Community Forums

madonna5 · 02-06-2016, 01:37 PM

We bought our 2000 Newmar DutchStar 6 mos ago. We did notice some old/dry mold about 2" above the carpet in 2 spots. Bottom line we noticed now twice the storage compartment for the electric cord had a good inch of standing water in it after a huge rain storm! We then felt the floor in the bdr and it was wet and the mold had now grown significantly! We ripped the carpet out today to start the drying process and this is what we found! YIKES!
Last week we eternabonded 90% of the room seems, just a few small areas left. I'm pretty sure we got the leak, as I did see a few areas that had cracked caulking very near the areas we had the water. That crack was at the sky light in the shower.
Few questions:

Any other places you think the leak could be coming from? Water pressure is off and all lines were meticulously drained. Not hooked up to water just sitting at a storage lot.`
After the eternabond we found small amt of standing water again today in the electric compartment outside the coach. Is it possible water is still left in the coach and it's just dripping out still??
How do we know if we need to replace the floor boards? They dont seem saggy or weak. Hoping to dry them and do 50/50 bleach/water.
What about KILZ?
Lastly, the edge of the carpet under the drawers feels damp, so we'll likely have to somehow remove that too?? Suggestions?

Thank you,
Annette

2000 Newmar Dutchstar

Diesel Pusher 38'

slowmachine · 02-06-2016, 02:00 PM

I am in a similar situation. I would advise you to not start removing the OSB floor underlayment unless it is structurally compromised. Any type of chemical remediation is far less work than rebuilding the floor. Mine was too far gone to be saved, but it looks like yours may be salvageable. Any contractors local to you that do mold/rot remediation can point you to effective products.

Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B

slowmachine · 02-06-2016, 02:05 PM

I'll add that, with a Newmar coach, you may have woodwork that is worth saving. I attacked mine with a sawzall and dumped the scraps in the woods behind my house. I'll be building new cabinetry to go along with a complete remodel of the bedroom. The carpet and padding beneath the cabinetry and walls may be standard industry practice, but I will not be satisfied until it is more like our home. Walls sit atop the subfloor, not the finished flooring.

Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B

Steve N Sal · 02-06-2016, 02:32 PM

I would think that anything damp should be removed. You've gone this far so I'd take out the rest to be safe. I wouldn't think water would still be dripping from a previous rain. Water can travel from anywhere in a leak situation. You Eterbabond 90% of the "room" seams or did you mean "roof" seams? Where you're roof rolls over the edge, there should be caulk along this seam as well where it meets the sidewalls. I suggest inspecting the condition of the caulk along the entire length of the coach on BOTH sides. Good Luck and hope all works out.

As suggested if the plywood and OSB is not coming apart, let it dry out. Treat the area with bleach and the Kilz may help too. You're probably going to have to address the storage areas under the coach in that area. It may mean to remove the insulation in that area but it needs to dry out as well.

madonna5 · 02-06-2016, 04:08 PM

Sorry, yes should've proofed my typing better. Yes, we eternabonded 90% of the roof including all the vents and roof meaning the seams along the outside edge of the roof.
Good point about caulk on both sides of the coach, it definitely has areas that need re-caulking. Have that on order also. As we speak it's been raining for 2 hours... keeping our fingers crossed.

MikeandJan · 02-07-2016, 09:58 AM

There are some very good mold remediation products available in the paint depts at Home Depot and Lowe's that are much easier to use and safer than bleach - especially if you're using a 50% solution. If the subfloor is in pretty good shape after a thorough drying, there are some wood strengthening products that paint on and may help reseal the OSB floor.

BounderDan · 02-07-2016, 10:44 AM

Sorry to hear of your leak, but it seems if we stay with this RVing thing long enough we all will get there to some degree. I've dealt with a couple humdingers in the past 50 years. Sounds like you've things well in hand, though. I just wanted to drop you a note of empathy and on the positive side: you now get new carpeting of choice or maybe, if you're so inclined, this is a good time to install hardwood, since your already halfway there. Dan & Niecy

madonna5 · 02-27-2016, 02:31 PM

Well we put good ole Eternabond on almost every seam/vent on the roof as well as caulking on the vents and front end. We've had 2 huge rainstorms and its DRY!!!!
Never thought we'd be so happy to find a dry RV post rainstorm! We've ripped up all the carpet, did the 50/50 bleach as well as putting KILZ on it. It looks amazing! We've decided to go with cork flooring. A little pricey but it's a small area and we love the look and feel of it. I must say it all working out much better than I thought it would when we first stepped on the wet carpet and then saw all the mold!