What we learned during our RV WATER DAMAGED FLOOR REPAIR
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ม.ค. 2023
- #retrorvrecon #rvcamping
Hey folks
In this video we're sharing what we learned during our RV WATER DAMAGED FLOOR REPAIR.
In early 2022 we noticed a soft section of floor behind the toilet of our Retro 189R. In just a few weeks we noticed the soft floor area was getting larger and we would need to have some sort of RV floor repair. We tossed around the idea of a DIY but we weren't sure if we were up to the task. I even installed some Eternabond tape on the roof thinking the roof was the source of the water leak, however it wasn't. After deciding to take it to a professional someone suggested Kent Mitchell Service Center. That was fine because that's where we purchased our Retro 189R.
As you will see our experience through the repair was eye-opening and very informative. We think any RV owner would benefit from watching and listening to what these RV repair technicians have to say about maintenance and especially preventative maintained. As we all know RV repair can be expensive!
We've been on several trips since the repair without any further issues. Taking our Retro to a professional was a good move because of everything we've learned about RV maintenance during this experience.
We hope this video helps you. :)
Happy Trails & Happy Camping,
Mike and Angel
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We will only share links to items and products we use ourselves.
PRODUCTS WE USE:
Eternabond Tape 6"
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Black Tank Drop-In
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Sikaflex-221
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Denatured Alcohol
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Copyright free music used in this video is from Epidemic Sound:
“Mozie,” American Legion
“Ain’t No Thing,” Mid Knight
“Jamais Vu,” Chester Malone
It’s so nice to see people that take pride in their work! Keep up the good work.
Hey Dewayne.
Yes indeed, these folks really do. We haven't needed to go back but if we do we know they are going to do a good job
Thanks for watching our video.
Mike and Angel.
We had a leak around the driver’s side wheel well on our 189R while driving in heavy rains. Fortunately it was discovered on one of our first trips so no real damage was done. Glad you guys got it squared away. Safe travels and keep the videos coming!
I bet your were glad to have caught that early on. This experience has taught me to be diligent on regular inspections. I thought I was doing a fair job but...the repair work says differently 😳.
We're glad we got it fixed too. Safe travels to y'all and thank you for watching our video Doug!👍👍🙂
Happy trails & Happy Camping!
Mike and Angel
You did very well on this
Hey Luna.
Thanks
We learned a lot from this experience.
Thank you so much for watching our video.🙂
Mike and Angel
Great video!
Thanks Sandy.
Thanks for watching our video too.
Happy Trails & Happy Camping
Mike and Angel
Thanks for this account. Sure wish I had a Ken Mitchell service department and a Ron the technician in my area (San Diego). My 177SE sustained less damage than your trailer when a tire shredded and destroyed a wheel well. The repair facility the insurance company sent us to just declared it a total loss. But, they intended to replace the entire floor and floor covering, even though the damage was limited to one small area instead of the three areas that you found damage. The insurance company, 21st Century, was great. They paid off almost $15k for the total loss, then sold it back to me for $5k. But now I must either find a repair shop I trust or try to repair it myself. Maybe I should take a road trip to Louisiana...?
Hi drpaddle
Wow! it sounds like that tire did a lot of damage. I hope we never have to go through that.
The techs in Louisiana said, "bring it over!"😃
Maybe you can search for a Riverside dealer close to your area.
We hope you can get it back on the road soon drpaddle.
Thanks for watching our video and good luck.🙂
Mike and Angel
Nice job
Hi Bob,
We are very pleased with the repair, they did a very great job.🙂
Thanks for watching.
Mike and Angel
I think it would have been better if you would have aimed the camera at the area he was talking about rather than at his face. Just a tip for future videos. Beautiful trailer.
Hi icecreamlady driver
Thank you for the comment and thank you very much for watching our video.
Mike and Angel
Factory did a body-off full floor replacement on my 177, no messing around......was actually quite reasonable considering the work involved to do it right. Total revision of the siding/floor/wheelwell interface.
Wow!! I bet you enjoyed have a totally new floor after that. How long ago was the replacement?
Thanks for watching our video Scat Silvurz.😃
Mike and Angel
@@RetroRVRecon In December 2022. Got the latest and greatest fabrication techniques and materials, and they also did a lot of standard maintenance type stuff while ‘the hood was up’. I really like the design of the 177, and figured the couple thousand it cost will provide more years of enjoyment as we use ours a lot….it’s no garage queen. If you can make an appointment at the factory, it’s well worth it as they really get in there
@@RetroRVRecon December 2022.....being in michigan, our 177 is in storage til our first outing in spring. The factory did a nice job.
@@jokermtb
Awesome!!
Thanks for sharing Scat Silvurz
Happy Trails & Happy Camping!
Mike and Angel
our camper has alot of soft spots and wanted to replace it or just get rid of the camper. what did it cost for your repairs?
What did they use to clean the roof before you put that eternabond tape down? I would like to put some on my roof
Hey Bob
I washed the camper a few days before then I used denatured alcohol in a spray bottle on the area before I applied the tape to it. I bough it at a local hardware store and I just added a link on Amazon in the description.
Thanks for watching our video, Bob.
Mike and Angel
What was the original issue and how what that detected? A lot of good work was done, but I am a bit lost on what set of circumstances led you first to seek repairs. How was the initial root cause corrected so that the issue does not occur in the future. I have a 2017 177se and averted rear floor issues by early detection. I have my story posted on the Retro site and will remain a nut about inspecting all seals. Thanks for your story!
Hey Robert
We first noticed a soft spot in the bathroom between the toilet and the wall, in March of 2022. I thought sure I had a few months before I needed to take it in but after a trip in the summer I noticed the toilet was wabbling (crap) and the soft spot had grown a lot more than expected. We started to look for a repair shop. That task was tougher than I thought it would be, not all RV repair shops work on floors. We decided to check with the folks we purchased from. Then I learned that RV repair is popular and getting your RV in takes time🙄.
In the end... The water leaks were from bad seals on the rear of the camper (license plate bracket) and from the camper's fender-well. The shop repaired the floor and resealed the bad spots as well as resealed the entire back side of the camper.. Now, I'm a lot more thorough with monthly inspections.
Thanks, Robert for your question and comment.
I'll join you in "remain a nut about inspecting all seals".😃
Happy Trails & Happy Camping
Mike and Angel
@@RetroRVRecon Got it. I have sealed the wheel wells and entire perimeter underbody edge. The underbody liner remains intact and of course the exterior seals are inspected. I am always looking for areas that I may have missed or ideas that I have discounted, hence the question. Happy Trails.
Thanks again Robert!🙂👍👍
👍👍👍👍👍❤
As an RV professional who's been in the industry for a long time. Eturnabond is NOT a permanent repair as roof sealant, especially if it's applied over the old self leveling sealant. You MUST strip the old self leveling sealant and reapply. Save yourself the money it'll take to pay the next professional for the time it will take to strip all that junk off when you realize it's not working.
Hey kingrepair4401
Its always great to have a professional comment on our tips and tricks video.
Do *you* have a video showing how to remove the old sealant and reapplying the new self leveling sealant? If not how long of a task is it for a professional to remove old sealant from a travel trailer, about our Retro's size?
I absolutely agree the ideal way to handle the repair is the remove then reapply the self leveling sealant. But, given the cost a professional would charge to do the work (charging by the hour) I feel like what I did is a fair substitute. Our professional shop inspected my work and gave it a thumbs up.
Thanks for adding a professional comment to this video, every bit helps.
Happy Trails & Happy Camping
Mike and Angel
@RetroRVRecon I'm going to be stripping and resealing an rv roof in the next few weeks and I'll be more than happy to video the job!
@@kingrepair4401 That would be great!
Thanks kingrepair4401!
Soooo, how much did it cost to do this repair?
Hey Peter
(I need to say that this price is specific to the repair we had on our camper. Floor damage repair cost depends on the damage.)
This repair cost us just under $3900. That is the price for the repair work and a life lesson in thorough camper inspections😳.
I'm glad it wasn't worse and now I know what and where to look to inspect seals.
We really hope people can also learn from our mishap too.🙂
Thanks, Peter, for watching our video!!
Happy Trails & Happy Camping
Mike and Angel
Wasn’t this repair incredibly expensive?
Hey Vicki.
The cost was fair for the repair that was done. Since RV floor repairs are different for each RV, so is the cost.
Thanks, Vicki, for watching our video!
Mike and Angel