I am in the process of replacing carpet in my 38' '96 Barth with floating laminate flooring, from kitchen tile forward. There is evidence of water stains along the passenger side. The wood sub-floor is sound, no rot or dry rot, so I think it is not a large problem.

This unit is aluminum all around. Is there any history with Al skin leaks?

I suspect the window. I read herein about removing the interior window frame and resealing. I have never removed them, as I was afraid the outer frame and window would simply fall out. Can the inner frame be removed with no such dire consequences?

On the other hand, since 10 years history has produced no rot, perhaps I could ignore the possibility of a leak.

My main reason for concern is the problem that water can cause with the laminate flooring, warping, etc. I have never noted any dampness in the carpet, and would have been none the wiser if the stains were not there.

Condensation in the wals a possibility?

Hoping to get some insite from the Barth Barros!

You might not have a leak. The drains that are built into the channel of the window may have been plugged up with a leaf or the coach was parked at a bad angle. Try spraying it down and checking it again.

I had a leak on the passengers side sliding window for the co-pilot. I removed the window and scrapped the caulk out of the frame. I re-caulked it with the proper window seal that comes in a roll and reset it. No leaks now.

The window caulk kept the window from falling out after I took the inside trim ring off. The screws are the square tipped ends. Don't try using a regular screw driver as it will only drive you insane. Get the proper square tip bits.

After the trim ring comes off of the inside your going to attempt to push the window out. Good luck with that. The window will fight you every step of the way. Use a putty knife to break the bead all of the way around. Have another person helping you and use even pressure while pushing it out.

A plastic spring clamp (or C-clamp with the contact points wrapped in tape) will hold the window in place. It's doubtful that, even without the clamps, the window would fall oout, because the bedding compound would hold it in.

Due to the Barth's insulation, I don't think condensation is the problem, but best is to inspect for the source of the water stains - it could be as simple as someone having spilled a glass of water there, however. Be thankful it wasn't Coke or some other similiar concoction - I got my van from my then brother-in-law, and it four attacks with my commercial carpet cleaner to get the crud out of the carpets. (The who-knows-how-old sandwich and french fries secreted in one of the side consoles is another story.)

Anyway, the water stains aren't likely a major problem since there's no dryrot, but dose the windows nearby with lots of water and see if any shows up...emphasize the front edge, as some leaks show up only when the coach is moving in serious rain. It wouldn't hurt to apply some rot preventive (like copper napthenate), but let it dry thoroughly, then seal with varnish...this is nasty stuff, so be forewarned.

I had a serious leak in the roof over the driver's compartment. Couldn't see where the water entered, so I sealed every place on the front part of the roof that looked remotely suspicious, including the hold-down screws for the running lights.

No problems any more with that, but parked in heavy rain with one front corner slightly low, runoff from the roof overcame the seal on the top of the driver's side slider. Cured that by installing drip rails above the windows on both sides. No further problems.

I suspect that a low front corner taking all the runoff from a heavy rain would cause similar problems in other rigs. You can't make a slider water tight and still have it slide.

quote:

Originally posted by olroy:
I suspect that a low front corner taking all the runoff from a heavy rain would cause similar problems in other rigs. You can't make a slider water tight and still have it slide.

This is another place I had a slight problem with. A block of wood under the right front tire took care of that.

Bill

Thx for the replies.

I will do some water tests.

To late for the rot preventative, as I have already painted the sub floor. The carpet I removed had urine stench, so I painted the sub-floor to with odor kill paint in case it was also in the wood. Previous owner had some kind of pet. It took me 3 years to admit that it is the carpet that smells.