2018 Aspen Trail

[MarkCamping]

Hi all,

First time post, looking for some guidance. Have a 2810BHS that I purchased new. Noticed a soft spot in the bathroom floor near the exterior door. Assumed leaking around the door, but, couldn't really find any areas. Ensured roof was sealed up and doors, awning, etc. was all tight. The spot got worse, so, knew I had to tear up the floor, .

I know I've heard about campers, in general, being cheaply built, or not to the best standards, but, wow, what I've found as I've tore into the floor and walls in the bathroom have shocked me. Though I have to say, I've had NO other problems with this camper (which I'm happy about).

I especially like the raw holes punched in the metal siding with the wires laying in the sharp edges. Then the way the water lines are ran over/under the small wooden floor support 'beams' is curious. Also interesting is the fact that the 220 cord terminates in an junction box and is connected to the camper wiring via plastic wiring caps and some electrical tape. And worst, the solid tarp material barrier on the underside that holds in any moisture/sweat that doesn't allow the wooden floor to breath.

Anyway, as I've torn into it, it looks like the water is seeping in on the corner as the water comes around the corner board and even puddles into the metal seams and then runs down to the tarp material under the floor. The other issue I found, and resolved, was that the exterior side light, under the gutter spout, was filling with water and the water was running around the bulb socket into the camper as well.

We've had a very wet spring/early summer here in Va and the amount of water puddled on top of the bottom tarp, then running around the edges to the other side was shocking. Based on the wood color, this has been leaking a very long time (made since new?). I'm pretty sure I'll leave a gap all the way around the edges (covered with wire) to allow the floor to breathe. I'm also going to reinsulate the walls with metal wrapped foam board to help with heat reflectivity.

I'm puzzled with the corner seepage. Is my only option here to take off the outside corner edge moulding in order to determine if there is some missing butyl tape on the siding wrap around? I'm just not sure I can fathom how water is getting around the siding wrap/seal/moulding. Thanks for any ideas!
Attaching some pics

[MarkCamping]

Update:
As I get ready for spring travel, I'm now tearing into the siding to determine why it is leaking at the corner.
Isn't the siding supposed to wrap around and over this corner? Anyway, here is the root cause of the leaking.
Additionally, there was no sealant underneaith the corner trim. Sigh...

[persistent]

I see no one has responded. I sympathize with your issues.

I don't have specific experience with the design and so cannot help much. You seem to understand, so anything I can say, you probably already know about.

The company that runs Dutchmenowners.org also runs iRV2.com. You can log on there using the same user ID and password. You could post in the travel trailer forum and may get more experienced help.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

[MarkCamping]

Thanks Paul! Yea, this forum is very quite....either owners are not posting on forums, or there is another more active place I'm missing.
Regardless, I sealed that back up and everything should be good for now. I've still got to redo the bathroom tear out but that won't be too big of a deal. I'm going to leave the floor open about 2 inches around the back perimeter just so that it can air out if it ever leaks along the walls again.
As I was replacing the trim moulding along the entire side, I found two places that were missing screws, so put new screws in. I also enjoyed seeing the duct tape along the edge of the roofing material (not). I know I've heard a lot about poor building practices, but, wow. I'm surprised.

[franktafl]

I would not be surprised about anything Dutchmen would do. What did you seal that with?