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Water damage to 1984 Sunrader - DIY repair


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Hi all!

I am tackling the water damage from a pipe vent leak in the Sunrader next week.  Any advice on this is appreciated.

Damage is in the cabinet above the fridge.  I used silicone as a temporary fix on the roof, leaks have stopped.  The goal is to clean the roof and reseal all points of entry once the interior water damage is repaired.

Not interested in a full on demo / rebuild of my Sunrader interior; simply want to address the damage and mold in this one spot.

Thanks guys!

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Edited by roadtriprachel
typos
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Your supposed to have something like this that protects the vent pipe from water.

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Vents-and-Fans/Camco/CAM40132.html?feed=npn&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxtPYBRD6ARIsAKs1XJ7N0Aa20_2uoPHG8I02GE-R_Bdl19d_QhPWKNJHo-1-wLezGSF5P-0aAsY4EALw_wcB

Is there still one up there or even the bottom part that the cap connects to? If it's broken apart you need to get one. Silicone was not the best product to use. RV self leveling sealant would have been a better choice to seal around the pipe itself. As for the cabinets just dry it out. Peroxide or Oxiclean will kill the mold and then paint the yuck parts with Kilzs paint. Doesn't look like you need to rebuild anything to me. It's inside a cabinet so put the door back on and forget it

Linda S

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Silicone was / is a temporary fix.  (The goal is to clean the roof and reseal all points of entry once the interior water damage is repaired.) - I wrote that above... I don’t intend for silicone to be the final / permanent solution...

There is a vent cap.  Its intact.  The sealant AROUND the cap is the problem.  Its dry rotted.

Leaks and water = rot and mold.  Hence my asking ppl about how to fix the damage.  I get the basic concept of painting over mold/damage with Kilz, but I am interested in tearing out what is rotten / moldy / damaged.

I’d like to fix what’s damaged, not just paint over it, although I understand that might work for some.  I am VERY sensitive to mold and don’t want to breath it in - while using bleach / peroxide and displacing spores or while painting over it with Kilz or while living in it, having it grow unchecked...

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Hard to know what is there but my guess is there is a thin (1/8") piece of wood glued to the foam and the foam is glued to the roof. I would remove the carpet in that area and I am guessing that is some sort of pink wallpaper? You have to see how far that mold traveled before knowing the extent of how much needs to be ripped out. The abs (black) pipe could be cut along the straight section so it can be reattached using a coupler once done. You may also be able to keep the pipe in place and cut around it. It could just be the thin wood on the ceiling which is so thin you can score with a knife around the moldy part then rip it out saving the good wood around it. I would then spray the foam with bleach or whatever you choose to kill the mold I would also treat all wood surrounding it. Then get new wood and glue it back onto the foam to cover the part you removed. Make sure to use an adhesive that is foam safe.

As for the roof vent, I would just get a new vent (they are only $15ish). I would personally use butyl tape to seal the new vent to the roof (lots of videos of sealing vents and windows using butyl tape). Another option is lap sealant but I personally despise this stuff and it is very difficult to remove in the future. No matter what, things need to be resealed periodically and with lap sealant, it makes it far more difficult. With butyl tape, to reseal a vent, it would only take 10 minutes.

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Your going to be exposed to far more mold pulling that wood out. Spraying it with a mold killing solution can be done at arms length and then you can run out until it's dead. Dry area thoroughly.  The kilz is just sealing the area. It's not just cosmetic. It's fixing the problem. If that area has been dry in the past one good soak didn't rot it.

That pipe is from your poop tank. I don't think you want to cut it. Yes buy a new cap and I only use butyl tape to seal roof vents.

Linda S

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