Wet Floor

P

Palmerdad

New member
Sep 24, 2016
58
0
0
This week as I continue to remodel the interior of our '76 Eleganza I found that neither the seats nor seatbelts had nuts on the underside of the
bolts to actually hold them into the floor. Now as I ripped up the suspiciously lain luan I found much moisture, mildew, and mold. Thankfully the
floor still seems solid and it seems to be drying well. But the question of course is where the moisture could have come from.

A few more details. We bought it this last September and it was used and sat out during some good rains in Sept and October before being put away in
a barn where it has been for the last 4 months. I never saw nor felt moisture on the top of the sheet vinyl floor that po put down, nor did I see
moisture coming in from the ceiling.

So, where might it be coming from?

Overhead? When I removed the ceiling I found evidence of a leak above that area on the underside of the ceiling boards. But again I never saw any
evidence of water coming from the ceiling this Fall and the moisture under the Luan seemed fresh. (I have since patched that area.)

Couldn't be from the water system as I have yet to put any water in it.

Is it possible for water to somehow get in from underneath? It is right by one of the wheel wells.

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/data/500/medium/floor1.jpg
--
-James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
1976 Eleganza
 
Palmerdad,
As you are aware, water can travel quite well. It is completely possible for a leak in one of the upper seams/windows/etc to run down the wall and
collect under the floor. Do you see any sort of staining that might point to a direction of a source? I found evidence of water leaks on the floor
beneath the front seam that separates the cockpit from the main body. Good luck!
--
Robert Peesel

1976 Royale 26'

Side Dry Bath

Conifer, Colorado
 
That's the strange part, I really don't. I'd sure like to find the source before putting new flooring in. I thought I read somewhere that water
could come in from the wheel well if something had deteriorated... Of course I can't remember the exact issue or find the post...
--
-James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
1976 Eleganza
 
What area of the coach are you working on with the wet floor? Does the the water come in when parked or only when driving down the road?
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
It's right by the driver side rear wheel well. The water must have come in last October and just been trapped under the old floor and ply sub floor
the last 4 months (it was only damp but was starting to mildew/mold). but I can't say whether it came in whilst driving or sitting. The area is by
the drivers side rear wheel well which was why I was thinking wheel well.
--
-James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
1976 Eleganza
 
If you look into the wheel wells behind the bogie arms you will see the edge of the plywood floor. There is a seam there that sometimes has a leak. When driving in wet weather the tires will throw water into that crack and it will run onto the top of the floor and your carpet will get wet.

Use a polyurethane caulk where the plywood floor meets the bottom of the wheel well liners with some black polyurethane sealant.. If you look closely just above the plywood you will probably see a little crack. Seal the front , the wall opposite the tires and the back of the liner and it will likely fix the problem.

I used PL sealant that I bought at Home Depot. It comes in black and other colors. One tube says t is made for foundation or roof and flashing sealing and also a tube that says "Windows and Doors" and another tube that says concrete. They are the same thing even though they have different labels. This comes in a standard caulking gun tube. Loctite has now bought out PL so look for the Loctite PL. It comes in Door and Window (white) , Concrete (Grey) and Roof and Flashing (Black).
The black will look best in the wheel well.

I have had to do this a couple of times, a few years apart, as the seam reopened after a few years .

That same black sealant works well around windows and for roof leaks and it is paintable. If using it on a roof seam use masking tape on both sides of the seam, fill the seam and smooth it with your finger and pull off the masking tape while it is still uncured.
After a week or so you can spray some white (or ivory) colored paint on it. Acrylic spray can works well. The Krylon Antique white matches many of the GMC beige colors.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO

>
> It's right by the driver side rear wheel well. The water must have come in last October and just been trapped under the old floor and ply sub floor
> the last 4 months (it was only damp but was starting to mildew/mold). but I can't say whether it came in whilst driving or sitting. The area is by
> the drivers side rear wheel well which was why I was thinking wheel well.
> --
> -James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
> 1976 Eleganza
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Rather than the paint overcoat Emery suggests, I prefer to use spray can
undercoating; it seems to preserve the seal better for me -- but my flares
hide the area from the outside, so the color doesn't matter to me.

Ken H.

> If you look into the wheel wells behind the bogie arms you will see the
> edge of the plywood floor. There is a seam there that sometimes has a
> leak. When driving in wet weather the tires will throw water into that
> crack and it will run onto the top of the floor and your carpet will get
> wet.
>
> Use a polyurethane caulk where the plywood floor meets the bottom of the
> wheel well liners with some black polyurethane sealant.. If you look
> closely just above the plywood you will probably see a little crack. Seal
> the front , the wall opposite the tires and the back of the liner and it
> will likely fix the problem.
>
> I used PL sealant that I bought at Home Depot. It comes in black and
> other colors. One tube says t is made for foundation or roof and flashing
> sealing and also a tube that says "Windows and Doors" and another tube that
> says concrete. They are the same thing even though they have different
> labels. This comes in a standard caulking gun tube. Loctite has now
> bought out PL so look for the Loctite PL. It comes in Door and Window
> (white) , Concrete (Grey) and Roof and Flashing (Black).
> The black will look best in the wheel well.
>
> I have had to do this a couple of times, a few years apart, as the seam
> reopened after a few years .
>
> That same black sealant works well around windows and for roof leaks and
> it is paintable. If using it on a roof seam use masking tape on both sides
> of the seam, fill the seam and smooth it with your finger and pull off the
> masking tape while it is still uncured.
> After a week or so you can spray some white (or ivory) colored paint on
> it. Acrylic spray can works well. The Krylon Antique white matches many
> of the GMC beige colors.
>
> Emery Stora
> 77 Kingsley
> Frederick, CO
>

> >
> > It's right by the driver side rear wheel well. The water must have
> come in last October and just been trapped under the old floor and ply sub
> floor
> > the last 4 months (it was only damp but was starting to mildew/mold).
> but I can't say whether it came in whilst driving or sitting. The area is
> by
> > the drivers side rear wheel well which was why I was thinking wheel well.
> > --
> > -James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
> > 1976 Eleganza
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
If it was wet after driving then the advice from Ken and Emery applies. To
add to that, my last coach had carpet stapled directly through the wheel
wells. I ended up having to coat them with fiberglass resin do the
hundereds of staple holes.

If it got wet from sitting then it is not likely your wheel wells but
something higher.

Sully
77 eleganza 2
Seattle
On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 11:42 AM Ken Henderson
wrote:

> Rather than the paint overcoat Emery suggests, I prefer to use spray can
> undercoating; it seems to preserve the seal better for me -- but my flares
> hide the area from the outside, so the color doesn't matter to me.
>
> Ken H.
>

>
> > If you look into the wheel wells behind the bogie arms you will see the
> > edge of the plywood floor. There is a seam there that sometimes has a
> > leak. When driving in wet weather the tires will throw water into that
> > crack and it will run onto the top of the floor and your carpet will get
> > wet.
> >
> > Use a polyurethane caulk where the plywood floor meets the bottom of the
> > wheel well liners with some black polyurethane sealant.. If you look
> > closely just above the plywood you will probably see a little crack.
> Seal
> > the front , the wall opposite the tires and the back of the liner and it
> > will likely fix the problem.
> >
> > I used PL sealant that I bought at Home Depot. It comes in black and
> > other colors. One tube says t is made for foundation or roof and
> flashing
> > sealing and also a tube that says "Windows and Doors" and another tube
> that
> > says concrete. They are the same thing even though they have different
> > labels. This comes in a standard caulking gun tube. Loctite has now
> > bought out PL so look for the Loctite PL. It comes in Door and Window
> > (white) , Concrete (Grey) and Roof and Flashing (Black).
> > The black will look best in the wheel well.
> >
> > I have had to do this a couple of times, a few years apart, as the seam
> > reopened after a few years .
> >
> > That same black sealant works well around windows and for roof leaks and
> > it is paintable. If using it on a roof seam use masking tape on both
> sides
> > of the seam, fill the seam and smooth it with your finger and pull off
> the
> > masking tape while it is still uncured.
> > After a week or so you can spray some white (or ivory) colored paint on
> > it. Acrylic spray can works well. The Krylon Antique white matches many
> > of the GMC beige colors.
> >
> > Emery Stora
> > 77 Kingsley
> > Frederick, CO
> >

> > >
> > > It's right by the driver side rear wheel well. The water must have
> > come in last October and just been trapped under the old floor and ply
> sub
> > floor
> > > the last 4 months (it was only damp but was starting to mildew/mold).
> > but I can't say whether it came in whilst driving or sitting. The area
> is
> > by
> > > the drivers side rear wheel well which was why I was thinking wheel
> well.
> > > --
> > > -James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
> > > 1976 Eleganza
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > GMCnet mailing list
> > > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
I was not suggesting painting the sealant in the wheel area. That is why I suggested using the black polyurethane.

My reference to painting was when I discussed the use of the sealant on the roof.

Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Frederick, CO

>
> Rather than the paint overcoat Emery suggests, I prefer to use spray can
> undercoating; it seems to preserve the seal better for me -- but my flares
> hide the area from the outside, so the color doesn't matter to me.
>
> Ken H.
>

>
>> If you look into the wheel wells behind the bogie arms you will see the
>> edge of the plywood floor. There is a seam there that sometimes has a
>> leak. When driving in wet weather the tires will throw water into that
>> crack and it will run onto the top of the floor and your carpet will get
>> wet.
>>
>> Use a polyurethane caulk where the plywood floor meets the bottom of the
>> wheel well liners with some black polyurethane sealant.. If you look
>> closely just above the plywood you will probably see a little crack. Seal
>> the front , the wall opposite the tires and the back of the liner and it
>> will likely fix the problem.
>>
>> I used PL sealant that I bought at Home Depot. It comes in black and
>> other colors. One tube says t is made for foundation or roof and flashing
>> sealing and also a tube that says "Windows and Doors" and another tube that
>> says concrete. They are the same thing even though they have different
>> labels. This comes in a standard caulking gun tube. Loctite has now
>> bought out PL so look for the Loctite PL. It comes in Door and Window
>> (white) , Concrete (Grey) and Roof and Flashing (Black).
>> The black will look best in the wheel well.
>>
>> I have had to do this a couple of times, a few years apart, as the seam
>> reopened after a few years .
>>
>> That same black sealant works well around windows and for roof leaks and
>> it is paintable. If using it on a roof seam use masking tape on both sides
>> of the seam, fill the seam and smooth it with your finger and pull off the
>> masking tape while it is still uncured.
>> After a week or so you can spray some white (or ivory) colored paint on
>> it. Acrylic spray can works well. The Krylon Antique white matches many
>> of the GMC beige colors.
>>
>> Emery Stora
>> 77 Kingsley
>> Frederick, CO
>>

>>>
>>> It's right by the driver side rear wheel well. The water must have
>> come in last October and just been trapped under the old floor and ply sub
>> floor
>>> the last 4 months (it was only damp but was starting to mildew/mold).
>> but I can't say whether it came in whilst driving or sitting. The area is
>> by
>>> the drivers side rear wheel well which was why I was thinking wheel well.
>>> --
>>> -James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
>>> 1976 Eleganza
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> GMCnet mailing list
>>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Flex Seal, as seen on TV, will also do the trick. Available at your nearest big box store, black, white, clear, and tan. Colors may not all be in
stock at one time. You can get it as a spray can, small pressurized tube, or paint on. Material is paintable.
Tom, MS II
--
1975 GMC Avion
KA4CSG
 
pay attention to any cracks in anything. I chased leaks for years in my AC covers that turned out to be a couple of small cracks.

I think the crack sucks the water in by capiliary action. it's amazingly effective

________________________________
From: Gmclist on behalf of Thomas Phipps
Sent: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 2:33:20 PM
To: gmclist
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Wet Floor

Flex Seal, as seen on TV, will also do the trick. Available at your nearest big box store, black, white, clear, and tan. Colors may not all be in
stock at one time. You can get it as a spray can, small pressurized tube, or paint on. Material is paintable.
Tom, MS II
--
1975 GMC Avion
KA4CSG

_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
Cracks in the bottom ac tray will leak badly to the interior when the ac is
operating. The tray works as a gutter to carry away the condensation
created sduring operation.
Sully
77 eleganza 2
Seattle

> pay attention to any cracks in anything. I chased leaks for years in my AC
> covers that turned out to be a couple of small cracks.
>
> I think the crack sucks the water in by capiliary action. it's amazingly
> effective
>
> ________________________________
> From: Gmclist on behalf of Thomas
> Phipps
> Sent: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 2:33:20 PM
> To: gmclist
> Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Wet Floor
>
> Flex Seal, as seen on TV, will also do the trick. Available at your
> nearest big box store, black, white, clear, and tan. Colors may not all be
> in
> stock at one time. You can get it as a spray can, small pressurized tube,
> or paint on. Material is paintable.
> Tom, MS II
> --
> 1975 GMC Avion
> KA4CSG
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
> Flex Seal, as seen on TV, will also do the trick. Available at your nearest big box store, black, white, clear, and tan. Colors may not all be in
> stock at one time. You can get it as a spray can, small pressurized tube, or paint on. Material is paintable.
> Tom, MS II

Flex seal spray as recommended Tom works well. There are other brands of the same thing. I used the Rustoleum brand of the stuff. (available at
Menards.)

--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
Leaks in that location can be caused by a drain tube blocked in the access panel where the power cord is located. If you open the power cord access
door from the outside and remove the cord completely you will see that in the bottom part of that storage area is a plastic tray or tub. When it
rains water sometimes collects there. There is a small drain hole in the bottom of the tub that connects to a 1/4" id tube that runs through a hole
in the fiberglass and also the fender liner. Over time that tube can get blocked and the tub will over flow collected rain water into the area that
you are describing.

If you want to see the other end of that tube, look at the fender liner above and in front of the middle wheel on the left side of the coach.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
> Leaks in that location can be caused by a drain tube blocked in the access panel where the power cord is located. If you open the power cord
> access door from the outside and remove the cord completely you will see that in the bottom part of that storage area is a plastic tray or tub.
> When it rains water sometimes collects there. There is a small drain hole in the bottom of the tub that connects to a 1/4" id tube that runs
> through a hole in the fiberglass and also the fender liner. Over time that tube can get blocked and the tub will over flow collected rain water
> into the area that you are describing.
>
> If you want to see the other end of that tube, look at the fender liner above and in front of the middle wheel on the left side of the coach.

Also leaks in that area can be caused if the hose is disconnected from the bottom of the tub. Do NOT pull the hose out unless it is absolutely
necessary as it is a real problem to get it back in there again.

--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
I will definitely grab a can of flex seal and go after the wheel well. Even if that isn't the problem it sounds like it should be done. (Hopefully
that will solve the problem though too!) Thanks again guys!

--
-James Palmer, Traverse City, MI
1976 Eleganza
 
We had a problem. If you have ever looked, a 23 has the forward dinette seat against the wheel well. The carpet in there was perpetually damp and I
couldn't store anything in there that might rust. I tried caulks. Flexseal was not yet on the market. So, I grabbed up some of my aluminum flashing
and drive screws and the PL left over from the windshield. I plated over everything that was not covered by the wheel well insert and even some that
was and now I can store pretzels in there in an open bag and they would stay good.

Hope you find a cure that works for your coach.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - '73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Still Loving OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Applied GMC
Get your shine on at www.cruzingear.co

Share this page

Share this page
Top Bottom
Back