Springy 2000 Casita SD Floor

[trentn]

My recently purchased 2000 Casita floor feels weak between the frame supports, so I've decided to take up the old carpet and investigate the damages. Expecting a crumbled mess, I'm quite surprised to see a smooth floor, although as they say, beauty is skin deep.

After two days of heavy rains, the walls and floors are dry. Maybe an old leak? Or plumbing, more than likely. I'll check those as I proceed, and before adding water. We'll be dry camping until I've gone over all the water supply and drain systems.

As to the floor; I feel led to go further, and cut out a section to see if there is rot under the surface. Something has to be causing the floor to be flexing as we walk.

[trentn]

After removing the OSB from the side dinette, it clearly shows floor rot damage.

[CasitaInFL]

I think you will find anywhere that water entered the subfloor, it will be rotten. Mostly because OSB is a garbage material to start with and then it gets sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass that doesn't allow the moisture to go anywhere.

Welcome to the cut the floor out of your camper club.

[trentn]

Originally Posted by CasitaInFL

I think you will find anywhere that water entered the subfloor, it will be rotten. Mostly because OSB is a garbage material to start with and then it gets sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass that doesn't allow the moisture to go anywhere.

Welcome to the cut the floor out of your camper club.

Pour a quart of water under the floor, and it might be there for years in the fiberglass hull. Resin, glass, or epoxy coated marine grade plywood will eventually fail if it is floating in water. Glass campers are like boat hulls. Yet, Airstream renovators replace rotted floors too.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by trentn

Pour a quart of water under the floor, and it might be there for years in the fiberglass hull.

Not true. Escape and others have drains in the pontoons under the floor.

[CasitaInFL]

Originally Posted by trentn

Pour a quart of water under the floor, and it might be there for years in the fiberglass hull. Resin, glass, or epoxy coated marine grade plywood will eventually fail if it is floating in water. Glass campers are like boat hulls. Yet, Airstream renovators replace rotted floors too.

If you wanted to really put something quality back in you could put Coosa board back in. Its basically fiberglass sheet in various thicknesses that will resist water for a really long time. But eventually water will destroy anything with enough time.

[trentn]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Not true. Escape and others have drains in the pontoons under the floor.

Does the Escape pontoon drain eliminate the floor rot issue?

Regardless, mine isn’t an Escape, my floor is getting replaced, and I’m addressing the leak area as a separate issue.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by trentn

Does the Escape pontoon drain eliminate the floor rot issue?

Regardless, mine isn’t an Escape, my floor is getting replaced, and I’m addressing the leak area as a separate issue.

The floor can't rot unless it gets wet - and stays wet. The Escape floor is plywood encased in fiberglass, sitting on supports which have drains in several places.

But you make a fair point - we're not talking about an Escape.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by trentn

Pour a quart of water under the floor, and it might be there for years in the fiberglass hull. Resin, glass, or epoxy coated marine grade plywood will eventually fail if it is floating in water. Glass campers are like boat hulls. Yet, Airstream renovators replace rotted floors too.

The problem was in the generalization in the OP. It called for clarification.

[trentn]

The last time we camped was in a loaner canvas tent around 35 years ago with our three children. We did everything wrong that new campers could do. It rained in buckets, we were downhill, and the newly treated canvas leaked until the floor was ankle deep. One of my children got sick, vomited in the water, and it floated all over the tent. Our cheap, inflated air mattresses floated when we got off to tend the sick child. After making a hasty exit, I could not get my wife to camp again, and she vowed; “never in a tent.”

Here we are now, at 70, and have taken a step back into camping. This time with a camper that keeps us away from all the leaky days of our bygone tent remembrance.

We’ve never seen the insides of a glass camper and still don’t know one from another. Then last month, when we saw the ad (it was $8500), we excitedly took it without knowing about this rotted floor stuff. Now we do, and now I am here.

We’re now saddled with a floor renovation that we didn’t have enough knowledge to recognize because we were caught in the excitement of sleeping in a camper. Our own camper.

Since then, I have asked myself a host of “maybe I should’ves” ... my reply to that has only been; “but I did.” My intent though is to bite the bullet and work diligently on what I am going to do about it. It’s that or forget about this camping stuff forever.

[k0wtz]

here is another example of a manufacture well cheating no other word for it! Another 20.00 would have made it right to last years! matter of fact I would have spent another 20.00 and put marine plywood in there!

this is sad

bob

[trentn]

My thread has offered up little to no help for me to patch up this floor, other than dissing the manufacturer. I’m hoping someone would offer me some advice, because this is a very unwanted and complicated job. Please skip the negative comments, and please offer some help.

What I want to know are processes of getting the old off and new on. What tools have you successfully used. Where is the best location to start removing the old OSB; the rear under large the dinette, like I’m going to start today? Where are you locating the joints so they don’t cantilever between frame crossmembers? Halfway, like housing construction? How about cutting interlocking tabs about 6-10” wide in the connecting edges (centered on the cross frame) of the plywood?

Please help me by offering constructive and practical, ideas to disassemble and reconstruct my floor.

[Borrego Dave]

Sorry to see this Trent. There have been many members threads of their floor repair/replacements but I can't say I've seen one on a Casita. The sealed floor would change the game, but I'm sure it's been done so maybe they'll chime in soon. Have you tried a site search for any threads?

[kootenaigirl]

Here are a couple of threads, if you go to search function top right and use the google one, put in Casita floor replacement and several come up. Good luck.
The last one is on the casita forum, if you are not a member you need to join to view. I would highly recommend you do as all the talk there is on Casita's.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ons-45707.html
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ead-75022.html
https://www.casitaforum.com/invboard...comment-172952

[trentn]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

Sorry to see this Trent. There have been many members threads of their floor repair/replacements but I can't say I've seen one on a Casita. The sealed floor would change the game, but I'm sure it's been done so maybe they'll chime in soon. Have you tried a site search for any threads?

https://www.casitaforum.com/invboard...-casita-floor/

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ons-45707.html

Water leak under bed - The Casita Club Forum - The Casita Club Forums

Carpet And Sub-Floor Replacement With Laminate Wood - The Casita Club Forum - The Casita Club Forums

[trentn]

Last night, my wife and I purchased a couple 4x8 sheets of marine grade plywood for the subfloor, some screws, and marine spar varnish.

Also, I've worked up the courage to start cutting out under the main dinette-to-aisle way. First plan is to overlap the sheets with overlapping, large box joints. That way, they can butt together, sharing a narrow frame rail. It's too narrow for the sheets to butt up in the center, I think.

[mary and bob]

Can you widen the frame rail? I did that when I had to replace a small section of floor in our vintage teardrop by bolting or welding a piece of angle iron to an existing frame member.

[trentn]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Can you widen the frame rail? I did that when I had to replace a small section of floor in our vintage teardrop by bolting or welding a piece of angle iron to an existing frame member.

Thanks. Maybe widening by welding a strip would do. I haven’t explored all options, and will look into it. I prefer to weld, but what prevents the heat from melting the fiberglass, while under it with my MIG?

Scamps, I’m told, have wooden floors exposed on top of the frame, and I don’t know how it is on the teardrop. But the Casita egg, is a continuous egg of glass, and I do not want to remove it for welding. I’m already outside my circle of expertise.

Welding is a good idea, if I can prevent the heat from penetrating the egg.

Bottom line. Looks like I will have to go down under and check the width to see if it is possible to center the butted edges over the frame.

Thanks so much for the suggestion.

[mary and bob]

When I weld close to something that may be affected by the heat I'll use a piece of sheet metal as a heat shield if I can get it between the weld and the other surface. Only weld a little at a time, keep things cool with a air blow gun, water, or wet rag. Otherwise bolt on an extension piece.

[Borrego Dave]

Trent, Kootenaigirl posted 3 threads for you in post #14. The "rookie vs 1999" is the one you should read through. Shaggydoink did a fantastic job, both on the repairs but also documenting everything with great pics. This is what you're looking for .