I have a flooring issue that needs some attention!

Still determining what I'm going to do.

I did, however, see a video where someone took their spare tire and put it under the camper using the wire crank concept that most trucks have.

What caught my eye is this - he used an old metal frame from a bed for support for the crank mechanism for the tire.

I thought, "****, that would be perfect to use as a support for under the area that is damaged."

Has anyone thought or considered this?

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Tom

Well, it looks like I am going to have to take the RV in and have it repaired. I was washing the roof and my wife saw water coming from behind the fridge on the floor.

I stopped and examined the roof and the vent over the fridge, couldn't find any visible access for leaking.

So, my fix won't work because the problem still exists.

Ugh. Thanks for the input folks.

Tom

Looks like water damage for sure. Pretty sure the black stuff is mold. Job #1 is finding out where the water is coming from, as reko said, it may be a drain trap or fitting that leaks intermittently, so may take some investigation.

As far as repair. I would disconnect and remove those gas lines, cut out the damaged area, and replace the plywood, then add another patch sheet below that bridges the patch seam in the floor. The re-drill the gas line holes and reinstall.

Alternatively, if you wanted to keep it simpler, you could just add a patch piece underneath that is notched to go around the gas lines, but it will need to braced somehow so you can take the bounce out of the floor.

Seeing as there is no mold, it suggests that it dries out rather quickly, but something looks like it gets or got wet there, so may want to look real hard as to what or if the what has already been fixed. If those are gas lines that probably go up under a cabinet there might be a sink drain pipe that is under the floor of the cabinet but above that flooring, and could possibly only be getting wet periodically, or could something be splashing up rather often?
The idea you have has some merit but could be more of a Band-Aid depending on how well you can do it (I'm more of a carpenter and not really a trailer repairman), but because of the missing layers of existing plywood there might be space between your new layer of plywood and the existing plywood, which may leave some sponginess but would keep you from falling through. I would probably try to fill the area smoother with some floor patch (a product from HD or Lowes) to take up the space before covering with more plywood. Do make sure that your 2x4 reinforcement is mounted/bolted to something substantial, and not just screwed up to the existing plywood or it will rip right out. Might want to consider angle iron in place of 2x4's or at least those "Strong-Tie" 2x4 hangers to help secure them.

The proper way to fix would still be to remove what's above and replace but obviously that could be expansive and possibly cost prohibitive on an old trailer. That said I would probably try the route you're looking at too.

Good luck.

Ok. I went under the camper and cut away the cloth and the insulation.

The damage is centralized, no mold issues.

The lines are the gas lines going to the oven and stove.

Here is a pic of the damage.



I am thinking about cutting some plywood to place under what you see and reinforce it with a 2x4 bracing (2 2x4's for support).

I would appreciate input before I proceed.

Thanks

Tom

From where you're describing your leak, be prepared to remove the sink/cabinet and any related appliances from that area to get at all the rot. It may be the drain leaking or from the window on that side, in which case, the rot extends under the cabinet.

I have an R-Vision Trail Cruiser with a soft floor in the same exact place.

This is one persons solution:

Can you peel the flooring back to get a look at it? I had to do a repair in my bathroom. I had to remove the sink and vanity cut the water lines. I was able to peel back the linoleum to do it. I ripped a 2x4 to make a box inside the other floor joists and attached with screws. Have a cup of coffee and look at it on how would be the easiest way.

Go ahead and fix the floor, but also try and figure out where the moisture is coming from or the problem will just repeat itself.

Chances are it's coming from somewhere topside or from the side, as water doesn't typically flow upward.

When I did our floor repair I needed to cut all the Darco out. The water was leaking through the roof, walls, floorand getting trapped in the underbelly insulation. I'll be replacing mine with new foam insulation an coroplast sometime this summer.