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Old 08-06-2011, 10:57 PM   #1
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Flagstaff floor issue - need advice please!!

We've got a 2005 Flagstaff 8528BSS that we bought 2 years ago.

The floor has been getting softer and softer over time. It started out right around the vent and has been getting worse with use.

I took the vent off to look and there is no sign of anything getting wet.

I'd appreciate the best way to fix this (access), and any other information.

Thanks in advance.

The attached picture has a red circle showing where it was originally soft, the yellow line is the current area.
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Old 08-07-2011, 05:23 PM   #2
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Anyone???
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Old 08-07-2011, 05:26 PM   #3
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I suspect one of two things. First is dry rot. Water may be coming up from below causing the soft floor. Second is that there is simply no floor joists in that area and the flooring is finally giving way. Only way to know for sure is to remove the underbelly and start poking around.
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Old 08-07-2011, 05:48 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by donn View Post
I suspect one of two things. First is dry rot. Water may be coming up from below causing the soft floor. Second is that there is simply no floor joists in that area and the flooring is finally giving way. Only way to know for sure is to remove the underbelly and start poking around.
If I remove the underbelly will I have direct access to the floor? I was thinking there would be something else above the underbelly blocking the floor.

Thanks
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Old 08-07-2011, 06:39 PM   #5
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Once the floor gets a soft spot pressure from walking will cause the spot to spread. Might have been a spill one time that penetrated the floor around the vent opening that started the spot or just the flexing of the flooring because of the vent placement. To repair the area the flooring has to be removed and the particle board replaced hopefully with a good grade of plywood to prevent this from occuring again.
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Old 08-07-2011, 07:00 PM   #6
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I have a soft spot in my kitchen which has been there since new and seems to be getting worse. When we asked the dealer about it he said it is because of the ductwork in the floor which causes less support in that area. When I pointed out that we have no floor ducts he then decided that there is a lot of electrical running under the floor and because of that it has less support. Either way he did not want to address it.
The floor is very thin and is supported from below with styrofoam. I think it is just a weaker area. It looks like yours does have the in floor ducting and that could be why it is flexing, where there is ductwork there is no styrofoam to support the plywood. When mine gets worse I am thinking I will just go over it with some Pergo or similar flooring. I like the way it looks and it should add a lot of support.
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Old 08-07-2011, 08:21 PM   #7
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Once the floor gets a soft spot pressure from walking will cause the spot to spread. Might have been a spill one time that penetrated the floor around the vent opening that started the spot or just the flexing of the flooring because of the vent placement. To repair the area the flooring has to be removed and the particle board replaced hopefully with a good grade of plywood to prevent this from occuring again.
The floor is some type of material (MAYBE 1/4"), about 1.5-2" styrofoam and MAYBE 1/4" of particle board. All three materials are bonded.

MAIN QUESTION!! Can I access from underneath if I remove underbelly? My thought is to place bracing under the floor if I can access.

Thanks

Picture of floor from vent.
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Old 08-08-2011, 11:09 PM   #8
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MAIN QUESTION!! Can I access from underneath if I remove underbelly? My thought is to place bracing under the floor if I can access.
Anybody got an answer to this???
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Old 08-09-2011, 01:03 AM   #9
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I have heard a couple of guys on here talking about repairs under the floor boards, but I know it is quite involved. There are some major craftsmen on this site, and so they are able to tackle projects that others may not consider. We have done quite a few upgrades on our camper,
And honestly my first try would be to try and gain access in around the ductwork opening, and try and shove some bracing in under there and then screw some decking screws into it. Either that, or a new layer of subfloor screwed overtop, and then a new piece of flooring.
The bad news here is that when we buy these trailers, sometimes the price calls to us louder than the technical details. Most sagging is caused by not enough support when the trailer was built.
When we bought our first trailer we did not give a second thought to the structure under the floor... Now we are about to buy our second trailer and we are looking at models that offer a one piece ibeam, and 5/8 plywood floor... Experience is a good teacher... But in the meantime, I am sure you can improve the floor you have. Just be aware that if you install a new subfloor... There are wires running underneath so it is good to have an electrical and pluming schematic to avoid further damage. I learned the hard way after piercing the shell of our trailer while installing a shelf with too long screws.
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Old 08-10-2011, 07:01 AM   #10
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Anybody got an answer to this???
My guess it will depend on what is under your soft spot.
There is a lot of junk under there.
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Old 08-30-2011, 06:19 PM   #11
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i noticed a soft spot area in my '08-Rockwood 1809.

unfortunately, it's at the entrance area, the most used area of the coach.

upon further inspection i can plainly see that there is no "under-belly". that is, there is complete & open access to the problem area.

the softness occurs in an area "between the joists". and, further, it's on the seam where two 4' x 8' plywood floor sheets (or possibly oriented strand board) connect.

i suspect that the floor sheets are a tongue & groove product.
however, the integrity of the floor sheet has become more flexible over time.

my goal is to design & build a main (side to side) supporting sheet 24" wide by 8' long by 5/8" thick.
then create one (side to side) 8' (+/-) joist made from "Trex" that will support the soft/sagging area.

then will paint black so it looks OEM.

will try to post pictures when complete.

interesting that the only thing that separates the inner floor from the ground is a thin sheet of plywood (or strand board).
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Old 08-30-2011, 06:41 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by avocadoman1 View Post
i noticed a soft spot area in my '08-Rockwood 1809.

unfortunately, it's at the entrance area, the most used area of the coach.

upon further inspection i can plainly see that there is no "under-belly". that is, there is complete & open access to the problem area.

the softness occurs in an area "between the joists". and, further, it's on the seam where two 4' x 8' plywood floor sheets (or possibly oriented strand board) connect.

i suspect that the floor sheets are a tongue & groove product.
however, the integrity of the floor sheet has become more flexible over time.

my goal is to design & build a main (side to side) supporting sheet 24" wide by 8' long by 5/8" thick.
then create one (side to side) 8' (+/-) joist made from "Trex" that will support the soft/sagging area.

then will paint black so it looks OEM.

will try to post pictures when complete.

interesting that the only thing that separates the inner floor from the ground is a thin sheet of plywood (or strand board).
My camper has a "hard" under belly front to rear.
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Old 02-08-2012, 12:11 PM   #13
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I should have taken pictures, sorry.

This wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

I removed the "cardboard" underbelly by removing the trim screws and staples. The floor was soft around the in floor heat register. It is only very thin plywood over about 2-3" of foam insulation. There was NO support in this area.

I cut a 3/4" piece of plywood about 24"X24", then cut out a 3"X11" slot for the heat vent/register.

I then mounted 2 pressure treated 2"X6" from side to side on either side of the register. This left about 1" gap between top of new "joists" and bottom of foam floor insulation.

I mounted the joists to the side frame rails with self tapping screws. Then I slid the plywood between the floor and top of joists and run screws from joists to plywood.

I then remounted the floor register and applied some expanding insulation to seal the vent.

I then put the underbelly back into place.

Total time was about 2 hours work.

BTW: I found why my front two heat vents had no heat.

Both of the flex ducts had gotten caught in the slide mechanism and ripped apart. One duct was routed along the driver's side and the slide would catch it every time.

I took down the underbelly between the axles, re-routed the duct to the passenger side. I spliced new flex duct in and attached both ducts to the passenger side frame rail so they wouldn't vibrate over to the slide rails again.

I had to notch the new "floor joists" to allow both of the ducts to pass over.

Floor now is SOLID as a rock and now I have heat in the front.

VERY satisfying doing this work myself and knowing it was done right.

VERY disappointed in the craftmanship of the floor supports and lack of forethought of running the ducts.
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