Fixing a flooded trailer?

[DanB]

With all respect to anyone with current issues, I was just wondering about the possibilities.

Say we got ten brand new Airstreams sitting in a lot in Atlanta. They have been submerged with rainwater up to the windows. If offered to me for 10 cents on the dollar, would I buy one?

I've personally seen what the New Orleans flood cars and boats look like. I wouldn't touch those. But let's just assume that this water was not sewage and fuel polluted.

OK, lets say I just paid $5 grand for a 2009 27 FB. After checking the bearings, lights, & brakes, I tow it to the nearest dumpster. I proceed to throw out all the "damaged beyond repair" stuff like carpet, mattresses, and cushions.

After I get it home and in a BIG garage, I start the disassemble. Disconnect and remove all the appliances and electrical components. Remove all the plumbing fixtures. All the cabinetry comes out. Then the flooring.

Drill out and remove all the interior skins. Toss out all the insulation.

Remove belly pan & Banana skins

Remove shell. Replace floor.

clean

Now build yourself an Airstream.

Replace cabinets with new. Replace all finishes. Repair/Replace all appliances.

When the work is done, how much are you in for? Couple of hundred hours? $1,500 in rough materials? $3,000 in furniture? $3,000 in mechanicals? Lets round up. Say you got $15K in your "new" trailer.

Is it worth it? Many have done this process, its just that this one wouldn't have the rust or rot!

Who here would take this on as a winter project? Geez, I need a life.........

[Minno]

If I didn’t have Little Girl already (72 31' Sovereign), yes, I'd pay $5 grand for a flooded new AS and completely rebuild it. That’s exactly what I’m doing now anyway, but she wasn’t flooded. Even soaking wet insulation in the belly pan would be nicer to deal with and clean up than the interesting mess we found. But I think you might be a tad low on your estimate of $15K. Have you prices RV appliances? Of course, it all depends on how fancy and expensive you want to go too.

Are you nuts? Yup. But we all are!

Two things to think about though – insurance might be hard to get, as well as a clear title in some states if it’s sold to you as salvage.

Chris

[DanB]

If I remember right, there is only "bubble wrap" in the belly!

Might be right about the appliances. Figure new fridge, inverter, batteries. Chances are the furnace, stove, HW tank could be salvaged.

[ridgwayk]

re: But let's just assume that this water was not sewage and fuel polluted.

As someone who was in the ATL flood, let me tell you the water was disgusting. The stench when I opened up the A/S was unbelievable. There was fuel also in / around the flooded area.

re: They have been submerged with rainwater up to the windows.

I can also tell you they were submerged with floodwater (not rainwater) at least 50% inside the units. Water was over the counters, inside the refrig, inside the microwave.

Personally I'd worry about mold after the fact, especially the potential of the unsanitary conditions of the flooded water and what could be growing in the nooks and crannies where you can't see/get to.

[Ike T]

Buy a well-abused trailer rather than a flooded trailer.

[Airslide]

If you had the time, money and space and were somewhat project oriented.. maybe

Its a big project though. You might just spend your time at rally's with friends enjoying the trailer you bought without all the mold and naggin bugs to work out...

But its a toss up.. Depends how I would feel when the offer was presented. lol

Vin

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by DanB

When the work is done, how much are you in for? Couple of hundred hours? $1,500 in rough materials? $3,000 in furniture? $3,000 in mechanicals? Lets round up. Say you got $15K in your "new" trailer.

I can tell you what we spent restoring our '56 Safari (22-footer)...

TIME

More like "a couple thousand" hours, not "a couple hundred". We have spent 2-1/2 years duration of nights & weekends -
I estimate it like this:

2 people, 16 hours each per weekend, for half the weekends each year, for 2.5 years PLUS 2 people, 8 hours each week (evenings), 40 weeks each year for 2.5 years

2x16=32x26=832x2.5=2080 (weekends)
2x8=16x40=640x2.5=1600 (evenings)
2080 + 1600 = 3680 hours

My guess is that is low...we have spent just about every day doing something...and weekends we would often work 12-16 hours on Saturdays.

MONEY

Not including the purchase price or any new appliances (all our old ones worked) except the water heater, we have spent $15K...so add another couple $$$$ for the appliances. Also, the bigger the shell the more it costs to outfit it.

Is it worth it? Yeah...

Shari

[wmarsha]

Okay, let's say noone touches these underwater vehicles. What's gonna happen to them? scrap? Now would you touch them? I think there's a lot of folks who would buy them at a low price and basically just keep the stuff that can be cleaned, sterilized and reused. I would bet enough elbow grease would clean a refrig-once ya got past the horribleness of it. I kinda think about the ER folks-they see humanity at its worst physical condition, yet, they put us back together-and I guarantee we aint pretty upon arrival. Well, I guess it would be an individual decision, and would really take a lot-but basically, you'd be rebuilding a new trailer, instead of an old one. Sign me up, I'd tackle it. I figger my pressure washer can undo what the non-pressurized water did.

[Dakota's Dad]

Lets see, it has to be gutted and repaired. $5K, to start... and you will find your "estimates" for time, and I suspect $$ are pretty, well, optimistic.

One of the worst things about flood damage is the electrical, water gets EVERYWHERE, and unless you tear it ALL out, in 1-2 years you will have major problems. I have seen tanks, which have every connection inside and out totally waterproofed in the finest military fashion, that have gone under, and inside of a year they will start to display absolutly un diagnosable problems. They are eventually sent back to Lima Ohio and torn down to the last bolt and rebuilt. and all the connections in an AS are not even pretend water proof...

Or you could roam around the internet and find a vintage trailer, that needs the EXACT same work, for less. (maybe even WAY less) And when you get done, you have a VINTAGE trailer to roll around in...



Would I buy a trailer that needs serious work.. obviously. (see links in my sig)

Would I buy one of those? No way. I have seen flood cars, that "weren't in sewage".. lol... trust me it's in there. Everything from old diapers to dog poo, and everything in between. think about all the chemicals in your lawn, your garage, your shed.. now float those four feet deep, and swim in it.. bet you wouldn't, but hey there is no "sewage". and really because of the way we interconnect the waste water handling in municpalities, as soon as you have a "flood" you have "backwash".

But, everybody picks their own poison. My sister in law nearly broke down in tears when she saw what my wife and I were dragging home, she can not even imagine doing what we are doing, and truthfully, we are having a blast!

SIDE NOTE>> I see you are "always looking for pinball machines".. do you also do Pachinko?

.

[DanB]

Off topic.....

Boy do I have some stories about a Pinball museum outside of Pittsburgh that flooded.... You talk about bad electrical connections! I stick to collecting pinball machines. Never got into pachinkos.

On topic.....


Maybe I should clarify my definition of "rain water". I had the pleasure of providing disaster relief for Katrina. I served in the hardest hit areas of New Orleans. I stood next to cars, buildings, and trees that looked like God took the sewage of the world and frosted them like a cake. I seen Corvettes and Rolls Royces covered. You would not want to attempt what I'm talking about with one of these.

I'm guessing the flooded trailers in Atlanta smell really bad, and have a residual coating that can be successfully cleaned and disinfected.

We are hearing some passionate advice here. Maybe from two extremes. Just because I'm curious (and usually over-optimistic), let me throw out a question-

Assume you are working in a nice big shop with tools that would make Norm Abram jealous. Friday after work, you back in your Airstream into a stall & pop open a case of Bud. How long does it take for you and your buddy to have that trailer down to studs(frames)?

I'm thinking I can make it to church on Sunday. (See note above about optimism)

[memgrove2000]

yes, tear down could be done that fast. Look at how fsat they are built. The clean up would take some time. I say set up a camera on a tripod and go for it.

Three or four guys with a plan and good drill bits. Oh heck yes! When are we goin to start?

[Dakota's Dad]

Depends on what time church is... lol but yeah and since you would not be planning to reuse most of the wood work, or at least I wouldn't, that helps you not having to be to careful in the removal..

Getting the furniture/cabinets etc out isn't to bad.. interior skin.. little bit more involved, but if you had two guys, real drills, (do yourself a favor and as soon as you commit to doing the thing, go on ebay or somewhere and find some pneumatic drills that do 7,000 rpm or better), and plenty of drill bits, and maybe a drill doctor. I drilled about a hundred rivets with a cordless, then my aircraft drill got here (ebay).. I cannot tell you the difference it made. and considering the same number of rivets have to back in, get an air riveter too.

Oh, and I would save the Bud for postmortem... might keep the holes "rounder".. lol

[drag'nwagon]

I will take one! in a heartbeat.

[funkill]

Originally Posted by DanB

Assume you are working in a nice big shop with tools that would make Norm Abram jealous. Friday after work, you back in your Airstream into a stall & pop open a case of Bud. How long does it take for you and your buddy to have that trailer down to studs(frames)?

I'm thinking I can make it to church on Sunday. (See note above about optimism)

I'm thinking that you need to include one cheerleader - well, if you want to make it to church on time.


laura

[Foiled Again]

How much is Bud, how much is optimism?

Your proposition was interesting enough to make me do some mental gymnastics. Here are a few wild ideas. If I were a restorer with a huge barn or garage and lots of neat power tools, I'd still only pay a maximum of $1,000 - $1,500 for a unit. That is the salvage value of scrap Aluminum, the axles, rims and tires. (If I got fed up or grossed out early, I could recoup the investment at a scrap yard.)

My first thought is that I wouldn't touch a unit that had anything except a bare aluminum interior. Taking out Flying Cloud/Safari "mouse fur" or Classic wall vinyl and all that drapery - projectile vomitus AND lots of extra labor, plus damage to interior skins.

Then I thought, what would I really keep & what would have to go?



Salvageables:

1. shell including door, screens, garage door(s), bumper storage, tail light surrounds
2. stabilizer jacks
3. Curved doors for overhead cabinets, surround for the lobster bowl sink - On CCD/Safari-Flying cloud these are NOT wood of any kind, they are foam core and if not damaged could be sanitized and reused.
4. slinky hose carrier
5. folding steps
6. axles, brakes, wheels, tires
7. toilet if porcelain, plastic MAYBE
8. sinks
9. towel racks/toilet paper holder, soap dish, toothbrush holder (naw, I'd throw out the toothbrush holder just cause the idea is gross)
10. stovetop - maybe but new isn't THAT expensive
11. drawer pulls and closet handles
12. sliding plexiglas doors if a CCD
13. possibly overhead cabinets - let your nose be your guide
14. hinges (those euro hinges are expensive) and screws that didn't strip when removing them
15. PEX Plumbing & Black gray and white water tanks - Shock with strong clorox solution inside and out, rinse thoroughly, fill, add white vinegar
16. faucets - after replacing filters, sprayers & sprayer hoses
17. fiberglass shower surround,
18. shower door, if undamaged
19. propane tanks
20. Air conditioner
21. Fantastic fan(s)
22. medicine cabinet?

Replace:

• all propane lines, probably the tank regulator and it's lines
• tongue jack
• water pump
• all exterior lights - I'd keep the taillight surrounds though
• all electrical wiring
• TV, speakers, DVD player - all entertainment components
• inverter
• refrigerator
• stove top
• oven and or convection/microwave
• furnace
• water heater
• all interior furniture with possible exception of overhead cabinets
• all cushions, pillows mattresses and upholstery
• all window coverings
• most seals - fuzzy ones around window operators especially
• floor/carpet/vinyl/door jambs, etc.
• all light fixtures with possible exception of ones in ceiling
• all outlets 12 volt and 120
• please GOD let your salvage be a CCD or "SE" Safari/Flying Cloud with no covering on interior skin - if not you'll probably foul up a few of the interior skins getting them out. LOTS more labor removing interior skins too.
• all Airstream factory giveaways - floor mat, cheap slinky, plastic silverware tray
• all drawer slides and closet rods

BIG Garage or barn is a must. Making full sized patterns of furniture & walls, etc might be a good idea before throwing old ones out. Could save a lot of trial and error fitting wherever you're not redesigning the interior. Immediately after cleaning the empty shell, I would treat every rivet, rivet hole, and edge of every aluminum piece with anti-corrosion spray sold by Airstream to stop filoform which would be accellerated by soaking in toxic soup.

I'm sure with enough labor some of the appliances like the oven and stove top could be saved - but they'd have to be taken apart, cleaned and reassembled. I had an oven door hinge partially fail on my 2006 - cheap construction again. I had to take the door apart completely and reset the springs. It should have been a two person job - without help it took an hour. With help it would have been 10 minutes - just needed 3 hands, not two. Labor and time, and the value of your time. If someone will pay you $20 an hour to work for them, then that's what your labor is costing you... and at least part of the time, you'll really need an extra hand so that's probably what you'll end up paying someone to help YOU now and then.

Lastly - Dumpsters aren't "FREE" disposal sites. Unless your community or FEMA provides public dumpsters, be honest and don't use your local grocery store or furniture outlet's dumpster. Many dumpsters are now recycle specific - especially for clean cardboard and kitchen grease. You cost a business owner big bucks if you dump your stuff into one of these. Our business has a small dumpster that we have to keep locked just to prevent people from using it for their big trash - Costs $65 per month.

When I was redoing an old house years ago, I had to pay $300 for a large construction dumpster - then when neighbors threw out couches, washing machines, 500 lbs of kitty litter (why would anyone hoard THAT?), etc. I had to pay to have it dumped at least twice more than the house waste should have cost. I'm sure my neighbors weren't malicious. One even admitted he'd used it and gave me $50 after I complained at a neighborhood watch meeting. So ask for permission and offer to pay for the space before you dump, or cut it up small and put it out with your trash for WEEKS!

So... there's my brainstorm contribution.

Are you REALLY going to do this?

Best of luck, Paula

[Foiled Again]

bump

For some reason I find this thread compelling. Kinda like a terrible car wreck.. I look in morbid fascination, yet I know I'll be going eeeewh! if I see some blood and gore.

Will anyone really restore one of these flooded Airstreams?

The more I think about it, restoring one of these would be like working inside the world's largest black tank! If you're a sanitation engineer maybe it's not tough sh**.... but no.

Paula

[DanB]

Oh come on! It's not that bad

A little background about my childhood......

My families home happens to be the lowest home in the city of Lorain. We are about 100 yards from lake erie. A iron ore shipping dock was between us.

Due to some piss pour civil engineering, our basement turned into a "holding tank" for raw sewage. We're talking 6 feet deep. That is a lot of *(*^!

28 years, and $8,000,000 later, phase I of the repair is complete. Phase II is scheduled for 5 years and $6,000,000. These figures are not exagerated.

So, yea, I would take on a flooded trailer. Just pretend your giving life back to the needy

[HiHoAgRV]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

...Then I thought, what would I really keep & what would have to go?...


Salvageables:
axles, ...

Best of luck, Paula

I suspect the axles have filled with water and rust from the inside...

[drag'nwagon]

Originally Posted by DanB

Oh come on! It's not that bad

A little background about my childhood......

My families home happens to be the lowest home in the city of Lorain. We are about 100 yards from lake erie. A iron ore shipping dock was between us.

Due to some piss pour civil engineering, our basement turned into a "holding tank" for raw sewage. We're talking 6 feet deep. That is a lot of *(*^!

28 years, and $8,000,000 later, phase I of the repair is complete. Phase II is scheduled for 5 years and $6,000,000. These figures are not exagerated.

So, yea, I would take on a flooded trailer. Just pretend your giving life back to the needy

I agree with you Dan. I do not think it would be that bad. I have seen my neighbor bring home a few vehicles now that have been in flash floods and one that was submerged 17' in Lake Mitchel (Cadillac MI). He brought the submerged truck home on a Thursday and it was cleaned and running on that Sunday. The truck is still on the road and has traveled in excess of 100,000 miles basically problem free. A trailer I understand is a different animal but it may not be that bad. For me I think the biggie would be the floor condition and if it is warped or deteriorated in any way. The rest is clean, blow-out, bleach, and replace if needed. I doubt the electrical is permanantly harmed unless it is was "hot" at the time.

[Airslide]

We had a customer buy a nearly new Mercedes S-Class that found its way into the hudson. I dont know much about the details. The car arrived here in Calif still wet. Not sure how long it was in the river but he got a "Steal". Those were his first words. We told him it would be time and materials. We tried to discourage him as this would be impossible to predict with all the electronics and wiring. Although the car looked beautiful on the outside things were beginning to corrode. The final bill was in the 40k range. He will also live with phantom problems throughout the vehicles life cycle. unfortunately these cars now sell at the auction for about the same price (and have not been flooded) A trailer I might consider but a vehicle can get really expensive.

Vinnie