Squeaks and flexing in bathroom floor

[Kathy]

The bathroom floor in my Oliver Elite squeaks and flexes, especially in the corners. I have been told by Cindy that the pan needs to be removed and reinstalled properly to rectify the problem. I can't get anyone to do this for me locally and since I live in Washington State it would be quite a trip back to Tennessee to have Jason take care of it as he has on three or four other trailers. Has anyone else been able to solve the problem working from the top of the pan? I am a little nervous about injecting foam for fear that it might make the problem worse. Putting weight on the squeaks seems to help quite a bit. The only way to do this that I can come up with would be to use toggle clamps to pull things together but they might not be too visually attractive.

[Mike and Carol]

We’re quite a drive from Hohenwald too so having a reliable local RV maintainer was something I worked on early. Fortunately, Bugeyedriver is a neighbor and had found a good local shop which I’ve used. I’m certain he would be able to work on an issue like your shower. I don’t have any specific advice on how to fix your shower floor, although it doesn’t sound too complicated. I’d recommend finding a local RV maintenance shop who should be able to fix this. It also seems like this was discussed a while back. I’ll do a search to see if I can find the thread. Mike

 

OK, did a search and didn’t find any specific instructions, but found that Steve Landrum (Scubarx) replaced a cracked shower floor so he might have some advice. Mike

[mossemi]

One of our forum members makes mahogany shower mats that might help with noise issue until you figure out if it’s a problem or not. See this post

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/shower-mat-production-starts-next-week/#post-173535.

 

I purchased a teak mat from teakworks4u.com before Foy started making them and I think it distributes my weight more effectively.

Mike

[Townesw]

I have removed all of the sealant around my shower pan and resealed it without having to completely remove the pan. After removing all of the sealant I placed a tractor front end weight in the shower pan to pre-load it before resealing it. This pulled the edges away from the wall to allow more caulk into the gap. The caulk applied at the factory was smoothed too thin and the flexing of the shower pan caused the gap to open between the shower wall and pan and allowed water to leak down the wall between the shower and closet. I had water under the mat in the closet. After my repair I have not had any more water in the closet. I realize your problem is a squeaky shower pan instead of a leak but I believe you will have to do as I have done to fix your problem.

(continued)

Edited January 30, 2020 by Townesw

[Townesw]

Stuff you will need

 

https://www.americansealantsinc.com/adhesivecleanerandremover/

 

https://www.americansealantsinc.com/asi-335-neutral-cure-silicone-sealantadhesive/

 

 

PLASTIC razor blades. Do not use steel. Change these plastic blades often. https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b/titan-5120/paint---body-repair-16614/body-repair-16510/body---trim-tools-25197/razor-blades-scrapers-17948/1c24653634cf/titan-scraper-blades/12038/4753744?pos=17

 

 

Remove the steel blade from this holder and insert a plastic razor blade.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b/titan-5120/paint---body-repair-16614/body-repair-16510/body---trim-tools-25197/razor-blades-scrapers-17948/1c24653634cf/titan-scraper/12031/4753743?pos=18

(continued)

Edited January 30, 2020 by Townesw

[Townesw]

Photos showing caulk removed. Note that the tractor weight is in place when these pictures were made. The weight has a towel under it and is covered with a towel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tractor weight in shower floor. This weight is probably 100 lbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(continued)

Edited January 30, 2020 by Townesw

[Townesw]

Work slowly and use the plastic razor blades and other plastic tools to remove the old sealant. I ordered 1 can of the ASI 0240 was very impressed with the ASI 0240 cleaner/remover. I ordered 2 tubes of the ASI 335. You’ll only need a small amount but get 2 tubes in case one is bad. Remove all of the old caulk using whatever combination of plastic tools work. I didn’t spray the ASI 0240 directly on the surfaces but instead sprayed it on a rag and wiped it on the sealant to be removed. I used rubbing alcohol very sparingly for the final wipe down prior to applying the ASI 335. Apply the sealant by pushing it ahead of the nozzle and force it into the gap. Quickly smooth it with your finger but do not get it too thin. The folks at the factory remove too much of the sealant and it only “bridges” the gap instead of filling the gap and leaving a bead or fillet to provide a proper seal. The thin bridge will not properly seal the shower wall/pan gap. I can not stress this enough.

 

When you step on the pan the bottom flexes down and causes the edges to pull inward slightly. By placing weight in the pan prior to resealing you open that gap up slightly to hopefully allow more sealant into the gap. Use at least 100 lbs. More would be better. Let the sealant cure for a couple of days before removing the pre-load weight.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Townesw

[ScubaRx]

A tip on writing complicated/long posts. I always write in a word processor or note pad and get it like I want it. Then copy and paste. Haven’t lost any yet.

[thirddoor]

The bathroom floor in our new Olly squeaks and flexes too... I thought that's just what they did. Are they supposed to be solid/firm/quiet like the rest of the floor?

[topgun2]

Mine has never been what you might call solid - like the rest of the flooring. But, it does not rattle, squeak or even whisper to me. The caulking is still just like the day I bought it.

Bill

[BackofBeyond]

Our floor has always squeaked and flexed somewhat. The sealant looks fine, I believe the floor is just under engineered. It needs more material in the support structure. I don't worry about it though, just is what it is.

 

[Townesw]

Those of you who have shower pans that squeak and flex, check under the black mat in your closet and see if you have or have had water there. I found water under ours and traced it to a crack in the caulk between the shower pan and wall. The crack was not easily visible when no one was standing on the pan but when weight was applied to the pan the edges flexed in slightly and the crack opened up. We keep the nose of our camper slightly elevated so the water ran back against the inside of the wall under the shower door then ran towards the closet and came through this hole in the bottom corner of the closet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kathy]

Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful, detailed responses to my question regarding the squeaking and flexing bathroom floor in my Oliver. The pictures were great and your ideas are certainly worth considering - things I hadn't thought of before. I will definitely give your suggestions a try. This forum provides a great service to all of us who are perplexed by certain problems and challenges owning a travel trailer can sometimes present.

 

Kathy

 

 

 

[Patriot]

Following.

[Trainman]

I would say here that I would not let any RV service department work on my Oliver other them Oliver. We did have a small wiring problem and we took our trailer back to Oliver to have the problem corrected, I only wanted the manufacture that built the trailer (Oliver) to work on my trailer. Oliver knows their trailers inside and out and most RV repair shops have never seen an Oliver, they don't know the trailer.  Oliver was 700 miles from Ft. Worth, Texas where we live, but we just included them in a travel plan and it was only some 100 miles out of the way, or so. One thing that works for many is to visit Oliver service when going to the Oliver Rally in Lake Guntersville each year, that should put you close to Oliver and make service easy for you, just set a repair date with Oliver. 

trainman