water patches under floor

[la nomade]

2008 SAFARI SPORT ....i had serious leaks in the fall,some from the fan,then some from the ac,and some seepage under the fridge coming from the vents...all fixed except the vents i covered for now...the floor got a lot of water on it which i moped up...now its winter in N.Y.& freezing..when i walk in the floor in spots,i hear crunching,like ice..must be water trapped under the floor...will it ever evaporate when comes spring or if i go south this winter???or do i have to drill holes which i later would plug????anxiously waiting for solution and or advice...M.V.

[CRH]

What kind of flooring?

[la nomade]

i guess its fake bamboo....plastic???

[KJRitchie]

If there is water in between the vinyl and plywood subfloor the water will soak into the wood. It would be difficult for the wood to dry out and mold would form.

If it were my trailer I'd pull up the vinyl, check the subfloor for any damage, let everything dry out, verify there are no more leaks, and then lay down a new vinyl floor. It shouldn't cost that much to have someone lay a floor in your small trailer.

Kelvin

[la nomade]

that is exactly what i am hoping to avoid doing...drilling holes and let it breathe then patch them up with plugs would be my first choice....if it could work??????

[KJRitchie]

It could work but I'm not sure you could get all the subfloor dried out adequately. Then you would have to fill in the patches. The floor is only tacked down at the edges near the shell if its like my 2008 Classic 25fb. It would be difficult to patch and after a hot summer, cold winter the expansion/contraction of the vinyl would open up the patches.

My vinyl floor is buckling is several spots after moving from the mild climate of Texas to the colder climate of Missouri. I'm going to have my vinyl floor replaced, hopefully within the next several months. I'm going with a luxury vinyl plank floor that locks together.

Kelvin

[la nomade]

i am afraid you are right....my floor is not buckling at all.. its such a shame to have to pick it up,i have till spring to think about it..thanks..M.V.

[ezairstream]

Vacation for a few months in Yuma Arizona and forget about it.

Clyde

[dannydimitt]

Our 2005 Safari uses OSB instead of plywood for the flooring . Water causes OSB to fall apart . Would hate it if you were to walk in there next spring and fall through the floor :-(

[la nomade]

oh dear...between Arizona and falling through the floor...very difficult choice!!!! so easy to go in to denial mode and go to Arizona....

[silvereagle2]

Go to Lowe's and get a couple of plastic containers of Damprid . It will draw the moisture out of the trailer and possibly from under the floor . You just open them up ( I set them in a bucket ) and they last three months or so . It might help with your problem .

[JCWDCW]

You cannot get all the moisture out from under the floor by drilling holes without essentially destroying the look of the floor. Moisture moves so slowly that the Mold will develop faster than the migration of the water from the plywood to the vent holes.. The plywood under the floor (or the flake board) is not Marine grade and so cannot withstand being soaked in water.
JCW

[Tim A.]

Even if it would be marine grade plywood, remaining wet or subjected to repeated wetting and drying will cause damage to at least the wood layers in the plywood. Cycles of freezing and thawing will also damage wet wood since the water in the wood expands when it freezes.

The recommendations to remove the flooring material may well be correct. I would also suggest drilling 1/8" holes in the low spots of the belly pan to promote drainage. Surprisingly enough, ponded water can remain in those places for months and will hinder drying of your plywood floor.

Tim

[sgschwend]

How about an electric dehumidifier? The method used in boats is to wrap the boat so that outside humidity can not enter, then plug the machine in and let the drain tube exit the trailer.

[banderabob]

We purchased 19' Safari Bambi four years ago and immediately discovered and fixed a leak from a cracked valve. Didn't even give a thought to the sub-floor getting soaked. Three years later the floor essentially failed between the door and kitchen sink. Had to strip out all cabinets to replace rotted sub-floor and replace sheet vinyl throughout (original flooring had stained anyway). This doesn't give you any help about what path to take, but only what may happen if nothing is done.

[Ron A]

I think if I were in a similar situation I would certainly try the dehumidifier someone else mentioned earlier. Seems that may be the quickest way to dry it out with hopes of avoiding further damage at a reasonable cost.
Best of luck.

Ron


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[la nomade]

I guess after reading all your ideas and comments ,i resign myself to pick up the floor ,and see the condition of the sub floor ,let it dry out and install a new floor..will keep you posted...thank you for your input..helping me sort this out...M.V.

[la nomade]

i picked up the floor,not such a big deal after all...plywood is wet or damp in spots,mostly under the bed and at entrance...i put the dehumidifier on and a small heater...will let it all dry out completely,then maybe paint the floor for protection before i put in the new vinyl floor....thanks for all your input and encouragements...M.V..ps can not figure out how to send photo,sometimes it works,sometimes not????

[la nomade]

the dehumidifier works great...plus i have a small heater blowing warm air under the bed section ...now my question is:
once all completely dry,and before i put on a new cover (same as what was there,easy to pick up if???) would it be a good idea to either stain or paint the plywood to protect it????thanks M

[la nomade]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

It could work but I'm not sure you could get all the subfloor dried out adequately. Then you would have to fill in the patches. The floor is only tacked down at the edges near the shell if its like my 2008 Classic 25fb. It would be difficult to patch and after a hot summer, cold winter the expansion/contraction of the vinyl would open up the patches.

My vinyl floor is buckling is several spots after moving from the mild climate of Texas to the colder climate of Missouri. I'm going to have my vinyl floor replaced, hopefully within the next several months. I'm going with a luxury vinyl plank floor that locks together.

Kelvin

it will take a long time for my sub-floor to dry out completely,which gives me time to decide what to use to cover it with,vinyl rolls come in wide,therefor lots of waste and..expensive...what is you reasoning behind installing a plank floor??what if other leaks to come and floor needs to be picked up again,which is very likely...what about expansion and contraction???