Princeton, TX
RV water damage inspection
A water damage inspection at RepairAnyRV tells you where the water is getting in, how far it has traveled, what it has damaged, and what it would take to fix. We do it at our shop in Princeton, TX, and we quote the repair before any work starts.
The mark is not the damage
With water damage on an RV, the thing you can see is never the size of the thing you have.
A stain in a ceiling corner is the bottom end of a path that started at a failed seal somewhere above it and ran down inside the wall. A soft spot by the door is the part of the floor that finally gave up. What matters is not the mark. It is how far the water went and what it went through on the way.
That is what an inspection answers, and it is worth answering before you spend money on the repair or on the trailer.
The Inspection
What we look at
We work from the outside in, because that is the direction the water came from.
- Every seal and penetration. Roof vents, fans, skylights, the AC shroud, antennas, solar mounts, and the front and rear cap seams. Then windows, entry and baggage doors, marker lights, the awning rail, and slide seals.
- The roof and the decking under it. Walked, not just looked at.
- The sidewalls. Sighted down for delamination, then pressed section by section for give.
- The floor. The high-risk spots: the entry, the bathroom, under the sinks, the bed platform, and the length of every slide edge.
- The ceiling and the cabinets. Corners, window heads, and the backs of overhead cabinets, where nobody paints.
- The underbelly. A torn or sagging underbelly is how a floor rots from the side you cannot see.
The Findings
What you get back
Where the water is getting in, how far it has traveled, what it has damaged, and what it would take to fix. We write up what we find so you can read it, including what needs doing now and what can wait.
We diagnose, quote, and wait for your go-ahead. Nothing gets done just because we found it.
Before You Buy
Buying a used one? Do this first
A private sale is as-is. Once the money moves, whatever is behind the wall is yours. An inspection before you buy turns a guess into a finding. Ask about a pre-purchase inspection.
Want to know what to look for yourself first? BuyAnyRV’s RV questions page walks through checking a used RV. Do that, then have us confirm it.
Already Yours
Already own it and something smells wrong
Do not wait. It only goes one direction. A musty smell, a stain that was not there last season, a floor that flexes where it did not, or a sidewall that has started to wave all mean the water is already inside, and the repair grows the longer it runs.
Same Shop
Then the repair
We are the shop that does the work, so an inspection is not a report you carry to someone else. Whatever we find, the roof and seal repair, the floor, the wall, and the reseal happen at the same address. If the water came in at a slide, the slide-out repair covers the seals and the mechanism.
We service travel trailers, 5th wheels, and park models, plus the coach living systems on motorhomes. We do not service engines, drivetrains, or generators.
Questions
Water damage questions
- What does an RV water damage inspection include?
- We work from the outside in. Every roof penetration and cap seam, the roof and the decking under it, then windows, doors, marker lights, the awning rail, and slide seals. Inside we sight the sidewalls for delamination, press the walls and floor for soft spots, check ceiling corners and cabinet backs for staining, and look at the underbelly.
- Can you inspect an RV I have not bought yet?
- Yes, at our shop in Princeton. A private sale is as-is, so once the money moves whatever is behind the wall belongs to you, and an inspection first turns the question from a guess into a finding. Pre-purchase inspection →
- How do I know if my RV has water damage?
- Smell is usually the first sign. A musty odor in a closed-up trailer means wet material somewhere. After that, look for staining in ceiling corners and above windows, a wavy or bubbled sidewall, and floor that flexes near the door, the bathroom, or a slide edge. Any one of those means water has been inside for a while.
- Is RV water damage worth repairing?
- It depends on whether it reached the structure. A leak caught early, dried, and resealed is maintenance. Soft floor over a large area, a rotted wall frame, or a separated rear cap is a rebuild, and on an older trailer that can cost more than the trailer is worth. You cannot tell which you have from the parking lot, which is why the inspection comes first.
- How much does a water damage inspection cost?
- We do not publish inspection prices. Call (214) 699-6938 or ask on the booking form and we will quote it. No payment is taken when you book, and repairs are quoted before any work starts.
More answers on the RV repair questions page.
Bring It In
Book the inspection
Tell us what you are seeing, add a photo if you have one, and we take it from there.
2745 FM 1377, Princeton, TX 75407
Monday to Friday, 9 to 2, and by appointment.