wif]

Source of leak

[wif]

RatPak wrote:
Thank you, sir! Somehow my search perimeters brought me to the last page of the thread and I didn't notice that it was page 4. Great job!
I'm curious about the pressure test. Did you just reverse the wiring on the bathroom vent fan and then use soapy water to search for potential leaks on the exterior?
I have a 2006 R-Vision Trail Sport TC21RBH with the front foldout bunk that I got 3 years ago. I did a lot of maintenance chalking after I bought it just to be safe. All the chalking on my lower trim pieces still looks good, but obviously water has found its way in because we started noticing the spongy floor this past year. I've removed a potion of the bottom membrane because I could tell there was trapped moisture. Still assessing the extent of the damage. Do you think that moisture could have been in there all that time, or probably since I bought it and I need to find the leak(s)?
Thanks for your time to answer my questions!

Hi;

The vortex fan has the capability of operating forward in three speeds or reverse in two speeds. If I operate it in reverse on high speed with the windows and door closed, it will pressurize the interior of the trailer and allow me to find leaks with my spray bottle of soapy water on the outside. I doubt if the stock fan would have enough capacity to do the job. I have seen some people use a shop vac to pressurize the interior with a wooden filler plate to fit one of the windows. If you have a water damaged floor then you definitely have a water leak somewhere. It could be almost anywhere from the roof down, but it's my understanding that your type of trailer with the hybrid bunk may very likely be leaking around the bunk door somewhere.

Good luck!

[RatPak]

Thank you, sir! Somehow my search perimeters brought me to the last page of the thread and I didn't notice that it was page 4. Great job!
I'm curious about the pressure test. Did you just reverse the wiring on the bathroom vent fan and then use soapy water to search for potential leaks on the exterior?
I have a 2006 R-Vision Trail Sport TC21RBH with the front foldout bunk that I got 3 years ago. I did a lot of maintenance chalking after I bought it just to be safe. All the chalking on my lower trim pieces still looks good, but obviously water has found its way in because we started noticing the spongy floor this past year. I've removed a potion of the bottom membrane because I could tell there was trapped moisture. Still assessing the extent of the damage. Do you think that moisture could have been in there all that time, or probably since I bought it and I need to find the leak(s)?
Thanks for your time to answer my questions!

[wif]

RatPak wrote:
Any updates on your floor replacement project including details and pics of how you did it?

All the pics and description of what was done can be found starting the beginning of this thread. If you're looking for more pics, sorry, that's all I have of the process. If you're taking on a project like this, give yourself plenty of time - don't rush it! It's quite a task! If you do have rotten floors, be SURE to find the source of the leak that caused it or you'll be back at it again sooner than you think.

[RatPak]

Any updates on your floor replacement project including details and pics of how you did it?

[wif]

stufarmer wrote:
I'm a total novice with a repair of that nature. Your repair exceeded anything I would have imagined. But to my question, isn't pressure treated wood the appropriate product for moisture exposure such as a floor ?

Tell that to the manufacturers!! Seriously, though, I didn't use pressure treated plywood for the underbelly simply because I couldn't find 1/4" pressure treated plywood anywhere. 1/2" and up? No problem! But 1/4"? No way! As it is, I was startled to find that you can buy 1/2" (and in some stores 5/8") cheaper than 1/4". This was explained to me with the old "economy of scale" rule. As for waterproofing, I think the sprayed-on rubberized rocker guard I have coated on the bottom is probably better than the sheet the factory had there.

[stufarmer]

I'm a total novice with a repair of that nature. Your repair exceeded anything I would have imagined. But to my question, isn't pressure treated wood the appropriate product for moisture exposure such as a floor ?

[wif]

ralph day wrote:
Just back from a month on the Rock. Great place to visit, but a little cold in June. Just as we left July 8 there seemed to be an awful lot of out of province campers arriving...good time to bug out.

A personal observation: Newfoundland campers must only have little motorcycle batteries in their campers...the generator gets fired up as soon as the wheels stop moving it seems, and run as long as allowed until wheels are moving again 🙂 I'm spoiled by a solar panel and group 31 battery I guess. But I'd go again in a heartbeat!

Ralph

Not sure where you stayed, but we normally don't hear quite THAT much generator noise. However, as always, there are exceptions to all rules. Only over the past year or two have solar systems become affordable here. Due to the popularity of alternative energy systems, a few locals have finally started to serve the fledgling market. Up until now, the shipping cost for a system has cost as much as the system! Having said that, with the amount of sun we get here relative to the rest of North America (ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR!!), I figure I'd need an incredible solar capacity on the roof just to break even. Bear in mind that I stay in a lot of fairly treed and shaded spots also. The city of St. John's (near where I live) is the foggiest, windiest, cloudiest (and one of the rainiest) city in Canada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador#Climate I guess the only thing we've got going for us in the weather dept. is the fact that the somewhat nearby Gulf Stream regulates our temps to some degree in the winter for such a northerly area. We're actually the mildest in the winter in Canada except for some locations in British Columbia.

[ralph_day]

Just back from a month on the Rock. Great place to visit, but a little cold in June. Just as we left July 8 there seemed to be an awful lot of out of province campers arriving...good time to bug out.

A personal observation: Newfoundland campers must only have little motorcycle batteries in their campers...the generator gets fired up as soon as the wheels stop moving it seems, and run as long as allowed until wheels are moving again 🙂 I'm spoiled by a solar panel and group 31 battery I guess. But I'd go again in a heartbeat!

Ralph

[98coachman]

Awesome job!! Looks great!! I like your mods also.
Happy camping! Bill

[wif]

Final Update!

All done!

Everything reassembled and ready to go. No pics of it but I coated the whole of the new floor underneath (asphalt side) with rubberized rocker guard spray. What a freakin' messy job! I pretty much had to wash myself with gas! Next was Eternabond tape to seal up the areas where the water had gotten in in the first place. Then (because I hadn't worked enough on this already) I decide to add a truck toolbox to the tongue that I had picked up from a buddy of mine. Moved the propane tanks forward, yada, yada, yada, painted, etc. Anyway, here's the pics:

Dinette back in:



Galley back in:



Galley view with new flooring:



New addition:



Source of original leak now covered with Eternabond:



Source of secondary leak now covered with Eternabond (did this on both sides front to rear):



Two week trip around part of the Rock starts 10 AM tomorrow (Twillingate, Trinity Bay, Fortune Bay):

[BubbaChris]

Looking awesome!

The delam repair photo caused a double-take.

[wif]

Another Update

Reassembly has begun (inside, anyway)





Moved the water tank to the middle front and made and installed a drawer for pots and pans where the tank used to be (right side)



Now we're getting somewhere!



Galley in (now it's plumbing and electrical)



Next up will be outside (after the elec and plumbing). Coating the bottom of the new floor and repairing the source of the original leaks.

[certified106]

Looking Great!

[wif]

Another update!

New floor in!




Floor covering down!




Little too hot for us Newfs!


Now it's reassembly time!


Delam repair