Water in the underbelly

[sengli]

Well I have only had our new 2011 27RLSS since late last fall. I have pulled it for the first time in a light rain, for about an hour..... this last weekend. When I got home there was water pouring out of the under belly at the back of the RV. Looks like the water flung off the tires wicks into the inner frame area and is trapped there in the lining like a tarp which was sagging. Called the factory and they told me to just poke holes in the underbelly to let the water out. My concern in if that moisture is trapped in that space, the mold could occur readily. I plan on using rust proofing to attempt to seal the area above and around the wheels.

I am also very disappointed to find the water gets into the belly of the unit this easy. Anyone else out there have this same issue? Any hints to help solve this issue.

 

[Rickhansen]

Yes, it's been discussed many times. The Heartland Owners forum has an excellent search utility where you can search the forums for keywords like this. With a little effort, you'll find years worth of threads on any topic.

While most agree with your approach of sealing gaps and openings a good as you can, you will still get some amount of moisture through leaks, gaps, and condensation. It will collect in the low points of the coroplast. A couple well placed weep holes will allow any liquid to drain. That will be your best insurance against excessive long-term moisture buildup, and mold.

 

[Bob&Patty]

The easy way to fix the problem....is to drill a 1/4" hole in the center low spots in the coroplast. Problem solved. You will probably never...ever stop all the water getting in the underbelly when driving in the rain.

 

[sengli]

Well I put more than a 1/4 sized hole in three spots where the coroplast hung down. I just could not believe the amount of water pouring out... when I stopped after the drive in the rain. Plus now isn't the area under the floor going to be moldy due allof the to the moisture?

 

[jnbhobe]

I doubt it, it will dry out pretty quick now.

 

[Rickhansen]

Well I put more than a 1/4 sized hole in three spots where the coroplast hung down. I just could not believe the amount of water pouring out... when I stopped after the drive in the rain. Plus now isn't the area under the floor going to be moldy due allof the to the moisture?

I hope your post is a typo - three quarter-sized holes will make for great mouse doors. I think I saw 1/4" weep holes suggested...

Just Sayin'

 

[TravelTiger]

I am also very disappointed to find the water gets into the belly of the unit this easy. Anyone else out there have this same issue? Any hints to help solve this issue.

Make sure you don't have a leak somewhere, before assuming it's rainwater.

Secondly, we've had the underbelly down for adding heating pads, etc. and noticed our underbelly had residue that looked like water had collected in the low areas... Probably from our trip to the mountains last winter, when we drove home in slushy conditions... spray from the wet, slushy, snowmelt-treated roads probably got in. I saw no ill-effects from this. There was no evidence of mold or anything retaining water. There is no exposed wood in that underbelly area. When we reattached the belly, we tried our best to seal any gaps with spray foam, but remember, your slide mechanisms work through holes in the frame, as well. These were not able to be sealed completely.

E

 

[sengli]

Rick...saw your reply about the size of the holes I put in the coroplast. There are so many other open areas in the coroplast, especially where the spare is mounted, that if mice wanted in ...they would get in. Obviously I don't want any, so when I am not concerned about water draining, I will reseal these holes with duct tape. As far as I know there isn't any issue with water leaks from the trailer causing this water ingress issue. Again when I stopped after pulling the trailer in the rain the other day, the water was pouring out of the underbelly near the back. Not dripping, but gushing out. I will moniter the drain holes now when filling the water tank, any other use. Is there any insulation wrapped around the tanks up inside this coroplast covered underbelly on these units?

 

[jnbhobe]

Look at sealing up around the wheel wells and slideouts.

 

[TravelTiger]

The only insulation in the underbelly is the metallic "bubble wrap" material, which lies just above the chlorplast. Water won't hurt it.

E

 

[markfromark]

Our unit leaked into the underbelly when I used the "black tank sprayer". The simple solution has been to stop using it. No more leaks.

 

[Toy1Ton]

I have a half inch hole drilled in my under bellie and we had a hard rain today and when looking out the kicthen from the house I notice water running out of the hole from under the bellie now where could that be coming from?

 

[KiwiRVer]

Just check that it is road water getting into the underbelly. I found that our rear grey tank (kitchen), when full, leaked into the underbelly. I drilled a hole in the coroplast to let the water out as an interim solution until I can find the time (after fixing the miriad of other engineering issues) to drop the coroplast to find the source of the leak.

 

[Barb & Ed W.]

I have a 2010 30BHS and just noticed this past weekend camping the front storage compartment under the queen bed on the curb side had a droop in the floor. When I pushed down I could tell the plywood under the vinyl flooring was gone. I looked under the camper and saw the black tarp like material bellowing with water in it. I put a 12 inch cut to drain the water then saw the plywood rotted away. I have noticed during rain storms the water builds up under the underbelly cover. Has anyone else had this problem? I am planning on calling the RV dealer tomorrow. Seems like a flaw in the manufacturing. Rain should never build up under the camper. I inspect my seems every year before the first camping trip and did not notice anything needing repairs. Thanks.

 

[camr]

I would add to be careful drilling the holes in the underbelly cover. It is not unheard of for a water tank, especially a full water tank to press against the underbelly, making that spot the low spot. If the underbelly material is of a cloth variety, then it should be easy to feel what is above it. If it is corplast, then it could end up much differently. Instead of 2 gallons of rain water, we may drain 85 gallons of fresh water too. As Elmer Fudd would say, and I am dating myself here, "Be vewy, vewy careful".

 

[JohnTaylor3]

We have a 2011 Elkridge QSR 40 that has leaked water into the underbelly since day 1. Our unit was brought to the site on a clear, sunny day from the dealership and not moved until the dealer picked it up last Nov. to work on fixing the plumbing and fix the water damage to the basement. The dealer took months to attempt the fix and we just found plumbing leaks again our first time in the trailer. I understand the manufacturer using the thinner-walled PEX and cheaper fittings. That is industry standard. I just wish they put them together properly. Our first season with the new trailer (2011) was a disaster. The multiple plumbing leaks behind blind panels caused the underbelly to fill with water until part of it blew out. The basement needed to be reconstructed and there was much trouble finding a Heartland certified contractor to make it right. 34 manufacturing defects and still we have plumbing leaks. This on a trailer that so far only gets towed back and forth to the dealer.

 

[sengli]

Well I finally took our coach to the dealer for warranty work to figure out what the source of the water in the under belly was. They found two seperate leaks in the "black water flush" line. It leaked right at the attachment point in the UDC, and also at the check valve. Where is that check valve at again? Didn't someone say its behind the shower stall in the wall? If thats true there would have been alot of water dumping thru the floor. Honestly I am afraid to even use that feature again.

As a side note the dealer sliced the coroplast underbelly while doing an indspection, in 4 places. One of the cuts goes all the way across the the coach from right to left. And the they cut the coroplast in several spots near the black tank, and then taped it up sorta. Is this how all dealers do this type of work? Whats the use of the all one piece underbelly, if it now all sliced up?

 

[donr827]

On our first trip the water alarm I put behind the UDC went off. Found a small amount of water around the alarm and found that the line to the UDC for the black tank sprayer was not tight. Tightened the fitting by hand and all is find. Actually found two more connections to the UDC were not tight. Everyone should check the fittings on the UDC every now and then.
Don

 

[jeffepple]

We just picked up a new 2013 FLPS that had water in the underbelly, so if I am understanding correctly, just checking the lines near the UDC every once in a while and that should keep it from happening. And then the 2nd part of the question is that from what I gather from what TravelTiger is saying is even if water is collecting in the underbelly on top of the coroplast, it shouldnt really get mold as there isnt anything for that to happen to?

 

[sengli]

My fittings seemed good at first. After about fifteen minutes or so they black tank flush leaked where the hose was crimped on the fitting. Checking the fittings on the UDC is a great idea, but there are many other places a leak can come from under the coach with its many plumbing connections.

I disagree about the mold forming satement. My wife and I looked at alot of used coaches before we bought a new one. Many of them smelled like mold. The in floor metal heating ducts were also rusty looking. So if you have trapped water in the belly, without alot of air circulating to dry it up...you will get mold. I think putting a series of small holes in the coroplast where it makes sense, is a good idea to monitor the underside for any leaks.