Community Forums

Mustangmike · 06-05-2021, 08:39 AM

I purchased a used 2016 Precept in Dec 2020, discovered a damaged floor in the bathroom on our first trip out. Never walked into the bathroom until we went camping. Not happy about it. Not sure still where the water came from. Its now June and it seems to be getting worse, will have to get it check this coming week, to stop further damage.

Ljwt330 · 06-05-2021, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustangmike

I purchased a used 2016 Precept in Dec 2020, discovered a damaged floor in the bathroom on our first trip out. Never walked into the bathroom until we went camping. Not happy about it. Not sure still where the water came from. Its now June and it seems to be getting worse, will have to get it check this coming week, to stop further damage.

Lots of questions if, I assume, you are asking for advice on what may be the cause.

First, has/is the rv exposed to rain or outside moisture?

Second, are you connected to city water?

Third, is there water in the fresh tank?

Fourth, just where in the bathroom is the moisture/damage? Is it around the toilet, close to a wall, under the vanity, or by the shower?

We really need to know the context of the situation to help find why there is water damage and answering the above will help. IMO, it's no use offering remedies or suggestions until we know the circumstances of the problem.

77Ti_o_ga · 06-05-2021, 09:00 AM

I had a similar, mysterious leak in my Aerbus lavy. The PO had installed a brand new Dometic 330 toilet atop a water softened subfloor (receipts showed he paid a lot for this sub standard workmanship).

After revamping the floor, I reinstalled the toilet and ASSUMED all was a-okay.. From the exterior everything appeared normal and there were no leaks coming from the usual (water hose, inlets, fittings, etc.,) sources.

However, long story made short, I discovered that the real culprit was my Dometic 330 toilet! It was a poorly engineered, two piece design that leaked, compounded by their piss-poor manufacturing process (improperly installed, internal separation gasket).

I have tons of pics along with a fix if you think this may pertain to you..

Mustangmike · 06-06-2021, 06:52 AM

Good questions! First its stored under a cover when not being used. It does have water in the fresh water tank, and when camping I connect to city water. The moisture is behind the toilet, and along the wall to the right of the toilet up to the vanity. Moisture is present along the vanity towards the bathroom door, and some moisture is present along the outside of the bathroom in the hall, on the same side as the bathroom, moisture fades further towards the kitchen. There was a leak in the back bedroom just after it was purchased by the original owner, and Jayco took it and repaired the leak. I'm not sure if this is part of the original leak or not. The weekend I discovered the damage, I replaced the toilet o ring just to be on the safe side.

Ljwt330 · 06-06-2021, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustangmike

Good questions! First its stored under a cover when not being used. It does have water in the fresh water tank, and when camping I connect to city water. The moisture is behind the toilet, and along the wall to the right of the toilet up to the vanity. Moisture is present along the vanity towards the bathroom door, and some moisture is present along the outside of the bathroom in the hall, on the same side as the bathroom, moisture fades further towards the kitchen. There was a leak in the back bedroom just after it was purchased by the original owner, and Jayco took it and repaired the leak. I'm not sure if this is part of the original leak or not. The weekend I discovered the damage, I replaced the toilet o ring just to be on the safe side.

Thanks for the feedback, that narrows down some of the possibilities. However, still a few more questions.

Where was the leak in the rv that had been repaired, meaning, was it in an area that could have caused the moisture?

How long a time was there a leak before the PO had it fixed?

How much moisture had entered the coach before the leak was fixed?

How long ago was the leak repaired?

I understand that you may not have answers to the above questions, but if you can make a judgement as to if the original leak is the cause, that would help.

Is the area of moisture you described, on the floor, in the vertical wall, or both? What I'm getting at is if the moisture has wicked up into the wall from the floor, or has come from the wall onto the floor.

If the moisture is in the wall, is the height of the moist area consistent all along the wall?

Finally, not knowing your rv or how it's plumbed, are there any water lines behind the walls, are you losing water from your fresh tank, or does your pump cycle on/off when not using city water?

Mustangmike · 06-06-2021, 02:41 PM

Update:
I went to the RV today with a moisture detector, non-evasive, (no holes). Bottom line from the evaluation is that the along the outer wall of the bathroom and next to the cabinet run about 97-100% moisture. Outer wall of bathroom sink side 100% Midway across the floor towards the shower 10%. Kitchen floor behind sink 100%, directly under the sink floor 97%. Here is where it gets interesting, I checked the outside wall behind the stove above the tile, Moisture was 62% and 78 below the microwave above the tile. In either cabinet on both sides of microwave 0% on wall? Under window above the couch 55%. Final hypothesis: There is a Microwave vent that takes air outside on the side of the RV. I believe this is where the water is coming in, (Note: there is no visible water anywhere where the high moisture numbers are, and no evidence there has been any there. My guess is the water is getting wicked from the outer wall where the water is coming in.
Thoughts Larry?

Ljwt330 · 06-07-2021, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustangmike

Update:
I went to the RV today with a moisture detector, non-evasive, (no holes). Bottom line from the evaluation is that the along the outer wall of the bathroom and next to the cabinet run about 97-100% moisture. Outer wall of bathroom sink side 100% Midway across the floor towards the shower 10%. Kitchen floor behind sink 100%, directly under the sink floor 97%. Here is where it gets interesting, I checked the outside wall behind the stove above the tile, Moisture was 62% and 78 below the microwave above the tile. In either cabinet on both sides of microwave 0% on wall? Under window above the couch 55%. Final hypothesis: There is a Microwave vent that takes air outside on the side of the RV. I believe this is where the water is coming in, (Note: there is no visible water anywhere where the high moisture numbers are, and no evidence there has been any there. My guess is the water is getting wicked from the outer wall where the water is coming in.
Thoughts Larry?

Another great feedback post.

However, I’m having difficulty visualizing your layout and where the moisture is found without a floor plan. Further, it’s not clear when you say “outside wall,” if you mean exterior wall and outside of the rv, or just outside of an interior space but still inside of the Rv. If you meant the inside of an exterior wall, then I agree water is wicking through the floor from a wall leak.

Really, without seeing where you detected high moisture, relative to possible leak areas, I can’ offer an opinion.

One other question though. If you suspect the vent as the leak area, and the rv was stored under cover, is it possible there would be so much moisture still in the floor?

Ljwt330 · 06-07-2021, 06:34 PM

Just looked up coaches like yours, but don’t know exact model so I can’t get the floor plan, but another thought occurred to me.

You may have a leak at the belt line under the trim piece. That has happened to others, especially at the hinges for the compartment doors. Water can get in and soak the ends of the flooring, wicking to the interior. Something you might check is the caulking on the belt trim or the bracket the trim is connected with.

Mustangmike · 06-08-2021, 05:34 AM

Larry send me your email or text number I will send you my layout.

I do mean inside of the exterior wall in those cases mentioned Larry. Regarding the question regarding if its stored undercover, how is it so wet? We had it in GA and it rained like crazy the night before we came home. Also a big storm coming back from Williamsburg last week.

I do have a mobile RV guy coming out Thursday to check the roof, and the vent and other things as well.

Thanks

Mike Clow
mustangmike57@gmail.com

Ljwt330 · 06-08-2021, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustangmike

Larry send me your email or text number I will send you my layout.

I do mean inside of the exterior wall in those cases mentioned Larry. Regarding the question regarding if its stored undercover, how is it so wet? We had it in GA and it rained like crazy the night before we came home. Also a big storm coming back from Williamsburg last week.

I do have a mobile RV guy coming out Thursday to check the roof, and the vent and other things as well.

Thanks

Mike Clow
mustangmike57@gmail.com

Mike, you have clarified much of your information in this last post so I don’t really need to see a floor plan now. From your description of how the coach was exposed to water, I can see how there would still be a lot of moisture in the floor. Have you had a chance to inspect the belt line trim? Still a possibility given the length of the moisture spread across the floor.

Keep us posted on what the tech discovers.

If you want to email me or PM, just click on my screen name and select from the drop down menu.

Mustangmike · 06-09-2021, 04:23 AM

I have not checked the belt line yet. But we will Thursday. I plan on renting a dehumidifier after the repairs from Home Depot its a large one, and will see what that can do to remove the moisture. Thanks for your feedback on this issue Larry.

Mustangmike · 06-11-2021, 06:25 PM

Mystery solved, had the RV roof check today, several holes in the seal around the edge of the roof, and the side of the vehicle. It took 4 cartridges of sealant to do the entire roof, and edge. Several more holes in the sealant were found. So now on to renting a good dehumidifier, to hasten the reduction of moisture within the RV and floor. Thanks for helping out with this problem. Using the moisture detector pointed me in the right location. I will continue to use it to monitor the amount of moisture in the floor, and wall. Occam's razor applies in this case for sure. Oh, the sealant on the vent for the microwave has cracks as well.

Ljwt330 · 06-11-2021, 06:55 PM

Good news and thanks for updating. Maybe let us know how the drying out process goes, for others to learn.

Good luck.

DaBears2022 · 04-08-2022, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustangmike

I purchased a used 2016 Precept in Dec 2020, discovered a damaged floor in the bathroom on our first trip out. Never walked into the bathroom until we went camping. Not happy about it. Not sure still where the water came from. Its now June and it seems to be getting worse, will have to get it check this coming week, to stop further damage.

Had a similar problem with our 2018 Greyhawk Prestige 30XP during one of the first trips out. Wife was taking a shower and we noticed water was gushing outside. Turned out to be the drainpipe had dislodged. Opened little trap door under shower and propped up pipe with wooden block. I now advise those showering to step towards front and away from the drain.