A camper or RV with a leaking water can cause many issues, specially with the floor. A wet floor inside your luxurious class A motorhome or a fifth wheel will need sufficient time to dry out. One can use different methods to dry out the camper floor. In this article, lets check out some of these methods.
1. Use dehumidifier
Keeping a dehumidifier running inside your RV can actually help dry out the floor. Dehumidifier can be placed anywhere inside the RV but you only need to make sure that it is placed safely and will not fall over. A lot of people debate on whether you should be running a dehumidifier inside an RV or not.
You can position it closer to the floor so that it it dries out quickly. Using dehumidifier along with other methods will work faster. Drying of the RV floor also depends on what kind of weather it is. A high humidity weather and the RV floor will take lot of time to dry out.
Getting a dehumidifier for your RV will not only help you dry out the floor but will
also help in keeping out mold and mildew during other times as well. They help in reducing the condensation which results in mold problems.
They are normally smaller in size and should not be a problem for you to carry inside a camper. But, one thing with them is that they need a good amount of energy to run and that should be there in your mind. You may not continuously run them but you need to plan it properly.
If you want to go with dehumidifier as a solution then check out Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier on amazon. It is highly rated and a perfect buy for camper.
2. Use a fan inside the RV
Depending on how bad the floor is and what kind of damage has happened one can clean the floor and try to get the water away and after that using a portable fan can help dry the RV flooring.
You can position the fan depending on which part of the floor is wet. Like for example if the area under your bed is wet then maybe you can position it accordingly. It totally depends how wet the floor has become and depending on that you need to use a solution to make sure it’s completely dry.
This is definitely not going to be a solution if the damage is high in which case you need to really look for something that can help it dry very quickly. Here again it depends what kind of weather you are currently in because a high humidity environment will mean it will take lot of time to dry out.
3. Use proper ventilation
This is an obvious one unless you are Rving in a high humidity region. Keeping the RV properly ventilated will help the floor or the carpet dry faster. Making sure the air flow is proper will speed up the drying process.
Make sure you open the windows, door and roof vents to allow good air flow. Having a dehumidifier or a fan will help but keeping the RV ventilated will make it faster. A RV flooring can take days and days to completely dry especially if the air has humidity in which case other method need to be used. But, keeping the RV ventilated is only possible when the outside weather isn’t cold.
4. Use Blower for underbelly drying
The RV floor may get wet to the extend that it may have water in rv underbelly or
underneath . This may happen specially in places where there are holes like for water lines or where electrical lines are running.
Such places need to be dried out and for this you can make use of a blower. A blower is not similar to fan but can help dry out much faster at areas that are less accessible. Blowers are normally used to dry out carpet.
You can get them at equipment shops or at any RV professionals. If the RV hasn’t been through massive flooding, the bottom shouldn’t be wet at everywhere but at few locations where its has gap or leaks. While the inside of the RV floor drying up can be taken up using a dehumidifier or fan, use blower for drying out water in underbelly of the camper.
5. Use wet vacuum cleaner or other absorbents
One can also make use of wet vacuum cleaner to get the RV floor cleaned and dry it. This along with other methods like using absorbent materials or thick soft towels to get rid of excessive water can help. If you are thinking to go with a vaccum then do check this on amazon, it is easy to use and very convinient.
The main thing is to identify the cause of the wetness on the floor. It can be due to various reasons or could be due to overflowing of sinks. Many people do this mistake of keeping the bathroom sink unattended and it overflows. A wet floor can take weeks to dry out completely specially if you are located in high humidity region or if its the winter time.
Soft spots on RV floor
Water leakage and damage to the floor can produce soft spots on the floor. The rv floor may also become spongy due to water leakage. In case you come across such soft spots do a thorough check to see if there is any water leakage. Floor replacement can cost you lots of amount and thus floor need to be protected from such damages on time.
Repairing the water damaged floor
Water leakage can cause lots of damage to your RV floor and it will cost you lots of time and money to get it fixed. Even the repair cost could be high depending on the damage caused. If your RV insurance covers flooding and damage due to water then do check with them. If you are resident of a region that floods often then do check prior to taking insurance whether they cover damages caused to a flooded RV.
A wet floor can take weeks before it dries up completely. Identifying the cause of the water leakage is critical and while the RV is in storage such leakage could be difficult to identify and fix.
Remember a wet floor can cause havoc inside your motorhome or travel trailer if its not action is not taken in time. A flooded camper need your lots of patience and efforts to dry. Follow below steps to makes sure you don’t end up replacing the floor of the RV.
1. Locate the real cause of water leakage inside your RV. A leaking roof is a common cause during rainy or winter times. You need to seal the roof using caulking. Identify if there are any pipeline inside the RV that have cracks or leaks. With kitchen, bathroom, showers inside the RV chances are that any of the pipes could be leaking. While most of the piping system is well insulated and protect but an old RV may develop issues in plumbing.
2. Before you try different methods to dry the RV floor, make sure it is cleaned properly and any debris be removed. Make use of absorbent material for this, use vacuum cleaner or any other equipment to make sure all dirt is removed.
3. A wet RV floor can be a house of bacteria and thus make sure you Disinfect it using proper bleach solution. This step is also important to prevent mold and mildew.
4. Use suitable method to dry the floor and make sure every bit of water is removed. It may take several days before it completely dries out, until then try to avoid using the RV and keep it properly ventilated for better results.
