Looking for suggestions

[indytrail2001]

We have a seasonal lot on Lake Champlain in Vermont. Our 2008 Eagle 328RLS is set up there year round. This year, the water levels in the lake broke 100 year records and flooded everything.. I have no flood insurance.

My question is:
Where do I start? Open up the bottom? What is the best way to dry it out? What should I do to stop mildew or mold? I have not been able to get in the camper to check for damage. THe water temp is 39 degrees.

I am totally open to suggestions..

[rodro123]

Wow I would be heart broken. Start by calling the guys that deal with cleaning flooded homes see what they tell you but until the water moves back there is not a thing that can be done.... Sorry

[Denise]

Belated welcome to the Jayco Owners Forum indytrail2000! I think you are the first one to post here that had a tt become a land yacht. Who would think to consider flood insurance for an rv. So sad, sorry you have to go through this. The call Rod referred to might be a good start. keep in touch and let us know how things are going for you

[Terry]

So sorry to see your situation! Unfortunately so many folks are being impacted by these high waters. Today is the first rain free day here and we are seeing record flooding still from upstream.

Did it get any higher than your pictures? It looks so close to the bottom of the trailer. Do you have the enclosed underbelly? As soon as you can get in there safely I would drop it and inspect from the bottom up to see how far the water got in there. Get a dehumidifer in there is you have power nearby. If it got into the floor or wall insulation it is going to be problematic.

I would also not hook to shore power or 12V battery until you have done a complete check for damage and everything is dry and you are confident in your abilities to determine it is ok. A trip to a competent dealer is probably in order.

Also at a minimum you are going to need to have the wheels redone and inspected, but lets keep our fingers crossed it is right there at the bottom of the frame only.

[indytrail2001]

I believe that these pictures were taken when the water was at it's highest. But the next day, the wind shifted and the waves were 1-2 foot. I am hoping that the shed provided some protection from them. I do have the enclosed underbelly. There are many there in much worse shape than myself. At least I can wonder and still have some hope that things may be ok.. But when you see the water going in the door... There is no doubt there..

The water has dropped 1 inch in the last 4 days... This is going to take forever.

Once the water drops below the frame, I will wade out there and see if it ever made it inside..

Thanks for all the well wishing. I will let you know what we find.

By the way, flood insurance for the rv is $1200 per year.. I have been in this campsite for 4 years and never had more than a mud puddle in front of the deck..

[Spike99]

Hi indytrail2001.

Sorry to read (see) that your seasonal site got flooded. Luckily (if one could use these words), the water didn't go much higher. re: Its at the under belly area and perhaps only the lower floor area. With NO insurance, I would wait for the water level to lower, do a visual inspection, using a hot soldering rod ( http://www.chipworld.co.uk/store/ima...ering_iron.jpg ), "melt" some very small 1/4" holes in the under belly fibre mesh material (assume your TT's under belly has this material) and install lots of fans pointing at these holes. Let the fans run off/on for the next 3-5 days - until the under belly area is fully dry. When you feel its dry enough, then apply black Gorilla tape over the small holes. If possible, plug the fans directly into shore power - until the under belly of your TT is dried out. NO electrical power into your TT until you feel its critical under belly areas are dry enough.

Your "flooded" TT looks bad and might smell bad for the first few weeks. But, it appear water didn't nail your TT too bad. re: Only at the under belly / floor area. It could have been worse. re: Water level at the middle wall area. Getting water OVER the electrical outlets and into its AC/DC distribution panel is very bad. Hopefully, its 12V slide motor and other sensitive underbelly items will dry out, and be ok.

Hopefully, you got lucky. Luckier then the many "fully drowned" seasonal site TTs - that are within the lower levels (and have water levels much higher).

Remember... Always think positive. It could have been much worst...

.

[Crabman]

That is hard to look at. So sorry. In looking at the pics I`m thinking your outside deck is close to the floor level of the trailer, so maybe, just maybe, it did not come over the floor which would be a big help in the cleanup.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The Jaycos I've been looking at recently have that piece of molding running lengthwise along the lower portion of the sidewall located right at floor level so your floor isn't flooded. As far as I know, there isn't any fiberglass batting underneath the floor so that won't be wicking up any water. Humidity and condensation might be a problem but, then again, it's cold enough it might not. Even though the water is cold enough to freeze the fur off a frog, I would get a pair of waders and wade out to the unit so you can air it out some. Hopefully, the waves weren't on the door side and the hatches sealed reasonably well. One plus is the floor is plywood instead of OSB.

Once you can get under the trailer, I would remove all of the underbelly. It's probably just sheets of corrugated plastic held in place by screws. Just let the sheets that have penetrations sealed with foam dangle. That will let you see just what damage, if any, has been done and give the undersides a better chance to dry out. You can pretty much expect to have to completely rebuild the axle assemblies (bearings and brakes) and should do so before ruing to moe the trailer more than a few feet.

Here's hoping that the damage is minimal (and there is a reasonably good chance it is).

[Spike99]

You are correct Lady.

I forgot about the very hard plastic sheets at the bottom of most Jayco trailers - Jaycos with factory insulation underbelly. Those sheets of hard plastic can be easily removed using a cordless drill. I keep forgetting that my seasonal site TT no longer has this hard plastic layer.

After those hard plastic sheets are removed, one then has visible access to the fabric material. For example:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0596.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0606.jpg

Above this soft plastic / fabric layer is white fibreglass insulation batts. For example: http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0597.jpg

Hopefully, NO water has gotten into the white fibreglass insulation layer. If so, you are correct. The fabric mesh will need to be removed. And the what fibreglass insulation batts will need to be manually removed as well. If you remove the plastic sheet and fibreglass batts (like I did within my seasonal site TT), I'd recommend replacement of 2 lbs Close Cell Spray Foam - Mobile Truck Contractor applied at 4" thick. Thus, end result like: http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0679.jpg & http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/100_0700.jpg

If that fibreglass insulation batt layer is only damp, then 1/4" size holes can be melted into the mesh fabric sheets (to let that layer breath). And, large fans can blow air into the fibreglass areas - into the many small holes.

.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If there is fiberglass up in there, I would remove it to ensure everything aired out. It would also allow inspection for mold.

[clutch]

Hopefully the floor didn't get wet. You can remove the bottom cover and insulation so it can dry. From the pictures you may only have to check for water and clean up the bearings and brakes. Our river lot does the same thing every year. We don't leave anything on it in the winter/spring until after the flood.

Our river has passed that one hundred year flood three times in the last 15 years.

[indytrail2001]

Lady and Spike... Thank you so much for the pictures and advice. It really makes what I have to do extremely clear. It also makes me feel like there may be light at the end of the tunnel after all.

I have been watching the lake levels like a hawk and as soon as they drop 2 foot, (It went up 2" last night due to rain) I will head back up (2 hour drive)with tools in hand. I get the impression that once I remove those hard plastic sheets, I should know if water got in the underbelly or not. The water is muddy and should show evidence of having been there. If I see no evidence, I do not continue further. Am I correct in assuming that?

This forum is great.. Extremely helpful.

Clutch.. My camper, deck and shed will be raised 2 foot this summer just in case of another 100 year record gets broken next year..


I talked to a company that deals with cleaning flooded homes.. They said that because of the multiple layers of flooring involved with a travel trailer, the insurance companies will usually just write them off. It is extremely difficult to remove any or all evidence of mold and mildew in the case of a flooded camper without tearing everything out. It can be done but it is expensive.

Once again, thank you everyone..

[etep571190]

Does anyone have flood insurance for their RV? I didn't such a thing existed. My travel trailer insurance is the same as my auto insurance. Collision Coprehensive and Liability. I know when a car is involved in a flood the auto insurance covers it. Is it different for a camping trailer?

[indytrail2001]

I am insured by Foremost insurance company. There is actually an exclusion to my policy that states that they will not cover any loss caused directly or indirectly by:

"Flood water, surface water, waves, tidal water, storm surge, tsunami or overflow of a body of water from any source including spray from any of these whether or not driven by wind.

This exclusion applies whether or not there was widespread damage and whether or not the loss was caused by a human activity or an act of nature."

So it wouldn't matter if I was pulling the camper and suddenly the flood waters swept me away or if the camper is sitting by the lake.. They will not cover it.

My agent and several others (I have been calling around) have all told me the same thing. I would have to have a separate flood policy.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by indytrail2001

...I get the impression that once I remove those hard plastic sheets, I should know if water got in the underbelly or not. The water is muddy and should show evidence of having been there. If I see no evidence, I do not continue further. Am I correct in assuming that?...

Yes and no. Depends on what is under your floor. As far as I know, the Eagles do not have any fiberglass under the floors but someone else here said they might. If there is fiberglass under the floor, I would pull it out just to make sure no mold or rot has formed under the floor. Mold is insidious. It gets in places you may not be able to see but wreaks havoc with your health. Rot is just as bad. And both are like a cancer; it can keep on spreading without you knowing it. However, there is a pretty fair chance the water didn't make it to the floor or, if it did, it didn't stay wet long enough to cause problems. If there is any way you can wade to the trailer and open it up to air out for a while, it would help dry out anything did get wet and would give you some peace of mind if you get in and find little or no water inside. If you get in and find very much water got into the carpeting, I would yank it out to avoid having mold get too strong of a toehold. The carpeting would probably have to be replaced anyway if it got very wet.

[indytrail2001]

Another couple of feet and I should be able to start drying it out.

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by indytrail2001

Another couple of feet and I should be able to start drying it out.

Have you been able to go there and assess the damage yet?

[clutch]

When the water recedes you should be able to crawl under and look for where the water line was on the frame or tires. Hopefully your trailer will be ok.

[indytrail2001]

Still about 18" of water on the ground up there. We are going up this Saturday to wade out and look at the damage.

I will take some pictures.. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

[wiscampsin]

I think it's safe to say we're all keeping our fingers crossed for you.