Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Thor Forums > Thor Community Forums > Thor Owners Community Discussions
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-02-2020, 01:14 PM   #1
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Arizona
Posts: 66
THOR #11568
Aria 3901 basement issues

We hit a lot of rain on our travel to the east coast, but this should not have happened. These pictures are from the front pass through right behind the propane tank. Lucky I didn’t loose the sliding storage rack. Looks like water was entering the vertical board at the outside corner and slowly getting in. Has anyone else had this issue. I replaced both pieces and sealed the joints with silicone and then put water proof Gorilla patch tape on all the seams. Hopefully that will do the trick
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	8089BE81-0F4E-4FE7-85DA-0ECD235D7598.jpeg
Views:	194
Size:	90.6 KB
ID:	25352   Click image for larger version

Name:	79F2674E-6069-453B-BA1A-396AFCFE6776.jpeg
Views:	178
Size:	61.8 KB
ID:	25353  

Click image for larger version

Name:	0BF1F3CC-D56E-4F42-9324-6A5EA581F27B.jpeg
Views:	157
Size:	81.9 KB
ID:	25354   Click image for larger version

Name:	7AE6B23B-9832-4EFF-8448-D354D1785FDD.jpg
Views:	174
Size:	281.6 KB
ID:	25355  


__________________
Tebo53AZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2020, 02:44 PM   #2
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Arizona
Posts: 78
THOR #14127
Unfortunately, it seems to be a somewhat common problem with the Arias. I have a 2017 Aria 3901 and, luckily, haven't put it thru harsh rain yet (also, I live in Arizona so not that much rain to be experienced anyways). But I have seen others post their damaged basement floors on the Arias. I would love to see your final repair pictures. I am thinking about doing some sealing and water protection coating proactively because of this issue.
__________________
aznytfury is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2020, 03:27 PM   #3
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Arizona
Posts: 66
THOR #11568
Aria 3901 basement issues

I will send more photos of the repairs. There is damage in every basement panel so I am sealing them all, top and bottom. Should be finished when I get the rest of the Gorilla patch and seal tape to complete taping the edges inside. I have sent these photos to Thor to see if I can them to do something for us or at least fix it so it doesn’t happen to the next owners. One other thing to add to the checklist. In a downpour in Louisiana, my driver side windshield wiper started slipping and ended up almost off the coach. I pulled the small cover plate and found two set screws. Fixed it but got soaked.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	EE19D273-C29F-4214-95BF-389E078C5C4F.jpeg
Views:	140
Size:	74.8 KB
ID:	25359  
__________________
Tebo53AZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2020, 05:38 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 2019 Aria 4000
State: Utah
Posts: 336
THOR #15943
We have the Aria 4000 and haven't seen those issues, and we spent several days just outside Yellowstone in the rain back in May/June.



We will definitely keep a close eye on them for sure, thanks to your post and pictures.
GVP
__________________
GVP-The Boxcar Children is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2021, 03:19 PM   #5
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Idaho
Posts: 68
THOR #16876
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tebo53AZ View Post
We hit a lot of rain on our travel to the east coast, but this should not have happened. These pictures are from the front pass through right behind the propane tank. Lucky I didn’t loose the sliding storage rack. Looks like water was entering the vertical board at the outside corner and slowly getting in. Has anyone else had this issue. I replaced both pieces and sealed the joints with silicone and then put water proof Gorilla patch tape on all the seams. Hopefully that will do the trick

I have a 2019 Aria 3901 with a water leak in the same area as yours. I do not know where the water comes from but will shortly begin an inspection. When you mention that water intrusion came from the vertical board, did you mean the front wall of the basement? I think I have intrusion in that area as well.

Gorilla tape is a good idea. Would you install it inside or outside of your compartment. Seems to me that doing it inside the compartment may not be as effective as outside. Are you considering caulk on the outside where possible?
__________________
NG7V is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2021, 03:12 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Idaho
Posts: 695
THOR #9660
Quote:
Originally Posted by NG7V View Post
I have a 2019 Aria 3901 with a water leak in the same area as yours. I do not know where the water comes from but will shortly begin an inspection. When you mention that water intrusion came from the vertical board, did you mean the front wall of the basement? I think I have intrusion in that area as well.

Gorilla tape is a good idea. Would you install it inside or outside of your compartment. Seems to me that doing it inside the compartment may not be as effective as outside. Are you considering caulk on the outside where possible?
On ours, water was running down the frame rails that run through the compartments. I used expanding foam to seal them and have not had an issue since. BTW NG7V- we must be neighbors. Same ZIP.
Mike
__________________
Vicki and Mike, Aria 3901- The Wined Up Bus, towing 16 Jeep JKUR.
m1noel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2021, 01:31 PM   #7
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Idaho
Posts: 68
THOR #16876
Quote:
Originally Posted by m1noel View Post
On ours, water was running down the frame rails that run through the compartments. I used expanding foam to seal them and have not had an issue since. BTW NG7V- we must be neighbors. Same ZIP.
Mike
Mike,

Thanks for that information. We just got back from Wakarusa, IN for repairs and went through a bunch of weather this side of Fort Bridger WY. The weather was really wet ranging from ice, sleet, snow and rain.

After wiping down my basement yesterday, I looked up and told myself that I should look behind the rubber gap fillers they put on the front wall to hide the joint between the wall and the rails. They look pretty loose and only hide the gap behind them. I will look there for sure and foam up any gap as you did.

We are neighbors. I think we exchanged a message a year or so ago. PM me if you like, we can probably meet and trade war stories

Cheers!


ng7v at arrl dot net
__________________
NG7V is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2021, 07:16 PM   #8
Junior Member
 
State: Florida
Posts: 2
THOR #23590
Quote:
Originally Posted by NG7V View Post
Mike,

Thanks for that information. We just got back from Wakarusa, IN for repairs and went through a bunch of weather this side of Fort Bridger WY. The weather was really wet ranging from ice, sleet, snow and rain.

After wiping down my basement yesterday, I looked up and told myself that I should look behind the rubber gap fillers they put on the front wall to hide the joint between the wall and the rails. They look pretty loose and only hide the gap behind them. I will look there for sure and foam up any gap as you did.

We are neighbors. I think we exchanged a message a year or so ago. PM me if you like, we can probably meet and trade war stories

Cheers!


ng7v at arrl dot net


Went to look at a 2019 Aria last week. The owner told me that he had the problem of the basement leaking. Thor undersized the door gaskets resulting in basement leaks. They replaced under warranty with an oversized gasket solving the issue. Fortunately there was no significant damage. Hopefully you are still under warranty.
__________________
Flyboy2112 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2021, 08:13 PM   #9
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Idaho
Posts: 68
THOR #16876
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyboy2112 View Post
Went to look at a 2019 Aria last week. The owner told me that he had the problem of the basement leaking. Thor undersized the door gaskets resulting in basement leaks. They replaced under warranty with an oversized gasket solving the issue. Fortunately there was no significant damage. Hopefully you are still under warranty.

Thanks for that pointer. I will look into that as well. I have been out of warranty since last September. Nonetheless, I will have a look at the door seals just the same. Reason why it seems that the rails are responsible is that I have a lot of water coming in behind the front wall and down the middle of the floor as I go to the rear of the coach. Looks like most of the dirty sand and silt from the road is in the front, the rear had much cleaner water.


Thanks for the pointer. I will look into it.


Ron
__________________
NG7V is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2021, 04:01 AM   #10
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Arizona
Posts: 78
THOR #14127
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tebo53AZ View Post
We hit a lot of rain on our travel to the east coast, but this should not have happened. These pictures are from the front pass through right behind the propane tank. Lucky I didn’t loose the sliding storage rack. Looks like water was entering the vertical board at the outside corner and slowly getting in. Has anyone else had this issue. I replaced both pieces and sealed the joints with silicone and then put water proof Gorilla patch tape on all the seams. Hopefully that will do the trick
Can you tell me where to source the white plastic covered wood panels? What is that raw product actually called? I have some repairs to do on my 2017 Thor Aria 3901 and am looking for that paneling.

Thanks in advance!
__________________
Hunter Bennett | AZNytFury
2017 Thor Aria 3901 (with lots of mods)
2020 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Rubicon Toad
aznytfury is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2021, 11:31 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Georgia
Posts: 2,585
THOR #4735
LOWES or HD has those white plastic-type 4x8 panels ...waterproof. The problem is that no matter whether that panel is waterproof, itself, if the EDGES are not sealed, water is still going to get into the wood structure.
THOR replaced all of our Main PASSTHRU flooring and the Water/Sewer bay passthru Flooring, under warranty, at the service center in Wakarusa. While I didn't have quite the 'damage' your pictures show, they certainly were showing signs of 'sagging', and the outside egdes, at the doors, were even growing some type of 'plant' or 'mushroom growth', etc. Crazy.

THOR looks like they try to use sealant in most corners, edges, etc., the way the motorhome kicks up water while driving, and since most of the doors don't do a perfect job of keeping out water, any small or tiny opening is going to eventually prove problematic.
__________________
the Turners...
two Campers, two Electric cars
former diesel pusher traveler
TurnerFam is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2021, 03:36 PM   #12
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Idaho
Posts: 68
THOR #16876
Quote:
Originally Posted by m1noel View Post
On ours, water was running down the frame rails that run through the compartments. I used expanding foam to seal them and have not had an issue since. BTW NG7V- we must be neighbors. Same ZIP.
Mike
Thanks for the comment. I pushed some foam between the rail and the vertical wall in the front. I used Loctite foam for that because of the adhesion it has and its ability to compress at the center of the patch. I plan to do the gaps in the front and rear walls inside the wet bay as well. I have drips (effervescence) on the two walls which indicates that there is water intrusion at that end of the rails.


Also, I ran over the capacity of the fresh water tank while filling and discovered that the seal between the floor and the outside frame of the wet compartment was not sealed as well as it should because I found water dripping along the seam under the RV. I think I will put gorilla tape or additional sealant along the bottom seals of the compartment floor in all bays because it looks like water can penetrate in those seams. I don't know what type of sealant they used for those seams (looks like contractor's caulk, siliconized latex maybe?) so tape might be what I need to do instead of caulk.
__________________
Living the dream a day at a time!
-------------------------------------------------------------
2019 Thor Aria 3901 w/Yellow Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
NG7V is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-31-2021, 02:45 AM   #13
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Arizona
Posts: 78
THOR #14127
Quote:
Originally Posted by NG7V View Post
Thanks for the comment. I pushed some foam between the rail and the vertical wall in the front. I used Loctite foam for that because of the adhesion it has and its ability to compress at the center of the patch. I plan to do the gaps in the front and rear walls inside the wet bay as well. I have drips (effervescence) on the two walls which indicates that there is water intrusion at that end of the rails.


Also, I ran over the capacity of the fresh water tank while filling and discovered that the seal between the floor and the outside frame of the wet compartment was not sealed as well as it should because I found water dripping along the seam under the RV. I think I will put gorilla tape or additional sealant along the bottom seals of the compartment floor in all bays because it looks like water can penetrate in those seams. I don't know what type of sealant they used for those seams (looks like contractor's caulk, siliconized latex maybe?) so tape might be what I need to do instead of caulk.
Would you mind posting photos to show where/how you are doing the repairs? Would love to see how you approached it.
__________________
Hunter Bennett | AZNytFury
2017 Thor Aria 3901 (with lots of mods)
2020 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Rubicon Toad
aznytfury is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-14-2021, 12:25 AM   #14
Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Arizona
Posts: 78
THOR #14127
2017 Thor Aria 3901 - Basement Support Structure

Here is our latest weekend project. We added 4 aluminum L-support beams under the basement to structurally reinforce them and prevent sagging (yes, I realize this won't solve the water infiltration problem...redoing the seals for that). Used 1.75" (1/4" thick) L braces and stainless steel hardware. The aluminum only added about 50 lbs. of weight and won't rust.

Driver's Side looking back:
Click image for larger version

Name:	2021-09-12 14.21.51.jpg
Views:	93
Size:	170.2 KB
ID:	33604

Passenger's Side looking back:
Click image for larger version

Name:	2021-09-12 14.20.40.jpg
Views:	87
Size:	123.2 KB
ID:	33605
__________________
Hunter Bennett | AZNytFury
2017 Thor Aria 3901 (with lots of mods)
2020 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Rubicon Toad
aznytfury is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2023, 11:17 AM   #15
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Arkansas
Posts: 1
THOR #28883
rotten basement cubbies

we have a 2020 Thor Aria 3901- wanting to know how those of you that reinforced the basement cubbies from underneath- how did you get under there to weld? I know how we can get it done with the jacks and blocks of wood but wondering if there is a different way? And has anyone ripped out all the old flooring and started from scratch? If so, what did you use and about what did the total revamp cost? I am more than disappointed in Thor for not helping with a very evident design flaw- now we have peeling furniture too- between the cubbies and the furniture - I am about at my wits end
Thank you in advance for the input- DSMarts
__________________
wanderingaround is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-08-2023, 04:10 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3901
State: Idaho
Posts: 695
THOR #9660
I used aluminum angle iron and nuts and bolts. I used carriage bolts down from the frames for the compartments and locking nuts underneath. I did that as soon as I noticed the flooring starting to sag and it has held up for about 4 years now.
__________________
Vicki and Mike, Aria 3901- The Wined Up Bus, towing 16 Jeep JKUR.
m1noel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2023, 06:26 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
HMCSW's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3401
State: Washington
Posts: 831
THOR #22245
Quote:
Originally Posted by aznytfury View Post
Here is our latest weekend project. We added 4 aluminum L-support beams under the basement to structurally reinforce them and prevent sagging (yes, I realize this won't solve the water infiltration problem...redoing the seals for that). Used 1.75" (1/4" thick) L braces and stainless steel hardware. The aluminum only added about 50 lbs. of weight and won't rust.

Driver's Side looking back:
Attachment 33604

Passenger's Side looking back:
Attachment 33605
Our issue which we just discovered in the basement with the sliding tray is the water intrudes from the underside where the flooring sits on the framing. They just plopped down the flooring. We had the white inside surface start to peel away. Ours is a 2021 only have had it since March 2021. I just reached out to Thor. Will see if their delay or structure warranty will fix it. Defiantly should be using marine grade material when exposed to the open road.
__________________
2021 Aria 3401
2021 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk - toad
2010 Porsche Boxster(trailered)
Retired US Navy Corpsman HMC(SW)(FMF)
HMCSW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2023, 08:34 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
HMCSW's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3401
State: Washington
Posts: 831
THOR #22245
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tebo53AZ View Post
We hit a lot of rain on our travel to the east coast, but this should not have happened. These pictures are from the front pass through right behind the propane tank. Lucky I didn’t loose the sliding storage rack. Looks like water was entering the vertical board at the outside corner and slowly getting in. Has anyone else had this issue. I replaced both pieces and sealed the joints with silicone and then put water proof Gorilla patch tape on all the seams. Hopefully that will do the trick
Should have been marine grade material. I am learning a lot for my next RV purchase. Think Newmar is next. Their New Aire is the same size as our 3401 but better build quality. Cost is a lot more but if I can swing it.
__________________
2021 Aria 3401
2021 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk - toad
2010 Porsche Boxster(trailered)
Retired US Navy Corpsman HMC(SW)(FMF)
HMCSW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2023, 10:45 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
HMCSW's Avatar
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Aria 3401
State: Washington
Posts: 831
THOR #22245
Quote:
Originally Posted by HMCSW View Post
Should have been marine grade material. I am learning a lot for my next RV purchase. Think Newmar is next. Their New Aire is the same size as our 3401 but better build quality. Cost is a lot more but if I can swing it.
Thor is doing the right thing for us again: They are sending new flooring to my house. I can then do it myself or go to the dealer. Pretty sure I would rather do it myself rather than to have the RV at the dealer for an undetermined about of time.
__________________
2021 Aria 3401
2021 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk - toad
2010 Porsche Boxster(trailered)
Retired US Navy Corpsman HMC(SW)(FMF)
HMCSW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2023, 11:11 PM   #20
Junior Member
 
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Pennsylvania
Posts: 12
THOR #20223
Basement water intrusion

I had water intursion problems also during driving in hard rain. First solution was to install mud flaps which worked to deflect the water pretty well. Second fix was to adjust the door latches so the doors closed tighter. Also sealed the rear of the frame rails above the engine, a little hint from a Thor service rep. everything seems better now.
__________________
Garyl is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Thor Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.




All times are GMT. The time now is 06:24 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2