Possible leaks or even flooding may make RV owners want to know how to repair a severe water damaged motorhome. A thorough inspection of the vehicle can do the trick, plus some cleaning and repairs.
Here’s a brief walkthrough of the things you need to know
How Do You Inspect Your Motorhome?
First and foremost, you’ll want to check signs and sources of water damage.
You can quickly identify potential water damage by looking out for stains. Stains or discoloration are one of the tell-tale signs of prolonged moisture exposure, so spotting them can help you track down the source.
Also, be on the lookout for soft, weakened spots in the RV. It goes without saying that moisture that sets in can cause the material to become a little brittle.
Affected wallpaper can have wrinkles and discoloration, as mentioned above, due to water damage. Check doors, windows, or other openings for wrinkled wallpaper.
Arguably, a crucial thing to look out for is mold. Moisture, among other factors, provides the right conditions for mold to grow.
If you need help inspecting mold around the vehicle, here’s a helpful article on what color is mold.
If you spot these, it can be easy to trace the source of the damage to help you deal with them.
What Do You Do After Inspecting For Water Damage?
1. Clean around
If it’s a leak or a crack that lets in moisture when it rains or floods, you may think to repair the damage. However, before that, you should clean the water-damaged areas to prevent set-in moisture from causing further damage.
As stated earlier, mold should be the top priority in cleaning water-damaged areas. You have to exercise caution as exposure to mold can spell various health hazards.
Remember to wear protective equipment such as gloves, a mask, and goggles if you have them. The substances you can use to combat mold are hydrogen peroxide, diluted chlorine bleach, baking soda, borax, or distilled white vinegar.
Aside from mold, you can also take care of other dirt and grime that come with water damage.
2. Take out damaged parts
Once you finish cleaning, it’ll be easier to properly assess the damage. Getting rid of damaged parts will help prevent further damage.
Some parts affected by severe damage can be past the point of no return. Better break out your tools and remove heavily damaged parts of your motorhome.
An excellent place to start is your floor. Typically, a motorhome’s flooring is made of wood.
You can chip away at rotting wood to make room for new flooring.
With your walls, damage can hide behind the wallpaper. You’ll have to remove the affected wallpaper altogether to check for damaged motorhome walls.
When it comes to your windows, you may only have to worry about the seals.
As you may have guessed, taking out parts damaged beyond repair does warrant replacement which you can deal with after the next few steps.
On the other hand, there may be parts that are still salvageable. You can use silicone-based repair products, which we’ll talk about later.
3. Let the motorhome dry
Before you start arranging replacements for the damaged areas of your RV, you want to make sure any lingering moisture is dried out.
Allow air to circulate throughout the vehicle. Letting air ventilate may be an excellent opportunity to use an air blower.
4. Start repairs and replacements
At this point, you can plan to replace damaged parts you removed earlier and repair them and possible sources of water damage.
If your water damage comes from a leaky pipe or a faulty drain line, better start taking care of the pipes. You could contact your local plumber or, if you can, try to DIY the repairs.
The window seals mentioned earlier that need replacement could also be a potential source of water damage. When you need to start making replacements, it’s good to begin with the window seal.
Once you deal with window repair, you can focus your attention on replacing walls, wallpaper, and flooring.
You may opt to use silicone caulk to deal with leaky cracks that may not warrant total replacement.
5. Do regular inspections afterward
To prevent water damage from affecting your motorhome again, you’ll need regular maintenance to ensure everything is in tiptop shape. You can repeat the first step regularly to stop water damage before it gets severe.
One more thing worth mentioning is that one of the things you need to prioritize is preventing mold. As discussed earlier, mold can go hand in hand with water damage.
To help you with this, we’ve got a helpful article on how to prevent mold after a leak.
Conclusion
Potentially doing a complete overhaul may seem like a lot, but fixing your RV will be worth it in the long run. Now that you have an idea of how to repair a severe water damaged motorhome, you can take action to keep your motorhome in its best shape.
Heeding this advice can also ensure your motorhome gets the tender, loving care it deserves.