Floor Drainage

TAOLIK · 08-17-2016, 05:08 PM

Hi all,

I did a little searching and was unable to find any information regarding floor drainage, but was wondering what your opinions towards this area. I was considering running small pvc tube cut in half along the edges leading outside so if I get water in the bus I can sweep it towards those tubes and have it drain out. Does make sense to you guys? I'm sure someone has thought about this more thoroughly than myself. Your opinions will be appreciated!

Jolly Roger · 08-17-2016, 05:27 PM

Anything especially a pipe cut in half open to the outside will allow water out but it will also allow air,bugs in and out which if you are trying to condition the space could create mold/condensation issues,
Why not just use a floor drain main for something like a shower pan and stick a p-trap or running trap under side to dump on the ground. The trap with water in it will prevent air in and most bugs.
Many options depending on your flooring in the area?
Even trench drains can be mounted under side and you have to create a water proof slot/area for the grating but it is doable
Many options.
Show me some pics of the area and give us an idea of what you plan on doing with the space and we can probably help with a solution better than the half pipe dream(sorry) my kids wanted to be skateboarders?

Carytowncat · 08-17-2016, 08:20 PM

Yes that makes sense, something of two plastic gutters running along the sides of the floor, correct?

You could always plug the exits when not in use.

Hmmm.

Funny i was just about to ask where you are located so i could figure how much water you might be up against, but then i noticed WA. Ohhh yeaaa, before i had been there (Olymipia WA) i really did not comprehend the magnitude of rain there.

When i was there it rained eighteen days straight. Not "wow it rained a lot in eighteen days!", but instead; one day it started raining hard and then stopped eighteen days later, and i was told that wasn't even a big stretch for there.

I suspect a dry mop and bucket might also be handy.

Good luck!

TAOLIK · 08-19-2016, 02:38 PM

Thanks for getting back to me guys! The dry mop idea seems realistic, so does the plug.

Jolly I appreciate you taking my pipe dream so seriously. I have spent some time thinking on your question and I guess the primary area where I'd want to drain out easily is my double door and back door. I guess if I properly water seal the bus I shouldn't have to worry about water leaking. I was just thinking that for general drainage it would be good? I sealed my floors with flashing tape, but I was thinking about taking some of the tape off to have drainage holes. The other day some rain got into the bus while I was working and I found myself in utter panic as it seeped below my driver sections insulation. I'm putting the subfloor down soon so I guess I'm just cramming through some ideas before I lay the pink sheets down.

Jolly Roger · 08-19-2016, 02:57 PM

I personally and painstakingly went out of my way right after stripping the interior to seal the exterior in its entirety before starting any new work install including putting a couple of sprinklers on the roof,some on the ground around the bus to cover every inch of it. Turned them on and went to work for the day.
12-13 hours later opened up the bus and checked for and chased leaks. Only had 1 that ended up being the gasket around my back door. Fixed that and did it again.
Then I started my new work install.
A slow soaking rain will find ways in that a quick heavy rain/water hose won't?
I was thinking you wanted to build a garage area to put bikes,canoes or something like that in after being in the water,snow stuff.
I didn't build for it but I have hauled canoes and kayaks for the Boy Scouts but they had time after pulling out to drain and dry before hauling.

TAOLIK · 08-19-2016, 09:19 PM

Yeah, you're right. I need to water proof this 120%. Where did you get your gaskets from? I looked through ebay a bit and struggled a bit, I could go to autozone I think I saw universal gaskets but it felt kind of cheap if I recall correctly.

TAOLIK · 08-20-2016, 05:55 PM

Oops I'm sorry, the key words I needed to search were "door seal", we can disregard that prior question, thank you!

aaronsb · 08-21-2016, 12:40 AM

You can get door gaskets at Napa, the big blue box across the street from IKEA. (The other big blue box)

They sell a bulb seal with adhesive strip that's exactly the same as what came off. If you are careful you can miter the seal corners and use gasket glue to form a nice corner.

They are a little more money per foot than amazon but its the right stuff. Don't bother with autozone/O'Riley. Unless you have a revolving account with a sales rep they won't source stuff for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAOLIK

Yeah, you're right. I need to water proof this 120%. Where did you get your gaskets from? I looked through ebay a bit and struggled a bit, I could go to autozone I think I saw universal gaskets but it felt kind of cheap if I recall correctly.

aaronsb · 08-21-2016, 12:43 AM

A lot of the busses I have now seen have drain holes between the outer skin and the chair rail at floor level. Use those if you want but do what jolly says and identify and fix the leaks. I did not build for any special drain or scupper ports or whatever.

I did use treated lumber in my furring strips between the steel floor and the plywood, and the foam goes in the squares.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TAOLIK

Thanks for getting back to me guys! The dry mop idea seems realistic, so does the plug.

Jolly I appreciate you taking my pipe dream so seriously. I have spent some time thinking on your question and I guess the primary area where I'd want to drain out easily is my double door and back door. I guess if I properly water seal the bus I shouldn't have to worry about water leaking. I was just thinking that for general drainage it would be good? I sealed my floors with flashing tape, but I was thinking about taking some of the tape off to have drainage holes. The other day some rain got into the bus while I was working and I found myself in utter panic as it seeped below my driver sections insulation. I'm putting the subfloor down soon so I guess I'm just cramming through some ideas before I lay the pink sheets down.

TAOLIK · 08-21-2016, 03:00 PM

Quote:

You can get door gaskets at Napa, the big blue box across the street from IKEA. (The other big blue box)

They sell a bulb seal with adhesive strip that's exactly the same as what came off. If you are careful you can miter the seal corners and use gasket glue to form a nice corner.

They are a little more money per foot than amazon but its the right stuff. Don't bother with autozone/O'Riley. Unless you have a revolving account with a sales rep they won't source stuff for you.

A very good tip, Napa slipped my mind but I should definitely go there. I've had many terrible experiences with autozone and o'riley but I keep going because they are across the street from my house, so I appreciate the reminder as well as key word tips.

Quote:

A lot of the busses I have now seen have drain holes between the outer skin and the chair rail at floor level. Use those if you want but do what jolly says and identify and fix the leaks. I did not build for any special drain or scupper ports or whatever.

I did use treated lumber in my furring strips between the steel floor and the plywood, and the foam goes in the squares.

Noted! If I go the drain hole route it would make sense to direct the water towards those drain holes (assuming my bus has them), either way I should get the bus 120% waterproof. Thank you for your advicel!

EastCoastCB · 08-21-2016, 03:10 PM

In my town, Oreilly is the only auto parts store that's at all helpful. No napa and the autozone is more a hang out club for some really sketchy folks.

TAOLIK · 08-21-2016, 06:29 PM

Oh man, O'Reilys over here is absolutely awful. Unless I'm getting something generic like an oil pan, I try to stay far clear. The employees seem stoned and clueless, the other day I was looking for push mount zip ties and tried to show them, and they treated it like a mythical unicorn even though I had one with me. Another time I bought two belts for my alternator and they were different sizes.

I end up going to autozone frequently because it's right by my house and open after I get off work (during the summer at least). Napa consistently supplies top tier products with knoledgable employees. It's just a mile or two further from me and harder hours.

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