Leak causing mold on floor.

[Greenstarfish]

2018 Coachman Apex 24 foot. We recently noticed mold growing in the linoleum near the wall below the fresh water inlet. There is no sign if leak anywhere else but i assume water must be geeting in of their wouldn't be mold in that area. Its currently in a small area about 8 iches x 4 inches but its slowely getting worse. I assume the water inlet hose is leaking behind the wall causing that area to be damo under the linoleum where I cant see it. I have three questiions.
1. Anyone have any expeince with this or can you tell me a way to confim this ?
2. If this is the issue can i just disconnect the hose from the tank and replace it to fix the leak?
3. I can cut the lenolium out and replace no problem but is there anyway to find or order a small amount that will match the rest?

Anything else i should do? All helo is wecomed.

Thanks

 

[Greenstarfish]

Anyone have any thoughts on how ro deal with this?

 

[fipntdot]

You posted this in the exterior maintenance section, but it might be a plumbing issue and folks might have missed it. What is your specific model? What water inlet? freshwater tank or city water? I don't know your unit, but on mine there is a way to essentially "access" every piece of freshwater pipe to search for leaks, but it might involve removing a panel. To get to my city water inlet I have to raise a bunkbed over it; to get to the holding tank inlet I have to remove a panel in the front storage. Every unit is different. Post photos of the problem and suspected causes and there may be more people who can help.


It is easier to find plumbing leaks when the system is pressurized. If it is a gravity feed on a holding tank, look for drips.

 

[Chuck_S]

(As noted in the note above "freshwater" implies a gravity fill to me.)

This appears to be a city water connection. Pressurized. Start looking back there. Water will seep down to a point where it can drip making it hard to locate the source. If you've ever tried to find an engine oil drop you know how hard this is.

Start with the inlet. the highest point of the system. Usually held on the side of the vehicle with 3 screws.

Water can come from anywhere including condensation off cold plumbing.

-- Chuck

 

[Greenstarfish]

@fipntdot and @chuck_s Thanks for the reply. My camper as a coachman apex nano 208bhs. One good thing about this mold is there is almost no plumbing anywhere near the area. Which shoukd narrow things down. The area is on the front left or drivers side of the camper on thrme side of the murphy bed. All plumbing is on thr opposite side or back. The mold is just on thr inside of the freshwater gravity fed water inlet. I assume that must be the issue since there isnt any other water near by at all but i could be wrong. There is no evidence of water inside and no dripping anywhere but there is mold under and in the flooring about one tile worth just inside from that water inlet so there must be water i think the hose must be leaking or maybe condensing a bit in the wall between the inlet and the freshwater tank but im just guessing. Camper is in storage at the moment but ill try to add some pics.

 

[Greenstarfish]

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPQdrzhjlmydh86Z8PVEY5S-2Kw9I24v42wdy4l


The fresh water inlet in the pic is the one I think I jabe an issie with. Only bc the tile qith mold is just on the inside of it.

 

[Mr. Dan]

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPQdrzhjlmydh86Z8PVEY5S-2Kw9I24v42wdy4l


The fresh water inlet in the pic is the one I think I jabe an issie with. Only bc the tile qith mold is just on the inside of it.

This link won’t work for many. Open your recently received Welcome PM, click the link to Forums 101, follow the instructions for posting pics in post 7 of that thread.

 

[Reverse_snowbird]

Don't forget to check your roof. A bad seal can send water down through the walls to the floor. Also check the marker lights on the outside of the trailer. Water has been known to seep into uncaulked lights.
Also check the wheel wells for an area where a seal might have worked loose splashing water into the underside of the trailer.

You can access that plumbing by undoing the screw plate on the outside as previously mentioned. You need to find the leak before it starts deteriorating the subfloor or walls.

You might want to consider placing a bucket of DampRid in the trailer while it's in storage to help dry out the rig.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Greenstarfish]

Image of water inlet near the issue. The mold on the floor is just on the inside of the fresh water inlet in this Pic. There is no noticeable leak. I've checked the roof, rhe window, which leads me ro this water inlet but I'm not sure how to get the hose off to check it and even if I did how would I know for sure that is the issue. There is zero water damage except for rhe mold on the floor.

 

[fipntdot]

Image of water inlet near the issue. The mold on the floor is just on the inside of the fresh water inlet in this Pic. There is no noticeable leak. I've checked the roof, rhe window, which leads me ro this water inlet but I'm not sure how to get the hose off to check it and even if I did how would I know for sure that is the issue. There is zero water damage except for rhe mold on the floor.

My trailer has a fill just like that in the same place. In mine there was an access panel just inside that storage compartment I could remove with a few screws that allowed me to reach the back of that fill inlet. I didn't need to remove the inlet at all. Look for some sort of access behind the fill.

 

[Greenstarfish]

My trailer has a fill just like that in the same place. In mine there was an access panel just inside that storage compartment I could remove with a few screws that allowed me to reach the back of that fill inlet. I didn't need to remove the inlet at all. Look for some sort of access behind the fill.

@fipntdot that is a good idea. I never even thought to look there. I will pull stuff out and see if I have access from there tomorrow.

 

[Greenstarfish]

A few pics I took today. The part that is odd is it was raining hard all day so I went out thinking I might be able to find the issue and nothing. Zero feel of moisture inside, no moisture on thr floor even where the mold is, nothing by thr window and nothing near the roof. I check the roof every spring for any issues and silicone all of the seems so I doubt thr issue us there. Leads me back to the water inlet or possibly something from the bottom maybe??? I can't i.agien what though.

Thanks

 

[jlankford]

The pictures show that mold to be near the slide-out, not near the water inlet. I think you're looking in the wrong place.

There is probably a removable panel just inside that pass-through door that will let you see the plumbing behind that inlet. If that is the source of the problem, I'd expect you to find more mold in the pass-through than what you have on the interior floor.

 

[Aussieguy]

agree with jlankford

I have no slide topper so rainwater can easily run along roof of slide and into the trailer

After rain I always check if water is present
try to park my trailer tilted a little so water will run OFF the slide roof to the OUTSIDE..... only works if you got one slide

heavy rain I will sometimes close slide while camping

storage.. with slide closed

 

[Aussieguy]

PS storage at home I run a extension cord from garage to trailer and run my a/c set at 85
keeps the horrid Florida humidity and mold to a minimum

 

[Greenstarfish]

PS storage at home I run a extension cord from garage to trailer and run my a/c set at 85
keeps the horrid Florida humidity and mold to a minimum

We live in Michigan so it's not to much of an issue. It get humid but it's not bad. A good idea to keep in .ind though.

 

[Greenstarfish]

The pictures show that mold to be near the slide-out, not near the water inlet. I think you're looking in the wrong place.

There is probably a removable panel just inside that pass-through door that will let you see the plumbing behind that inlet. If that is the source of the problem, I'd expect you to find more mold in the pass-through than what you have on the interior floor.

I can't find an access panel to get behind the inlet. I looked in the storage area and it's all solid panels that are stapled in. I coukd remove them probably but I don't want to destroy it if there us a better approach. Seems like it must have access. The mold is directly below the window and the inlet is just to the left and the fresh water drain is just below the mold origination point. As time goes the mold is spreading towards the slide. I checked everything yesterday after ut rained all day and not one drop onto of or around the slide. Granted it was closed. I'm using it this week so if ut rains I'll check it again while it's open. I still feel like the issue is coming from the inlet or a seal intact area or the bottom based on where the mold originated but I'm open to look anywhere.

 

[Greenstarfish]

What about this black edge along the bottom. This is where the mold is and I can see where the silicone is coming off. I can caulk this easy but I wqnt to make 100 sure I have the right source before I remove the flooring.

 

[jlankford]

I can't find an access panel to get behind the inlet. I looked in the storage area and it's all solid panels that are stapled in. I coukd remove them probably but I don't want to destroy it if there us a better approach. Seems like it must have access. The mold is directly below the window and the inlet is just to the left and the fresh water drain is just below the mold origination point. As time goes the mold is spreading towards the slide. I checked everything yesterday after ut rained all day and not one drop onto of or around the slide. Granted it was closed. I'm using it this week so if ut rains I'll check it again while it's open. I still feel like the issue is coming from the inlet or a seal intact area or the bottom based on where the mold originated but I'm open to look anywhere.

My access panel in this spot is stapled in, to some wood strips. But the strips are screwed in place and the screws can be backed out. But in my case what's behind that panel is the water pump and winterization valves, as well as the freshwater inlet, so the access is needed for service. If you already know where all of your service access points are, then you're probably right.

Keep in mind that water leaks are notoriously difficult to locate the real source. Water will run unseen and then show symptoms away from the problem. I've had house leaks appear over 20 feet away from where the problem really was. I'm not convinced it isn't your slide-out. Water could be in the wall and only happens to appear where there's a break in the flooring caulk, for example.

It might be time to test with a water hose around the slide, if you can't access the plumbing easily.

 

[jlankford]

What about this black edge along the bottom. This is where the mold is and I can see where the silicone is coming off. I can caulk this easy but I wqnt to make 100 sure I have the right source before I remove the flooring.

That's possible. I could imagine water getting into the bottom of the wall panel and then being wicked up by the panel layers. Is the interior wall molding, soft, or bulging anywhere?