soft floor

[cjsmith]

Hi there, first time posting and I have a problem!! Hoping someone out there can give me some good advice.
We have a '99 Mallard Fleetwood travel trailer.? Presently it is in storage, and we check on it monthly.? This weekend we noticed some discoloration in the vinyl flooring and when I stepped on it, it was soft!!!? ?:-[? We assume there is a leak from one of the holding tanks or the water heater which is covered by the warranty that we purchased, but the water damage is not covered.? In calling around this area, not many RV places will repair it.? Those that will estimate a alot of time to repair hence: repair alone will be in excess of $2000 !!!? Our auto ins. also does not cover it.? Anybody got any advice?? Would a handyperson be able to do this? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,
CJ

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You have two problems: finding the leak and repairing the damage.   

The leak is unlikley to be from holding tanks - they are below floor level.  The water heater is a possibility, but so are all of the window, door and roof seals. Any of them could be letting water leak down through the sidewall and out onto the floor.

Fixing the damage is a fair amount of labor but probably not difficult for someone with basic carpentry skills.  Depends, of course, on just where the damage is, but basically you have to cut away the floor covering to expose the underlayment (probably plywood), cut out the damaged area and replace. Just how you do that will depend on the type of construction used and the details of the area.