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clancy_boy · 01-26-2012, 05:55 AM

That new a 22' and the look of the material - I'm sure that is the original from the factory floor.

BradS · 01-26-2012, 07:31 AM

I have the same trailer with the same floor. A 2006. 22' CCD. I haven't had problems yet but I can see how -41 would do that. Everything becomes brittle at that temp

Friday · 01-26-2012, 12:03 PM

I sent a photo to Airstream... not sure there is much they can do as the unit is 6 years old. I've never heard of this issue before, but it seems somewhat common I guess... I think I'm going to go with the same rubber flooring we had in our Basecamp... if I can find a source for it...

clancy_boy · 01-26-2012, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Friday

I sent a photo to Airstream... not sure there is much they can do as the unit is 6 years old. I've never heard of this issue before, but it seems somewhat common I guess... I think I'm going to go with the same rubber flooring we had in our Basecamp... if I can find a source for it...

G-Floor Trailer Flooring | Cargo Matting | Utility Trailer Flooring by allMATS.com

CrawfordGene · 01-26-2012, 12:48 PM

Problems with vinyl floors have been reported on the Forum before. Most are in places with very cold temps such as Canada, the US Rockies and northern states.

This is the first time I've read about cracking. All other reports have been of the vinyl developing humps as the subfloor contracts and the vinyl has no where to go. I imagine -40˚ (F or C is the same at -40˚) may be enough to cause cracking.

Our first hump was in front of the bathroom cabinet while still under warranty. JC fixed it by cutting out a thin strip, putting some glue underneath and a piece of quarter round trim over it. Since then we have had the same thing in front of the kitchen cabinet and in the middle of the floor going under the dinette table. I haven't fixed those.

I do not believe the vinyl is glued completely—they put some dabs under it. The contraction seems to be enough to make glue ineffective anyway.

The problem is they don't know how to install a floor. Any floor is supposed to leave room for expansion and contraction around the edges. Evcen cermaic tile is supposed to be installed that way. Usually 1/4 to 3/8" space all around is recommended. JC runs the vinyl across the entire trailer before anything is installed and places the partitions, cabinets and furniture on top. These items prevent the vinyl from expanding and contracting with the subfloor. They may use indoor vinyl and they may use indoor glue—nothing the factory does to save a few bucks would surprise me. When the subfloor contracts, the vinyl apparently doesn't contract as much and a bump appears; in your case, it cracked. If they did it properly, they would have to put trim all around the trailer and that would increase labor and material costs; so they opt for a cheap way of doing it.

For humps, if next to or near somewhere it can be pushed to a cabinet or wall, the JC fix would work. A hump in the middle of a floor will flatten once it gets hot and I put heavy things on it.

You have a different issue even though the cause is the same. Throw rugs are a quick fix. Many have replaced floor with laminate, cork, more vinyl (sheet or tiles) and other surfaces. Laminate is very heavy, cork and vinyl are not. Doing the trim is the hard part. Carpeting is another answer, but carpet is really hard to keep clean in a trailer.

We have discussed what to do and so far, not much. A trailer floor gets wet a lot from sinks, shower, and most of all, bringing the outside inside. There is no mud room. Laminates are not good for a possibly wet surface. Since a lot of dirt gets tracked in, something easy to clean is a good option and vinyl is that. Any tiles have to be fitted and sealed well. Cork can be very attractive. Some has to be sealed, some comes pre-sealed. I'd want something pre-sealed that I can seal one more time once it is down to seal the joints.

Gene

clancy_boy · 01-26-2012, 01:07 PM

They do not use glue - anywhere - it's layed on the subfloor and stuff is installed on top. When they rebuilt my 22' CCD I was there - they said "no glue" even on the edges.

CrawfordGene · 01-26-2012, 01:46 PM

The factory changes what it does from to time to time, sometimes with little thought behind it. I have been told the opposite—some glue, not much.

Gene

BigAl · 01-26-2012, 02:00 PM

Could be different sheet goods. Some are meant to be dry laid. That said, they expect that only baseboard or quarter round is installled to hold the edges down.
The trailer installation is different and this shows that only time exposes all the limitations of new products and techniques.
Al

perryg114 · 01-27-2012, 02:08 PM

When you get this sorted out I would strongly consider using some sort of heater inside the trailer to keep the inside of the trailer at or above freezing. I have winterized my trailer and it barely gets below 30 for extended periods of time but I have a smaller thermostatically controlled space heater on low heat that runs when it gets really cold. There are other things in the trailer that don't like being kept below freezing. Plastics turn to glass and condensation or other moisture turns to ice. Plastics get hard and shrink which causes stresses and since the plastic is now glass instead of plastic, it cracks.

Perry

DKB_SATX · 01-27-2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by perryg114

When you get this sorted out I would strongly consider using some sort of heater inside the trailer to keep the inside of the trailer at or above freezing. I have winterized my trailer and it barely gets below 30 for extended periods of time but I have a smaller thermostatically controlled space heater on low heat that runs when it gets really cold. There are other things in the trailer that don't like being kept below freezing. Plastics turn to glass and condensation or other moisture turns to ice. Plastics get hard and shrink which causes stresses and since the plastic is now glass instead of plastic, it cracks.

Perry

While I suspect it would avoid a repeat incident, it might be impractical to maintain a +70F differential. I suspect that even at 0F the floor wouldn't have had the same problem, though, so it shouldn't be necessary to keep it above freezing, just above oh-my-lord-that's-cold -40.

Those sorts of temperatures put my kvetching about Texas summers into perspective... but I still look forward to a time when I can leave Texas for most of the summer!

CrawfordGene · 01-27-2012, 03:25 PM

The cost of running a space heater in wintry climates would be very high. Of course, the damage costs can be high too.

Our TV says it is good to -4˚ F; I have left it in the trailer for 4+ winters and sometime the temps go to -15 or lower, but I figure they give you some slack. I hope I am right.

I have been in summer cabins where there was no heat and after decades the furniture glue gives up, the wood warps, and the building interior starts to warp too. This is why they heat and cool storage buildings.

Gene