Community Forums

dubbyjig · 02-28-2016, 05:57 PM

Started cleaning the, new to us, MH (Shrek) today. Pretty happy with our purchase two weeks ago until I notice on the carpet what appeared to be pieces of plastic. Went to pick them up to examine and discover they were mushrooms not plastic. Felt the carpet and it was wet.

The area is to the left as you come in between the wall and co-pilot chair. I started dismantling the area including the trim around the door and the cup holder/cubby between the wall and chair. Carpet is wet about 18 inches from the door but staying close to the wall.

So the likely suspects, as I see it, could be the seam between the wall and roof; the window; the outside grab handle; or maybe the mounting screws for the over the door awning.

Any other ideas or words of wisdom?

Maybe this is karma. We name the MH Shrek, he lives in a swamp and now we have mushrooms.

JohnHenry · 02-28-2016, 06:44 PM

Hope you find the leak before too much damage is done.

Bruce C · 02-29-2016, 02:16 AM

Dry the area completely and reseal the suspected areas. Water can travel and it could take a bit of time to find where it's source is, but don't get disappointed it's one of the problems we all face at one time or another. I'm sure you'll still enjoy Shrek and have great memories. Safe travels.

Happy Prospector · 02-29-2016, 04:14 AM

Watch out for Mold, I'm sure it just didn't start leaking.

Gary RVRoamer · 02-29-2016, 07:21 AM

Mushrooms are mold, in a larger form. I'm thinking you have serious wetness in the subfloor and probably rotted wood there. Mushrooms need nourishment in addition to water, and synthetic carpet is going to provide it.

Mr.Geritol · 02-29-2016, 10:42 AM

If you do have mold, "don't panic". Go to Home depot and get Concrobrium Mold Control. I had a mold problem in my attic (house that is not head) and it worked oerfect. They also have a mold stain remover.
It wont fox any rotted wood or other material but it kells the mold in porous materials better than bleach.

Nadge · 02-29-2016, 06:16 PM

MY son in-law had similar water leakage problem in same area on his Thor Hurricane MH.
He and I used a water hose to try to look for water leak since large area interior was soaked.
Long story short, we narrowed one of the leaks to the driver side window seal. ( Yes I said One of the leaks). The fibrous seal which the window glass rides in was one location and hard to believe.

The problem was, the manufacturer installed two piecesof seal in the track instead of one complete seal and of course the butt ends where positioned near the bottom of the window glass and had become separated allowing water to gain access into the wall.

Unfortunately this was not the only water entry source. The previous RV owner did a poor repair to the roof edge seal above the driver side which caused de-lamination of the side walls and required MAJOR repairs.

We also found the slide out seal under the slideout canopy became delaminated and allowed water to enter the top of the slideout and find it's way inside the wall and not noticed until the rug became mildewed.

We spent many hours going over every inch and water testing every location on that side of the RV with a magnifying glass to try to eliminate the leak.

I certainly hope you can find the source ASAP.

Best of luck my friend.

One who has been there and now checks my RV quite frequently as precautionary measure.

Nadge · 02-29-2016, 06:25 PM

PS
We also used a wet dry vacuum to pick up as much water soaked into and below the rug. You also need to absolutely completely dry out the soaked carpeting as well as the non-pressure treated sub floor to prevent de-lamination and further fungi growth by utilizing a dehumidifier to pull out as much moisture in your closed up RV.
My advice is to rent one or buy one. It is cheaper in the long run if mildew becomes an issue.

dubbyjig · 03-02-2016, 08:59 AM

Thanks everyone for words of encouragement and advice

I need some advice as to what product to use depending on where the leak is

I assume I use different products for the roof/wall seam versus around the door or window.

Any advice will be appreciated

Thanks

Bill

twogypsies · 03-02-2016, 11:40 AM

Your first issue would be to find the leak(s) and do the repair. . . then deal with the mushrooms. Not finding the leak will just encourage more growth. Good luck.

DJJ · 03-02-2016, 03:55 PM

Bill,

Do an Internet search for Seal Tech and see if someone close to you has the equipment. Several videos showing the process. CW charges 1 hour of labor to do the test and will show you where the leaks are and you can fix them yourself or let them do it. I had them do my RV last year here in FL, other RV repair facilities near you my also have the equipment.

Jeff

vettenuts · 03-02-2016, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJJ

Bill,

Do an Internet search for Seal Tech and see if someone close to you has the equipment. Several videos showing the process. CW charges 1 hour of labor to do the test and will show you where the leaks are and you can fix them yourself or let them do it. I had them do my RV last year here in FL, other RV repair facilities near you my also have the equipment.

Jeff

The current issue of FMCA magazine has a good article on this method.

dubbyjig · 03-02-2016, 08:59 PM

Thanks

I'll check with CW tomorrow

Unfortunately I'm not a member of FMCA yet but may have to rethink that

dubbyjig · 03-12-2016, 01:48 PM

I took DJJ and vettenuts advice and looked for local shops that do the Seal Tech test.

Found four, ranging in price from $100 to $600. I chose the $100.

Not good news, they found that every window was leaking. They said it looked like a bubble machine.

Price quote was around $6,000 to fix the windows and the roof.

Guess I'm learning how to remove windows and fix the leaks. Any suggestions are appreciated.

We may need to rename the coach to Mr. Bubbles