New owner with wood rot problem.

[slstarr1026]

Good morning, hoping someone can give me some advice. We are new owners of a 2007 jayco 1206. We are learning the hard way that we needed to be more educated about these PUPS before our purchase. Got the pup home and set it up in the driveway and had a few small issues I was able to repair. Went to put it back down to move it and left front corner wouldn't go all the way down. Found out I had some rot in the floor and the pulley was coming out. Well that's the easy part unfortunately. Found out the hot water heater had been the source. The tank was split. The issue now is that the flooring under the hot water heater and the entire wall has extensive damage. I'm trying to figure out how to get this thing apart to rebuild the wall and replace flooring. The damage start at the left front and extends to the slide. The skin or outer shell of camper is disintegrating and will need to be replaced as well. What is the material used on that panel? Reminds me of panels they use inside of industrial coolers/freezers. Any advice or suggestions appreciated.

[Danno]

Sorry for your misfortune, but you have a can of worms on your hands. Unfortunately this is going to be an expensive lesson. You basically have 2 options; Fix it yourself as best as you can, or sell it as is and take the loss. I'm not sure what your skill set is, but that is a huge job even with the knowledge and tools. I would go after the previous owner because without a doubt he knew of this problem. This is why I would only buy new, or at most a unit that is only 2 years old, and even then you need to be careful.
If you need to hire someone to do the work for you, it will not be worth it in the end.

[slstarr1026]

Well I'll be doing the work myself. Not willing to pay what they would want to charge. Unfortunately it came from a "friend" of my wife who knew nothing about any wood rot or water damage. I'm sure you all have heard that story more time than you can tell. Anyway I'm willing to put in the work . Didn't realize I was going to become a camper.repair tech LOL. I've already started some disassembly but curious about a few things. What is the outer skin material? That will need to be replaced and is the material easily sourced? Removing that outer skin is going.to be the challenge as I need to do so without it being damaged further so I can use it as a template. How to remove the lift rail and support assembly for that rail. The shell is tucked under the edge.thanks for your reply.

[slstarr1026]

Also anyone aware or know of any kind of parts diagram? I don't know what any of the parts are called.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by slstarr1026

Also anyone aware or know of any kind of parts diagram? I don't know what any of the parts are called.

I would give Jayco Customer Support a call, and have your PUP 'VIN' handy.

They will forwarded PDF diagram files to you of the wall frames, electrical, plumbing, etc......., specify what you need. I also believe that Jayco has a component parts list available as well.

Bob

[slstarr1026]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

I would give Jayco Customer Support a call, and have your PUP 'VIN' handy.

They will forwarded PDF diagram files to you of the wall frames, electrical, plumbing, etc......., specify what you need. I also believe that Jayco has a component parts list available as well.

Bob

Thanks Bob. I'll give them a call.

[Screwby]

If you are handy enough then almost anything is repairable. Cost is going to be your deciding factor. Your going to spend much more money trying to source original matching parts as opposed to going DIY custom. Trying to make it look like new again vs. getting creative and using different ways to make it usable. Maybe using a different material like diamond plate accents to repair the rotten outer skin, using aluminum panels and painting or polishing them or using a bed lining to seal it. It’s basically just a big wooden box on wheels and I’ve seen some pretty worn out units made cool again with some ingenuity and time. I see two approaches here. Sourcing out all factory parts and trying to keep the cost down as much as possible or treating it as a creative blank canvas if your DIY enough to do it.

[bfinigan]

Please keep us posted. I have a similar but not so bad repair to do. Thanks.

[DonaandDon]

Options, options, options.....

1- Do a hard clean, don't worry about how much more damage that might occur, you know it's bad already.

2- Your pics only show what the outside damage is, but what about the inside.

Get Innovated;

3- Remove everything inside and float a hardwood or good plywood floor.

4- Seal and paint all - Cover all - Install a panel on the bad side and install a tank/tankless water heater on the good side.

Restorations are very expensive and you could be looking at double or triple the value. Need more pics on the slide to help. But again be innovated. Don't get caught up in original restoration... Good Luck Brother..

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by Screwby

If you are handy enough then almost anything is repairable. Cost is going to be your deciding factor. Your going to spend much more money trying to source original matching parts as opposed to going DIY custom. Trying to make it look like new again vs. getting creative and using different ways to make it usable. Maybe using a different material like diamond plate accents to repair the rotten outer skin, using aluminum panels and painting or polishing them or using a bed lining to seal it. It’s basically just a big wooden box on wheels and I’ve seen some pretty worn out units made cool again with some ingenuity and time. I see two approaches here. Sourcing out all factory parts and trying to keep the cost down as much as possible or treating it as a creative blank canvas if your DIY enough to do it.

That would be my approach on the repair. At the end of the day it is a 12 year old pop up and is well beyond the ordinary life of the unit. Think your goal is to get it back into usable condition and not making it look original. I really like the diamond plate idea. You can get it in very thin sheets that should be reasonable to mold into a replacement panel to enclose the area after cutting out the old panel. I bought a used mustang back in the day and it came with a large dent in the rear quarter panel. I was a recent college grad and getting married soon so it was a good car at a good price. My solution to the dent was a large bandade decal I found that I placed across the damaged area at an angle. Stayed that way for as long as I owned the car.

[raising4daughters]

We had this exact same damage from the exact same problem last year. Two seasons ago, I forgot to drain the hot water tank, it cracked, and water leaked all over. The wood under the pulley rotted, and the pulley gave way next time I went to lift the roof.

In our case, insurance covered everything since the damage occurred while we were the owner. Total cost for new wood flooring, a new water tank, pulley, and labor was around $3,300 at a Jayco dealer.

[slstarr1026]

Anything is possible at this point, thanks for the ideas.

[slstarr1026]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

That would be my approach on the repair. At the end of the day it is a 12 year old pop up and is well beyond the ordinary life of the unit. Think your goal is to get it back into usable condition and not making it look original. I really like the diamond plate idea. You can get it in very thin sheets that should be reasonable to mold into a replacement panel to enclose the area after cutting out the old panel. I bought a used mustang back in the day and it came with a large dent in the rear quarter panel. I was a recent college grad and getting married soon so it was a good car at a good price. My solution to the dent was a large bandade decal I found that I placed across the damaged area at an angle. Stayed that way for as long as I owned the car.

Hah i recall seeing those Bandaid stickers on cars before. Thanks for the ideas.

[slstarr1026]

Ok all sorry for the late replies, Im a OTR Truck Driver and was gone during the week. Had all week to think it over and im just going to dive in and see how it goes. I Spent a few hours last night and today removing all the cabinets ,fridge,heater, canvas, beds and the pull out. I now have access to the entire corner and the wall that divides the storage from the cabin. I have plenty of room to work now. Glad i went this direction as i found another pulley that had a bolt pulled out between the pull out and the cabinet holding the heater/fridge. Found some other small issues along the way as well. Has anyone ever had to replace a support rail? any suggestions on that? i have one that is stuck and have not figured that out yet. done for the night and back to work tomorrow. Thanks for all the input, ideas and replies.
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[The Cleavers]

I see from your last post that you have already started making repairs yourself. You should be fine and I think you'll be satisfied with the results. I successfully repaired the water damage to the roof of the Starcraft popup I had owned for over 20 years. The caulking dried out and shrinked enough to let water get past and it dry rotted the plywood structure. Like you I only discovered it when the clasp securing the lowered roof to the bottom trailer started to pull out. I was able to remove all the trim and fasteners, then separate the thin aluminum panels that the damaged plywood was sandwiched between. I cut out all the bad wood and replaced it with pressure treated plywood. I had to replace some hardware, but most of it and the trim was reusable. I was fortunate that the aluminum panels were only a little corroded at the edges, leaving enough overlap that I could still attach them to the new wood and put it all back together with new caulk as necessary.

From the photos you posted it appears like the walls you need to repair are plywood and foam sandwiched between aluminum outside and maybe wood trim inside, similar to the construction of the walls of my StarCraft. The trick is how to best secure the new sections you replace to the still good original sections in a way that creates a structurally sound repair, while leaving the exterior smooth and flat for good resistance to the elements and good looks. I believe you'll be able to overlap and secure together the repaired and original sections on the interior side where you have space to accommodate modifications. On the exterior you can overlap any new and old aluminum panels as needed with an adhesive/sealant and pop rivet them together. Then create some sort of graphic design to help disguise the repaired area with a coat of paint. I've seen thin aluminum sheets for sale at home improvement stores that should work for your repairs.

Though the man hours will be considerable I think you will be able to do these repairs w/o spending allot of money for materials. Replacing the water heater and things like that will cost the most $$$. Good luck and please post updates.

[idkid]

I replaced the roof and part of the rear skirt on an older truck camper a few years ago. I used a product called Git Rot. It’s basically a penetrating epoxy - slow cure. You mix it in two parts and drill holes in the wood and pour it in. I used a veterinary syringe and large gauge cow hypodermic needle to help apply it. This product works really well for restoring any boards that are rotting that you can’t access or remove and replace. Excellent product.