Since some of the major parts of a camper are made of wood, such as the flooring and walls, it is highly vital that you prevent it from getting exposed to water. Remember, when water contacts wood and the wood is never aerated and treated quickly and properly, it will lead to the rotting.
And, wood rot is considered cancer when it comes to lumber. Hence, if water leaks are found in your camper, caused by a pipe bursting or leaking, it is important that you enact the repairs as soon as you can to avoid wood cancer.
Now, you should know that the work you will need to do will depend on the severity of the flooding as well as the reach of the water.
In severe cases, you may have to remove each and every material inside the camper and even uninstall certain elements such as carpets and wallpapers.
In any case, here are some tips on how you can repair your camper when water damage is imminent.
Table of Contents
Patch the leak
Unless there is a hole on the roof of the camper or you accidentally drive it towards a river or lake, the most common cause for water damage will lie in leaks found in the internal plumbing of the camper.
With that in mind, the first thing that you will have to do is find the leak. Obviously, you will need the water turned on to do this. However, once you do find the leak, you should immediately turn off the water.
Now, patching the leak can be done through the hiring of a plumber or through a pipe leak patch kit. Regardless, it is important to get this done first before enacting any kind of repairs inside the camper.
Siphon the water out
Once the leak has been properly patched and solved, the next phase will involve siphon out the water inside the camper. Now, if in case the flood is somewhat thin and the water only wet certain surfaces inside the camper, you can opt to simply soak the water out using sponges, mops, and the like.
Get as much water out or evaporated. Finally, ensure that you provide ample time and opportunity for the wooden parts of the camper to aerate and dry. You can do this by opening all the windows and doors in the camper so that the natural air can come breezing through.
Repair the wood
Once you have properly dried the wet wood inside, you can now start repairing the wooden parts inside so that you can prevent possible rotting. First off, make sure to pry out any wallpaper, carpet, or upholstery that conceals the wet wood.
When that is done, check if the wood is properly dry underneath. If it is not, use an air blower to speed up the drying process.
On the dry wood surfaces, you should apply a good, branded wood hardener. You can find spray cans of this type of hardener at your local hardware supply store. By applying the hardener, you are actually enabling the wood to fight off rotting due to moisture. Make sure to allow the hardener to naturally dry for about a day or so.
If there are any cracks, holes, or gaps, insert wood filler to seal it. Finally, when everything is in order, you can either repaint the once wet wooden surfaces or you can proceed to reinstalling the carpet that once concealed it or install a new layer of wall paper.
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