Rotted Metal in main compartment Bay

[PIExpress]

Hi,

I noticed I had metal and wood rot in the lower compartment which was camouflaged by the dealer we purchased it from so now I am in the process of tearing it all out. I am a little upset that the dealer would hide such a problem. When I opened the lower compartment bay the dealer had accessories laying over the problem area hiding the mess underneath. There appeared to be a slight sag underneath the panels laying over the area which is what brought it to my attention in the first place. (I am referring to the main storage bay).I am looking for advice on the repairs etc. I have attached a few pictures this way you all can see what Fay and I are up against.(The pictures were taken after the carpet was removed.)

Sean

[Richard and Rhonda]

Hi Sean,

Welcome to the forum.

It is hard for me to tell what was originally wood and what was metal in those photos.

Can you tell us a little more about how you think the basement floor was constucted. I know mine is all metal, except the floor under the battery bay.

In general I think that first you should look at the cross members to see how much cancer they have. If the answer is not much, I would take a sawzall and saw out one rusted section at a time, and mig weld a replacement sheet in.

Prime and paint.

Not an easy task, but not impossible either.

[encantotom]

i agree with richard. as long as the crossmember supports are ok, it shouldnt be to big a deal. good excuse to buy a nice mig welder....

tom

[HoosierDaddy]

Hi Sean...welcome.
I had a similar condition with my 1978 Newell. The problem is moisture that gets trapped below the wood. Check your bay door seals and your holding tanks for leaks. If you have a steel waste tank (I think that was common in early Newells) it may be rusted out on the bottom. My fresh water tank was Stainless steel.I removed all of the wood and metal in the storage bay AND the water compartment bay (after removing the water and holding tanks). The frame is square steel tubing that runs longways under the floor. I used an air powered chisel to remove the sheet metal leaving the square tube frame work (It is much thicker and probably still sound. If there are weak sections you would need to repair/replace as needed but that would be more involved since those tubes are a load-bearing part of the frame) A steel shop cut new sheet metal panels that I laid in place after I painted the frame with POR 15 paint http://www.por15.com/ I also painted the new sheetmetal with POR 15. I built a new waste tank from steel and coated it with POR 15 inside and out. After stitch welding the new steel floor in I caulked to make sure no water could enter from below. New RV's and semi trailers use a plywood that is laminated with fiberglass on both sides. That is what I used for a new floor. You could use marine grade plywood as well. After the plywood is installed Caulk the perimeter of that to keep moisture out from above. I finished with a layer of undercoating on the bottom side. I removed the aluminum sills along the bottom of the door opening and had the metal shop make new ones as well. Ten years later it still looks great!

[PIExpress]

Thanks everyone for the reply's. I got all the wood out its def. sheet metal underneath. Not sure what gauge the sheet metal is and would like to find that out. Cross members have a little pit in some areas but it does not appear the structural integrity is gone.

Sean