Soft spot in floor

JamesL73

Member
I noticed about 2 weeks ago a soft spot right in the middle between the kitchen island and the dinette slide-out. I don’t see water leaking from beneath my RV, nor have I found any moisture on any surface of the floor or the plumbing inside the island under the sink. This is a 2018 Heartland Elkridge 40FLFS. Before I crawl underneath and start tearing into the underbelly or cutting up my floor....has anyone else experienced this?? I’ve heard of laminate separation, is this a possibility in this RV? How to tell the difference? I’m adding a picture of where the spot is, it’s the length of the two plates and contained to that width as well. If this were strip flooring I would just pull that strip but it’s all one large sheet.
dbd757ebfa4e677bb63d65bb5b61e544.heic



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited by a moderator:

danemayer

Well-known member
If the factory routed the drain pipe from the kitchen under that area, they would have cut a channel there leaving the flooring less supported than in other areas. Might need bracing.
 

JamesL73

Member
A few minutes after posting this, I went ahead and got underneath, pulled loose the black plastic backing board to look for water. Bone dry. I saw the channel you mentioned, with the kitchen sink drain, however, it has 2x4 (2x2??) supports on both sides of the drain pipe. However, I do agree that it needs more support in that high traffic area. I was just reading another site about this type of luan/polystyrene/luan sandwiched flooring in which the poly can be broken down if the 26 psi max rating is exceeded, and then start to spread outward. Given that this spot is dead center of two floor joists, I am guessing that this is what has happened. The fix on that other site was a return to the factory for a complete new floor. That is definitely not an answer I would like to hear, as I have nowhere but my rv to live. I shall be calling Heartland Monday. I understand weight needs to be kept to a minimum but when joists are only every 24”, there needs to be more support, at least in heavy traffic areas like the “hallway”.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
I resolved my soft floor issue by adding some plywood supports in that cut out channel.
I supported the supports by using PL 400 and some bracing screwed into the 2x3's of that box channel.
I'll post a picture when I have better internet.

Peace
Dave
 

JamesL73

Member
Yeah but my spot is about 18-20 inches away from that channel. I was thinking of trying to shove a thin steel plate between the floor and joists. But if the polystyrene has in fact broken down then there will still be a soft spot I would imagine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Top