Soft spots in floors-common causes???

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efhole

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Joined
Jun 21, 2011
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Location
Knoxville, Tennessee
The (used) travel trailer I just purchased has a couple of soft spots in the flooring under the vinyl rug. I noticed these when I bought it and did a pretty extensive comb-through of the camper and did not see ANY signs of water damage anywhere, inside or underneath the trailer. We took it out over the weekend and I had the time to go over every little detail of the camper and still no signs of water damage anywhere. The spot itself is right over the top of the fresh water tank, so I cannot see underneath in that particular section of flooring unless I take the tank off. Is it common for campers to have soft spots in the flooring or should I be looking for further evidence of undetected damage?
 
Being fairly competent with plumbing, it seems odd to me that the spot is in the middle of the floor and there is no softness anywhere else around it and with no water source near the spot, I can't explain how this could happen without obvious evidence that the water came from somewhere else and not leave a trace between the source of the leak to the middle of my floor. Thoughts?
 
Bear in mind that most RV Manuf. extend the vinyl all the way from the from to the back.  You would not see any damage in some cases because the vinyl is waterproof and water can't come through it.  We had to replace the floor in our unit because of this.  The manuf, said that there was no damage to the carpet and therefor denied the repair request.  After having a come to Jesus meeting with them they agreed to pay for parts.  They make a camera that you can use to see the damage.  Sort of like doing a colonoscopy on your RV.  Good luck on solving you problem.
 
Thanks for all the good info. I guess I will just have to continue to use my TT and try to avoid the soft spot in the middle of the floor. I can see how this could be expensive to replace, whether I hire someone or do it myself. With that in mind, I will put it at the bottom of my list of things to do on the camper.
 
A friend of mine had a soft spot in his floor that turned out to be a case of poor manufacturing process. When the furnace duct was run, they simply cut out the floor joist to get past it. This left the plywood unsupported in that area. Might be something like that.
 
The problem seems to be that the vinyl is in one piece.  You might look at the floor and see if it would be possible to cut out a section and then replace it with something else that looked like it belonged.  Like putting in a section of tile or laminate to compliment the rest of the floor.  Or maybe a big rug.  Anyway, if you can get through to the floor you should be able to replace it is there has been water damage or stiffen it is it is a manufacturing problem. 
 
The first few times we used our used motorhome we noticed that the carpet around the bed was getting wet while driving. After checking things out, I found that fitting for the air vent tube that attaches to the top of the water tank (which is under the bed) had broken off and as we drove water would slosh out. Could be that you have something similar getting the underside of your floor wet.
 
I can't even describe the self restraint I'm trying to employ!!! I want to pull the vinyl back so bad, I can't stand it. Matter of fact, its driving me nuts!!! But, that's more of a personality flaw than anything. The soft spot really isn't detrimental to the functionality of the camper and I really like the specific flooring in this camper, so I guess I will just leave it alone for now. If my foot falls through the floor, then I'll know I got a problem. Funny that if it is an actual water problem, I simply cannot explain how the water got to the middle of the floor without damaging other parts of the camper unless its poor manufacturing processes as Joe mentioned.
 
We have a similar spot in our floor, that dips down just a little in the hallway/bathroom floor area between the kitchen and rear bedroom.  I suspect a manufacturing defect (something that some Winnie's of similar vintage had in that same spot) but have decided not to worry about it right now anyway.  There is no current leaking anywhere, it's not getting worse, and in the 4+ years we've had our rig it really hasn't amounted to anything more than a minor annoyance.  Someday I might get to a floor replacement, or maybe not.  ;)
 
Your rig is looks to be much bigger than mine, but that's almost exactly the same sopt as mine is in (middle hallway between kitchen and bathroom). I'm just gonna let it lie. Thanks to everyone for their input.
 
Water can deceive. It can run under things and come out quite a distance from the source.

We had a soft spot in a coach we traded. Turned out the washer/dryer apparently leaked and the water soaked the flooring to the point it became soft.
 
If there was any chance it is from water, I would never ignore it and deal with it. The mold and mildew from it alone can cause so many health problems.

I would cut up the spot that is soft and look, myself. If nothing else, for peace of mind.
 
When I was shopping for trailers at Crestview in Georgetown, the salesperson said that soft spots can be caused by seams in the flooring that eventually after a while, can become slightly unglued and start shifting when one walks on it.  This isn't caused by water, but due to just normal wear/tear.  He was trying to sell me the higher end models which use flooring that either is one piece, or at most two pieces with the seam being right by the bed where foot traffic would be minimal.

Maybe this may be relevant.
 
Being new to rv'ing with no experience with travel trailers, I have a hard time ripping up the floor with no other evidence of water damage. Sure, it would answer questions, but then what? If its not water, I have a hole in the vinyl. If it is water, I have a big problem on a new (to me) travel trailer that I'm not ready to invest more in just yet. My goal is to pay as much down as I can over the next year to two and take it and trade on a new one. I'm going to lose on either end if it is water damage...lower trade value or extra money to fix a water damaged floor. Same difference as I see it.
 
efhole said:
Is it common for campers to have soft spots in the flooring or should I be looking for further evidence of undetected damage?
Click to expand...

Yes, very common with Winnebago's of mid to early 90's vintage - so perhaps your TT had floors designed with the same flaws. Seems that those Winnie's' had floor panels that didn't all meet over a cross beam. On my new in '94 rig, they showed me where after just a little over a year, the joints between beams were starting to wear, and become "soft spots". On mine there were two major spots. One was just before entering the bedroom and the other one was in front of the dinette up front.

Even tho out of warranty Winnebago paid the expense for the fix -- which was to cut out the top layer and insulation layer and replace them with sections of 1 inch plywood with each section meeting at a cross beam. They then replaced the carpet. Added weight but I then had super solid floors. The dealer cost was a little over $2,000.
 
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