Hi Everyone,
I just joined the forum ... this place ROCKS!!
My name is Wanda, and I have been an avid RV'er for 2 weeks.
I just bought a beautiful '06 Salem Sport TT NW edition T26 28' trailer to live in for about 6 months while they gut and rebuild my home after a house fire.
The previous owner did not have the manual or any instructions, but set it up for me and walked me through most of the systems so I am kind of figuring it out as I go.
The first time I filled the tub I thought "wow this is bigger than it looks" .... but apparently it just takes longer to fill if you also fill the space between the sub-floor and that underbelly tarp
oops!
My first day with fresh water too
... I was really looking forward to clean!
I am good with the drain repair but not sure where to start getting that underbelly dried out. I could surely use some sage advise.
There are absolutely no signs that the drain gasket has leaked before. verything (except the gasket) is pretty much pristine ... just dripping wet. No mold, no smell, no stains, so far no swelling.
Only access to a square foot of the subfloor right under the drain from inside... so guess that means major surgery from below. So far I just soaked up everything I could inside and poked a hole in the center of the bulging tarp below. Total area is about the size of a queen size mattress and right between the I-beams of the undercarriage at the very front of the trailer. Plus a strip down one side between the edge of trailer and the I-beams.
RE: structure There is a wooden floor w/ linoleum, then wooden beams with fiberglass batting between them, then wooden sub-floor w/ more fiberglass under it and finally the underbelly tarp which sits on top of metal I-beams. The tarp is sealed around the edges where the metal siding is bent around the bottom edge and then finished with a bead of sealant.
Most of the water ended in the tarp right under the bed at the very front of the trailer. The bed lifts up for storage so I have access to a large part of floor above where the water ended up .. just not sure how much stuff got wet on top of the sub-floor in the process. I'd like to think the water found the first hole in the sub-floor and dropped onto the tarp from there ... but what are the odds?
I'd like to have an overall plan before I start because I suspect this might be bigger than it looks too
.
Any advise about where to cut and what to look out for would be an incredible relief right now. Can I use a stud finder to avoid electric wires??? I also have a laser surface thermometer and a contact sensitive hydrometer if those would help.
I don't have a lot of knowledge but I know how to swear, I am good with my hands and I can follow instructions.
Oh and also... since I will be here (Oregon) during the winter I thought I'd build a skirt around the perimeter with foam insulation boards to help keep plumbing (and me) from freezing. So I am trying to view this as an early start on that project. I might as well replace the wet fiberglass with something more efficient and waterproof like foam insulation board while I am at it .. unless that would be bad... would that be bad? Does the floor need some air circulation or anything??
Thank you to anyone who has made it through my tale to this point. I look forward to looking back on this and laughing with you.