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OnTheMove2 · 07-06-2015, 05:41 PM

So, first, happy to be here. And scared to death. Why? Well, last year I had this wild idea that I should purchase a used travel trailer so I could park it near my daughter's house to help her to take care of my two year old granddaughter. So putting my blind luck in faith, which has never worked out for me...ever really, I bought a 1999 Fleetwood Prowler. The person I purchased it from seemed honest (Not) and the trailer seemed sound (Not). So one thing after another...water pump went, furnace failed and now leaks!

My son, who was visiting for a few months last year attempted to remodel the interior thinking he might stay in the trailer while he was here. Did a good job painting, but that is when we discovered that there were leaks in the bedroom and in various other places. I am cash poor right now as I have been helping my daughter out with her expenses, so now I am trying to DIY all of the repairs as she desperately needs me to come there next month.

Any and all advice would be invaluable. Here is what I am up against.

The roof is rubber. (EPDM Rubber Roof) - A glance at the top (me perched on a ladder as I don't trust the roof not to collapse) showed that it appeared to be decent enough with the side seams showing some peeling and wear. The front part of the trailer where it seems to dip a bit (above the bedroom) looks like it is weakened some but I could see no rips or tears. I am really hoping that if I seal the seams that might be adequate. But not sure what I should do about the front part of the trailer. Could I get away with just cleaning that section and applying some dermabond tape and self leveling paste?

Inside the trailer, it would appear that I need to pull down the ceiling, at least in spots as it feels soft. Does anyone suggest that I pull the entire ceiling down? or just pull enough down until I no longer see discolored insulation?

I have tons of other questions, but as the leaks are the most important to fix and/or decide this might be too costly and just walk away...I figured I would just start with this.

Responses from one and all are most welcome.

Thank you so much....

Terry

Cliffy · 07-08-2015, 07:04 AM

Pictures would help

Vallance · 07-09-2015, 04:04 AM

Just started on iRV2 so hope I can follow this thread. Last year I bought a 1994,22 ft Prowler. Looked great in and out and was told it had been winterized and the roof was patched. OK, so took it to a dealer,paid $350 for a check up. Told it needed new roof.
Est.$3000. axles,brakes etc. [Trying to keep this concise] Got the mechanical stuff done and decided to do the roof myself. Told to clean and patch and use rubber paint.Long, slow job but got it done-lots of Eternabond tape.Caulked all outlets and windows etc.Ready to go ? WRONG ! Leek at water pump=flood and now fridge not working.

Have spent almost $3000 over purchase price and still can't go camping.
I have gone too far to cut my losses and am committed to getting this trailer on the road. My point is that I don't care if it costs more, I"ll eventually have a great trailer the suits my needs that will be [like] new and still won't cost anywhere near what a new trailer would. So I guess you will have to decide just how far you want to commit. When everything is done on my trailer I will still need a new roof and structural repairs!!

Nighthawk 96 · 07-09-2015, 08:38 PM

Putting money into a 15 year old trailer that seems to be in pretty poor condition is like flushing it down the toilet. Cut your losses and take it to the junk yard.

Does it need a new fridge ($1500) a/c unit and so forth. Better luck on your next purchase.

I don't usually sound this blunt!

shepd · 07-15-2015, 10:28 PM

I don't know if I'd give up that quickly if it's finally dry. Try to resurrect the fridge. If not, and you want to keep things simple, you can make this a good trailer by putting in a compact residential fridge. Without work, it won't run on the road, but at least when you get to your site you'll have a fridge. Compressor based fridges cool down far faster than absorption fridges, so you don't (necessarily) need several hours to get them usable.

If the A/C is dead, that can be expensive. Go without or hack in something else should your budget not warrant a roof unit. If your option is to make it ugly with a window A/C unit or take it to the junkyard, you don't have anything to lose.

OnTheMove2 · 07-16-2015, 06:59 PM

Hello all, sorry this has taken me so long....was sick for a bit. Yes it is 15 years old, but I don't think it is really in that bad of condition. The fridge works...the AC works really well, just installed a new water pump and fixed the thermostat so the heater is operating well.

I don't want to give up on it. My son bought it with what little money he had..and since I helped him pick it out, I sort of feel responsible. I really dont want to let him down...so I am not quite ready to call it quits yet.

I am attaching pictures of the ceiling in the bedroom which I started to tear down. The section above the window seemed to be the worst. I started to tear down the rest of the ceiling there but as I went in towards the center, things started looking better. I also took some pictures of the roof.

It seems that the front section of the roof where it dips down above the bedroom is the worst. The molding is cracked and some of the corner sections are really bad, but the center of the roof doesn't look all that bad, but I am far from a professional. There are leaks inside on four separate walls, but the middle of the ceiling does not seem too bad, but if I push in sections, it crackles some.

Anyway, here are some pictures. I appreciate the candor but I hope there is some encouragement to be found here. I was hoping to fix most of it as inexpensively as possible. I had read that replacing the insulation and the ceiling isn't that costly and a neighbor's son is going to repair the roof at a cheap price for his time and I just need to purchase the roofing material.

I too was told that the trailer had been winterized and kept under cover. I could not cover it last year though so perhaps I was the one that caused much of this. I don't know. But the roof warranty ran out after 12 years so it looks like I bought it right after that. Figures right. I think the guy I bought it from saw me coming!

Thanks everyone for your help. Really can use any and all advice.

Terry

wingnut60 · 07-16-2015, 08:29 PM

That is a lot of damage to repair. Have you considered the old standby blue tarp to cover it so you can use it? If you need the AC, you could cut the tarp out around it. Will look tacky, but may be only way to do this cheaply.
You also need to clean the debris out of the area between the roof and awning to help drainage...
Certainly hope you can get it sealed up and livable.
Joe

sprayman · 07-17-2015, 12:41 PM

i really hate to quit any project, but i think this one is a looser.

i hate to agree with Nighthawk, but on this one i have too.

Jim

OnTheMove2 · 07-17-2015, 02:35 PM

Hi Vallance, I know what you are saying. Sometimes the quote "if you knew then what you know now" might apply. But I admire your tenacity, perhaps because like you, I am not willing to quit either. And I haven't even gone down the road you went on. Could you please explain to me how tough it was repairing your roof...what you came across. The videos for applying liquid roof look so easy and simple. But I am sure it is not like that. I have a neighbor guy (young guy just looking for some extra money) who has offered to help me fix the roof if I just pay him a little. I would hate to start down that road only to find he is having to work himself to death. I posted pictures. Perhaps if you have a moment you could take a look at them and consider how they appear compared to your own experience. I think you will have a great trailer top to bottom as well. I hope to get to the fun stuff sooner rather than later...

OnTheMove2 · 07-17-2015, 02:37 PM

Hi Joe,
I had considered a tarp but only for later and only if I can't fix the roof. I have
not considered how much work there is as I have never repaired something
like this. I thought I could use liquid roof to just spread over the top of
the roof. I did not know if I needed to remove anything much or if I could
use eternabond tape to seal over the moldings along the top. It looked like
all I needed to do with the roof was brush it and then use a blower before
applying the liquid roof. Is anyone familiar with that? And since the
ceiling seems okay in spots, I should only have to rip out the sections
that got wet.

But since I have not done this, could you explain why it looks like a lot
of work? Maybe I am just being naive.

Thanks, Terry

OnTheMove2 · 07-17-2015, 02:40 PM

Hi Jim, I am not sure if your response is to my post or to the posting from Vallance...he indicated he had put in a lot of work onto his RV and still needed more work. I posted pictures from those I took of my trailer. As I mentioned earlier, my fridge and AC work just fine. I also fixed the furnace and the water pump. I am now faced with roof work and interior work from leaks.

So, I don't know when someone is posting suggesting I get rid of the trailer, if it is because of my post or because of Vallance's posting.

I hope someone can look at my pictures and let me know what they think of my trailer please.

Thank you, Terry

wingnut60 · 07-17-2015, 04:53 PM

Terry,
You can't just put 'liquid roof' material, nor Eternabond, on that corner area--it will not work, just wasting money.
You need new roofing base boards--looks like it currently is pressed waferboard--and that requires removing the EDPM material. It does not look as tho any of the EDPM material is salvageable, at least to me. If you start peeling back the roof, then you probably can't stop partway--and replacing that material with new EDPM is not something for us amateurs.
If you could get the roof base boards redone, then there might be some materials that you could put on that mimic the 'liquid roof' but not sure about that.
You have a serious problem that probably will cost more than the trailer would ever be worth, to get it fixed properly.
Wish I had better advice...
Joe

OnTheMove2 · 07-17-2015, 11:28 PM

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your response but Boy was that hard to hear (or read as it were). Are you sure that you can see that from that picture? I know I know nothing but I sure couldn't see what you were talking about.

I absolutely hate to just get rid of the trailer. We have barely used it and put every dime my son had into it.

Should I try and peal back the roof from that corner and peak underneath to see how it looks? There did not appear to be any leakage internally from that area, but then again, I might not see it yet.

I just can't face telling my son this news.

Vallance · 07-18-2015, 03:44 AM

Can't bring up thread on website so answering via email link. Looking at your pictures makes me shudder. When I started on my roof I knew I had a few "soft" spots but the structure is basically sound. The advice given to me was to make a shell of protection over the roof that could last a year or two but know sooner or later I would have to address the structure. I don't think you can get away that easy. I just washed my roof and rolled on rubber paint after eternabonding all fixtures and all around edge. Keep in mind I can safely walk on the roof.