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AirHedz · 09-02-2010, 01:14 PM

We have a '10 31 Classic we purchased 4 months ago. Since we have given up on getting the dealer to help with any of the issues we are trying to fix these things ourselves.

The shower is "leaking" water at the bottom of the door. It's coming out between the bottom of the door and the clear rubber strip sticking up from the bottom of the door frame. It really looks like a poor way to design a shower door. But, the bottom line is: I gotta fix it.

Has anyone else noticed this problem on their unit? Does anybody have any suggestions on how to fix it?

When we returned it to the dealership, they smeared some clear silicon rubber where the shower door frame sits on the shower liner. And, said that was the only thing they could think of that might fix it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mr. AirHed

kennethowens · 09-02-2010, 02:21 PM

suggest:

without seeing, i would either adjust "the clear rubber strip
sticking up from the bottom of the door frame" TALLER or take the
rubber strip out and replace the rubber strip with a taller or
thicker strip.

dznf0g · 09-02-2010, 04:34 PM

Good suggestions from Kenneth. Mine was leaking only at the henge end of the door, not from water going under or over the seal, but between the end of the seal and the door frame. I just siliconed the end of the seal to the door opening frame at that point. So far so good. I do try and keep full shower blast off the door as much as possible though.

AirHedz · 09-02-2010, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennethowens

suggest:

without seeing, i would either adjust "the clear rubber strip
sticking up from the bottom of the door frame" TALLER or take the
rubber strip out and replace the rubber strip with a taller or
thicker strip.

I will give this a try. Hopefully, I can find some kind of material at Lowe's or Home Depot. I'll let you know how it works out.

Thanks!

Ag&Au · 09-02-2010, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirHedz

We have a '10 31 Classic we purchased 4 months ago. Since we have given up on getting the dealer to help with any of the issues we are trying to fix these things ourselves.

The shower is "leaking" water at the bottom of the door. It's coming out between the bottom of the door and the clear rubber strip sticking up from the bottom of the door frame. It really looks like a poor way to design a shower door. But, the bottom line is: I gotta fix it.

Has anyone else noticed this problem on their unit? Does anybody have any suggestions on how to fix it?

When we returned it to the dealership, they smeared some clear silicon rubber where the shower door frame sits on the shower liner. And, said that was the only thing they could think of that might fix it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mr. AirHed

Hi,
In our identical trailer, we fixed our leak by sealing the small vertical gaps between the left and right ends of the clear rubber strip and the door frame.

Regards,

Ken

airstreamjudy · 09-02-2010, 06:40 PM

What a shame you folks have to fix something like this, you have a 2010 - what's going on at these dealers? It is so sad to read stuff like this issue.

dznf0g · 09-02-2010, 07:07 PM

Hey, stuff like this happens to my house all the time too. It cost 5 times as much as my Stream!!!

craftsman · 09-02-2010, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Hey, stuff like this happens to my house all the time too. It cost 5 times as much as my Stream!!!

That makes it better. Whats with these whining new Airstream owners ? Always complaning about leaking showers, cabinets and laminates coming apart and the big one: corrosion. Oh, and some even complain about leaks,like water leaking inside from a seam or something. Can you believe it? What a bunch of cry babies. It's not like they paid $50 or $60 thousands for these things. Whats next, bad brake actuators.

Bluto · 09-02-2010, 08:49 PM

I think dznfOg is just trying to say that nothing is perfect no matter what you pay for it. If it's man made there is room for error, etc, etc.
The shower thing is no big deal. Just a minor thing. Airhedz has the right idea, hey just fix it and save a trip to the dealer again. He'll probably do a better job anyway!
Craftsman , your right, some people like to cry about everything, I'm glad none of us do that!

yakman · 09-02-2010, 09:28 PM

Airhedz,

Same thing was wrong with our 2007 25 footer. I can almost guarantee that the water is passing through the spongy part of the door and onto the floor. Inspect the install of the shower door frame onto the wood. You may notice that the shower door is not plumb/square to the wall and water finds it's way into the wall and down and out. Not good at all! They tried the silicone fix the first time as well .... Luckily I'm not far from JC and back it went. They rebuilt the entry way to the shower. This time getting it trued up in it's opening. Now it does not leak. Head East my friend! Have the folks at JC fix it for you.

If they have to fix enough of them, maybe they'll ensure they get it right the first time.

I find humor in that they spray the beans out of the outside for a leak test, but they don't test the shower at all to see if it leaks..

cheers,

yakman

Ag&Au · 09-02-2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakman

Airhedz,

Same thing was wrong with our 2007 25 footer. I can almost guarantee that the water is passing through the spongy part of the door and onto the floor. Inspect the install of the shower door frame onto the wood. You may notice that the shower door is not plumb/square to the wall and water finds it's way into the wall and down and out. Not good at all! They tried the silicone fix the first time as well .... Luckily I'm not far from JC and back it went. They rebuilt the entry way to the shower. This time getting it trued up in it's opening. Now it does not leak. Head East my friend! Have the folks at JC fix it for you.

If they have to fix enough of them, maybe they'll ensure they get it right the first time.

I find humor in that they spray the beans out of the outside for a leak test, but they don't test the shower at all to see if it leaks..

cheers,

yakman

I think you are describing a different type of shower from the one in the Classic 31. There is no spongy part or wood involved.

Regards,

Ken

dznf0g · 09-03-2010, 07:10 AM

Thanks, Bluto,
I let my sarcasm get in the way again. Sorry. That's exactly what I am saying. I've been around and working on RVs since I was 12 years old and they are always going to need to be worked on. Just like my house. And my house doesn't have to run down rough roads at 60 MPH, etc. I know it's illegal, but find a country road and ride in your trailer for a couple of miles. (someone else at the wheel, of course!) You will be shocked at what goes on back there! And AS is MUCH better than most SOBs relative to ride quality. Don't get me wrong, improvement by an RV mfr. is always necessary, especially on a high end stuff like AS. (Just look at the lesson some auto mfrs. have learned over the last 30 years! And look at how one of the "invinceable" ones is losing their reputation right before our very eyes right now) I'm just saying, let's concentrate getting wound up on the big stuff for which there is no excuse...like floor rot on newer units.
Back to the point: We are talking about the solid swing open doors, not the accordian style here. I don't think my opening frame is quite square either. I'm going to have to look into how it is plumbed and attached and adjust it. Suggestions?

GAS_Wyo · 09-03-2010, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craftsman

That makes it better. Whats with these whining new Airstream owners ? Always complaning about leaking showers, cabinets and laminates coming apart and the big one: corrosion. Oh, and some even complain about leaks,like water leaking inside from a seam or something. Can you believe it? What a bunch of cry babies. It's not like they paid $50 or $60 thousands for these things. Whats next, bad brake actuators.

I love really well-written sarcasm!

Craftsman, I think you and I would get along just fine!

wwhidden · 09-03-2010, 02:52 PM

when you purchase an rv you must realize that its a rolling opportunity to perform maintenance and upkeep and i promise you if you will think it through your idea on repair will be equal or superior to the dealerships

AirHedz · 09-03-2010, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Thanks, Bluto,
I let my sarcasm get in the way again. Sorry. That's exactly what I am saying. I've been around and working on RVs since I was 12 years old and they are always going to need to be worked on.

Working on anything, whether it's an RV, house, car, motorcycle, or bicycle, from the standpoint of maintenance is to be expected. Everyone knows that. But, this isn't a maintenance issue. It's not something that recently happened. It's been this way ever since we got the unit 4 months ago. It's nothing more than poor design. And, the funny thing is when you explain what is happening to a dealership's service personnel they look at you like

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I'm just saying, let's concentrate getting wound up on the big stuff for which there is no excuse...like floor rot on newer units.

So, do you think maybe water from a leaking shower might cause such a thing?

Bluto · 09-04-2010, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirHedz

I will give this a try. Hopefully, I can find some kind of material at Lowe's or Home Depot. I'll let you know how it works out.

Thanks!

Have you had a chance to look for a solution?

I was thinking that maybe a self stick vinyl strip might work. Like one of those they sell in the plumbing section to put around tubs for home repairs. The type I'm thinking of comes on a roll and has a crease along it's length so you can stick on side to the wall and the other to the tub surface.
I know that is not the way you need to use it, but maybe you could stick one side to the bottom of the clear plastic piece on the bottom of your shower door fold it over and stick the other side of the vinyl strip to the other side of the clear strip on the shower door to extend it so water won't come out on the floor thru the opening.

yakman · 09-04-2010, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w7ts

I think you are describing a different type of shower from the one in the Classic 31. There is no spongy part or wood involved.

Regards,

Ken

A different shower? AS might change what they put on the walls, but from what I've seen on the assembly line, the material is the same, fiberboard spongy walls, covered in that particular models laminate. Spongy wood is a reference to the fiberboard wall that is right beneath the shower door.

I'd like to see a picture.

Cheers,

yakman

Ag&Au · 09-04-2010, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakman

A different shower? AS might change what they put on the walls, but from what I've seen on the assembly line, the material is the same, fiberboard spongy walls, covered in that particular models laminate. Spongy wood is a reference to the fiberboard wall that is right beneath the shower door.

I'd like to see a picture.

Cheers,

yakman

I would like to show you a picture of ours. however it is in storage. I will take one next time I have a reason to go down there.

Here are a couple picture I swiped from the internet. They don't match ours exactly, but give you an idea.

You can see that the front of the molded fiberglass meets the laminate flooring with no intervening wood. On ours, there is a small hickory quarter round molding to hide the seam between the fiberglass and laminate flooring. (our counter top is lighter also and door frame is a dark anodized) It think the photos are a 2009.

I believe this style shower is unique to the Classic, but I may be wrong.

The portion of the door frame mounted to the sill, has a semi clear flexible strip mounted in it, the strip rests
against the back of the door when it is closed and it purpose is to keep the water running down the inside of the door from coming out underneath it. In our trailer the right end of the strip was not sealed to the enclosure, so if we were slightly low on the right side, the water would leak around that end. Sealing that end solved our problem. hope this helps explain the construction some.

Regards,
Ken

Ag&Au · 09-04-2010, 09:42 AM

The interior of this 31D appears identical to ours, with the exception of our couch being covered in the same material as the dinette. Unfortunately no good shot of shower door detail. Ours also has factory solar.

Airstream Classic Limited 31D Eugene Oregon | 2010 Travel Trailer, George M Sutton RV - Inventory

Regards,

Ken

AirHedz · 09-04-2010, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

Have you had a chance to look for a solution?

I was thinking that maybe a self stick vinyl strip might work. Like one of those they sell in the plumbing section to put around tubs for home repairs. The type I'm thinking of comes on a roll and has a crease along it's length so you can stick on side to the wall and the other to the tub surface.
I know that is not the way you need to use it, but maybe you could stick one side to the bottom of the clear plastic piece on the bottom of your shower door fold it over and stick the other side of the vinyl strip to the other side of the clear strip on the shower door to extend it so water won't come out on the floor thru the opening.

I will be headed to Lowe's shortly. Should be able to let you know something later today.

Thanks for another good idea!