spot under vinyl floor

[hickman1]

Hello /all
We have a 2017 28ft flying cloud bought new we are full timers sense 2018.
two weeks ago after a trip to ind from fl and back we have got a spot under vinyl floor about 2 foot circle by stove and the flooring does not seem to be glued down going to dealer in two weeks does anyone have an idea what this could be?

Thanks in advance D&D in the peanut.

[Rodgerc]

Hi hickman1. The entire flooring is not glued down. Glued and stapled around perimeter. Referred to as a "floating floor". Does it squeak in that area? Plywood below the floor cover can subside or raise to a small degree as you bump and bang down the highway.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Indeed the floor in these trailers "floats". As you change the position of the trailer and fiddle with the stabilizers, you will get different points in the floor feeling a bit "soft". To a minor degree, things like loading will impact it as well.

Bob

[hickman1]

We have never had an issue with this place ! and the vinyl has a dark discoloring in this area that was not here before Would they have to take everything out of the trailer to replace the flooring ?

[hickman1]

no squeak

[malinois38]

You likely have a leak that has discolored your floor. I hope I am wrong, but I have personally been down this road. The floor discoloration in my 28’ however, was in the rear.
Check the area with a moisture meter to verify.

Good luck & hope I am wrong.

[Bob Peahl]

We had a similar issue - a black blotch developed on the floor adjacent to the shower door.

We stopped by JC on our way back from a west coast trip to have it inspected. They suggested that there was a leak somewhere in the shower area that allowed moisture to collect under the flooring.

The factory repaired this under warranty by replacing the entire floor.They were great to deal with.

[hickman1]

thanks for the help i will pick up a meter and check

[hickman1]

Hello /all
thanks for all the comments. I got a meter range is from 25% in center of spot then drops down as i get near the edge down to 14%. I took the cabinet under stove and checked 2 to 4% and pulled power and charger out from under refrig and 2%. and checked all water lines can't seem to find where it came from or is coming from. any ideas what to look for next? and is there a way to dry out with out removing flooring?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by hickman1

Hello /all
thanks for all the comments. I got a meter range is from 25% in center of spot then drops down as i get near the edge down to 14%. I took the cabinet under stove and checked 2 to 4% and pulled power and charger out from under refrig and 2%. and checked all water lines can't seem to find where it came from or is coming from. any ideas what to look for next? and is there a way to dry out with out removing flooring?

Hi

Well, it *did* come from somewhere ..... either it came from a pipe above the floor or a pipe under the floor.... or from a drain ... or from a leak ... or from a spill .... or from an open window ... or from an open vent ... Unless you have a pretty good candidate for the leak source, keep digging.

Finding the source *can* be pretty tough. Water can come in around a window seal and run down the inside of the wall. As it does this it's not easy to spot. It then dribbles over to whatever the low point is and sits there. That's the place the damage starts to show up.

The risk is not so much to the vinyl but to the sub-floor rotting out. 25% is mighty wet for a chunk of wood. You are well into the "that's a concern" range. Wood does not rot instantly so there is no way to know just what shape it is in from a single reading.

=====

One way you can get water in that area is from leaving the water pump on while in motion and having a faucet open it's self up (with the drain closed). The faucet fills the sink and then water starts flowing down the "aisle" in the middle of the trailer. Eventually it pours out the door when you open it after you trip is over. I have data on this .....

Bob

[hickman1]

Hello all
Well got in to air stream of Tampa they think it’s a leak for sure. Six months out of factory’s warranty bummer extended warranty said if it’s a leak caused by a covered component they will pay to have flooring fixed and new vinyl , quite a job pulling all cabinets out to find leak if not a caused by component we will have to pay for repair around 10,000$ total bummer .

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Before one starts randomly ripping the trailer to bits and pieces, some careful searching is generally a good idea. That's not so much for warranty as to turn the $10K into something a bit less. Crawling around the roof checking the seals on everything would be pretty high up on the list.

If the sub-floor in the area is indeed degraded, you are likely to have to pull the floor mount cabinets in that area. One could start with that if you get to the "tear it to pieces" approach.

Without seeing the warranty it's tough to know what is or isn't covered. Generally these things have enough exclusions that the answer is "not covered" for a lot of things. Fridge completely dies, ok that gets replaced. Stuff like this .... hmmm .....

Indeed this is pretty typical of a whole range of warranty products. These days buying a wide range of products seems to come with a "want to buy a warranty?" option. If you are dealing with somebody rational, chat with them about what is and isn't covered. RV's are *not* the only warranty covered item with a bunch of exclusions in the coverage.

Lots of fun !!!

Bob

[hickman1]

I think I may have located the leak pressure regulator for city water! wet insulation and water on channel so I put some paper towels under regulator to make sure..

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Sounds like it's time to get out the warranty paperwork and see what it says. Since they all are a bit different, there's really no way for any of us to know what's in there. They may have something about all plumbing, including pipes being covered. They also might only cover certain named items (like the water pump). No way to guess, so take a look.

That said, I have a nasty suspicion that there will be some debate about the coverage, even if it includes all the pipes. I'd start taking pictures of everything you find .....

Bob

[hickman1]

Hey bob,
thanks for the help! Is there a way to dry the sub floor with out taking up the vinyl ? I think the pressure reg is the only thing not covered go figure. Seams all the piping, pump, and fixtures are and the stand alone on the sure flo pressure reg warranty is two years . I seem to be batting 100 on this .but I did find the leak So that’s something positive ��

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you just leave the trailer sit with the vents / windows open, things will dry out. That will do nothing for the black growing stuff or the soft spots. The only way to deal with either of those is to pull the flooring.

Bob