New to RV's: Need to Run Maintenance on 99 Mini Winnie

[SeminoleFamily]

Hi All, I need to run some maintenance on a 99 mini winnie. My mom bought this used and has kind of let it go over the years. It runs great, but has a luandry list of things needed to be addressed to bring it up to par.
Its "leaking" and water is intruding, so I wanted to start by re sealing caulking the trim but had a few questions.the lamenat walls in some places have bubbled from water seeping in.
The metal bar that supports the top bunk space seems to have seperated. What are your recommendations to fix this and best priducts to use. I have pictures o. My pho e but im not sure how to post them. Thank you.

[BarneyS]

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

[SeminoleFamily]

Yea..its in pretty bad shape. The metal bar supporting the cabover, its actually a vinyl strip? It seems to be seperating from the cabover probably from rocking/swaying during travel and water intrusion at the seems. Water seems to collect at the ends.

[SidecarFlip]

I looked as well (had to copy and paste them into another window) and I see the side is delaminating by the window, a sure sign of water damage underneath as well as the grey telltale stain above the lower trim piece on the cab over and the fact that the metal (aluminum extrusion is dropping down) which means there is swelling above it from being wet. Lot of remediation involved and that is just the cab over. Wonder what the rest looks like?

Been on the roof per chance to see if it's soft underfoot? Check any of the roof intrusions (vents, ac, soil stack) for bad seals and/or water damage yet?

I think it's a whopper job you have there...

[DrewE]

By "metal bar" supporting the cabover, are you talking about the metal molding track around the edge? That's just there to cover the junction between the side and the front/top/bottom parts of the cabover; it has a vinyl strip in the middle and underneath that there's a screw every couple of inches or so. It's not a structural piece.

Frankly, it looks like there may be a good bit of reconstruction work needed, unfortunately, particularly if it's sat in this condition for awhile. The passenger side wall looks to be in not great shape, and I'm suspicious that the bunk board is also none too sound as water tends to collect at the lower points. I hope that's not the case, of course, but...

[ksg5000]

Put a tarp over it to stop further water intrusion. Apply heat and fans inside to help dry it out- might consider dehumidifiers as well. Carefully take apart the wet panels to determine the extent of the damage. If the damage isn't too bad and repairable consider having the rig pressure tested (about $125) which should identify all the "leaks" - easiest way to identify the source of the leak(s).

[SidecarFlip]

Tyler0215 wrote:
I've always thought the way to repair a leak is from the inside to the outside. Start by taking the damaged pieces off on the inside and follow the trail to the leak.

The only way. Fixing a leak on the outside does nothing to stop the damage on the inside and make no bones about it, the damage will progress, leak or no leak because the inside is already wet.

Easiest way to determine the extent of the damage is with a thermal imaging camera.

Second way is with a non-contact IR thermometer. The water logged rotting areas will register a higher than normal temperature. Rot and mold generate heat and the mold generates toxic spores.

When taking it apart, always wear a mask and dispose of the impacted areas properly.

Myself, I prefer a thermal imaging camera but they are expensive.

Determining the extent of the intrusion damage will tell you if the unit is worth fixing...or scrapping.

If it's beyond repair cost wise, pull all the appliances and mechanicals and sell them and landfill the remainder.

[Tyler0215]

I've always thought the way to repair a leak is from the inside to the outside. Start by taking the damaged pieces off on the inside and follow the trail to the leak.

[SeminoleFamily]

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/xJTYOu8l.jpg[/IM]
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/5HUlLpMl.jpg[/IM] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/5HUlLpMl.jpg[/IM]

Can anyone see the pictures?

[midnightsadie]

pull that leaking area out ,see just how bad things are. could be a total loss, or a easy fix. before you dump a lot of money in it repair the leak.