particle board subfloor rotted under fridge

[countrydan]

hello. i am a new member and have been reading this site and thanks for the great helpful advice/information from everyone.

my wife and i just bought our first mobile home on some land in Michigan. we love it so far except for the cost of propane there...

under the fridge there is floor rot from a leaking water valve that i fixed. i assume it leaked for some time from the previous owners and they didnt notice it. we have the dreaded particle board Novadeck as the subfloor. since i fixed this leak does anybody know if the soft spots/rot will continue to spread? i assume once the water is dry there will be no more spreading. i am not familiar with particle board and it is junky if you ask me...

thanks

[Greg]

Hi & welcome. The problem with particle board is that water dissolves the glue that holds it together. Once the water issue is resolved you should have no further damage, until the next time.
I would replace as much as possible with Plywood or OSB when time & money allows.

Greg

[bobfather99]

The rot probably won't get much worse, however it may get weaker over time, especially with a heavy fridge on top of it. Cut it out and replace when you can. While youre there, check the insulation underneath for mold/rot/wetness.

[countrydan]

Thank you both for the advice/tips..

[1987Commodore]

If you don't want to cut out the damaged area right now, since you would have to replace the flooring, you could also set the fridge on a piece of plywood to help distribute it's weight more evenly.

[countrydan]

87- i did think about the plywood base as a temporary band aid. so far it doesnt seem to be sagging toooo bad..yet. thanks for the help.