rotten floor 2005 jayfeather 165

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by rewcamper

this floor was also not glued down..anywhere..lucky for me but has anyone seen this before ? it was stapled under the folded over black membrane

From what I've learned it is common for the vinyl floor covering to not be glued. At the factory they basically start with the complete floor and cover the entire platform in vinyl with no glue. From there everything (cabinets, beds, etc.) is placed upon the vinyl flooring, or the flooring is cut out where not wanted.

That may be good for assembly process, but not so good if water gets into the floor. Between the belly cloth seal on the bottom, and the vinyl on the top if any water gets in it never really dries out.

I cut out all the vinyl under my cabinets and in my storage lockers. 2 basic reasons. I wanted to encourage the floor to dry out. I want to be able to see/detect any future leaks before they get too far along.

When my wife and I replaced our main area vinyl flooring with a remnant we just loose laid it as original. Some places around the edge needed a bit of quarter round, but most were cut close enough to not show.

Trailer manufacturers do love staples. That is regardless of whether they are an appropriate fastening method or not.

FWIW. vic

[exjay1]

Wow.. those pictures just put a knot in my stomach seeing its the exact same model as mine. Keep at it, good work on the tear down so far.

[rewcamper]

I am keeping at it. after work, just now I got the fridge out. have to watch for wires and of course gas connection. with all the construction I've done over the years, I'm still learning. I always thought the fridge vent was fixed but it's really only a box to vent the heat I guess. I over think sometimes, and expected a more complicated set up. I may post pics tonight. I have to remove EVERYTHING to get at the rot

[rewcamper]

a few pics taking fridge out is not good walls are too attached and contain a lot of stuff at least I got to see around in there, looked at the vent, and just painted some primer on the support shelf. it's going back jn. moulding pics are where I believe all the water has been coming from. the rot pattern will show when I pull up the vinyl

[rewcamper]

I thought of doing the same thing, as my trailer is so small, not much is left unsecured. thought of the same idea behind cabinets too, thanks

[exjay1]

Good insight on how the 165 looks with things removed. How or what's the plan for getting the new flooring up under the exterior walls? When we got our 165 from a local RV dealer (pre-owned) those moldings had a nice bead of silicone down the lengths and up the wall corners to help keep moisture out.

[rewcamper]

getting the vinyl up under the walls may not bother me as much as getting the plywood under. there are screws in through the side, and up through the bottom I have to think about removing to get the plywood in. I may keep the vinyl back a few inches where hidden to help with watching for more water.i'm also waiting to see what holds the plywood to the frame underneath. there are no floor joists. I think the large screws I see are right down through the frame, and they don't want to come out. tomorrow I'm going to play hookie from a job I'm on, and expose a big part of the floor, and raise the trailer on blocks so I can use a car creeper to check out underneath. you should see the way the bathroom walls are put together..lots of pieces..glad to hear your " slideout on wheels " was maintained

[rewcamper]

now that the floor is exposed, you can see the pattern. all the bottom body mouldings have been leaking for a long time. screws hold the wall bottom into the osb and there are staples put through the membrane where it wraps fhe edges, and through the vinyl too. cutting under the fridge will be awkward. along the edges i'll have to stay a little way out. I'd really like to cut a window in the back wall, and get a replacement sliding window fpr the front one

[rewcamper]

I forgot. the screws show the same pattern of rust as the floor does rot. the small group goes from front corner where the worst is , to down by the door where there's none rusty to clean. the very small area near the door corner has a small piece of moulding just gutside. I'm totally convinced tat's the problem. I hope others can gain a little knowledge from these posts.

[exjay1]

Originally Posted by rewcamper

I hope others can gain a little knowledge from these posts.

I am for sure, keep the updates coming in. Need any pics, measurements etc just let me know.

[rewcamper]

took a break from the floor today. went on roof to seal around fixtures for the winter...just found about a 2 by 2 soft spot on roof from the ac forward. really don't know how I missed this !!

[jhiland55]

Hi just bought the same trailer and have the same problem. Question, are the sidewalls just attached with screws through the frame from the bottom? Thanks

[rewcamper]

hi, the screws along the edge moulding under the screw cover go into the floor plywood edges. screws underneath go through frame and up into sidewall bottom, they're covered with caulking. some were actually under the lip of the side moulding. don't forget the black sheeting from underneath comes up and around the plywood edge, and is stapled along with the vinyl flooring. this is all under the bottom of the sidewall. I had to jack up the whole sidewall in places after the bottom screws were removed,in order to get the wood out. please feel free to ask ...AND if you find out where the leaks REALLY come from please let me know. I still have wet stains seeping in under the sidewalls on 3 corners front and back. everything has been re puttytaped, caulked, and covered....maybe the factory knows. it doesn't come from above as the walls are laminated, and I have the roof covered. I replaced the entire floor,put down new one piece floor, and cut the vinyl back a few inches to watch it. the plywood I chose was 5/8 PTS. the leaks are small but still there and I'm now re assembling the whole interior...frustrating. please keep in touch I need to vent...haha, BOB

[RodgerS]

Water damage is considered by many the worst problem you can have. When you get done, be sure to have a pressure/bubble test done to confirm you have no leaks. You may have other surprise leaks to deal with as well.

[Jhowemca]

rewcamper, why not set up a box fan in the door and seal around it so you can pressurize the inside of your trailer. Then spray some soapy water around suspect areas, or the whole thing.

Good luck!

[muelldawg]

Just discovered water/floor issue on our 2010 Sport165. It is coming in all across the front end of trailer... there is no seal to the forward section of TT. Wood is exposed. It is easy to see if you look carefully. Also the wood flooring does not stand up to dampness. It is not marine plywood.

I have replaced the entire section of flooring in the forward area (3 feet). Used marine plywood.

I bought this rig new and live in Arizona.

[rewcamper]

thanks to all who are responding to this. I have replaced every area that it could be, new putty tape all around, screws, screw covers, re sealed all corner mouldings etc. my thought is somehow it's getting in through the outside screws that screw into the plywood floor edges, or screws that hold the vertical mouldings in place. then it's weeping in onto the floor. I've been a carpenter for 50 years now, and have had my share of water problems. it's travelling, not flowing or dripping in, that's why pressurizing I don't think will work. the whole floor except for about 8 square feet was gone. I used 5/8 PTS plywood. same glue and 1/4 the cost of marine. I was always told that the main difference in plywood is the voids that are allowed. plus a good lumberyard that you can trust is good..not box store stuff