replacing rotted floor section

[Isaac]

I am needing to replace the piece of wood that sits under the fridge and I was wondering if I could reuse the (shelf) of old fiberglass & resin along the perimeter on the underside of the wood? The wood has rotted out along the edges to where I just scraped it out with a screwdriver. I could cut out the fiberglass strips that hold the plywood to the shell from the top and just lay a piece of new wood in. So, I would like to know if old resin would stick to new resin? I would like to not fiberglass the bottom and just add new resin so that I could only add new strips to the top? Hmmm... It would sure help in holding the new piece just where I need it without clamps just screws along the frame.

[Cam A]

Hi Isaac, happy projecting. I'm not sure I have a good image of your project; got any pictures? Normally, as long as you clean old fibreglass with solvent to ensure it is grease-free, then rough it up good with coarse sandpaper, the new fiberglass should bond mechanically with the old with no problems. (The only exception would be trying to bond new polyester to old epoxy; as far as I know, all of the trailers are polyester resin based).

[Isaac]

Hi Isaac, happy projecting. I'm not sure I have a good image of your project; got any pictures? Normally, as long as you clean old fibreglass with solvent to ensure it is grease-free, then rough it up good with coarse sandpaper, the new fiberglass should bond mechanically with the old with no problems. (The only exception would be trying to bond new polyester to old epoxy; as far as I know, all of the trailers are polyester resin based).

Thanks for replying. I was talking about where the plywood floor touches the edge of the inner shell wall. The wood has rotted along the wall and has separated from the upper and lower fiberglass strips that held it in place so that I was able to scrape it out with a screwdriver. So, I was thinking of cutting only the top part of the dried fiberglass strip so that i could lay a new piece of plywood to sit against the lower strip and just add new resin along the bottom and add new strips along the top. Suprisingly, the plywood did not have any resin or matting on the underside. Only along the edges.I'm sorry I don't have any pictures.

[DanPatWork]

I ran into a similar problem with a rotten floor thanks to mice, ants or termites, and water leaks. As can be seen in the following pictures.



I cut out beyond the rot and cut the top part of the fiberglass that held the panel to the exterior shell. I then scraped and sanded out the rest of the rotten flooring from the lower edge to keep a partial ledge for the new piece to attach to.



I attached "scab" pieces to the remainder of the floor to support the new floor as well.



Glue and screw in the the new floor piece and proceed with glassing in along all perimeters of the new floor panel.



Sorry I don't have a pic of the new panel or the glass work, I haven't been able to locate them. Guess I either didn't take any, or they got lost in the multitude of 1000+ pics that we've been taking during the rebuild.

[Isaac]

Thank you very much... This is the exact corner that rotted out! I noticed that you trimmed only the top side of fiberglass, which is exactly what I was asking if it would work and TaDaaa!!! It worked!!
The only differences in my case is that I'm going to remove the whole piece which is about 40" long by 16" or so and, My trailer actually has Plywood instead of OSB (Oriented Strand Board) I think..
I'll try and take some pictures and post them as I go. Thanks Again!!!

[John Perry]

I am needing to replace the piece of wood that sits under the fridge and I was wondering if I could reuse the (shelf) of old fiberglass & resin along the perimeter on the underside of the wood? The wood has rotted out along the edges to where I just scraped it out with a screwdriver. I could cut out the fiberglass strips that hold the plywood to the shell from the top and just lay a piece of new wood in. So, I would like to know if old resin would stick to new resin? I would like to not fiberglass the bottom and just add new resin so that I could only add new strips to the top? Hmmm... It would sure help in holding the new piece just where I need it without clamps just screws along the frame.

Isacc, I bought a 96 13' Scamp several months ago. It's now raining for the first time this year. I have one leak in the trailer.
I was checking for leaks this morning and discovered a wet no the floor about the size of a quarter under the door of the fridge.
I cleaned the carpet 2 days ago and there were no spots. This is the only reason that I was looking at the carpet. There is water on the floor at the rear of the fridge
This may be a more common problem than anyone realizes. I would suggest anyone with a Scamp with a fridge check for leaks in this area. It may be coming from one of the exterior vents or the small window above the stove.
Merry Christmas all!
John

[Donna D.]

This may be a more common problem than anyone realizes. I would suggest anyone with a Scamp with a fridge check for leaks in this area. It may be coming from one of the exterior vents or the small window above the stove.
Merry Christmas all!
John

Good point to check. However, my refrigerator is on the opposite wall to the stove and the window is over the sink, not the stove. Genralizations on interiors don't always fit based on size, age of trailer, etc.

[John Perry]

Good point to check. However, my refrigerator is on the opposite wall to the stove and the window is over the sink, not the stove. Genralizations on interiors don't always fit based on size, age of trailer, etc.

Donna, I tried not to generalize. I would assume that you have vents on the exterior wall at the rear of the fridge. It is possible that these may have a slight leak that would go un-noticed until to late.
Due to the flat bottoms of most small fridges there is no air circualtion under the fridge so water will not evaporate. It just sits there and rots the floor as Isacc found out.
John

[John Perry]

I found 2 leaks today. The oval window over the stove fell out when I removed the interior retaining ring. It has been leaking for some time. Earlier this year I resealed all the windows in a 1976 Scamp that I had and the oval window in it was also not sealed properly. I attributed the poor sealing to old age and now I find that my 97 has the same problem.
The second leak was in the lower vent hatch at the rear of the fridge. I resealed it with some GM automotive caulking that I have used with good success.
In the morning I will remove the fridge and hope that I do not have floor rot as Isacc did.
John

[Steve Hilby]

I found 2 leaks today. The oval window over the stove fell out when I removed the interior retaining ring. It has been leaking for some time. Earlier this year I resealed all the windows in a 1976 Scamp that I had and the oval window in it was also not sealed properly. I attributed the poor sealing to old age and now I find that my 97 has the same problem.
The second leak was in the lower vent hatch at the rear of the fridge. I resealed it with some GM automotive caulking that I have used with good success.
In the morning I will remove the fridge and hope that I do not have floor rot as Isacc did.
John

We'll keep out fingers crossed for you.