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While water is good for washing your RV after a weekend adventure, it’s not so good when it creeps in through gaps, holes, and cracks. Water-damaged rigs can leave their owners with a muddy, soggy, and moldy mess. Cleaning and repairing an RV that’s found itself on the wrong end of a flood is labor-intensive even for DIYers and is pricey if given to the professionals to handle. 

There are a few ways that water can harm an RV. It could happen in the wink of an eye if caught in an extreme weather event such as a flash flood or a bit slower if water is slowly and silently sneaking in through cracks, gaps, and holes in a rig’s roof or exterior. Regardless of how water gets in, once it does, if not taken care of quickly, it can cause a lot of damage.

The Havoc Water Can Wreak on an RV

Unfortunately, water damage can be costly to repair in an RV, especially if not caught early. Insurance policies don’t cover all types of water damage, and some rig owners find out how expensive these types of repairs can be the hard way. Often, water-damaged RVs go from used to junk after they’re exposed to the harmful effects of water.

Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew can attack an RV in one of two ways. If it’s been heavily flooded due to a severe weather-related event, if it isn’t properly dried out quickly, it will quickly harbor mold. Mold’s other method of attack is when water or moisture slips into a rig’s interior slowly through exterior cracks or gaps.

Regardless of how the water got there, if it remains, mold and mildew are sure to follow. Other than leaving behind a hideous odor, mold can be hazardous to children, adults, and pets. Severe mold infestation can be difficult to eradicate since it can grow behind walls and in every nook and cranny of an RV.

Delamination

Water and moisture can creep into the smallest of cracks and holes on an RV’s roof and exterior. When it accumulates inside a rig’s exterior fiberglass, it can cause an expensive fix known as delamination. Delamination occurs when the layers of substrate that surround an RV begin to separate. 

Signs of delamination are bubbles on a rig’s exterior or waves of the exterior fiberglass that are obvious. An RV’s exterior shell should be flat and smooth. If left unfixed, delamination will continue to expand and could cause a weakening of the structural integrity of the RV, along with the health hazard of an infestation of mold.

Structural Issues

Water damage can cause soft spots in roofs, floors, ceilings, and walls of an RV. Since much of a rig’s interior is constructed from wood, exposure to water can cause it to rot. If you apply heavy pressure to these locations and find that they feel spongy or give in, you most definitely have wood rot. 

Soft spots can weaken the RV’s integrity, and the damaged wood will need to be replaced. Depending on how large the soft spots are, they may or may not make financial sense to repair. This is the hard reality of how something as soft as water can cause so much structural damage to an RV.

What To Do With a Water-Damaged RV

Whether damaged quickly by severe weather or slowly due to a neglected or unfound leak, water can cause havoc on an RV. Water-damaged rigs can be difficult to sell since their repairs are usually quite costly.

The solution is to sell them to a specialized junk RV dealer who will buy any RV despite decades of use, high mileage, or the need for expensive repairs. If you’re stuck with a waterlogged fifth wheel, you can get cash for junk RV in Oregon by selling them to a specialized dealer. Despite age, mileage, or severe water damage, they pay you top dollar for yours. So, don’t trash your rig; sell it to a specialized dealer. They’ll come to you, haul your water-damaged wreck away, and leave you with more cash than you probably expected.

The Sinking Fate of Water-Damaged RVs: Final Thoughts

Water can easily turn a perfectly good RV into junk. Mold infestation, delamination, and serious structural damage can all be expensive to fix. Sometimes, their costs can easily equate to half or more of the RV’s resale value. The best alternative to dumping a ton of money into a water-damaged rig is to sell it to a specialized junk RV dealer.

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