Wet floor in Burro - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-08-2017, 06:28 PM   #1
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 128
Wet floor in Burro

I have an 82 Burro and when I get heavy rains I notice the floor carpet gets very damp. Checked all my windows and they seem dry at the bottom. Cleaned all the weep holes and windows look well caulked.
I'm wondering if the water is somehow coming thru just the outer shell, dripping down and reaching the floor. I did find small amounts of water beneath the front couch and in the two storage compartments.
My only conclusion is the water Is somehow getting thru the front window and seeping down between the inner and outer shell.
Anyone had this problem?
Thanks,
Larry
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Old 01-09-2017, 12:03 AM   #2
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Name: David
Trailer: Former 13’Scamp, now Snoozy
Arizona
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Finding a leak can be very frustrating as the water can creep a great distance. I would use a garden hose and start at the lowest points slowly directing the flow over any and all intrusion points, such as tail lights, water fill/connection, spare tire mount, electrical pigtail, etc. It would be easier having someone inside looking and feeling inside cabinets and storage bins, as well as the carpeting. Best of luck.
Dave & Paula
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Old 01-09-2017, 07:43 AM   #3
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Boler13/trillium4500/buro13
Ontario
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burroman View Post
I have an 82 Burro and when I get heavy rains I notice the floor carpet gets very damp. Checked all my windows and they seem dry at the bottom. Cleaned all the weep holes and windows look well caulked.
I'm wondering if the water is somehow coming thru just the outer shell, dripping down and reaching the floor. I did find small amounts of water beneath the front couch and in the two storage compartments.
My only conclusion is the water Is somehow getting thru the front window and seeping down between the inner and outer shell.
Anyone had this problem?
Thanks,
Larry
This is a most common and fatal flaw of the burro as the water runs between the shell and will destroy the unfinished edge of the plywood floor. You must stop the leak or the floor will rot from the outside in and you won't notice until it is to late.sorry to sound so alarming but there are many burro owners here who have had to replace there floors including me.
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Old 01-09-2017, 11:47 AM   #4
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Name: Sue and Greg
Trailer: 1982 Burro 13 foot and a 2015 Casita Spitit Deluxe 17 ft.
Washington
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My floor was spongy back by the edge of the table section at the back of my 82 burro. I discovered water traveling between the inner and outer walls under the bench sections. It turned out I had to replace half the floor. Quite a job! You probably already have done this - but check the under seat storage for water. I found it in the back rotten floor section - and more recently (with early detection, less tragically) in the front seating storage. It was a failing seal front window. Good luck!


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Old 01-09-2017, 12:11 PM   #5
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Name: Marcia
Trailer: '00 Burro 17' WB
Seattle, WA
Posts: 70
Check the exterior wheel wells. The fiberglass outer shell wraps over the plywood floor there. Over time rocks and debris thrown up from the tires will chip away at the fiberglass and expose the plywood. Water then travels in and across the floor where the wood is exposed. The good news is that patching fiberglass is not as difficult as it sounds, and inside the wheel well is not very visible so it's the perfect place to start learning how to repair fiberglass. If I can find a photo of our Burro wheel wells before & after repair I will post for you to see. Good luck!

//Marcia
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Old 01-09-2017, 10:16 PM   #6
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 128
Wet floor

Thanks to all.of you for sharing your expertise.
Off to work to locate the source. I suspect the front window seal as it gets the brunt of the rain- south facing, and I did find some moisture under the sofa storage compartments.
I need to check the dinette storage areas as well.
Let,you know what I find.
Thanks again,
Larry
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Old 01-10-2017, 06:56 AM   #7
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Name: Gary
Trailer: UHaul CT13
Iowa
Posts: 311
Just another 2-cents-worth to consider:
I used to work in a car dealership, where we sometimes needed to find water leaks--say, that showed up somewhere in the trunk.
In that case, you can lightly dust the trunk's inside walls with some pale powder--I think we used either talcum powder or baking powder. Then, proceed to spray water all around taillights and trunk lid edges and rear glass. With a little luck, there'd be a "trail" left in the powder where a small amount of water had meandered its way down to the floor.
Just a thought.............
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Old 01-10-2017, 09:11 AM   #8
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 128
Great idea- the talcum powder.
Question: I assume the front carpet strip, from the middle of the window down- about 8-10" wide is covering the single fliberglass layer. it is dry, so the water I see on the storage bin bottoms must be coming in from the window sides and seeping down between the two layers of fiberglass.
Seem reasonable?
Today is my sleuthing day.
Thanks again.
Larry
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Old 01-10-2017, 02:22 PM   #9
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
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Inside shell leaks

Talcum powder,was brilliant!
Assisted by a pretty heavy downpour, I located the source of water coming in.
Essentially beneath all the windows, and snaking down the inside surface of the outer shell. Nothing on the inside surface of the inner shell, which gave me the false sense of "no leaks" at the windows.
Just small trickles, but enough to moisten the carpet.
I've put towels beneath those places to absorb the water, probably have to.pop out windows this spring and re- seal them.
Talcum powder made it really easy- thanks to all.
Larry
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Old 01-11-2017, 07:32 AM   #10
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Name: Gary
Trailer: UHaul CT13
Iowa
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Hey, Hey!

Delighted to hear it worked! Best of luck going forward!

Gary
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Old 01-11-2017, 04:55 PM   #11
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 128
Could plugged weep holes cause a leak like I'm describing?
My windows all look so solid with no gaps, even tiny ones, around the edges.
Maybe the moulding needs replacement.
Trying to avoid pulling the windows completely out.
Larry
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Old 01-11-2017, 05:00 PM   #12
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Trailer: 2008 Scamp 13 S1
Arizona
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burroman View Post
Could plugged weep holes cause a leak like I'm describing?...
It sure could. Good call.
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Old 01-11-2017, 06:23 PM   #13
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Name: jerry
Trailer: ESCAPE 21/ OXYGEN 21
Missouri
Posts: 66
I had the same problem with my Burro did everything , resealed windows , ac unit etc. Here maybe the problrm. The Burros are made with the body. Sides. FlushWith. The Wood floor. That is they dont extend down farther than the floor. As do other brandd such ad theScamp. Originally they wetr sealrd underneath. Where the body meets the floor. Through the yrats the seal geets bad. And the water actually runs down the out side of the trailer and runs toward the center onder neath the trailer when it meets the seam of the floor and fiberglass body it can actually seep upwards through the seam and run inside the top surface of the floor inside the trailer. To fix this i cleaned the seam under neath. And. Sanded fibetglass and floor with havy grit sand paper. Then resealed seam with fiberglass resin with hair. This is rrsin with strands of fiberglass in it which resembles hair. U can buy it at some walmarts for about $36. Gallon. Much cheapet tham paint stores. This is guite a job to do so. I did mine a section at a time and spread it out over a week or so. Hope this is some help for u. Oh. By the way b sure to check the rear spare tire mount mine was leaking there also. When. I got my Burro the previous owner had tried to seal the floor seam with silicone. But it still leaked. The fibetglass did the trick
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Old 01-11-2017, 07:00 PM   #14
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 128
I'm actually seeing small, tiny, streams of water coming down on the inside surface of the outer wall. I had to take off the hatch covers and look with a flashlight during a heavy rain. The fiberglass is really solid connecting the outer wall to the floor so the water just pools in the storage compartment, except for the little bit that seeps out in the center/front(porta-potty) section. It wets the rug at the front and wicks down to the dinette area- not the whole rug, just about 1/3 of it, on the door side.
I'm gonna check those weep holes again as it seem the little trickles line up under them!
Thanks all.
Larry
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Old 01-11-2017, 10:37 PM   #15
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Name: Dave
Trailer: Casita SD17 2006 "Missing Link"
California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burroman View Post
Could plugged weep holes cause a leak like I'm describing?
My windows all look so solid with no gaps, even tiny ones, around the edges.
Maybe the moulding needs replacement.
Trying to avoid pulling the windows completely out.
Larry
Larry, you may never see the source of the leak, kind of the nature of water sometimes . Pull the windows, start with a small one, clean it up and reinstall with fresh butyl tape. Tighten the frame down like you would torque a head. Criss/cross pattern, a little torque at a time, let it sit so the butyl will compress, then go around again. Probably three times but don't give the final one everything you've got, leave a bit of tape to do the work.
Just MHO but with water coming in it's got to be done. Just a maintenance thing to do like replacing rivets now and then.
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Old 01-12-2017, 10:03 AM   #16
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Leaks like that can be a pain...at least you've figured it out.
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Old 01-24-2017, 02:12 PM   #17
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
Posts: 128
Weep holes:
Looking at the weep holes on my burro it seem to me they are inadequate for a heavy downpour.
I can see how they are fine for condensation, but when it REALLY pours I'm not sure they are OK.
My slots underneath are clean, but when I poke a blade or wire thru there is a felt cover- probably for the window to slide on, that covers the slot. No dirt, just this felt strip.
Seems like a heavy rain wouldn't be able to escape fast enough.
Mine is an 82 Burro, maybe they changed the weep holes later.
Anybody want to give me advice? Should I cut the felt strip out?
Thanks?
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Old 01-24-2017, 02:33 PM   #18
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Name: Marcia
Trailer: '00 Burro 17' WB
Seattle, WA
Posts: 70
Burroman, I agree about the weep holes. One of our Burro windows backs up when rain is heavy. We get stripes of dirty water running down the inside wall as the water spills over the top of the window rim. We've also done all we could to clear the weep holes but it just doesn't seem to do the trick. So I can only empathize, no solutions to offer. I'm interested to see what others have done.

//Marcia
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Old 01-24-2017, 02:58 PM   #19
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Name: Larry
Trailer: Burro
California
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Weeping over weep holes!

Thanks for reply.
Forewarned is forearmed I guess. At least I'm not alone in this.
Just have to be vigilant in the winter during heavy downpours and get in there with towels.
At least my floor is fine as the heavy paint/ resin has really protected it.
Let's see what others have to say.
Thanks again,
Larry
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Old 01-24-2017, 05:29 PM   #20
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Arizona
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I had used a drill to open up the weep holes on our Scamp. I made the holes at a 45 degree downward angle so as to aid in the drainage and for aesthetics. Never had problems with drainage after that.
Dave & Paula
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