Camper in flooded storage lot

[RacerRalph]

You will never get all the silt out of the interior.

[Stank Bait]

"You will never get all the silt out of the interior."


Yep, will not have to deal with all the sawdust from construction anymore either.

[Steveboe]

Ins is about $1. Per day.
Can't pay that?
Get out your mop.

[JohnD10]

What universe is that in...?

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by Allisfan

I agree, on our fiver it's less than $200/year

^this. At $200 a year, how can anyone afford not to have insurance?

[Sline]

We pulled the camper out of the water yesterday. Apparently rotator tow trucks aren't as badass as I thought. None of the companies with one in town would come out and help. So I got a trackhoe instead. Here are some pics. We hauled it with both side doors open so water could flow out as the camper started moving up out of the water. This way we saved the floors from dropping out. Now it is drying in our driveway.

Water was 3' 10" at the deepest part. A suitable vehicle had to have its gas tank vent, air intake, and the cockpit above this height. Lilfted pickups, rotator tow trucks, and a good sized backhoe didn't meet this need. The trackhoe did.

Trackhoe was $600 and I split it 50/50 with another camper owner whose camper was flooded. Here's a shout out to Matt Cacase with Frizzell Excavating that provided the trackhoe: https://www.facebook.com/Frizzell-Ex...2077813484193/

90% of people say it is trashed. Doesn't look too bad yet but I've definitely taken note of all the warnings.

Not sure what to do next and I'm pretty buried with other work. Today it's drying. In the next few days we'll clean it and get some estimates on outsourcing the restoration. As we learn more, we will decide how much restoration I'll do vs outsourcing. I've heard I may be replacing the lower 2' of interior wall paneling. The door trim, doors, and cabinetry have swelled a little and the goofy paper finish on the cabinetry is splitting open. I'll see how much of that swelling goes down as it dries then make a decision on fixing vs replacing.

Questions:
How long should we do drying before I try turning on mechanical systems such as:
air conditioning - located on the roof so probably fine
furnace - located on floor so possibly not fine and ducts probably still full of water
propane stove - waist level so probably fine?
water pump and water heater - located on floor so could possibly have issues
refrigerator - located in middle, elevation wise.
stereo - shoulder level so probably fine

what else?

[Jfkmk]

I don’t want to discourage you, but as others have stated, the trailer is probably trash. Replace anything electrical that was submerged. Has the press board started to swell yet? You can bet it will! The floor may be toast. You’ll need to make sure everything is completely dry. The sides will probably delaminate. Good luck! You have a long restoration in front of you.

[whirledpeaz]

Really hate that this happened to you. Unless you just want a challenge, I personally think you would be light years ahead to do as others have said and scrap it. Especially, if you plan on outsourcing some of the restoration. Any wood or wood products that were below the waterline are going to act like a sponge and swell. Also it will wick up if there are any exposed areas of the wall bottoms not covered by epoxy

How is the trailer constructed? Walls? Floors? I did some searching and it looks like it may have vacuum bonded walls with aluminum framing. I guess one good thing is that it is a toy hauler and is pretty open on the inside.

You might be looking at a lot of time and money here and your time, once you spend it can't be bought back at any price.

[Oaklevel]

You might talk to some one like Servepro that dry out and clean up buildings after flooding. They may have suggestions or tell you the same as others have.

By the way sorry this happened but welcome to the Forum !!!!!

Good Luck !!

[Steveboe]

If you shop for RV ins with Florida based company's you might get better rates.
I am currently with Formost, through Geico. Have been quoted ridiculously high prices with others. A blown tire can cause damage equil to 5 years of ins premiums easily. Protection is nessasary.
Dehumidifiers and constant fans for weeks, might need to reinforce the lower part of walls with "sandwich" framing to keep it from crumbling under strain.
Get creative. Can always set it up in one spot and leave it to reduce strain on the structure.
Good luck.

[KyDan]

If you have an underbelly cover remove it immediately.
The floors are probably going to be super soft from now on.
Are you willing to live with that?
Replacing all the flooring is most likely cost prohibitive.
Your power center is ruined.
Your furnace is ruined.
Your water heater control board is ruined.
Water pump -- gone.
Wheel bearings and brakes need complete overhaul.
Was any part of your refrigerator under water? If so it's gone too....

Thanks for the follow up and we admire your tenacity but our opinion remains- it's toast.

[CAT-RN]

Toast is probably right. But if it mine and for whatever reason I didn’t have insurance? I’d sure make an attempt at drying it out. Sure don’t see what that will hurt ? The many fans and dehumidifiers seem like good ideas to me. Good luck.

Russell

[KyDan]

One question to the masses... are you sure your RV insurance covers FLOODS?

[CAT-RN]

Originally Posted by KyDan

One question to the masses... are you sure your RV insurance covers FLOODS?

Better cheek for sinkhole coverage too if you in Florida. Need a rider for that too.

Russell

[cavie]

Originally Posted by CAT-RN

Toast is probably right. But if it mine and for whatever reason I didn’t have insurance? I’d sure make an attempt at drying it out. Sure don’t see what that will hurt ? The many fans and dehumidifiers seem like good ideas to me. Good luck.

Russell

Drying it out is very easy to do. the problem is the damage is done. All the wood and wood like materials are trashed. They have swelled up and will not shrink down. It ain't gonna happen. Floors will be forever soft and spongie. You will eventually fall thru a hole! If you own some property and go hunting, park it at camp and use it for as long as you can. Towing it down the road is gonna tear it apart. That's just the way it is. Any this electric is just gonna stop working.

[spock123]

I’m going to have to call my insurance company because I think my camper is not insured in a flood. We might be all in the same boat here, no insurance in case of a flood.

[Roberte52]

Originally Posted by Steveboe

Ins is about $1. Per day.
Can't pay that?
Get out your mop.

RV insurance is very reasonable!

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by KyDan

One question to the masses... are you sure your RV insurance covers FLOODS?

Ours does. But we don't need to worry about it anymore since we are in a seasonal site on a hill. If our trailer ever floods, half the trailers in the CG would be entirely underwater.

This is our view from the grass in front of my trailer.



Some people need to clean their roofs.

[grumpyoldman]

Mine had flood insurance and I didn't even realize it. I also had cost replacement coverage for the first 3 years from a new purchase. So when mine got flooded, I got a 3 year newer camper with the same payments. From now on if I ever change insurance companies I will make sure I ask for flood insurance.
To the OP: Not sure why you didn't have insurance. If it is sitting in a campground/storage lot you should have at least liability coverage. You don't need collision coverage unless you have it on the road. The collision portion of the bill is the bigger amount. I am at a seasonal site and I drop the collision coverage. I put it back on when I take a trip. Some insurance companies won't do that. That is the reason I dropped Progressive.
Anyway, good luck with your project.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Sline

Thanks for the quick reply. I recently canceled insurance because I've rarely used it on any vehicles. Wow.

As the saying goes, "don't throw good money after bad". The damage is done. Don't add your truck to it-or your life.

As for insurance, you just never know when you will need it. Comprehensive insurance is cheap when a vehicle or trailer is stored and you can add full coverage when in use. However, it is not an option in some states. It's a can do in WI, but Florida, it's all or nothing.

If it totaled, you may see if you can take it as a tax write-off as it is considered a 2nd home. Document it just in case.