I have discovered what my wits’ end looks like:
Let’s just say that justifies pulling up all the old flooring and taking out the bucket chairs.
I am seriously at a loss now. I can’t figure out where the water’s coming in from. All I know is that it has soaked through the subfloor and well into the wall, the bottom inch of which has rotted through.
Before embarking on the renovations, I thought I did a pretty good job of making sure there were no structural issues that needed looking at first, but I obviously failed. This entire section needs to be gutted, dried out, cleaned up, and rebuilt before I can even think of buying the rest of the Allure I need I need to finish the floors. Forget anything else; the renos have ground to a halt. I have plywood left from the doors to finish the new counter, but that’s it.
I spent my entire emergency fund getting the brakes fixed last fall. There’s nothing left for something like this, not with the drive north looming ahead of me. It’s a good thing I decided to do the floors; I would have probably not found this problem otherwise until it became an even bigger issue, but the fact is that I have embarked on something I don’t have the means to finish.
Well, I guess I’m going to go have a meltdown then come up with some sort of plan to deal with this.
Rae, Just start at the top. That water could have come from a seam. a running light, a window, or anywhere. Re-seal what you can with Eternabond Tape, and/or a self-leveling marine or RV caulk, like Dicor. Not silicone, it makes paths for leaks. Check for any silicone up there, remove it, and re-seal. Not very easy though.
Please use a mold remover, Clorox will do as a temporary measure, you don’t want to get sick.
I have seen worse. I ran into something like this, but all we could do was get rid of the mold, and rebuild the bad areas. Then wallpapered, and re-floored over it.
You will come up with something.
Happy Trails, Penny, TX
Penny, I’ve been over the exterior with the proverbial fine tooth comb. Everything looks tight. I’m going to have to wait till it rains again (won’t be long here) and try again.
Mould remover is already working. I’ve also got a heater in there to help with the drying out process.
I just don’t have the energy to deal with this.
I want to buy Miranda when you are finished with her! (Well not really, because I need a downstairs bed and not a cab over.) But It seems you have repaired everything possible.
and are making her a sound home on wheels
Take a deep breath, let a few days pass and I’m sure you will be able to fix this too.
Have you thought of pouring water over her with a hose? That way you could look at one area at a time.
Sorry, Merikay, but I have no intention of ever selling Miranda. 🙂 Although you could reconvert the study into a bedroom…
Not sure the hose method would work; it looks like I have an infiltration, which is the nastiest leak to find.
It only takes a pinhole in the roof to let that much water in, and the hole does not have to be over the puddle. Check the roof again for a tiny leak and patch it if you find it. It may be disguised as a scratch from a branch. The hose trick might work, try to soak it one section at a time to isolate the problem area. RV dealers can also pressurize the MH and check for leaks with a soap bubble solution. This would probably cost a couple of hundred $ so would be a last resort.
Obvious question, Could it possibly be anything to do with the dishwasher, toilet, sink? What about the fridge auto-defrost drain?
Sorry Rae, these things are so bloody frustrating! Once the problem is repaired the rot can be dug out and patched with fiberglass.
Add water heater to the list of places to check.
Croft, I really don’t think the plumbing’s the culprit; the leak is nowhere near any of it. It’s in the corner behind the passenger seat, far, far, far away from any plumbing systems.
The subfloor doesn’t seem as damaged as I would have thought. I scraped off about an eight of an inch of wet wood and the wood under was dry and normal-plywood coloured.
Looks like I will have to take that bumpout apart, though, to see how far the wet is in there. *sighs*
Maybe a leaking window seal in the dinette window. Hard to find but you could re-caulk around the top and sides of that window. Check that the little holes in the outside if the lower runner are clear and open. This is what allows rain water to drain out of the window track.
Remember there is a heat gun in the Rubbermaid bin to quick dry the floor.
I’m reasonably confident the problem isn’t the lounge window. The wetness radiates from under the ‘bumpout’ behind the passenger seat. I’m going to have to open that up to see what’s behind it and how it can be channeling water from where.
Thanks for the reminder about the heat gun!
I have been searching to find a picture of the outside of Miranda to see if you have an awning. Every place where the awning and awning rail are attached, should be suspect. My leak was in that very same area in the coach, so that is where I found my leak.
Also being a Class C that is where the cab and ‘house’ meet. Please check the roof line, and that side gasket very carefully.
Take off any running lights in that area, you will be able to see if there has been any seepage. It could be traveling from one of them? Re-mount them with butyl putty tape. That is something that needs to be done every few years anyway.
Or could it be traveling from an upstairs window?
Water will travel sideways, depending on the framing, so it doesn’t have to be right above the damaged area.
I sure hope you find it soon. Happy Trails, Penny, TX
I am thinking along Penny’s lines as well. Was that vertical seam one of the ones you recently re-caulked? Could this water be from before that?
There is a roll of butyl tape hanging from the ceiling joists near the radio and coiled black extension cord, Help yourself to it if it is still pliable.
Well, girlfriend, you have some miles and experience under your belt since last I read your blog. Several questions:
1. Did the CD of my South America trip play OK for you?? Like everyone else, I also crave feedback!
2. Are you pulling a small car behind Miranda? My parents had an RV [23′ – not too big] but they were willing to do that so they didn’t have to take their RV out for errands, onlyto the chore of relevelling, etc etc, it once they got back to camp.
3. The pics of the Pusses: more than cute!!
Jean
Hi Jean,
1) I suck at the whole ‘keeping in touch’ thing unless you’re someone I talk to almost every single day. I meant to write you a few times over the summer, but never at a time when I had the computer with your email address up and running. Yes, I have enjoyed your travelogues! I’ll be chasing the hand of Franklin myself this year, so to speak, as I’ll be heading to Inuvik and Tuk, so I look forward to comparing our experiences.
2) I am indeed pulling a car behind Miranda. Pommette is an apple green (hence her name) 2008 Hyundai Accent.
A recent picture of the car.
3) *beams*
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