Soft spot!!!

[trapper]

Good morning, and hello after a long quiet spell. Evidently there is a couple of soft spots in my 2004 Bigfoot 17' trailer floor. I am about to discover just how much...."repair" is ahead of me as I remove the vinyl. Can anyone help me with a photo or knowledge of the floor frame (joist) layout. All metal framing under the plywood flooring, and or some wooden cross members to deal with? Not the hobby I had in mind for the summer. Anyway all hopefully fixable and soon. Cheers and thanks, trapper p.s managed to get my thermal windows out and apart (creeping seal) had them cleaned and resealed. I put them back in the frame with appropriate glazing tape.....bit of a trick, but all is installed with new calking and looking great.

[thrifty bill]

https://www.google.com/search?safe=a...bXdBlgQ4dUDCAo


Once you dig in, do not be surprised if the rotten area is bigger than you think. Look inside lower cabinets and benches, see if you can feel soft spots there too.

[trapper]

Thanks tBill, Yes it has been exposed! A combo of rot and stain, but certainly fixable. I work with wood so I'm looking forward to the challenge... well maybe not looking forward, but quite ready to deal with it, with much of the info from this forum to guide the process. It appears to be combo of epoxy resins, getting rid of the rot, installing new insulation, plywood and a lb. of patience and all will be well. Cheers, trapper

[ZachO]

Post progress photos!

My Bigfoot also has a soft spot in front of the fridge, has since I bought it. I've just decided it's ok with me. But you never know...I may get motivated to fix it some day.

[trapper]

ZachO....Rot never sleeps!!! trapper

[ZachO]

Do you mean it's spreading? I assume that at some point it got really wet, got soft, and is now "stable". I'm in a much drier environment, being just east of the divide.

But I'm open to learning that I'm wrong...

[Glenn Baglo]

ZachO, check out Git Rot. I've used it on a boat. Drill some shallow holes ( not through ) and inject the stuff.
https://www.google.com/search?client...etrating+epoxy

[ZachO]

Interesting, thanks Glenn. If it does work, it sure sounds better than cutting part of my floor out.

[Glenn Baglo]

Don't try it on a vertical surface. It runs. I've got a small pool of it in my driveway. Still there after 20 years.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by ZachO

Do you mean it's spreading? I assume that at some point it got really wet, got soft, and is now "stable". I'm in a much drier environment, being just east of the divide.

But I'm open to learning that I'm wrong...

Rot spreads, but it needs moisture to do it. So any continued leak in that area: moisture from plumbing, condensate from a refrigerator, window leaks or whatever, etc., will spread it. But if it is truly dry where the wood is located, then it should not spread.

Do you know what caused moisture to get to that area in the first place, and if so, is that fixed.

[ZachO]

No idea how it happened. It seems "common" in front of Bigfoot fridges. I don't understand why, unless it's water somehow getting in at the bottom vent/access panel for the fridge.

My trailer came from BC, so I'm sure it saw more water during the first 20 years of its life than it does now. Ideally, of course I'd fix it. Realistically, if there's nothing continuing to contribute to the rot, it's not a job I'm up for...

[Dale Thompson]

We had a soft floor in our bathroom that was situated in a way that the wood could not be removed and replaced. The solution that worked for me was to dig out as much soft material as I could, then put fiberglass resin over the entire area. A layer of fiberglass cloth in the area I dug out added strength. To finish it off I used more resin to level with the rest of the floor. A little sanding and it made a solid floor. The resin soaked into the wood fibers and it has lasted for years with no more trouble. It is also waterproofs so any future water will do no damage.

[k corbin]

It happens in front of RV fridges because they are not frost free and people don't always defrost the little freezer compartments and dry the fridge out when they get back home. So then the melt water drains out the door and onto the floor in front of the fridge creating the soft spots.


Cradle to grave thinking...what is the most likely source of the water from the fridge itself? Having grown up being assigned the chore of defrosting the fridge and having had some undercounter fridges as well I am quite familiar with the melting frost water situation. But that source might no occur to someone who has grown up with a frost free fridge in the house.

[greenghost45]

So-called "frost free" fridges are anything but frost free. They are more correctly called automatic defrost fridges. They produce LOTS of water too, every time they defrost which can be more than once a day. The resulting melt water is typically directed into a tray near the compressor where the heat from the compressor will evapourate the water. The small absorption fridge in our Boler definitely makes its share of frost and the resulting melt water has to manually poured out, after the fridge shuts down.