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Old 10-03-2011, 12:51 PM   #1
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Leak Inspection with Moisture Meter

Airstreams leak, like all works of art left out in the rain. It would be good to detect those leaks before floor damage occurs.

Most leaks are not found until they cause visible floor damage. Would it be wise to add a regular inspection to your routine maintenance schedule, probing for moisture around the perimeter of the floor using using a moisture meter, like the type home inspectors use? There are several models available for under $100, some for much less.

It would be necessary to probe through the floor covering into the plywood subfloor, so it could be done at the very edges.

Thoughts, comments?

doug k
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Old 10-03-2011, 04:07 PM   #2
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I really didn't need a meter....just the end of my finger under the carpet.

I was lucky caught it before any real damage.

It is very important to inspect often, and fix ASAP..
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Old 10-04-2011, 03:14 PM   #3
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Good advice Bob, and a nice fix in the nick of time. Frequent inspections can save the day.

But I can't get my finger through the vinyl floor covering on mine.

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Old 10-04-2011, 03:41 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
Good advice Bob, and a nice fix in the nick of time. Frequent inspections can save the day.

But I can't get my finger through the vinyl floor covering on mine.

doug k

Doug,

Carpet and padding in the storage compartments...how practical is that?
A real PITA to get out let alone get dry.

So far so good.

Looks a bit different now, it can breathe.

Bob
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Old 10-04-2011, 03:51 PM   #5
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Beautiful work Bob. On my new trailer it has a sheet of plastic (maybe aluminum) over the plywood in the storage compartments. I don't like that at all.

Now if we could find a suitable floor covering throughout the trailer that breathes we'd have something (sooner or later they're gonna leak).

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Old 05-09-2012, 09:59 AM   #6
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Got the Sonin 50211 Moisture Test Meter from Amazon to make regular inspections of the Airstream underfloor.

Amazon.com: Sonin 50211 Rapitest 10% to 28% Pinless Analog Wood, Concrete, Plaster, Carpet, and More Moisture Meter: Home Improvement

Simple little gadget but the probe is sturdy and can easily poke through the vinyl floor to test for moisture underneath. I tried it on some sample pieces of damp/wet wood and it does indeed work. Checked under front and rear pano windows probing vinyl next to the wall, common trouble spots, and found no moisture.

A good tool to use on a regular inspection routine of the trailer, and should find underfloor moisture before damage can occur.

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Old 05-09-2012, 11:48 AM   #7
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Doug,

Handy gizmo for sure, trip up the Amazonia in order.

Bob
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Old 05-09-2012, 12:12 PM   #8
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I think I heard about these in another thread. I bought 4 of them and placed in the four "corners" of my AS, Where I see most leak/rotted floor complaints. Within a few weeks they paid for themselves by alarming a leak, which I unknowingly created while installing new LED taillights. I missed a spot with the SikaFlex and rain came in through the wiring access for the taillight. The alarm sounded before the rain even stopped. I would recommend these.

New & Improved Water Alarm
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Old 05-10-2012, 06:07 AM   #9
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Looks like a good thing to have and it is simple.

Perry
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Old 05-16-2012, 11:28 AM   #10
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Thumbs up UP-Date....

Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum View Post
Got the Sonin 50211 Moisture Test Meter from Amazon to make regular inspections of the Airstream underfloor.

Amazon.com: Sonin 50211 Rapitest 10% to 28% Pinless Analog Wood, Concrete, Plaster, Carpet, and More Moisture Meter: Home Improvement

Simple little gadget but the probe is sturdy and can easily poke through the vinyl floor to test for moisture underneath. I tried it on some sample pieces of damp/wet wood and it does indeed work. Checked under front and rear pano windows probing vinyl next to the wall, common trouble spots, and found no moisture.

A good tool to use on a regular inspection routine of the trailer, and should find underfloor moisture before damage can occur.

doug k
Thanks for the tip Doug...

Arrived today, checked some of the leaks that I repaired last Fall.

Very happy with the results and how the new "gizmo" werks.

The probe is long enough to penetrate the carpet in the trailer and reach thru the plastic drainage mats I installed in the trunk and side storage compartments. No more emptying and pulling out the mats.

Bob
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Old 05-16-2012, 11:25 PM   #11
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I like mine as well Bob. Probing the floor at the edges and in compartments, say on a quarterly inspection cycle, minimizes the chance of leaks going undetected and rotting the floor. And you don't have to lift the floor covering to do it, you can probe right through it.

With Airstream history (all RV's actually) of leaks, they ought to include one of these as standard issue with the new trailer.

doug k

BTW it's also handy around the house.
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Old 05-17-2012, 12:24 AM   #12
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This is great advice. Can someone post a photo of the probe? I'm curious as to how big it is exactly.

Will be picking up trailer in a couple of days. Some minor warranty work. My main concern was a small leak in one of the halogens during a monsoon. The service department tracked it to the sealant around the TV antenna which is useless here now because the stations have digitalized. I sure am not going to remove the antenna though - that would be asking for more problems.

Am actually excited to get more involved with my trailer's preventative maintenance vs. just picking out the colours of throw cushions. Want to do everything I can to preserve it.

Thanks for posting this great info!
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Old 05-17-2012, 05:05 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fly at Night View Post
This is great advice. Can someone post a photo of the probe? I'm curious as to how big it is exactly.

Will be picking up trailer in a couple of days. Some minor warranty work. My main concern was a small leak in one of the halogens during a monsoon. The service department tracked it to the sealant around the TV antenna which is useless here now because the stations have digitalized. I sure am not going to remove the antenna though - that would be asking for more problems.

Am actually excited to get more involved with my trailer's preventative maintenance vs. just picking out the colours of throw cushions. Want to do everything I can to preserve it.

Thanks for posting this great info!
Fly,

The probe looks like an AC plug, when I first saw a picture of the meter I thought thats what it was. You can see it in the above post, they are very sharp round pins and about 3/4in long.

POI...the antenna works very well in receiving broadcast digital signals, matter of fact better than the home cable most of the time if the signal is strong enough.

Bob
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Old 05-23-2012, 09:37 PM   #14
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It rained most of the night so this morning I thought I would do a leak/subfloor moisture inspection of our 2012 Flying Cloud using my new Sonin Moisture Test Meter.

Ops, damp subfloor at the wall right next to hinge side of the door. About 1" area, no farther, highest reading right next to wall. Exterior door sealing looks good but the lower door hinge pulls away from the frame slightly when opening, breaking the sealant. Try to tighten door screws, already tight. Applied temporary sealant around hinge. Add to warranty repair list, which also has moisture in clearance lights. Moisture test late today showed reduced reading from this morning's "action" to midway in "attention" zone.

Without a moisture test meter that can probe through the vinyl to the subfloor, this type of leak would go undetected. I imagine if a bunch of new owners used these Airstream would be busy fixing more leaks, but fewer rotted floors. Good for all of us.

doug k
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Old 04-16-2014, 05:22 AM   #15
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Doug. When you had discovered you had some leaks what was the moisture % you saw on your meter ? I have a moisture meter a cheap one I bought for checking the moisture content in firewood , it does show in percent(8-22%) like yours but the probe is on the end of meter but I don't think I can get into thigh places like yours mine has no name brand but the model is ss-1978A ,I bought it at princess auto in Canada about four years ago. Here is a picture of it. I put a penny beside to give a idea of size and the other black piece is the cap to cover the two probe tips ;(at bottom of tester )it's upside down in the picture,
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Old 04-16-2014, 05:44 AM   #16
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It depends somewhat on relative humidity, but dry pine in my garage reads 5 - 9%. That is normal for the cabinets and dry stored wood. I consider anything below 10% in the AS floor as dry and leak free. Anything above that deserves investigation, IMO. I have seen full scale 50% in a few areas this spring, and have found leaks associated with it.

I have also noted that the black coating around the perimeter of the floor reads a few percentage points higher than the bare wood immediately adjoining it. I believe the coating is a bit more conductive than dry wood.
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Old 04-17-2014, 12:27 AM   #17
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Doug. When you had discovered you had some leaks what was the moisture % you saw on your meter ? I have a moisture meter a cheap one I bought for checking the moisture content in firewood , it does show in percent(8-22%) like yours but the probe is on the end of meter but I don't think I can get into thigh places like yours mine has no name brand but the model is ss-1978A ,I bought it at princess auto in Canada about four years ago. Here is a picture of it. I put a penny beside to give a idea of size and the other black piece is the cap to cover the two probe tips ;(at bottom of tester )it's upside down in the picture,
I don't trust or pay attention to the % moisture scale on my meter. If the needle moves, there is moisture. Things are dry now and the needle does not move.

When I had leaks to the plywood the meter pegged out on every one of them, and then became less as I moved the probe away. These were not severe leaks, and a few inches away the plywood was dry.
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