2001 Trailmanor 2619 - Mold and rotted wood

[Varnado]

My husband and I just purchased a 2001 Trailmanor 2619. After we got it home, it started raining and we realized there was water leaking around some of the windows, the vents in the roof, and around the door.

We tore the wallpaper off of the wood panel on the wall behind one of the couches and it was wet and rotting. We tore down the wood panel and there was mold behind it, so we think its been leaking for quite some time now.

My husband also took off one of the vents and the boards that the vents screw into are completely rotted. There also looked to be mold in the styrofoam behind the boards.

I guess now my concern is how deep of a mold/rotted wood situation do we think we have. Could it be a bigger issue in the wood frame itself or do we think its likely just isolated to the vents, windows and door?

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Varnado

My husband and I just purchased a 2001 Trailmanor 2619. After we got it home, it started raining and we realized there was water leaking around some of the windows, the vents in the roof, and around the door.

We tore the wallpaper off of the wood panel on the wall behind one of the couches and it was wet and rotting. We tore down the wood panel and there was mold behind it, so we think its been leaking for quite some time now.

My husband also took off one of the vents and the boards that the vents screw into are completely rotted. There also looked to be mold in the styrofoam behind the boards.

I guess now my concern is how deep of a mold/rotted wood situation do we think we have. Could it be a bigger issue in the wood frame itself or do we think its likely just isolated to the vents, windows and door?

Sorry that happened to you. That's awful. The worst that I've seen yet.

It could be that the trailer was in a flood. Does the stove, fridge, furnace show signs of rust?

[Bill]

My opinion? I'm with Wavery. I've never seen anything like this. As in any RV, a leak can happen, but when one does, the affected area is usually at least somewhat confined. The "confined area" may not be a small, and it may not be particularly close the the leak itself. But at best, you seem to have had multiple simultaneous serious leaks.

I am not an expert, and of course I have not examined it myself. It is difficult to be sure from a few photos, but the pictures seem to show that water was everywhere, not just at a couple of isolated leak points. Again as Wavery said, it almost looks like it was filled with water, as if it was in a flood. Or it rolled into a river or a pond. Or perhaps it was stored in a building that caught fire, and the fire department hoses engulfed it for an extended time. Or something like that.

Where (what part of which state) was it stored before you bought it? Not meaning to be too dramatic, but cars that have been flooded in tropical storms or hurricanes are sometimes cleaned up and sold without disclosure. And I think that is illegal.

I would suggest that you first keep investigating. Are the mattresses soggy in the middle, for example? In addition to the appliances, check the thin wood panels that make up the kitchen cabinetry. They would not respond well to immersion. What about the inside of the bathroom cabinet? Go outside and remove the panels behind the refrigerator and the water heater. Do you see any water marks, or coatings of silt or salt? From inside, unscrew a few screws and remove the air conditioner grate/cover/filters. Any sign of water or silt or salt?

Presumably you insured it before you took possession. You might call in your insurance company. If fraud is involved, they may get on top of it, rather than paying a claim - although the book value of a 23-year old 2619 may be small enough that they will simply pay you and go away. But at least you would recoup what you paid for it.

Let us know how this develops.

Bill

[Varnado]

Thanks for the responses! We live in central Mississippi and thats also where it was being stored when we bought it. So it stays pretty hot and humid here.

The fridge and stove do have rust on them but the fridge was condensating pretty bad when it was running, so just wondered if its just old and needs replacing. The mattresses seem fine from what I can tell, but I’m not sure if they’re the originals. They’re basically just a piece of thick foam. The wood panels in the kitchen cabinets seem okay, but I think they may have been replaced in the past as well. There are water markings on the inside of the cabinet next to the door, but I think thats likely from the door leak. There are also water marks in the cabinet under the bathroom sink, but we did notice the sink leaking a little. There doesnt seem to be any water marks or silt/salt from what I can tell in the panel behind the fridge and water heater. There are some rusty screws inside in places like underneath the kitchen sink, for example.

We have pulled out the flooring and found the wood underneath it is rotted in the doorway. Also the aluminum has holes in it and is worn away, so not sure what could cause that.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Varnado

Thanks for the responses! We live in central Mississippi and thats also where it was being stored when we bought it. So it stays pretty hot and humid here.

The fridge and stove do have rust on them but the fridge was condensating pretty bad when it was running, so just wondered if its just old and needs replacing. The mattresses seem fine from what I can tell, but I’m not sure if they’re the originals. They’re basically just a piece of thick foam. The wood panels in the kitchen cabinets seem okay, but I think they may have been replaced in the past as well. There are water markings on the inside of the cabinet next to the door, but I think thats likely from the door leak. There are also water marks in the cabinet under the bathroom sink, but we did notice the sink leaking a little. There doesnt seem to be any water marks or silt/salt from what I can tell in the panel behind the fridge and water heater. There are some rusty screws inside in places like underneath the kitchen sink, for example.

We have pulled out the flooring and found the wood underneath it is rotted in the doorway. Also the aluminum has holes in it and is worn away, so not sure what could cause that.

Was this trailer stored close to the ocean? 23-years of salt air, along with some water leaks can cause a lot of damage. You haven't even started looking into the big things like brakes, wheel bearing, frame rust, electrical. You know, the expensive stuff.

Sorry to have to say this.....My personal opinion is..... take your losses and move on. Chalk it up to education. I think the more time that you spend digging into this thing is simply time lost. If you start putting money into it, I think that you will waste more $ than the trailer is worth and in the end, you may still have a trailer that no one will want.

[Varnado]

Originally Posted by Wavery

Was this trailer stored close to the ocean? 23-years of salt air, along with some water leaks can cause a lot of damage. You haven't even started looking into the big things like brakes, wheel bearing, frame rust, electrical. You know, the expensive stuff.

Sorry to have to say this.....My personal opinion is..... take your losses and move on. Chalk it up to education. I think the more time that you spend digging into this thing is simply time lost. If you start putting money into it, I think that you will waste more $ than the trailer is worth and in the end, you may still have a trailer that no one will want.

I don’t think it has been stored close to the ocean for at least the past few years. I’m not sure of its history before that. I did a quick look at the frame and it looks to be rust free for the most part, besides the back left side (see picture). The stabilizers were also pretty rusty, but we replaced them with new ones. Here are some pictures of the camper after we discovered the leaks and had pulled off the first piece of wallpaper before we started taking things out.