Case study
Two seasons of slow intrusion on a travel trailer roof, decking and subfloor
The owner reported a ceiling stain above the dinette. Moisture mapping showed elevated readings across roughly 40 percent of the deck and a separate wet zone in the floor in front of the entry door, which was fed by a different path entirely. The visible stain was nearly two meters from the actual entry point at the refrigerator vent flange.
Vehicle
31 foot travel trailer, EPDM membrane over luan decking
Price band
$3,500 to $18,000 plus
Calendar time
3 to 8 weeks
Operations
What the job actually consisted of
- Moisture and leak detection appointment, grid readings recorded against a dry baseline
- Membrane removed across the wet area, wet luan decking cut back to sound material
- Two roof rafters found soft, scarfed and replaced with matched dimensional stock
- New decking fitted flush, new EPDM sheet bonded with a heat set seam at the transition
- All 24 penetrations stripped to clean substrate, primed, and rebuilt with butyl and lap sealant
- Entry area subfloor cut out, replaced, and the flooring reinstated across the repair
- Post repair water test with the coach on a level pad, held under flow for 40 minutes
Outcome
How it ended
The roof and the floor were two separate leaks that presented as one complaint. Because the shop mapped instead of guessing, both were found on the first visit. Had only the roof been addressed the owner would have returned with the same symptom and paid twice.
More
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Is your vehicle in the same situation
Match on construction type and failure mode, not on the badge. We are 18.4 miles from Hacienda Heights via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave.
