FG bottoms and drainage - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-11-2013, 07:59 PM   #1
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FG bottoms and drainage

Some trailer brands have full molded FG undersides. I know that Casita and Lil Snoozy are like this. Not sure if there are others. I'm wondering whether these eggs incorporate drain holes into the bottoms?

Most floor problems result from water leaks up above (leaking water lines, leaks around windows and vents, that sort of thing). Trapped water could rot the interior flooring. And standing water that has no place to go could perhaps cause mold problems, too. So I was wondering what these mfrs do, if anything, to allow trapped water to escape?

When I toured the Eggcamper facility a few years back, Jim Palmer made a point to show me how he coats the tops of his wood floors with resin, and that seemed like a pretty good way to keep the floor good. With a wood bottom, water can seep out through even tiny gaps or seams.
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Old 10-11-2013, 08:03 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Mike Magee View Post
Some trailer brands have full molded FG undersides. I know that Casita and Lil Snoozy are like this. Not sure if there are others. I'm wondering whether these eggs incorporate drain holes into the bottoms?
Escape does. They have a gutter system molded into each side of the bottom shell running the length of the trailer.

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Old 10-11-2013, 09:46 PM   #3
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I don't think the Snoozy has wood in the floor, I think it is all resin and composite. In theory the Escape gutter system sounds like a good deterrent to rotted floors. I have replaced quite a few floors and most of the issues come from improperly sealed or non- draining windows, vent or door issues.
Two trailers floors I replaced were bath tub floor trailers. When water gets in and stays, it will rot the sandwich floor wood. Even though the wood is covered in glass and resin water can and will find a way to enter. It enters through body mounting bolt holes or through the screw holes where the cabinets are attached to the floor.
With an all wood floor you can inspect it from the top and bottom and you can usually smell moisture issues with the floor. With the sealed bathtub trailers the fiberglass not only traps the water but is also traps the odor of the rotting wood and when you discover the problem you usually have a major problem.
When repairing a bathtub trailer floor a completely rotted floor is a good thing. The upper glass can be cut off and a new floor can be installed fairly easy. The worse case is only portions of your floor rotted. Where the floor wood is good it is really difficult to get the floor apart. You can end up with a patch work of repairs and it is difficult to end up with a flat floor. I am at the point I don't want to deal with anymore bath tub trailer floor issues.
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Old 10-12-2013, 01:50 PM   #4
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Thanks for that info about the Escape, I never knew they did that with their bottoms.

Anybody know about drainage in the other brands that use FG "bathtub" design undersides?
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Old 10-12-2013, 04:00 PM   #5
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Anybody know about drainage in the other brands that use FG "bathtub" design undersides?

The Oliver’s have about a dozen weep holes in the bottom half of the outside shell covered with a stainless steel drip edge. These are placed at the lowest points in the channels that run the length of the trailer. There is no wood in the Oliver other than the drawers and some decorative counter tops with none anywhere beneath the floor.
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Old 10-12-2013, 09:05 PM   #6
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That sounds like a good design.
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