Abandoning our RV 

Thanks @B H - I'll be sure to check it out! Once we get the roof off, I'm hoping it'll be obvious whether this was caused by a leak or not - until then, we're just guessing really. We've never had moisture problems in our RV, and we've been extra diligent about it this winter with the 35-pint residential dehumidifier doing a great job! Only when temperatures overnight dropped below ~10°F would we find moisture on the windows, and never very much - a small USB fan cleared them in no time.

Thank you!

We looked at that but it’s cost prohibitive because we’re so far away. However, they’re planning to start working on the repairs as soon as we arrive, so hopefully it’ll go smoothly!

@@AdventurousWay If there is insurance coverage involved....either by you OR by Outdoors RV, there would be no additional cost. Yes....you will be taking a gamble that it WILL be covered but it is worth the risk. You took a risk quitting your jobs to go on this adventure didn't you? Go BIG or go HOME. Ship the RV and Git er done. Not wise to let it sit there for a month or more to grow more mold unless you WANT it totaled out. If so....wise choice.

Thank you!

Agreed! It seems like the mold is pretty well confined to the plywood on the top layer of the roof - we've seen no evidence of it on the ceiling panels or inside the living areas. Lucky escape maybe....

Thank you Beth! In a way it's kind of funny that our "emergency home" is 4x the size of our "real home" - lol!

Thank you! We're staying positive and focusing on making the most of our time at the hotel!

Thank you!

We've absolutely loved this winter here so far! Vermont is such a beautiful state and everyone we've met has been so friendly. We're really keen to find some land here now! Everything in the RV was going great, and while this has obviously been a setback, we're not letting it deter us!

Thank you so much! Sharing a situation like this, especially when you're in the middle of it, is really scary! But this community has been amazing, giving us nothing but support and encouragement! It's times like this when the importance of an emergency fund comes into play. Knowing that we could afford to prioritize our health and find a hotel was a huge relief in the middle of the chaos last week!

Thank you Dee! Knowing there are so many people supporting us really helps to keep our spirits up in times like this - we really appreciate it!

Aww, thank you. As they say, the show must go on :)

Thank you!

We plan to share everything about this experience, so that hopefully others can learn from this situation. So far, our experience in dealing with Outdoors RV echoes the fantastic service that we've heard about from many other ORV owners!

@@AdventurousWay I'm interested also as I have been considering either a ORV or a Nash. Now is when you find out how good a company is. I wish for you the best.

Thank you Melinda! We have lots of questions, but we're looking forward to understanding the root cause - whether it was our fault or not. For now we're enjoying the hotel!

Thanks James! I'm sure it'll all turn out fine in the end. I will miss the dishwasher when we're back in the RV though!

Regular inspections are always a good idea - in general, the earlier you find a problem, the easier it is to address it. In our case, we never even thought of looking inside the ceiling cavity! Outdoors RV have been great to work with so far, and we're all looking forward to getting to the bottom of this and finding out exactly what went wrong.

Thank you!

Thanks Peggy! I'm sure we'll find a way to make something of this whole situation and find the positives! Hope you're doing well!

I found the most common source of water leaks is through the running lights and tail lights in addition to access panels. One often assumes it is a roof leak and fail to inspect the side wall penetrations.

@@davidp8563 Seems so many possibilities for water leaks - which is why they are SUCH a pain!

@Grateful Glamper, ouch! how often do you do hose testing?

Hopefully we can emerge from this more knowledgeable than before!

Coming up with the plan really helped. It let us focus on things one at a time and not get overwhelmed, and not worry about things we don't control.

Wow, that sounds horrific - I'm so sorry you had to go through that! Thank you for sharing though - we're hoping we can find the positives in this and emerge from it more knowledgeable and safer than before.

Thank you! It all worked out in the end.

Thanks Ward!

Thank you so much!

There is no use to get upset at things we can't change. The only way is forwards and upwards.

Yeah, it's not much fun, but that's life sometimes I guess!

Thank you!

Haha, sorry to have added items to your honey-do list! We have always tried to be rigorous about regular maintenance, but it never even occurred to us to check the ceiling cavity.

Thanks Bill - it's been a rough week or so, but we'll find a way through!

We hope so too!

Us too! Our first priority after finding the mold was to get out of the RV! Once we were checked into the hotel we could figure out a plan of attack.

@@AdventurousWay That is the best way! Enjoy the large fridge and the dishwasher after hitting the slopes!!!😀

Thank you Larry!

Thank you so much!

Thanks so much!

Yup, that's definitely a silver lining to notice it sooner than later.

Fingers crossed we'll be back out adventuring in no time!

I've been researching this issue over the past week and you're right, there's lots of forum posts about the same thing happening to other people across all brands of RVs.

Thanks for coming over and welcome to our channel!

I totally agree! This'll be a great story around the campfire one day!

Thanks, Bill! In a weird way, I really hope you're right. If it does turn out to be a leak due to something we did wrong (e.g. installing our solar panels or missed sealant damage during routine maintenance) then of course we'll share that.

Thank you! We were so nervous about sharing this but the support and encouragement has been overwhelming!

Yes, we are in contact with Outdoors RV and we are taking the RV to the factory.

I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with that - something similar happened to our friends, although they did at least know about the roof damage before buying it. I'll definitely check our RVRoofInstall and their channel - thanks for the suggestion!

Thank you! We were definitely in shock at first, but we were able to step back and evaluate things which helped us stay calm.

@@AdventurousWay Mark twain said...."Worrying is like paying for a debt you don't even know if owe."

@@davidp8563 haha, that's a bit more sophisticated than my own go-to quote about worrying: "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." - Ryan Reynolds in Van Wilder

We'll be sharing everything we learn from this experience, and hope that others can benefit from whatever we discover!

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's job! Focusing on things one step at a time really helps - concentrate on the things you can control, and try not to worry about the things you can't. Taking the trailer to Outdoors RV is not a decision we took lightly, but on balance we think it's the best way forward. We trust them to do the repair work, and I think the trailer will be in the best possible location if the damage is more extensive than we believe at the moment. Plus, Outdoors RV are keen to see the trailer and understand exactly what happened.

@@AdventurousWay Yes, you need to remember that, control what you can control. In Minnesota we are experiencing the arctic -15F and it has been going on for a week, with the cold extending until next Tues. The dishwasher pipes have frozen under the counter in my kitchen and I had to empty 3 gal of water by hand, dirty water, which smelled pretty bad. I have insulation issues to address in my home when it warms up. HVAC issues, also, the middle part is over 100 years old and has 'negative air flow' which means the warm rooms suck cold air into the house through the foundation, windows, etc so space heaters and fires just make the house colder. Anyway, I had a sump pump failure while I was on vacation to Colorado in 2014 and came home to mold and a flood in the basement. It had to be gutted and sprayed with copper. This addition is about 40-50 years old. My parents still have a mold problem, and it is so hard during Covid to address these issues. Supplies are hard to get because shipping is slow, it's hard to find workers to come into the home when we have mask mandates etc, anyway, be glad you have stayed as safe as you have. I had Covid back in April and still have long term issues. I used to be an avid skier also, and am on the fence about going out for a fundraiser next month. Just shoveling snow this morning my glasses fogged up so badly, I don't know how to manage the masks and goggles and trying to warm up from my vehicle instead of going into a warm chalet. I guess I will try it anyway, because I feel better when I'm outside doing things. One thing that worked well last year for goggle fog was to put the goggles on inside, before going out. That way the warm air stays trapped under the goggles. But I have never been able to wear a gaiter or anything over my nose, as that fogs everything up. Darn moisture! I was sweating today, which is I'm sure why I had the glasses fog up. But you have a luxurious new space for a month, you have your ski passes, you have your health, and you have each other. You have options, and back up plans, and I'm sure you will find your land and build your house. In the mean time, enjoy skiing and snowboarding!!!

I think the type of goggles you have makes a big difference. I'm no expert by any means, but Diana's goggles are old and fairly cheap, whereas I bought some fairly expensive ones just a few years ago - hers seemed to fog up whereas mine seemed fine. As long as I'm moving, there's enough airflow through the goggles that they don't fog up at all. The mistake I made was putting lifting my goggles onto my helmet while on the gondola, and the moisture rising from my helmet caused them to fog up and then freeze - newbie error!

@@AdventurousWay That's true. You are learning all of the crazy things moisture can do, fog, mold, freeze on your mask or hair. Here in Minnespolis some people were hanging their jeans outside to dry after doing laundry and they froze solid in a minute flat. So they sculpted pants in their yard and stood them up. Hilarious! Another guy who is a plumber has some land with an artisan natural spring. So he laid pipes around his fields amd opened up the water. It made frozen crazy beautiful sculptures. The funny things we do in the freezing temps! So water can either creep up and cause issues, or be a source of art, creative expression, or sport. Do they have the chalets open over in your resorts, or are you supposed to base out of your car? I think for safety I won't be going inside public spaces like chalets. Until it warms up above zero degrees Fahrenheit I probably won't be going outside too much.

I hope they take you up on your offer. Maybe you could post a diagram with the ideal RV envelope assembly so they have something to use as a comparison to the manufacturer’s standard assembly as well as the manufacturer’s proposed solution to correct the situation.

We'll make it through, and it'll be a good camp fire story for the future!

Thanks George!

Thank you! I'm already back on dishwasher duty, lol!

@@AdventurousWay Small price to pay for only 2 people. :)

Thanks Wendy! It's not a fun situation, but we're trying to make the most of it! As you say, we're safe now, so we're just enjoying the little luxuries in the hotel!

Thanks, Brett! Last week was really tough, but getting out of the RV gave us some space to formulate a plan, and we're just taking things one step at a time. There's not much more we can do right now, so we might as well make the best of the situation!

Thanks JR! I hope that by sharing the problems, it reinforces the authenticity of the good times - it's not always rainbows and unicorns!

The sour times make the sweet times even sweeter!

I suspect we might still hit some bad weather in a month or so, but at least it should be a little better than now!

We have about a dozen temperature and humidity sensors around the RV, but until now, we didn't have one in the ceiling cavity. I put one in there the other day, right in one of the worst areas, and so far I'm not quite sure what to make of it. The humidity seems stable around 52% (vs 40% in the RV) which is lower than I expected it to be given the amount of moisture I can see! I suspect the specific placement of the sensor is very important, but haven't been able to test that theory yet - would love to hear how you get on!

I couldn’t agree more. It’s been a learning experience for sure, and I know we’ve got a lot of to learn yet!

We’ve never owned a portable propane heater, so only used our electric heater and propane furnace for heat this winter. The propane furnace doesn’t contribute any moisture to the RV because combustion happens in an external chamber and is exhausted outside.

Yes! We're totally not sitting still! This has mixed things up for sure, but we came up with a plan and we're making the best of the situation!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Yup, we plan to keep posting updates.

Haha, if only we'd discovered this issue before we headed east, huh?!

@@AdventurousWay we are very interested in what the cause of this issue was and or how it happened ... we will be in the market to buy our travel trailer in 2 years and are watching this issue for our future purchase ... good luck

@@AdventurousWay our first big snow of the year ended up being 10 inches locally in a 24 -36 hour time frame and I have no idea what they got up the hill but I bet the ski lodges are very happy .... lol

Thank you Samuel - I'm sure we'll get through it!

There are definitely no water lines in the roof. In our latest video you can actually see our roof opened up (and we talk about the cause of the mold too). The roof has electrical lines for the things that need electricity in or near ceiling, ie. lights, tv, audio system, etc. And there are definitely more electrical lines in the floor, as we spent many hours trying to fish through more wires when we installed our electrical system. We also installed our solar panels without any problems.

We hope so too! Speaking with the staff at Outdoors RV, they think it's unlikely, but we won't know for sure until we take the roof off!

Thank you! The mold test will for sure be very interesting. I guess it'll be hard to know for sure if the mold was impacting our health, but getting rid of the mold has to be a good thing :)

@@AdventurousWay As a facility manager, I have had training in preventing, identifying and remediating indoor environmental hazards. Mold was the primary emphasis. "They" stated mold can bloom VERY rapidly.....within 48hours. When we cleaned carpets for example we were told to use fans to dry the carpet as rapidly as possible to prevent the growth of mold. If there was a flood due to a plumbing leak.....suck it up a dry it out ASAP. Perhaps Outdoor RV could seal the underside of the plywood with varnish so the plywood would not act like a sponge, absorbing the inevitable condensation on the underside of the roof plywood.

That's good to know, thank you for sharing! I'll be honest, when we first saw the black mold on the plywood, we thought it was paint!