Need help with Rot-wall & ceiling relacement

[dessy2995]

Hi there, I just bought a 2001 Towlite Hi-low a month ago. I didn't know about all the rot when I bought it. I ripped off the ceiling and it was full of water and rot. I got all the wood and insulation off, down to the bare roof. Now I have to replace it with new insulation and wood. There seems to be minimal metal to screw into. Will I have to glue the new ceiling on?
I tore off all the wall paper on the walls and there is so much rot. In some places I can grab the rot by the handful to the bare metal wall. So I pulled out all that was really rotten and let the rest dry for a week. Now I want to add sheets of plywood to the wall. Can I just add it on top of the old?
I am going to take all 6 windows out and reseal them. Will they fit back if I add that 1/8th inch plywood wall?
Wow! So much to do! If I wold have known, I may not have bought it in the first place.
Thanks for any help. This is the first time I have a trailer/RV

 

[Usagi5678]

Wall repair.

I haven't had to do ceiling repair. In my 1990 Classic I had to do extensive wall repair because we didn't realize when a unit is 5 years old the windows need to be taken out and religned with butyl tape and Lexel caulk on the outside. Start by covering your floor with cardboard. Then use plastic to cover your couch and appliances. Your walls consist of 1/8th sheets of wood and then sheets of foam 1/2 inch ? then 1/8 paneling with the wallpaper attached. Your walls may dry out. If they don't then we used a multi tool to get the unit back to the metal stud. If you decide to leave the foam and it is black then you will need to treat for mold. Spray at home depot. If you remove lots of walls you will defenitely have to brace the inside of your Towlite. I was able to find the wall board with paneling on it at ACE hardware. Some just buy RFP paneling at Home Depot. Wood can also be used and painted. A good place to buy tools is Harbor Freight with 20% off coupons. Think Multi tool and razor blades. All your wall layers can be put together with Heavy Duty Liquid Nails or locktite caulk. Cheapest at Walmart. You need to fix your ceiling first. Check you roof for pin holes ? if the roof is bad replace first. DH used a floor roller to make sure the wall layers adhered.

 

[Usagi5678]

This is a big job.

You have to decide if you want to put the time and effort into fixing the HiLo. Are you handy? Many of us have done extensive repairs. Post pictures and we will answer your questions.

 

[Awyates58]

This info is valuable, I am in the progress of doing all that has been mention, to an Camper that was given to me, have to repair ceiling, and walls. Had to reinstall a new circuit breaker for DC power, couldn't raise camp to because circuit breaker was broke in half so I couldn't jump start motor to raise it. Again thank you guys for this valuable info.

 

[Usagi5678]

More HiLo repair tips.

Cover your counter tops with cardboard. Any metal studs or rusty metal that you uncover is to be treated with Rustoleum. Any wall gaps were treated with spray foam insulation. Any walls that are taken down to the fiberglass/ Aluminum are to be treated with Bondo. This will take care of any pinpoint holes that you can't even see. Bondo cheapest at Walmart. Have an industrial respirator and have every window and vent open. Use chip brush. Take pictures of curtain placement as well as measured drawings. Play your favorite music as it will sooth your nerves as you work. We now own a 1996 HiLo Classic. After our repairs were done we had no leaks for years. Our 1990 HiLo is doing well with the new owner.

 

[cva34]

Hate to hear!! in my limited esp...Skylight/AC/and damage roof on top are usual problem...Windows on side problem usual...but there are OTHERS...Good LUCK

 

[myhousehaswheels]

The roof is typically made of Aluminum for the exterior and then the ceiling is a sandwich of 1/8" ply, 1" foam board, 1/8" ply. That is what I am assuming yours is. If you are down to the aluminum, you need to replace the whole thing because the roof needs wood to be on top of the aluminum frame. If you can salvage the aluminum roof somewhow then you could re use it, but that will be hard so you'll probably have to use and EPDM roof, unless you have access to TPO (which is better). Glue and screw that wood down with construction adhesive. I beefed up the wood to 1/4" ply that I PRIMED(watertight), installed a custom skylight, raised the bathroom, and moved around and rewired my AC and fans. If you'll notice, the framing is awful. SO I recommend reframing it, I will drop a link to my wall reframe to show you what I mean. Then on the inside use Loctite pl300 and glue the foamboard in between the studs and onto the wood on the roof. be generous with the glue, the more the merrier. Then choose your finish piece for the ceiling . I used 1/4" beadboard, looks nice. I used Gorilla Glue Instant Grab adhesive, and a lot of it, 3 bottles per 8x4 sheet. Stick that to the foamboard and tac it into the studs. If you're not concerned about looks go crazy with the #10 self tappers. But if not then do what I did and chose hidden areas such as the cabinets and garnishes. 70% of an airplane build is adhesives, so Glue and Screws, will do.

Wall reframe here :

Also, this guy Joe from RV Roof install's videos helped me tremendously with my build his channel is here : RV ROOF INSTALL

I will be releasing my roof rebuild down the line but haven't gotten there yet in my story so if you are able to wait then I can show you my entire process or maybe I can email you a few clips so you get a better visual.

lmk what you think, hope your build goes well!

-Mike

 

[The Ohioian]

https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f25/the-roof-leaks-6282/

This is what we have done.

 

[r67northern]

Hi there and sorry to hear about the HiLo. You’ve already gotten some good pointers here, I thought I would also add to the thread this effort that I tried to document as I went along:

https://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f35/2000-24-classic-rebuild-5496/

It was roof and sides, some of it still wet like yours. Hopefully you can get some good ideas and see how these things can go back together as you roll through the pics there. I also ended up using a different roof material that has done pretty well so far.

Keep us posted on this, and feel free to ask lots of questions. There is quite a bit of experience on the site.

Best
Leland

 

[Usagi5678]

We should write a book on HiLo repair.

I was hoping someone would help out with roof repair. Many trailers all brands suffer from water damage. We each could write a chapter. Best of luck with your repairs. As I recall we used a tube of construction adhesive per 4x8 sheet of wood/paneling. Best of luck with your repairs.

 

[r67northern]

I was hoping someone would help out with roof repair. Many trailers all brands suffer from water damage. We each could write a chapter. Best of luck with your repairs. As I recall we used a tube of construction adhesive per 4x8 sheet of wood/paneling. Best of luck with your repairs.

I ended up cutting 1x1 boards that I screwed into the metal framework of the roof, you can see some pictures of that here:

IMGP3530 by Lineswest, on Flickr

That let me, from the bottom side, put the lower layer of plywood on (1/8" I think???, it's been a little while.). It screws into that new wood framing very nicely.

IMGP3668 by Lineswest, on Flickr

IMGP3588 by Lineswest, on Flickr

The 1" foam gets put on top of that lower layer, building bottom up. Lots of glue as has been said before. Finally, the top layer down and you're on your way. If you peruse the album on flickr you'll get some good pictures of how it all came together.

If you've got questions, let us know. I favored the pink foam because it was not water absorbent, and easier to work with as an aside. So the new parts of the trailer are built around that within the plywood sandwich.

Keep rolling!