Casita flood

[Lisa M.]

I've searched the threads without much luck. I read and viewed pictures of Rookie vs 1990 Casita and it made me cry to see what I might be up against.

I have a 1998 17' Casita Spirit. A small portion of floor to the inside post of the table has been soft for a couple years. My husband convinced me that it was because that post was stuck in the floor for a couple years and we couldn't get it out and traveling with it moved and moved and softened the floor a bit. Lately the soft spot has gotten bigger and I've stopped believing him

CA has been in a drought for a long time, especially where we live. Rain is not common! This last month it's been coming down in buckets and I've gone out several times trying to find wet carpet. Tonight I went out between showers and found it bad!

The carpet under the sink is completely soaked, working out towards the benches. And the soft spot is much bigger. I know leaks can travel and I'm not sure where to start. It needs a lot of small things done and I was actually getting ready to take it into an RV repair place that was recommended to me by someone on the forum. My husband is pretty good with stuff around the house but he won't do anything with the trailer, so us tearing out the inside and redoing the floor isn't going to happen.

What should I do? I'm in crying/panic mode right now. Probably made worse because it's hard to do anything when it's dark and raining out.

Oh, and the trailer does not sit unused, in fact we just got back from a short week in the desert just before Christmas and it's often used as a guest house, as recently as two weeks ago. There has been no mold smell. We have several getaways planned this late winter/spring and a big trip encompassing several states in June that we've been looking forward to for the last six months. Now I'm afraid it won't happen.

Suggestions please!

[Borrego Dave]

First take a big breath and calm down. Any damage that's been done over the years won't be any worse with this soaking. Other than putting a tarp over it while it's raining there's not much you can do about it right now. Others will be along soon with fix ideas for you. Good luck to you.

[Gerry]

Lisa Calm down, Dave is right and alot of us go through it. I have a Boler and with the floor made out of just fiberglass I did not have that problem but over the past 18years+ I couldn't get the windows to stop leaking and always would find the bedding wet after it rained.
We all go though it and I, maybe like your hubby, looked and tried and did the best he could with no results and got very frustrated and even tried to convince the wife, who was sleeping in damp, cold bedding that it was just condensation.
I get very frustrated if I work for hours with zero results or worse pay good money for work done with same results.
Finally took it to another deal and had them do the trouble window "again" and they got it.
I did find another leak on small window over stove and I fixed that. Let the summer 2016 go down as the first dry year.

Lisa, Maybe it's time you bring it to a dealer you trust and have them do the work..In the long run it may be best for your health.
Good luck

[Casita Greg]

The first thing necessary is to find out exactly where the water intrusion is coming from. Some things I would suggest that you check initially would be:

1.) Check the water piping and fittings and drain lines and fittings under the galley sink for loose or broken piping, fittings, etc.

2.) Check the refrigerator drain tube in the back of the fridge. In order to see it, you'll need to remove the outside lower vent louver in the area behind the fridge. It is a common problem with older fridges in that the condensation drain hoses rot off over the years, and this could possibly be a source for wetness in that area.

3.) Check the integrity of the outside fridge vents and make sure that they aren't cracked or broken. (You can do this while you're checking on the drain hose behind the fridge.)

4.) There is also another common problem, which is created by the slight slope of the upper half of the shell of the trailer, which is not actually vertical, which can and does often allow water to enter the trailer via the upper fridge vent outside. Some baffles to divert the water from running down the side into the vents can be fabricated to redirect the water from running inside the trailer. There are many threads on the forum which address dealing with that issue and preventing that from happening.

5.) Check the caulking sealant around your main entry door for cracks or separation. Also check the weatherstripping around the door as well, to make sure it hasn't become old, cracked and rotted too.

This isn't an all-inclusive list, but it should give you a few things to check on, if for no other reason other than to rule them out. Good luck with your project.

[steve dunham]

If you have the vented range hood , I would check the seal around the exterior vent cover . If it leaks the water runs down the wall behind the fiberglass wall panel that is behind the sink / cook top and ends up in the cabinet below the sink.
As my Dad use to say " Getting mad / upset doesn't fix the problem " . With enough time , effort and money anything can be fixed so eventually you will find a solution .

GOOD LUCK.

[Dave Fish]

Do try to get it protected and dried out the best you can. Get a heater with a fan in there and direct it at the damp ateas. This should help minimize damage as well as mold.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Mike Magee]

I would tarp the trailer while it's raining, and look for the source of the leak. Then you will be able to prevent damage in the immediate future.

As long as the rot is not too extensive, it might be just a matter of cutting out a rotted piece of wood (carefully, since the Casita's underside is FG also and the wood rests on top of it) and replacing it with new wood.

[stevebaz]

Nows the time to get out in your trailer and find where the water is comming from. Don't look at it as a disaster. Look at it as an oppertunity. Free water test. Now go get a small wet and dry vacuum and suck up all the water you can. The vacuum will not only suck up the exposed water it will also suck the water out of the foam and fabrics. Get your electric fan heater and direct it towards the damp area to help vaporize the water. Crack the roof vent to let the moisture out.

[Lisa M.]

Thank you everyone for your help! We got a tarp over the trailer at first light yesterday morning and I removed everything from under the sink. I set up a heater fan in there. I wondered about cracking the vent and will go out and do that now. It seems like the whole floor isn't wet, just the middle. Still looking for how the water is getting in.

I've always hated the carpet in the trailer and wished I had some kind of tile/laminate and throw rugs. I guess now is my chance! Thank you all for your encouragement.

[Lisa M.]

As things are starting to dry out I can now see that it is not a flood; there are areas of dry carpet. The area in front of the door is semi-wet, as is the area under the sink, but the area in front of the fridge and stretching to the table is very wet. Over in front of the shower is dry, as is the area toward the bed and probably under the bed. No obvious signs of water under the sink, so I am really wondering about the fridge. The vent up above (always my concern) is dry all around, as is the door itself and the carpet around it. I would like to discover the source of the leak, but even if I'm not able to, I've got something for the RV repair place to go on.

[kootenaigirl]

If you haven't already I would post this on the Casita forum
Casita Travel Trailer Forum
There are certain areas that tend to leak on Casita's (as well as many other types) and I know I have seen several posts about fridge vent leaks and other spots.
Hope you find and solve it asap.

[Joe Romas]

As Greg mentioned and my experience I can say for 99% certanity your water is coming from the upper refrigerator vent. There's a very long thread on the casita forum about making the refrigerator work better. At the same time you can stop the water from coming in the upper vent. Here's a picture of how I cured it but I also replaced the metal grill with the newer plastic one.
for the soft spot around the rear table fittings if you look underneath as I did you'll see there are some very large unsupported areas in the center from the sink area rearward. I added some extra angle irons and got support. But if your other half is not willing to make Casita repairs your only option is a new trailer.
A travel trailer is just like a house and needs to be kept up expecially as they age. My Casita is now 18 years old and my house is 100 this year so I keep busy.

Here's my solution for stopping water entering from the upper vent. the refrigerator also works better too.
Joe

[Dudley]

One more check is the rivets especially the ones for the upper cabinets and the fridge cabnet. I know on my 98 17sd , The caps were all rotten and the roof had been sucked down by one of the fridge cabinet rivets causing a leak. I had to replace just about every rivet and cap on the trailer. Now that sounds like a lot of work and it takes 2 people , it actually pretty easy. The ones that usually break on ours are the ones for the front corners of the fridge cabinet. There is a thread on here about replacing them with stainless steel machine screws but can't find it.

A rivet pack can be bought from Casita or Little House Customs and a rivet gun from most hardware stores or Harbor Freight

my 600th post, how did that happen?