Rockwood Roo 17 Floor Project

[cablebandit]

Hello all. I got this 17 foot Rockwood Roo from my parents and the price was right...FREE!

I knew it had a soft floor so I figured I'd start a thread to document the floor replacement and look for some advice along the way. Apparently there was a leak in the past that was fixed but as you can see the tarp under the trailer does an excellent job of keeping water out, as well as in.

Other than the floor issue the trailer is in excellent shape.

Here are a few photos to start things off. It's pouring down rain this week so there's now much getting done yet, but the inside of the unit seems dry after all of this week's rain.

Bringing it home. (It's been sitting for 2+ years)


Pulling up the "vinyl" I've never seen paper backed vinyl.


Yup, the floor is rotted and delaminated. The aluminum stringers are still in one piece though. :B

[SidQ]

I have the same problem and have to replace the floor in My Rockwood Roo 18 ft trailer. How did yours turn out

[cablebandit]

I'll put whatever closed cell 1.5 inch foam is in there. I still need to find some sheets localy

[bigcitypopo]

Can you sandwich an r19 or 11 insulation there?

[cablebandit]

A couple more photo's. I haven't made a whole lot of headway due to the weather. It's either been too hot or too wet to get out there. The good news is that I'm hitting solid dry flooring the closer I get to the front.

It's all nice and solid under the water heater/furnace.



Looking from front to back.


It was pretty easy getting the floor out from under the bathroom walls without removing them.

[b-wilimek]

Bonefish wrote:
Look up a dealer that handles PVC and ABS pipe and fittings. They would have a collar and threaded connectors that could be used to redesign the connection. They have the cleaner and glue which seals and holds it all together. It looks like ABS pipe.

I would not change the joint. If you ever have to do future plumbing work on this connection, or replacing the tank, if glued it would not come apart. What I did was make a 4" stub of the same size PVC as the drain to temporarily plug the opening, then after replacing the floor, used a can of expanding spray foam insulation(one brand name is Great Stuff-sold at hardware and building supply stores)to seal the gap between the wood floor and the pipe. After the foam had hardened, I used a knife to trim it flush to the floor around the stub pipe, then removed the pipe and the original plumbing drain could be re-installed. The joint is now water tight.

[b-wilimek]

Wow, your pictures bring back memories of my floor replacement job in our 2001 Palomino Stampede S17 HTT. We bought it used in the fall of 2009. It seemed like a good buy at the time. After I got it home I noticed that the floor inside the door seemed to slope down from the frame to the edge of the trailer:S. I suspected a poor seal at the door weatherstrip and fixed that, then found a crack in the wheelwell caused by a cracked frame shifting the wheelwell. I welded the frame and patched the plastic wheelwell then I lifted the vinyl floor and did a patch job at the door as that was the only area that seemed to have an issue. I did notice that the vinyl flooring at the very front end had popped up through the staples, but didn't suspect how bad the whole thing was until the summer of 2011 when a very soft area appeared in the area between the kitchen counter and bathroom door. I started to rip the old floor out at the end of the camping season that year, which meant completely removing all the interior that was attached to the floor except for the fridge. It looked very similar under the vinyl to yours. Our trailer had the same poly tarp material on the bottom of the luan/styrofoam sandwich, which along with the vinyl top, allowed all the water that managed to get past the joint seals, door seals, openings cut in the tarp for wiring, propane, water services etc., that were not properly sealed/maintained, got sucked up by the luan and started the wood to rot. Not having access to a factory to make a new floor the same way(one piece sandwich), I got 7 pieces of 3/4" 4'X8' good one side fir plywood and, starting at the front, jacked the trailer cabin off the frame far enough to slide the new plywood floor(2 pieces screwed together to make up the correct thickness placed crosswise)between the frame and the cabin. I staggered the joint at the back of this section to allow for overlap to the next 2 sections(one side at a time), which were installed lengthwise and joints staggered in the centre. I sealed all the joints with the best caulking I could buy and sprayed waterproofing on the underside of the new floor before installing it and made sure to carefully seal the openings of all services that went through the new floor. I also installed sheets of roll aluminum between the frame and the outside edges of both sides of the trailer(available at building centres for contactors to make trim and eavestroughs for houses-painted white on one side and brown on the other). I replaced the bottom edge trim with new pieces purchased at a trailer dealer. I then spray undercoated the entire underside to ensure water-tightness. I had a professional install new vinyl flooring before re-assembling the interior using all new screws. I replaced all the rusty exterior screws with stainless ones painted white. To look at the trailer now, since I did the job in the most professional manner possible, you would never suspect that anything had ever been done to it. We intend to keep this trailer for many more years, so scrapping it or selling it damaged at a loss was not an option after what we paid for it. It's good that you didn't spend any money on it, so can afford to spend a little to fix it up. Luckily I had the skills and tools necessary to do the job properly since I am a licenced senior master technician at a Ford dealership, as well as having worked at a trailer factory for three months assembling trailer walls and floors before I became a mechanic. At my shop at home I have a variety of jacks, metal working tools, welding equipment, woodworking equipment etc. The only drawback that I can see for using the 3/4" plywood is the extra weight that was added to the trailer. Luckily out TV didn't seem to feel the extra weight. Good luck on your project and I hope that it turns out as well as mine did. Make sure you inspect all edge seams for water intrusion, especially those along the bottom edge of the side walls to prevent repeating the repair at a later date.

[Bonefish]

Look up a dealer that handles PVC and ABS pipe and fittings. They would have a collar and threaded connectors that could be used to redesign the connection. They have the cleaner and glue which seals and holds it all together. It looks like ABS pipe.

[bigcitypopo]

hmmm, maybe modify a wax gasket... then sandwich a sheet of lexan from the bottom thru the barrier into the new floor....

[cablebandit]

No rubber seal here. Just the hard plastic intake and a big hole in the tarp.

[Jayco254]

The rubber seal like it shows is about the normal way that it's done. If anyone has a better way please let us know.

[cablebandit]

Here is a pic of the grey water tank union under the kitchen sink. It's pretty clear that there is nothing keeping water out here.

Any idea of the best way to seal this spot?

[magonzo]

Judging from one of the pics, it looks like the leak originated in either the galley or the bathroom piping.

[cablebandit]

So far I've pretty much ruled out a roof leak. It's been pouring for the better part of a week and I haven't seen anything inside. Also there is no swelling in the walls or discoloration that I've found so far.

I did notice that the drain pipe into the grey water tank was only a slip fit (not glued together). Also the tarp below that unit obviously has a hole in it to let the tank inlet enter the trailer. When I pulled up that section of floor I can see daylight around that tank opening. I think that water may have been coming in though that hole while riding down the road on the rain. (it rains every time my parents would go camping)

With any luck that will be it. I just need to find a decent way to seal that opening.

I'll try to get some pictures of the opening soon.

[magonzo]

That will be a great camper when you're done. What caused all of the water damage? Plumbing or roof leak?