Casita Shower Pan removal for floor replacement

[GMike A]

The OSB on my floor is totally rotted and sponged out. Not sure if water came from the shower to the main floor or visa versa;however, I need to replace the entire floor. I "think" and hope others may know for sure but if I remove the head and what appears to be the floor pan will that expose the sub floor. It appears as those the bathroom was placed into the shell before the top was put on. I can remove the kitchen and closet side FG IF I had to but thats not my first choice as I am about riveted out
I saw pictures on another thread on a restro where the toilet was taken out which gave me a sneak peak but have not found any restoration pictures where the head was removed. With the exception of the bath/shower enclosure the insides now are about at ground zero and will be starting to remove the old contact cement residue so I can get good purchase with the new stuff when it goes on.
Hope someone knows
Thanks
Mike

[Vicki A.]

Mike,
Can't wait to hear what everyone says!

I too am having to replace most of the floor and am concerned as how to proceed.

[GMike A]

Thanks Vicki, I am too. I am in a situation that calls for total replacement. There have been threads about cutting out sections etc but mine is beyond that. Also on the Casita they riveted the OSB down. So now I have little metal pillars poking up everywhere. I was able to take a flat shovel and get 80% up so far but there are some sections where the Contact cement still holds onto shreds of particle wood. Maybe soaking in Acetone or mineral spirits on those segments will loosen the cement. My concern is attacking the OSB under the shower pan. Regardless this is a great(but unwanted) learning curve and experience. Someday I can look back and laugh.
Mike

[Vicki A.]

Mike,
I just started on the floor and am using a multi-tool. It works great on the REALLY rotten stuff, kind of slow on the not so rotten...
I have considered getting out the soft stuff and then "watering" what is left, after all, water killed it the first time!
Good luck on your project.

Vicki

[Vicki A.]

Mike,
I just tried posting this and the power went out, so I'll try again!

Go to the top of the home page and click on manufacturers, then on Casita. I think it was half way down on page 6, "shower pan removal". Check out the pics and text she has put on facebook. Seems very doable now.

[GMike A]

Well I finally got it out. Not too bad but wont bore everyone with all the details. I had to take the holding tank off and then the wall rivets, then the drain and finally I used a sharp putty type knife to cut the old caulk and it came up and out from the front of the trailer and then out the door. There were some gotchas. The dump valve screws were rotted as was the wood. Its impossible to turn the valve to remove off of the pipe stem because the trailer frame gets in the way. So by taking the toilet off I was able to clamp the valve from turning and fortunately the holding tank was square enough that I could counter rotate the whole tank and it unthreaded from the inside of the shower area. Whew. The drain didnt want to come out that easily either so I had to clamp it with vise grips and then turn it from the inside with needle nose pliers and it too dropped off. (no co-pilots for this project).
The wood around the shower drain is STILL wet and I suspect this was one of the many points that allowed water to migrate through the whole cabin but probably wont ever know. The holding tank has spider cracks around the threaded pipe outlet on the bottom. The bowl is a nice china but I'm not familiar with all the toilet options concerning rebuilding the old one or just biting the bullet and see if I can replace everything. This was a crappy job regardless.

[Vicki A.]

Awesome job Mike! Now I know what to look forward to in a couple of weeks.
Can't wait for that fun

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by GMike A

.....The bowl is a nice china but I'm not familiar with all the toilet options concerning rebuilding the old one or just biting the bullet and see if I can replace everything. This was a crappy job regardless.

If you can tell us the brand, we may be able to give you solutions for a rebuild. China beats plastic every time.

[GMike A]

Its a Mansfield Toilet. Never really thought about china vs plastic but yes you are right. Back in college days it was "hugging the porcelain". I will use Mr. Bing or Google too and wait to see what you have to offer also.
thanks for reply

[Eddie Longest]

Mike
What year is your Casita? Was the top of the OSB floor covered in fiberglass?
Eddie

[GMike A]

My Casita is 1986. After I pulled the shower pan out I only see OSB and no fiberglass. I have decided to only replace the bad sections as best as I can nearest to the drain. It wasnt till well after I had scrapped the pieces of OSB out that I saw another thread on using the wood petrifier. In retrospect that might have been a better option but not sure. Anyway I have now rethunk my idea of trying to take up the entire floor which has been a PITA to date using my multi-function scraper tool whew!!!! I will just replace where needed and research the board(s) and see how to fill in the gaps since the OSB didnt rot out in perfects squares. The rot extended underneath and through to the closet and kitchen area very badly and since I am going to put my AC in their this will be the time to fix as needed.
Mike

[Eddie Longest]

Mike
I have a 98 Casita and the OSB floor is covered in a thick fiberglass coating but that did not help with my floor rot issues. I messed with several bathtub trailers with floor issues and if you have good bonded wood leaving it might be the best option. Get out the rotten wood, glass in your wood patch then blend your patch in with epoxy resin with fillers may be your best option. Check out the West System filler options.
My local boat guy showed me some 1/2" and 3/4" sheet goods he has started using in stringer and bukhead repairs. It's expensive but it won't rot. I think I would pay the price for under the shower and head area. I am going to get more info on the product next time I'm over his way.
Eddie.

[GMike A]

Thanks Eddie, I had stumbled on West Systems accidentally just an hour ago searching or resins and fillers for ideas. Glad you suggest it also. I swear my OSB is like 3/8s? It doesn't appear to be very thick. Now I will go out and measure a good section. Would be nice to find some type of self leveling compound to pour in and around areas that I cant patch. I will Google your idea of resin with fillers and see what I can come up with. I did find the PC-Petrifier that was suggested and found it on Amazon for 60 bucks and Home Depot for $73.
I am perplexed on my floor as the rot was extensive on the entire back end. I can see under the fridge,kitchen and shower but not sure how the water came to be on the raised floor unless it was through the back window that had the AC in it? I will focus on getting those areas fixed correctly. OKC Don had mentioned about all of the screws into the wood and frame and I see them now and many are standing out like little soldiers now that the rot has gone. I hate to pull them out. Perhaps if I cut them off at FG level and let the others that are in good wood take over the burden of keeping the floor down? I don't want a bunch of holes in the FG bottom from tying new replacement flooring material down. I am open to suggestions for that fix. I did see one picture where someone had used screws with flat washers. The difference I see here is that the Casita has a FG floor and others the wood IS the bottom of the camper so the solutions are not quite "Eggs to Eggs" to paraphrase an old saying.

I really do appreciate everyones feedback it has been most helpful to me
Mike