Flooded Camper

[SmithFamCamper]

Yes...we could be a commercial for insurance. Our dogs turned the faucet on in our Laredeo camper while we were at the beach. We returned to find two wet dogs with innocent faces and at least an inch of water on the floor.

We wet vacuumed the carpets, pulled the vent in the floor and vacuumed the water out of the duct work and the water that was in the under belly, that we could find. We air dried the camper for days and the inside seems good. The underbelly and additional duct work concerns me.

Has anyone ever removed the underbelly? I feel there is more water down there and my husband wants to take it off himself to look.

Any advice y'all can offer is appreciated before we take it to a service center and spend a ton of money as we don't have comprehensive coverage on the camper. Hard lesson learned.

Thanks so much!
Jen

2014 Laredo 299BH
2012 F150 Super Crew 4x4

[gkainz]

yikes ... "we know a thing or two, because we've seen a thing or two" (tm)

but yes, I've dropped the coroplast belly. Not hard to do, but an air or electric wrench makes it easier. I had some finagling to do around my gas lines, but it's not that hard. Be prepared to replace some/all the self-tapping screws with new ones, as at least some of the old ones will break off.

[jsmith948]

Sorry to hear of your problem. Don't know how the dogs managed that-small dogs on the counter, or big dogs trying to see out the window?
The underbelly is not hard to get down. You can remove a few screws from along one edge and then look in with a flashlight or CAREFULLY cut an access door that can be taped up later.
FWIW , we always turn the water off when we leave the camper. Good luck.

[SmithFamCamper]

We have two large dogs and an island with a sink. Obviously a recipe for disaster! We have been camping for 3 years now but never had anything like this happen.

Great idea to turn water off when leaving. Will do that from here out!

[busterbrown]

I'm in the habit of turning off the city water spiget (or DC water pump) when we leave the trailer. A rupture of any plumbing joint, line or fixture is always a possibility. Only takes 5 seconds to remove the threat.

[dwall]

Originally Posted by busterbrown

I'm in the habit of turning off the city water spiget (or DC water pump) when we leave the trailer. A rupture of any plumbing joint, line or fixture is always a possibility. Only takes 5 seconds to remove the threat.

Question, I also turn the water off when leaving for a while but I also turn my water heater to the pilot only setting. My heater is gas only. Is this overkill? I was concerned about the heater tank getting low on water with no water turned on.


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[sourdough]

Originally Posted by dwall

Question, I also turn the water off when leaving for a while but I also turn my water heater to the pilot only setting. My heater is gas only. Is this overkill? I was concerned about the heater tank getting low on water with no water turned on.


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I guess it would depend on how long "a while" is. I don't think there is any benefit to putting it on pilot unless you're talking about days. When I leave one of my residences I leave them on pilot.....unless I'm going to be gone over 4 - 6 weeks. They are at least 40 gal. but the pilot on your RV water heater is not going to evaporate all the water in a 6 gal. water heater in a couple of hours, or a couple of days.

[busterbrown]

Originally Posted by dwall

Question, I also turn the water off when leaving for a while but I also turn my water heater to the pilot only setting. My heater is gas only. Is this overkill? I was concerned about the heater tank getting low on water with no water turned on.


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Best practice may be different from member to member but I turn off both the LP gas and electric modes when HW is not immediately required. My Atwood HWH has electric ignition. So, no pilot and no chance of evaporation. It reduces the risk of heating a dry tank and conserves energy.

HW recovery time is brisk when both heating modes are turned on. To note. every RV component has a finite service life. Using appliances only when needed "should" help extend service life. And leave just a little less footprint.

BTW, I can heat the tank water to its maximum operating temp within 30 minutes when both heating modalities are turned on. The HW temp will remain warm for hours after the both LPG and electric are switched off. Good to wash dishes during the day or for a quick warm shower.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by busterbrown

Best practice may be different from member to member but I turn off both the LP gas and electric modes when HW is not immediately required. My Atwood HWH has electric ignition. So, no pilot and no chance of evaporation. It reduces the risk of heating a dry tank and conserves energy.

HW recovery time is brisk when both heating modes are turned on. To note. every RV component has a finite service life. Using appliances only when needed "should" help extend service life. And leave just a little less footprint.

BTW, I can heat the tank water to its maximum operating temp within 30 minutes when both heating modalities are turned on. The HW temp will remain warm for hours after the both LPG and electric are switched off. Good to wash dishes during the day or for a quick warm shower.

I agree with the above. I should have articulated better.

We have an Atwood water heater in our RV. It has both electric and LP switches. We leave them off most of the time and turn them on when we think we need them or it is time for a shower. I've not had an RV water heater with a pilot that stayed on all time in I don't know how long. If the OP has a water heater like mine or the one alluded to in the post above I would suggest turning off the switches. If, on the other hand, it has a constant pilot, I would suggest what I mentioned earlier. I don't have ANY water heaters with a full time pilot that are just pure fun to light - especially after being off and gas has left the line.

[Javi]

I always turn off the water and the water heater if I'm going to be gone more than a few minutes.... as in walking the dogs, going to the trash or hauling the porta dump to the dump station...

[Goose]

Originally Posted by SmithFamCamper

Yes...we could be a commercial for insurance. Our dogs turned the faucet on in our Laredeo camper while we were at the beach. We returned to find two wet dogs with innocent faces and at least an inch of water on the floor.

We wet vacuumed the carpets, pulled the vent in the floor and vacuumed the water out of the duct work and the water that was in the under belly, that we could find. We air dried the camper for days and the inside seems good. The underbelly and additional duct work concerns me.

Has anyone ever removed the underbelly? I feel there is more water down there and my husband wants to take it off himself to look.

Any advice y'all can offer is appreciated before we take it to a service center and spend a ton of money as we don't have comprehensive coverage on the camper. Hard lesson learned.

Thanks so much!
Jen

2014 Laredo 299BH
2012 F150 Super Crew 4x4

I had a leak coming from my TT shower. Water started pouring from underneath the camper. The leak was an easy fix (p-trap came apart from the drain pipe) but after further inspection I found that water had gotten in the underbelly and softened the lauan plywood. Thankfully it was just in the rear end. I removed the bad wood and underbelly fabric. Replaced these with new wood and coroplast. Installing the new stuff is not too big of a deal. Mixture of screws, nails, construction adhesive and staples to get it done. Just want to make sure that any gaps, seams are sealed up well. Also, use some Great Stuff around any plumbing or electrical openings. Definitely a job you could look into doing yourself. Hopefully, it's not too bad under there for you. Good luck.

[SLIMSHADIE]

Learned the hardway myself, but not as bad.
We all went out for pizza, 2-3 families. When we got back my water pump was running. The bathroom sink was at a trickle, appearently. Ran the entire freshwater tank dry. Luckily, I had dumped the gray earlier, so it dont overflow but could of by about 13 gallon. Drove a few miles to a buddies a couple times for fresh water since we were dry camping for the weekend. So now when we leave the pump, city water inlet and water heater is turned off when we leave the site....