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Old 03-20-2019, 09:50 AM   #2
Bill
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Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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I'm not inclined to see big problems in your pictures. They look like simple condensation. RVs and trailers in general (not just TMs) generate a lot of airborne moisture in their limited amount of living space. Think showers, especially if you don't run the exhaust fan. Cooking (steam from food as it cooks). The stove and oven (when propane burns, the products are CO2 and a lot of water). Simply breathing puts a lot of water in the air, especially if several people are inside. And a generally humid climate in the air - you didn't mention where you live. Many people find a humid atmosphere inside the trailer to be uncomfortable, and run the exhaust fan in the ceiling - but not everyone does this. Simple long-term storage, especially outside in the rain, can produce a humid interior.

By 2005, all TMs had aluminum framing in the shells, so you are not worried about wood rot in the shells. If there was a leak, and water got into the walls, it could mold and smell, of course. You can do a quick check (though not exhaustive) by shining a flashlight up into the pocket stop pockets - look for posts and pictures on that topic by Larryjb. If there was standing water on the floor, it could smell, too. Look for lifting floor tiles or discolored carpet.

Look around and sniff under the sinks, both kitchen and bathroom. The fittings on these drain pipes pipes can loosen and leak, but they are easily tightened and generally don't cause a big problem.

Lift the mattress. What do you see/smell under there? Does it simply smell stale (you may want to wash the mattress and cover), or is there any sign of massive mold and standing water.

The furnace is vented outside, and so should not make a smell - unless it has not been run in a long time. If that is the case, a bit of dust will have settled on the unit, and as the dust is heated and burns off, it could generate a bit of a burned smell. This is normal. But I don't think the furnace would generate a paint smell.

The paint smell is odd. The owner might simply have wanted to improve the appearance by touching up some interior wear marks (TMs generally have several of them), and that's OK. Remember, you are looking at a trailer that is 10-15 years old. Or he could have scrubbed it down for the same reason, using some strong-smelling cleaner. And that's OK, too. Or, if I put on my conspiracy hat, he could have been using something like Kilz sealer to cover something more sinister. You need to look around closely, to find paint that is fresh, even if it is not wet. If you don't find any fresh paint, then the smell is likely something else. BTW, it is perfectly OK to ask the owner about the paint smell. He should be honest, and it could explain the smell.

In other words, if you do a comprehensive interior inspection, and your pictures illustrate the worst things you find, I think you're OK. But you need to use your eyes especially, and examine more thoroughly. Again, a closer examination should be part of any RV inspection, not just this TM.

Bill
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