Wet and rotted floor on 2018 model

[Jtw112914]

Hey all,

New to the forum. I just bought a 2018 Mallard M32. I picked it up a week ago; and I thought I had done a thorough inspection. I did note a small soft spot in the bathroom floor, but the seller said that his kids had allowed water to splash out of the shower. I also noticed some delamination in the woodwork on the outdoor kitchen. The seller said that they had left the outdoor kitchen hatch open one night and it had rained inside. I went ahead and bought it, as i can make those repairs pretty easily myself. I got home and found that the ends of the slide floors were rotted. I was annoyed by that, but set out to fix it. That was nothing however compared to the real problems that awaited me. I cut away the vinyl in the bathroom to discover it soaking wet, and the OSB damaged beyond it just drying out. It has molded and turned black. The wetness and rot went under the wall to the outdoor kitchen, all the way to the back of the camper.

I started poking around the rest of the camper, and found the floor wet, black and rotted from the front door, all along the wall through the bedroom into the front pass through storage. Once I removed the vinyl floor covering from the front storage bay, I then found termites. It just keeps getting better. Continuing on I found the subfloor wet and partially back around where both slides come in. So I have a lot of subfloor to replace. Has anyone ran into this? How the heck can a 4 year old camper have this much leaking and rotted floors? The roof and walls are in pristine condition. The outside of the camper looks brand new.

The seller has been no help. I messaged him and tried to call him, and all he says is that it’s “normal wear and tear” and that I bought it as is. He will not respond at all to me now and will not take my phone calls to discuss. So he has the $26k I paid him now, and doesn’t feel bad about the situation at all, a real swell guy.

Any ideas on how this water could be getting in???

 

[Dahillbilly]

if all of the walls look clean & dry I'd start checking the water lines & plumbing connections. Good luck with all of the major work it needs

 

[Jtw112914]

I’ve yet to hook it up to water, but best I can tell I don’t see any evidence of leaks. The worst of the damage is along the side wall where it meets the floor; both in the back and front of the camper. And the floor being wet around where the slides come in.

 

[Dahillbilly]

slides coming in all the way, the seals should be compressed a little & check the wiper seals especially the top of slide

 

[Roller4tan]

Sounds like it was in a flood.... Too bad there's no recourse against the seller.

 

[TrailCreek]

Sounds like it was in a flood.... Too bad there's no recourse against the seller.

I would think the frame and underbelly would have signs if it was in a flood. I'd contact Heartland for help. Hot sure if they would do anything but they may give some ideas on where to look.

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[Jtw112914]

Thanks guys. I have multiple fans trying to dry it out as we speak. Sprayed termite spray in the front bay and haven’t seen them again. I saw about 6 or 8 of them, small ones crawling around on top of the osb in the front pass through bay only, but I don’t see where they have burrowed down into the wood so I’m not sure where they came from. I may drop the underbelly to take a peek underneath at everything. Seems like some of the wood may be salvageable; after some bleach and kiltz.

I asked the seller to knock $2k off the sales price for all the unforeseen issues and he’s pretty much ghosted me; won’t take my calls and won’t respond to texts.

 

[david-steph2018]

Noticing the water heater is on that side, see if the outlet of the water heater is leaking. We had a leak from that area. Atwood used a plastic joint/ back flow valve, and these would crack and leak. This leak went over to the opposite side of the rig and created a soft spot in front of the stairs. That section of the wood had to be replaced.

You do need to drop the underbelly; afraid you will find everything in that was/is wet.

I think the guy didn't know he had a water leak, then when he realized he did, started looking and seen how bad it was damaged. He then decided to sell. Sorry you are in this position, you have allot of work in front of you. When you start take it slow and don't rush to "just get it finished".

 

[Jtw112914]

Noticing the water heater is on that side, see if the outlet of the water heater is leaking. We had a leak from that area. Atwood used a plastic joint/ back flow valve, and these would crack and leak. This leak went over to the opposite side of the rig and created a soft spot in front of the stairs. That section of the wood had to be replaced.

You do need to drop the underbelly; afraid you will find everything in that was/is wet.

I think the guy didn't know he had a water leak, then when he realized he did, started looking and seen how bad it was damaged. He then decided to sell. Sorry you are in this position, you have allot of work in front of you. When you start take it slow and don't rush to "just get it finished".

Thanks for the advice. The water heater is right next to the door, so I’ll check that out. It’s actually raining today; so I’m going to hang out in here and see if I can find any water coming in. It really is a shame though; how much better would our world be if everyone abided by the golden rule.

 

[david-steph2018]

Thanks for the advice. The water heater is right next to the door, so I’ll check that out. It’s actually raining today; so I’m going to hang out in here and see if I can find any water coming in. It really is a shame though; how much better would our world be if everyone abided by the golden rule.

I pretty sure the walls sit on the floor, if so, looking at the pics, you will have some rotten flooring under the walls. Have you considered how to get this out to replace with new flooring. Looks like you have a challenge on your hands.

 

[Jtw112914]

I pretty sure the walls sit on the floor, if so, looking at the pics, you will have some rotten flooring under the walls. Have you considered how to get this out to replace with new flooring. Looks like you have a challenge on your hands.

I have a stiff scraping blade that I’ve been using to dig out the wood. The short answer though is that I can’t get all of it out. Just have to dig out what I can, and dry the rest of it. And try to insert the new wood as far under the walls as I can get it

 

[thewanderingeight]

In our previous RV that had water damage, water was leaking through a spot in the roof, traveling down the wall, and then exiting where the wall meets the floor. Wall looked perfectly fine, and I thought the window was leaking, but it turned out to be coming from the roof. I didn't have to replace the floor in my case, but I did have to replace the entire front ceiling/curved wall section. I also didn't realize it had all that water damage until I got it home. Sorry you have to deal with this, I know it's not a fun situation!

 

[Jtw112914]

In our previous RV that had water damage, water was leaking through a spot in the roof, traveling down the wall, and then exiting where the wall meets the floor. Wall looked perfectly fine, and I thought the window was leaking, but it turned out to be coming from the roof. I didn't have to replace the floor in my case, but I did have to replace the entire front ceiling/curved wall section. I also didn't realize it had all that water damage until I got it home. Sorry you have to deal with this, I know it's not a fun situation!

How did you figure out that it was the roof? Did you cut into the wall? It rained almost all day yesterday, hard at times. I checked it multiple times, and the floor was dry. I see a few areas that need caulking, but no areas that would let the water come in to cause the damage i have. I wonder if maybe the previous owner just left the doors open and it poured rain and got inside that way. And if he left the slides in while they were wet on multiple occasions which caused that floor to get wet? I’ll never know as he’s blocked me now. I’ve sprayed bleach and a mold killer on all the floors that are not mushy (but black), and will kiltz them either today or tomorrow. Should I put flex seal on the floors to repel water? Or do you think that will hold water in if it gets into the edges of the OSB at the wall?

 

[sengli]

Here is a another train of thought. All of our recent rigs, when towed in the rain. Got a ton of water in the coroplast under belly area. What if your moisture ingress has something to do with that? I read your thread, and the amount of area's affected seemed so large. The coroplast covering is at best a cover, not a seal..at least that is what I have experienced.

 

[Jtw112914]

Good thought, I wondered the same. I actually dropped the underbelly today under the front, below the pass through storage. It’s dry as a bone under there. All the rain we had this weekend, still dry as can be inside. I’ve inspected all plumbing lines and fittings and see nothing that would suggest a leak. I am planning on hooking up the water next and pressurizing the whole system to check for leaks, water heater and all. It’s truly a mystery. I’m beginning to wonder if he left the doors open, went for a walk and the bottom fell out and it just rained inside. I’ve got a lot the flooring back in today in the worst areas today.

 

[thewanderingeight]

How did you figure out that it was the roof? Did you cut into the wall? It rained almost all day yesterday, hard at times. I checked it multiple times, and the floor was dry. I see a few areas that need caulking, but no areas that would let the water come in to cause the damage i have. I wonder if maybe the previous owner just left the doors open and it poured rain and got inside that way. And if he left the slides in while they were wet on multiple occasions which caused that floor to get wet? I’ll never know as he’s blocked me now. I’ve sprayed bleach and a mold killer on all the floors that are not mushy (but black), and will kiltz them either today or tomorrow. Should I put flex seal on the floors to repel water? Or do you think that will hold water in if it gets into the edges of the OSB at the wall?

The original owner tried sealing the roof with a spray type sealant. It lasted for a very short while, but then failed all of a sudden. The water damage progressed very quickly, and I soon noticed the sealing above the window was wet. I would not put any type over the floor, as that would seal in the moisture. I wonder if anyone had tried treating rotten subfloor with the epoxy treatments meant for damaged wood? It essentially sinks into the wood and turns it into a plastic.


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[cookie]

I wonder if anyone had tried treating rotten subfloor with the epoxy treatments meant for damaged wood? It essentially sinks into the wood and turns it into a plastic.


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My daughter used that epoxy. It kinda worked.
The wood has to be absolutely dry and you have to drill a bazillion little holes for it to soak in to the wood to be most effective.
But it does work.

Peace
Dave

 

[thewanderingeight]

My daughter used that epoxy. It kinda worked.
The wood has to be absolutely dry and you have to drill a bazillion little holes for it to soak in to the wood to be most effective.
But it does work.

Peace
Dave

Would you say it was worth it given the end result? I have replaced slide subfloor in the past, and it was not fun.

 

[cookie]

As I'm reading this post my daughter called and I asked her your question.
She said not worth it. They they wound up replacing part that was repaired with the epoxy and plan to do a replacement on another slide.

Peace
Dave

 

[thewanderingeight]

As I'm reading this post my daughter called and I asked her your question.
She said not worth it. They they wound up replacing part that was repaired with the epoxy and plan to do a replacement on another slide.

Peace
Dave

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking of trying this if I ever ran into another damaged floor. Sounds like I will just be sticking with replacement.


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