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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    Creaky floor in bathroom

    I have a 2015 303 RLS. Over the last couple years out for the summer, the floor in the bathroom has been creaky when walking on it. Has anyone out there had this and has anyone found a fix for it. It's kind of making me crazy. I tried shimming the floor over the supports but that didn't stop it.
    Any Suggestions? Thank You

  2. #2
    Long Hauler Canyonlight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PaulCoache View Post
    I have a 2015 303 RLS. Over the last couple years out for the summer, the floor in the bathroom has been creaky when walking on it. Has anyone out there had this and has anyone found a fix for it. It's kind of making me crazy. I tried shimming the floor over the supports but that didn't stop it.
    Any Suggestions? Thank You
    There have been a few folks who have reported this and fixed or tried to fix. We do not have one with our 303.

    I will tag Rob @Cate&Rob who have a 2015 303. Rob did have a squeak (as I recall) and did fix it (wait make it much better !) as with everything through much improved engineering !

    Also if you use the Advance Search tool with the words squeak and floor you will see a number of threads for your reading enjoyment !

    Dan
    Last edited by Canyonlight; 06-20-2019 at 12:42 PM. Reason: Added search tool comment
    Dan & Carol
    2014 303RLS Reflection #185 (10/2013 build)
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  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper
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    Yup.. My 2018, 303 does the same thing.
    I have not looked into pulling the shower yet, but I think it has something to do with the foam board under the shower for support. If it is the foam board, I will remove this and put in a wood board. (I do notice the floor of the shower flexes a little when taking a shower).
    It is on my radar to work on soon, as I'm being told by the DW.

  4. #4
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    Thanks for passing that on to someone you know had the problem. I’ll look up squeak, floor, to see what I get from that.
    And keep watching the forum answers.

  5. #5
    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PaulCoache View Post
    I have a 2015 303 RLS. Over the last couple years out for the summer, the floor in the bathroom has been creaky when walking on it. Has anyone out there had this and has anyone found a fix for it. It's kind of making me crazy. I tried shimming the floor over the supports but that didn't stop it.
    Any Suggestions? Thank You
    Hi Paul,

    This is a very common problem with the 303 . . . more so than other models for some reason.

    Steve @Superduty may be on to something with the problem being under the shower base. I tried shimming from underneath between the aluminum frame and OSB floor . . . without much success. We use a pin tripod and I have noticed that the amount of squeaking in the bathroom floor changes depending on how heavily I load the tripod . . . so there is some total frame flex involved in this.

    In the grand scheme of things, fixing this squeak is way down my list . . . particularly if it involves pulling the shower base. But . . . now that Steve reminds me . . . I don't like that shower floor flex either. If I thought I could fix both the shower floor flex and the squeak at the same time, this might just get closer to the top of the "to do" list .

    Rob
    Cate & Rob
    2015 Reflection 303RLS

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cate&Rob View Post
    Hi Paul,

    This is a very common problem with the 303 . . . more so than other models for some reason.

    Steve @Superduty may be on to something with the problem being under the shower base. I tried shimming from underneath between the aluminum frame and OSB floor . . . without much success. We use a pin tripod and I have noticed that the amount of squeaking in the bathroom floor changes depending on how heavily I load the tripod . . . so there is some total frame flex involved in this.

    In the grand scheme of things, fixing this squeak is way down my list . . . particularly if it involves pulling the shower base. But . . . now that Steve reminds me . . . I don't like that shower floor flex either. If I thought I could fix both the shower floor flex and the squeak at the same time, this might just get closer to the top of the "to do" list .

    Rob
    Rob,
    I tried the shim from the basement also. Fell out while traveling. I also tried removing the screws to the base on the floor, and possibly sliding some thin balsa wood under there for support. Could not get enough clearance between the floor and the shower base.
    I agree, to fix this correctly, the shower would need to be pulled. Not something I want to do, but will early winter this year.

    FYI: Just got my 5er back. Tore my linoleum floor. Guess what slide did this? I'm using a thin board to move the slide in/out as I think you do on your coach.

  7. #7
    Seasoned Camper Da Breeze's Avatar
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    Regarding the shower floor flex, I had thought of drilling a few holes under it and injecting minimally expanding Great Stuff foam, avoiding the drain area as best as possible.
    The additional holes would allow for expansion of foam to weep, without bowing the pan itself.
    What about this idea ROB ???

    Saves a LOT of work and only becomes an issue when its time to swap the shower pan IF one needed to.
    And that difficulty all depends on whether the linoleum is laid under the shower pan, whereby the foam would stick to it and not the OSB decking.
    Would this work ??

    Michael
    Previously known as mikgala

    F-250 7.3 PSD Lariat Super Cab LB wt 152K - 25 row Ford tranny cooler, A&E Air Intake system, TS-6 high performance Super Chip, Air Ride airbags, Bilstein shocks

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  8. #8
    Left The Driveway
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    My creaky floor

    Quote Originally Posted by PaulCoache View Post
    Thanks for passing that on to someone you know had the problem. I’ll look up squeak, floor, to see what I get from that.
    And keep watching the forum answers.
    Hello to everyone who has chimed in on this. I do not have any creaking in the shower pan at all. It’s the floor in between the shower pan and the sink vanity.
    Kwashiorkor considering drilling holes up through the aluminum spars then running screws up into the CDX floor sheeting. To my way of thinking it should pull the floor tight down to the spars.
    Thoughts on this?
    PaulCoache

  9. #9
    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mikgala View Post
    Regarding the shower floor flex, I had thought of drilling a few holes under it and injecting minimally expanding Great Stuff foam, avoiding the drain area as best as possible.
    The additional holes would allow for expansion of foam to weep, without bowing the pan itself.
    What about this idea ROB ???

    Saves a LOT of work and only becomes an issue when its time to swap the shower pan IF one needed to.
    And that difficulty all depends on whether the linoleum is laid under the shower pan, whereby the foam would stick to it and not the OSB decking.
    Would this work ??

    Michael
    Hi Michael,

    I have had some bad experiences with expanding foam. This stuff has amazing expansion pressure with no way to correct for this once it starts expanding. I would worry about distorting the shower pan with this plan. @PaulCoache has an interesting idea with drawing the OSB floor down to the aluminum frame rather than trying to shim the space between these. This could work . . .

    Rob
    Cate & Rob
    2015 Reflection 303RLS

  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper Da Breeze's Avatar
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    Hi Rob,
    Very good to talk to you again...

    While I agree with the obvious substance of your concerns, I think you may have missed where I state "minimally expanding foam" ??
    This is a newer material then the Great Stuff of old. It expands to approximately 25 % of injected amount, some expand even less.

    In addition, I stated that numerous holes should be drilled in a circle around the drain, about 5 " away to isolate the PVC drain.
    The foam will expand some..... but do so in the path of least resistance....sideways.
    In addition, there would be the other holes that would relieve any static pressure from an enclosed or sealed space and weep out overflow IF there's any.
    If so inclined, one could drink a nice cold beer while standing in the shower to maintain shape, not theirs , of course until the foam is done expanding !!

    There's a certain degree of jurisprudence that must be exercised in the timing of the injection to avoid such potential problems, probably a five second squeeze.
    The idea is to support or augment the foam panel GD installs for this purpose, so very little should be used, perhaps as much as it takes to back out, again the lesser expansion helps,
    as does the sideways movement of the foam and the weep holes relief.

    Now, I'm not recommending this method to anyone, (as it is hypothetical, at this point) but I think it begs further investigation and a inquiry to GD to ascertain exactly what they do to the pan for support. In my prior field, I had a lot of hands-on experience working with polyurethane foam. In Florida, it is used extensively to set cement barrel roof tiles to avoid any secondary membrane penetration, OTW known as nails ..... as it's strength and durability is unmatched (especially for the latest hurricane code requirements). This type of foam expands hardly at all.
    So, there IS a real possibility that this can be a permanent solution and an extender of the shower pan life expectancy.

    As far as screwing up through the floor joists for floor squeaks, very little "grab" can be expected from the first 1/2 " of a tapered wood screw especially when anchored into 5/8" OSB, (plywood would be somewhat different).
    Also, the screw must be the exact length to avoid puncturing the surface, which presents a logistical supply issue.
    Additionally, making two holes in the bearing edges of a support member, may weaken the weight bearing capability of the aluminum joist depending on the size of the hole and thickness of the metal.
    I'm not a fan of this approach.

    I'm thinking to cut away the flooring along the perimeter of the bath stopping short of the commode.
    Screwing the OSB down securely every 6-8 inches and gluing down the cut flooring to the OSB. If done properly, there are very few areas that it would be visible to the untrained eye.
    Again, this approach is not for the faint of heart..BUT one thing I've learned on this site is that RV'ers are a remarkable bunch of people capable of above average endeavors.

    I am not an engineer (officially) but I am a graduate of the University of Hard Knocks for whatever that's worth...LOL, and all of the above is only my opinion !! Nuff said !

    Michael
    Previously known as mikgala

    F-250 7.3 PSD Lariat Super Cab LB wt 152K - 25 row Ford tranny cooler, A&E Air Intake system, TS-6 high performance Super Chip, Air Ride airbags, Bilstein shocks

    2017 Reflection 307 MKS 9,875 UVW / 12,995 GVWR / 1,605 Pin

    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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