Rotting floor maybe?

Kobwo

Member
Hello, first time here. I might be buying a 185 and I noticed when I smell I. The pass through storage area that it smells like mildew/old wood that was once wet. It looks normal but the floor in the corners have a slightly spongy feel. So, I took it to the RV dealer here in town as they are the original dealer (not buying it from them) and a tech looked at it. He said that there was a leak in its past BUT the floor is solid. He looked under the the coach and it feels good there. So he looked up its service history and 2 years ago there was a roof leak and suspected horizontal window leak. The roof and window wwere resealed and the owner stated he never had a leak again. After 2 years wouldn't that smell in the compartment be gone? I checked all the surrounding wood and the joint from the cap and floor and can see no signs of a leak.

Is is there wood in the floor? What does laminated really mean?

thanks

Shawn
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Kobwo,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

It sounds like the caulking was repaired to stop water intrusion. If they didn't mention anything about repairing damage that might have been caused by the leaks, maybe they didn't, and that's what you're smelling and feeling.

Can you trust the tech who actually examined the trailer? It sounds like maybe your gut is telling you to not trust his opinion.
 

Kobwo

Member
Thanks for the reply Danemayer. The Tech seemed very knowledgable. He did the examination before the service manager looked up its history. I point blank asked him if he'd buy it and he said absolutely. Mind you, this was a favor for me and they are not selling me the unit, no flesh in the game if you will. He was absolutely convinced that there was not an issue structurally. It does give me pause though.
 

buddyboy

Well-known member
IMHO, if you're still smelling mildew, something is still damp. I rather not buy it and be wrong than buy it and be stuck with failing floors.
 

Kobwo

Member
IMHO, if you're still smelling mildew, something is still damp. I rather not buy it and be wrong than buy it and be stuck with failing floors.


Thanks buddyboy boy for putting it into perspective. I will not be buying a MPG and have put down an order for a new different manufacturer trailer.

Thansk!

See ya

Shawn
 

buddyboy

Well-known member
Good luck and safe travels. Heartland makes a good product. When it comes to leaks on used trailers, though, nine times out of ten it's due to poor maintenance by the previous owner.
 

Springhaven

Member
Well I said this on another thread but my floor finally went out completely. So I'm having the whole floor rebuilt. Doing it like a traditional floor with studs and all. I hope this doesn't add too much weight, but it should hold up even better over the long haul.
 

centerline

Well-known member
as one who has worked on many older trailers, I can say that if there is still a smell of damp, rotting wood, its STILL wet... mildew has a different smell than rotting wood, and the OSB that trailer manufactures use these days has an extremely strong smell when its damp and starts to decay...

if its all completely dry, no matter how badly rotted it is, the slight smell that it has will never be noticed....
 

garyroee

Member
Excuse me, my floor has an uneven surface plane in some areas that is unable to be leveled. Would CO-Z Vinyl Floor Planks Adhesive Floor Tiles work in such conditions?
 

centerline

Well-known member
Excuse me, my floor has an uneven surface plane in some areas that is unable to be leveled. Would CO-Z Vinyl Floor Planks Adhesive Floor Tiles work in such conditions?


maybe start your own thread?.... you will get better response. highjacking/piggybacking on someone else thread isnt proper.. plus this is an extremely OLD thread.
 
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