Not a very happy camper right now

[olcoon]

Paul,
The first year we had our Elk Ridge, we kept getting a leak behind the UDC. Had me baffled, once it leaked so bad the carpet splashed when I hit it with my hand! Luckily I carry a small wet/dry shop vac, & I got 99% of the water out, emptied the basement & left the basement doors open so it could dry. I had 2 issues #1 & the major one was somehow going down the road the outside shower would get turned on & when I hooked up to city water I got the leak. No matter how hard I turned the knobs after a while they would open themselves...probably vibration, & bouncing down the road. I put shut off valves on the back side of the UDC & that problem was solved. #2 was that the floor/walls inside the UDC were not caulked. So if the city water connection would leak, or I over flowed the fresh water tank the water would go under the walls of the UDC into the basement. Caulked all seams in the UDC & now I've got a dry basement. Don't know if this helps or not, but hope you get it taken care of. If you weren't across the state I'd come over & give you a hand, or at least play "government worker" & lean on a shovel while I watch you work!

 

[PandBStandiford]

Thanks for the update Paul. Do you leave your water line on when you are not at camp and do you know what the water pressure is at the park? Wondering of water is breaching from the city water connection behind the UDC. Unless you found no evidence of water on the backside of the UDC itself. Another theory that ties in with yours is if the city water connection was leaking on the front side of the UDC with a trickle running down the white laminated wall of the UDC, maybe that was the leak source.

Anyway, you're on a good track in terms of repairs and on leak source determination. Good idea on the carpet but I'd keep the rubber floor rolled up at home for when you want to put it back, after you have confidence that the leak source if taken care of.

We do leave the water on when we are not there but we are seldom gone for more then an hour when we leave. The water pressure in the campground is not very high and we do have a pressure reducer and use it every time. You are spot on about the trickle on the front side of the UDC. That is exactly where we think the problem came from. It would run down the front side and trickle over the edge of the opening where hoses and cable come up. The basement floor is exposed at that point. That is where the floor was the worst. It was almost like moist sawdust. Hard to believe water could migrate that far but we are 99% sure that is where the water came from. I did find one hose that will not tighten enough to not leak so that hose will be discarded. I never would have thought that a small leak like that would be a problem but once it gets under the rubber flooring there is no where for it to go.

 

[PandBStandiford]

I like the access doors. I might take a look at doing this.

 

[PandBStandiford]

Paul,
If you weren't across the state I'd come over & give you a hand, or at least play "government worker" & lean on a shovel while I watch you work!

If you ever want to come over to the east side of the state just let me know and we'll make reservations for you. The campground we are at is a private campground but as long as there are vacancies then guests are welcome. Jeff and Joy also have purchased a membership.

 

[PandBStandiford]

While I'm asking questions, I did find something rather interesting. I have included a picture of a hole behind the wall. This is on the door side of the coach just in front of the steps. If you look out this hole you can see the enclosure for the steps. Any idea if this is supposed to be there and if so, what purpose could it possible server. I realize that rodents can get into an RV (or a house for that matter) through very small holes but why put out the welcome mat for them with their own private entrance. I have in the past seen RVs with a gas line run to the front for a gas grille hook up and thought maybe this hole was for that but we don't have the gas line. I currently have gorilla tape over the hole. Any ideas what this might be for?

 

[Rickhansen]

Mine has this hole too (and Tape covering it). I have no other ideas than like you said, gas line or wiring pass through.

 

[olcoon]

Only thing I can think of is on ours behind the entry steps there is a light to light up the steps at night. Maybe that's where it would go?

 

[JohnDar]

Never paid any attention to it since it's covered, but I have the same hole on mine. I've been using the Mouse-Free spray since May of last year and no mouse in the house since.

 

[PandBStandiford]

Only thing I can think of is on ours behind the entry steps there is a light to light up the steps at night. Maybe that's where it would go?

Nope. We have the light you are talking about and this whole is not that. It is approximately 2 feet in front of the step housing. Looks like I'm not the only one that has it. I'm not worried about it. I was simply curious as to what the heck it is for.

 

[jbeletti]

Perhaps this hole is used for routing black gas pipe for floor plans that have a stove on the ODS that is NOT in a slide room. If that is the case, it would seem this hole is a standard feature in most frames, regardless of actual floor plans. My guess then is that that piece is all pre-done the same, then welded into place in most of our 5th wheel frames.

 

[PandBStandiford]

The basement floor is finished. Thanks to the help of some camping friends we got the rest of the old floor torn out last weekend and the new floor put in. I used pressure treated plywood instead of particle board and put indoor / outdoor carpet down instead of the rubber mat. The carpet will let the floor breath so that if any moisture does get in it will evaporate instead of just accumulating. I took a few days vacation to finish it up. Putting the wall back up with a few extra supports. I cut a larger hole in the floor under the UDC, put the UDC in place and then mounted a PVC toilet flange to the bottom of the UDC. It left about 1/8" gap which I filled with white silicone. It protects the wood in the bottom of the UDC and the floor from any water that might leak in the UDC. Looks like a PVC funnel. I also shortened the one section of the wall a bit. Every time I had to pull it out I would have to fight the vacuum to get I've wall in and out. I cut off 1 1/2" after peeling back the felt covering. Stapled the felt back in place and no more fighting. Sure is a relief to have this project complete. Thanks for all the input from forum users.


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