Soft floors

[Mikemerc]

Hi ,
I’m new to the forum,and have a problem. I have a Montana 3791RD 5th wheel with 5 slide outs. It’s a 2017. The floor at the left side of the kitchen slide out ( street side) is rotted. The area of rot is under the part of the slide out and inside the cabinet to the left of the sLide out. It is rotted at the outside wall and a foot inside the camper. I think the leak happened when the rig was closed up for 6 months, because I didn’t notice any sign of rot before closing up the camper. My questions are ,how do I replace the area of rot. And have you heard of any problems similar to mine to steer me to the leak repair? Thanks for listening,mike

[Jeff n Susan]

I would be calling Keystone and raising %&^$ with them. A 2017 should not have this issue.

[jimcol]

I had the same issue. Removed the linoleum and pulled back a little of the carpet to expose all the soft flooring. Removed all the soft flooring beyond the rot to expose the floor joist. Had to chisel out the soft flooring under the aluminum wall plate. Put 3/4' pvc board under the wall plate notching it where the bolts hold the plate to the frame. Attached aluminum angle to the exposed floor joist so the 3/4" plywood would be level with the existing floor. Screwed the plywood to the aluminum angle and covered the entire linoleum area with vinyl plank flooring from Lowe's. It was a time consuming job but not terrible except working under the cabinet. Luckily mine had a drawer in the bottom of the cabinet I could remove to expose the damage. I recaulked everything on the exterior in hopes of correcting the leak. (Think it was the lower refrigerator vent leaking) Hasn't been in the rain since the repair but has been washed a couple of times. Each time I pull the drawer and check the flooring to insure it is staying dry. So far so good. My description is probably as clear as mud so if you need clarification feel free to PM me. Good luck,
Jim

[beeje]

Originally Posted by Jeff Myers

I would be calling Keystone and raising %&^$ with them. A 2017 should not have this issue.

Good luck with that plan. Keystone could care less what happens to a 4 year old out of warranty unit. They would just blame it on poor owner maintenance.

[AZ Traveler]

Mike,

First - welcome to the forum!

The leak and the floor are definitely things that need to be fixed. If you are not up to taking it on yourself find a good tech to do it.

Leaks can be particularly troublesome if they are not apparent. You may want to reconsider your storage - it is always better to store inside or undercover if you can.

I would not expect Montana to be much help at this point. While they might have helped out with the leak early on if you were still in warranty they chances of them fixing the damage now is not great.

[Mikemerc]

Thanks Jim,
I had the same thoughts about the refrigerator. I don’t see any sign of a drain from under the slide. Is it a pan under the fridge? And thanks for the info on the repair.

[jimcol]

My frig is not in the slide but rather along the back wall of the 5'er. The drain for it is a hose exiting the refrigerator vent on the back of my 5'er. I replaced it years ago when the according style hose crumbled from UV exposure. I think the newer models catch the frig drainage in a cup assemble that is suppose to evaporate with heat from the cooling coil assembly. Someone with more knowledge on the newer fridges can confirm that. My leak was definitely on the DS wall.

[4blys]

We too have a leak and are just starting to explore options. Our leak is on the dining table slide out floor. It is soft on the entry door side of the slide. We think it happened due to the seal on the window of the slide but are not positive.

[Akuhn]

We have a 2021 376FL and noticed before our trip we have a soft floor, probably 2'x2' area under one of the chairs in our living room. NOT HAPPY. Had a tech from the purchasing dealer come take a look at it. His response was.. 'Well, it will need a new floor.' Dealer said Montana structural warranty probably will not cover it.. we are on a 7 week trip with kiddos, so we are going to drop it off at the dealer on our way home and see what is going to need to be done. Anyone have any ideas with something this new?? We had rain storms the last couple nights.. not seeing any water leaking in. It is right near a window/slide.

[Mikendebbie]

Each of your living room slides has 3 windows. The suspect window could be leaking from the top of and around the frame if the original butyl seal tape was not installed properly, or the sealnt bead has let go. A leak can also develop along the bottom trim angle. Below is a sketch of my understanding of the sidewalls of a typical slide

[Akuhn]

Thank you, I will have to go inspect. Unfortunately I assume to be hoping insurance will cover this repair. I doubt Montana will step up to this one.

[Mikendebbie]

I don't think this is a structural issue. Soft or rotten floor is most likely caused by a leak somewhere. You need to get the leak stopped.

The video in the link below shows how a technician replaced a slide floor for a front bedroom slide in an older Montana. The slide mechanism in this video is a hydraulic slide. Your front slides are cable slides - but the mechanism type would not affect the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28ZhF9VLdmA

[Akuhn]

My hope was that the trailer was only 20 months old that they would be willing to step up, the soft spot is under the chair, not in front of the slide. Around the wall and slide are all solid. But, if all else fails.. anyone have experience with state farm and these types of repairs