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Old 03-24-2015, 08:45 PM   #71
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Hi Nothermark!

Yes, the Elmers Wood Glue I have is yellowish/tan color but I didn't see anywhere on the bottle where it says it might be water proof or water resistant but my hope is that water will never get that far again anyway.

For the floor, I was actually thinking of top and bottom layers with spacers - all glued AND screwed.

If I can figure out what kind of metal to use, I could brace it from underneath between the black and gray tanks.... I mean, if I'm going to put down a laminate floor in the kitchen, that's going to be pretty telling that the floor had an issue at some point anyway. Might as well show the floor is braced well from the bottom, right? I'm even thinking I could screw the new cross beams from inside the trailer and down through the steel then I could just bolt them from underneath the trailer to secure them. Just have to hope it's not that hard to drill through steel cause I never tried that before.

That sink thing was quite a project due to the location of the leak. Good thing I'm little!

As for that piece of counter between the sink and the stove, bracing it from the bottom is the plan for sure. Hopefully, that will be easier then that damned leak issue turned out to be!
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Old 03-25-2015, 05:13 AM   #72
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For any exterior fitting like a Sharkbite to work, the "cut" has to be clean and straight/square. Pex is best cut with cutters like this:
PEX Pipe Cutter Tool - - Amazon.com

Any abrasion on the outside of the pex below the cut can cause the Sharkbite fitting to not seal which means leak. Anyway, glad you got it done, but if you have to cut anymore Pex pick up or borrow some cutters.

Your floor support where there is no joist is going to take some thought. Not being there and seeing everything from top and bottom makes it hard to advise. If you have access from underneath, you might be able to sister on some plywood running some distance(2' or so) and screwed onto the "good section" of floor, leaving a lip at your joint that your replacement ply can sit on. The problem(besides access) with this is that you are only catching that bottom layer of 1/4" luan....not confident at all that this would hold for any length of time. This is why I keep thinking that the only real way is to add metal joist where you need them....if you can get to it from under the trailer.

Next would be to go ahead and fill in your holes with your ply making sure the patch is the same height as the regular floor. Then, go over your entire floor with 1/2" ply(or even 3/8's)running in the opposite grain direction to the sections that have a non supported seam(...did I just hear a groan?) If you think about it a sec, you really don't have much sq ft of walkable floor" & adding a new layer on top would really firm up all of your weak spots and make the floor stronger. Glue and screw the snot out of it.

I know this raises the total height of your floor which might create a few issues for you, so get a tape measure and see if just shy of 3/4"(new sub-floor+new laminate up from your subfloor would be doable. Something to think about...........
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Old 03-25-2015, 07:27 AM   #73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Animalangel View Post
Hi Nothermark!

Yes, the Elmers Wood Glue I have is yellowish/tan color but I didn't see anywhere on the bottle where it says it might be water proof or water resistant but my hope is that water will never get that far again anyway.

For the floor, I was actually thinking of top and bottom layers with spacers - all glued AND screwed.

If I can figure out what kind of metal to use, I could brace it from underneath between the black and gray tanks.... I mean, if I'm going to put down a laminate floor in the kitchen, that's going to be pretty telling that the floor had an issue at some point anyway. Might as well show the floor is braced well from the bottom, right? I'm even thinking I could screw the new cross beams from inside the trailer and down through the steel then I could just bolt them from underneath the trailer to secure them. Just have to hope it's not that hard to drill through steel cause I never tried that before.

That sink thing was quite a project due to the location of the leak. Good thing I'm little!

As for that piece of counter between the sink and the stove, bracing it from the bottom is the plan for sure. Hopefully, that will be easier then that damned leak issue turned out to be!
The problem with Elmers is that it is not heat resistant. The waterproof testing standard is to boil the sample and see if it delaminates. That was where my earlier boil your camper comment came from. The temperatures even in the Florida sun should be OK.

I would get the floor down except for the laminate and give it a few days. If you are still having soft spot problems then you can work on them without messing up the finished floor. At that point you will probably be looking at wood or metal underneath screwed through the top. I do not think you will need that if you put ribs in every foot or so. Normal spacing is 16 inches.

I would not worry about the laminate indicating problems as a lot of folks put it down just to replace the old vinyl or carpet.

Nice job on the sink. I'm glad you finally got that sorted out!
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Old 03-26-2015, 08:15 AM   #74
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Motor7:

RE: Plumbing... ya, I did all that. Like I said, the first sharkbite didn't work for me after installing and removing multiple times and filing, sanding, etc. in between. The second sharkbite worked great the first time I put it on (without any more filing/sanding on the pex) but the top screw attachment wasn't the correct size so that's why that one came off. The part I have on there now from Ace Hardware worked perfectly on both ends. I'm just glad that mess is over and done with.

************************************************** *******
EVERYBODY

RE: Floor... the only way I can see to fix this floor is with metal joists from underneath. The question is: Where do I buy them? I think three cross pieces would be sufficient because there's already a steel beam a foot inside the kitchen door so with the three added, that would be four total. (If they are cheap enough, I can buy 4 for a total of 5.)

After I install the metal cross pieces from underneath I can determine what I want to do to fix the floor from the inside. I have two different ideas:

1) use what is currently the top piece of plywood as a base, use thinner styro on top of it and put another solid piece of plywood on the top walking surface eventually putting the laminate on top of this,

OR

2) use a quarter inch layer of plywood, create framework (boxing in), fill "boxes" with styro or other insulation, then a nice new sheet of plywood on the top walking surface to be eventually covered with the laminate.

I would certainly let all that sit a while before I put any laminate down to be sure it's stable and solid and there is no "give" anywhere and eliminate any squeaks if I find any. With either scenario, I would try to make them level with the current floor because the laminate is going to raise the floor up and I don't want to have issues with the bathroom door or floor level cabinets opening and stuff.

Glue the snot out of it? You betcha!

If I can find those metal cross pieces, I need to do that quickly. This floor is already compromised since I broke up the styro and I can already feel it giving out without reinforcement from underneath.
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Old 03-27-2015, 05:34 AM   #75
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How long do the metal joist need to be? You don't need a real heavy gauge, but you will need tabs on each end to screw them into the main beams.

How about this, crawl under there and measure the exact distance between the main beams exactly where you need a joist. If the trailer is built correctly they should all be the same measurement, but just to be sure measure them all and double check you can even get to the area to install them. PM me how many joists and those measurements & I'll weld some up with tabs on them & send them to you....plenty of scrap here on my pile for this.

You will then need to hold them up under there, mark the tab holes on the main beams, then drill pilot holes. Then attach them with self tapping screws.
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Old 03-27-2015, 05:40 AM   #76
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We are talking here?...new joist shown in red:


If so, on the left & right side there has to be enough space for a screw to go through the tab & beam without puncturing the tank. A better picture, not reduced in size of the exact area would help.
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Old 03-27-2015, 10:26 AM   #77
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Ok..... I took a photo and double-checked the measurements between the beams all the way across the width of the trailer and it's very consistent.

The "beams" I will attach to are angle beams with the vertical angles on the inside (closest to each other). Not sure if I'm explaining that well.... hopefully you can see it in the picture.

The beams do not actually compromise the tanks. The one near the black tank overlaps but just a hair... it will not affect where I can insert a screw and I'll be very careful anyway.

I think if the joists are 15 1/2 to 15 3/4 inches (or the full 16 but then I might hit the edge of the tank) that should give me plenty of room to screw them all together for stability. I also don't think that "tabs" will work because of the way the beams I'm attaching them to are situated. Just regular flat pieces should be fine. My thought is to lay them on top of the beams (between the skin and the beam) and screw them in that way. Do you think that would work?

I tried to put this in a private message but couldn't see how to add the photo... my "pictures" don't have "http" addresses. Also, I have not been reducing the size of my pictures. They're pretty huge on my end... not sure what's going on with that.
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Old 03-28-2015, 04:24 AM   #78
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If you can span the two existing beams inside the floor you can build up inside the floor without messing around underneath. I'd be looking at doing that. YMMV.
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Old 03-28-2015, 05:32 AM   #79
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I did look at that Nothermark... I can't. That beam alongside the black tank is under the kitchen cabinets and under my bathtub. I'd have to remove all of them to do that and that's not an option. It would be far easier to do it from underneath.
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Old 03-28-2015, 07:03 PM   #80
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Ok, good photo and yes I think what you have shown will work. Are you going to screw them from underneath or above? I even think they could just float or sit on top of those beams & when you build the patch panel just pop a few screws in them from above..through the ply then into the joist.

I'll work on it this week and shoot you a pick of one with measurements. If that one gets the green light I'll make the rest exactly the same.
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Old 03-29-2015, 06:03 AM   #81
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Ok, Thanks Motor7.

I will be able to screw the ends along the gray tank from inside the trailer toward the ground. On the black tank side, looks like I might have to screw from bottom up. Not quite sure how I could secure the screws though with the cabinets and under/inside cabinet flooring still in place.

As long as I can secure along the gray tank, I think your idea of screwing the other (loose) end to the new plywood or "boxes" I might make would be the easiest way to go. I'll think about that and see what I have when they get here and I can get to working on it.

I'll be looking forward to what you come up with. Thanks again.
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Old 04-04-2015, 09:45 AM   #82
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Found a new leak in under the kitchen sink... can't tell if I need a whole new faucet or if it's just where the cold water line attaches to the copper pipe just under the countertop.....

Question: (might help me figure it out) You know how the entire faucet is "centered" in place. Well, the base of the faucet is still centered but the faucet no longer moves to the left (toward the hot water side). The hot water is now what was previously the center (warm mix of hot and cold) water and for the cold water I have to turn the "knob?" all the way to behind the sink to the right (toward the cold) to have cold water. Not sure if I'm explaining it correctly....

The faucet used to face center, now it faces to the right (simplified version) but the base of the faucet is still firmly in place as it should be.

Does this mean the faucet needs replacement or are there some "screws loose" someplace (besides in my head?)?
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Old 04-04-2015, 04:37 PM   #83
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I have your metal(picked up some tractor shipping crate frames) & will get on this asap...it's been a busy week.

Two types......The faucet should have two plastic nuts under the counter top...one on the cold and one on the hot that tighten down & hold the facet to the sink. If they are loose, the faucet can go cockeyed a little bit. And, if they are loose, then any surface water around the base of the faucet can run under it and leak into the cabinet. the other type has one center nut that holds the entire faucet to the sink...it's right in the middle. Same thing, if it is loose then surface water can migrate down past the faucet & under the sink. Other than that, the only other source of a leak could be the connections to hot & cold @ the faucet...so verify that they are tight.
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Old 04-05-2015, 05:41 AM   #84
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If that is a single handle faucet did you have it apart?

If it is then it sounds like you put the cartridge back in wrong.
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