Hi! I'm new and own a Burro!

[dchapman]

I bought my mom's wonderful little Burro a couple of years ago. I had a mold problem this winter and I'm in the process of trying to figure out where the moisture is getting in. The headliner carpet was coming off, so I ripped it down yesterday... Now that I'm reading forums to see my options... I'm a little scared! I don't love the carpet look, but I'm not seeing a lot of other options.

I saw one guy did bamboo. Any other alternatives? What sort of adhesive should I use? What type of insulation?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Alex Adams]

It is possible you don't have a leak. If the camper was stored outside it is possible the extra humidity could cause the mold. Did you have any kind of moisture absorbing device in the camper over the winter? Is it stored without cover? If you search for Marine Headliner or replace rat fur within the forums you will get a number of threads describing what other owners have done and how.

[Jon in AZ]

Before you put anything back up, you want to determine if the mold was a result of humidity trapped in the trailer or a leak. In what part of CA are you? Was the mold localized or all over?

If you suspect a leak, a garden hose on a dry day, working from the bottom up, can pinpoint the source.

If it's humidity, there are a number of solutions, including ventilation, chemical desiccants, electric dehumidifiers...

Closed cell foam makes a good insulator. Since it's just a narrow strip on a Burro, you could trim it with whatever suits your fancy. Get creative, but stick with something non-absorbent. I saw the bamboo solution, too, and it looked nice. Marine headliner, ceiling tin, lime green shag carpet...

Okay, maybe not the carpet... [emoji3]

[mary and bob]

Join the Uhaul Facebook group. The Uhaul campers are almost identical to the Burro. Lots of ideas on headliners there, with pictures. What we did was bought a 6' X 8' carpet at Lowes or Home Depot that is made from recycled plastic bottles. Cost about $20. Glued it up with contact cement. It's light weight, no backing, and easy to handle. Put it up in two sections with a seam at the roof vent.

[dchapman]

Alex,

It is totally possible that I don't have a leak! I left the burro out last year without any cover and when I opened it up all the bedding was ruined with mold. This year I put in two moisture absorbers and bought a cover. I also took out all of the bedding and cushions. The wood pieces under the bed still seemed to be getting moisture and mold... which leads me to believe that there's a leak in that area.

[dchapman]

Jon, I'm in the Bay Area... it could definitely be other than a leak. I'm not sure. I will try the garden hose method and try to determine if that's the cause. The mold was mostly localized to the bed area, especially on the door side.

I really like the look of ceiling tin! I'm hoping I can figure out a way to make that work.

Other plans: new flooring and exterior paint!

Thanks for your input!

[dchapman]

Mary and Bob,

Thank you for the idea! I have joined the facebook group and will extend my searches to look at Uhaul options as well. I've read a few posts about contact cement, so that's good to know!

[Jon in AZ]

Based on your description, I would definitely suspect the windows. They have to be removed and resealed periodically as routine maintenance. If one is leaking, I'd plan on resealing all three.

Before testing with a hose, though, check to make sure the drain slots on the outer frame are clear. If they get blocked with dirt, the tracks for the sliding windows fill with water, and it spills over inside the trailer.

[Jon in AZ]

I found this when I was responding to another post. It has some great details about tracking down leaks.

Originally Posted by RogerDat

Only makes sense to test that front window and door for leaks while you have everything cleared out.

Yes I said door. That little bugger can run down, hit the lip for the seat and run all the way around to the front before dripping off to the floor. Or a top seal leak can drip right onto that couch area. Don't ask how I know.

Can do a bulk hose test I would do a section at a time with that. If you get any water coming through switch to a watering can and test smaller areas until you narrow down the location to dig for.

Hinge side of door, belly band to the window, curb and street side of window, belly band around to the end of the couch/bench. Hit an area with water, then wait and give it time to work its way down before moving on to next section.

On drying out all water flows downhill so given a bit of time the moisture will all tend to end up out of there and on the floor. If you can slide a thin flexible wand up behind the wall covering any place it might speed up the process of getting moisture out. Doubt it is needed though.

You can sprinkle or blow baby powder or talc around the edge against the wall, any trace of moisture even a seepage will discolor it. Little bit of a hassle to vacuum up so I would do this only if I suspected a tiny leak that I was having trouble spotting. Focus the powder in that small area. I know you don't want to deal with cleaning up a bunch or really wet baby powder. But we used to use it to track down small oil leaks on motorcycle engines. And I have used it in the scamp for same purpose.

Air flow and dehumidifier are probably doing the deed just fine.

Thanks, Roger!

[Al POGUE]

I took my BURRO to a small carpet store. Picked out the color and texture of the carpet, had the owner cut it to fit the head space, had him sew the border on the edges and glue it up with a heavy carpet cement. Looks great. Price was 25 bucks.