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Old 08-03-2012, 03:17 PM   #1
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2002 22' International
2019 25' Flying Cloud
Austin , Texas
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Another Soft (Rotted) Floor Area

Just this week I discovered another soft spot, this time right in front of the door.. I can't figure out where the leak originates. At first I suspected the door seams, but the soft spot doesn't seem to be right at the door edges. I wonder if there is something about it being where the steps are, and driving in wet weather can drive water up there. I notice that a screw that comes through the floor and the frame member is right about center of the soft spot (see picture).

Another question for you experts is what is a good technique to cut the linoleum, and somehow peel it back to a point that I can make a repair, and then get it back down on the flooring without a cosmetic disaster?

I posed this question before about how to spot leaks: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f456...ing-59893.html . There was no warning of water incursion until I stepped on the soft spot. This is a little disconcerting since I already had to go through major surgery once at JC. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f456...ter-59831.html
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Old 08-04-2012, 05:40 PM   #2
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Georgetown , Texas
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Almost the Same Location as Our Soft Spot

Your recently discovered soft spot is almost in the same location that our soft spot was. The following thread may be something that could offer some insight into a possible source of water?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f36/...hio-88879.html
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Old 08-04-2012, 06:54 PM   #3
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1979 28' Airstream Excella 28
Cedar City , Utah
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I replaced the entire floor in my 1979 Excella Motorhome. In my case, the floor never had a moisture barrier and the carpet was tacked directly to the plywood without a pad at the factory. The areas exposed to traffic had rotted from moisture and use. I suspect the worst damage was from shampooing. There was evidence of water infiltration beneath walls where shampooing likely occurred.

The bottom of my frame was protected by the belly pan and in great condition.

My point?! Your damage may be localized. I hope so! If you start looking, you never know where it'll lead you. Replacing damaged sections is possible. The frame is wide enough to split the difference between two pieces of plywood.

Be careful if you attempt to do this as there are screws holding the plywood to the frame. In my case, I could see the screws so I used a hole saw to drill around each down to the frame, removed the wood with a flat-head screwdriver then cut the screw with a dremel. The screws were fused to the frame and could not be unscrewed. I just drilled new holes, put a tap into the drill and threaded it to the size of the new screws.

Once you know where the frame is and there are no screws to literally "screw you up," you can mark out the piece you want to replace and cut down to but not into the frame leaving half the frame exposed for supporting the new piece of plywood.

I'm sorry if this is a bit long-winded, but replacing flooring can be involved, dangerous, expensive and time consuming to name a few. Best of luck in your endeavor. -Mary
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Old 08-11-2012, 06:02 PM   #4
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1986 34.5' Airstream 345
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Thumbs up Almost had my carpet shampooed

I am so glad I saw your post, Mary. I was thinking about having our carpet shampooed but now I realize I better look underneath it first!

From what I can see it's the old factory-installed particle board in the corners under the rear twins but I don't know how the recent carpet was installed.

My soft spot is behind the forward barrel chair in my 345 MH, curbside. I haven't even started trying to find the leak yet but I was going to try to get the interior a little cleaner while I worked on it.
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