Dear Gary,
With all of the flooding lately, I’m thinking of buying a previously flooded travel trailer off a salvage site. The unit was in a freshwater flood with water sitting in there for about 15 days before it was cleaned up. Water was up over the fuse panel but the batteries were not hooked up and it wasn’t plugged in at the time of flooding. If the fuse panel was dried out, it would be okay to connect, correct? —Patrick L.
Dear Patrick,
Flood waters and AC or DC electrical devices don’t mix well. Even after everything dries out, corrosion has begun and all components in the system, especially the AC electrical system, should be thoroughly tested. All contactors, switches, receptacles, relays, converter/charger, ground connections and bonding conductors, etc., should be checked out by a professional, certified RV service technician before plugging the unit into 120-volt AC service. Many unseen possibilities should be completely investigated beforehand.
Also, water damage can be quite invasive to an RV in general. Insulation, paneling and other wood products need to be tested for mold, mildew and structural damage. A complete inspection and PDI (pre-delivery inspection) should be performed prior to using the RV in any capacity. Certainly do not plug it in!
Read more from Gary Bunzer at the RVdoctor.com. See Gary’s videos about RV repair and maintenance.
##RVT900
