New Member

[CreekHome]

Hello to all! I am very happy (and a bit timid) about becoming a new member of the Air Stream community! I hope I can find my way around sites and find answers I need, and find new friends. With your help I can do it!

I am the owner of a 2004 International 22' CCD Air Stream. I inherited from my dear partner Scott who passed away 5 years ago. He lived in CA and I visited him and he had sold his house and bought his dream- an Air Stream and lived in it. I would visit, and came to know "some" things about it. Then he moved to PA where we had(have) it at a seasonal campground. Again, we would winterize and all that. But then he died and I have been left with trying to be more knowledgable about it. Luckily I have a couple of friends who know about trailers- but not Air Streams.

I found a soft spot under my desk last fall (ugh!) and sure enough, when I pulled up the vinyl- wet OSB. Now what!? So I am reading a lot and trying to see how best to replace the rotten wood. So THAT is my motivation for joining.

Otherwise- I love the Air Stream and I really do want to be a good steward of this wonderful trailer!
Talk to you all soon!
CreekHome

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us. You have found to the right place to provide the information that you will need to maintain and enjoy your Airstream.

Brian

[dbj216]

Hello from Colorado and welcome to these Airstream Forums. A sad way you became an Airstream owner. My condolences.

Uh oh, some leak is soaking your subfloor. So you have a project on your hands. There are several threads here on mid aughts trailers with spongy floors, especially in the rear of the trailer. Read up on the repair methods and see what you have to do. It can be repaired, and more importantly, you gotta find the source of the water causing the damage and repair that too.

If you are not comfortable tearing your trailer apart, an Airstream dealer's shop or even the factory at Jackson Center can make quick work of it, for a big price of course.

You might consider investing in a moisture meter ($100). I "scan" the perimeter of my floor looking for moisture. The meter will find trouble early on before the subfloor gets rotten. Just one of the maintenance items we have to do.

David

[skyguyscott]

Welcome!

If Airstream ever used a worse material than OSB for the subfloor, I am not aware if it. The chose it because it was cheaper than plywood.

They did eventually go back to using plywood, but while a better choice than OSB, it's far from ideal.

You might want to explore a composite material like Coosa Board. It is as strong and easy to work with as plywood, but:

• Virtually water proof forever
• Mold resistant, unlike plwood
• Varment and critter proof: no bugs or mice!
• Acutally 30% lighter than plywood!

Downsides? It does not hold screws as well as plywood, so anything that needs securing to the floor (not much, most are secured to the walls) will need to be either bolted, or you can first use liquid nails to attach an aluminum L strip to the floor, then screw onto that.

Also, the major reason Coosa isn't used more often is that the material cost is significantly more than plywood: For example, a 4X8 piece of plywood may run you $30-$40, compared to $300 for Coosa. But the cost in time and labor remains the same.

So for some of us, the piece of mind of knowing the floor will never rot ever again for the life of the trailer (and all the effort, time, and labor of floor replacement is over) and the added benefit of lightness makes it a great investment. Water will always find a way to the floor, whether it comes from leaks, condensation, spills, plumbing issues or intrusion from the rear bumper, wheel wells, etc. Plywood, even if coated and treated, will not last as long as Coosa, and you will have to do it all again, eventually

[Spartanguy]

Congratulations! Your partner sounds like a very cool person, you’re fortunate you got to enjoy his time and now his treasure. Best wishes!

[n2916s]

Step one is find the leak and seal it. If you go .to RVleaks.com you can use their locator to find a repair facility that has a SealTech machine. It pressurizes the trailer, a soapy solution is applied to the exterior and leaks show as big bubbles. Sounds weird but works great. Once the trailer is watertight, then you address the floor rot.

[smithcreek]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

Welcome!

If Airstream ever used a worse material than OSB for the subfloor, I am not aware if it. The chose it because it was cheaper than plywood.

They did eventually go back to using plywood, but while a better choice than OSB, it's far from ideal.

You might want to explore a composite material like Coosa Board. It is as strong and easy to work with as plywood, but:

• Virtually water proof forever
• Mold resistant, unlike plwood
• Varment and critter proof: no bugs or mice!
• Acutally 30% lighter than plywood!

Downsides? It does not hold screws as well as plywood, so anything that needs securing to the floor (not much, most are secured to the walls) will need to be either bolted, or you can first use liquid nails to attach an aluminum L strip to the floor, then screw onto that.

Also, the major reason Coosa isn't used more often is that the material cost is significantly more than plywood: For example, a 4X8 piece of plywood may run you $30-$40, compared to $300 for Coosa. But the cost in time and labor remains the same.

So for some of us, the piece of mind of knowing the floor will never rot ever again for the life of the trailer (and all the effort, time, and labor of floor replacement is over) and the added benefit of lightness makes it a great investment. Water will always find a way to the floor, whether it comes from leaks, condensation, spills, plumbing issues or intrusion from the rear bumper, wheel wells, etc. Plywood, even if coated and treated, will not last as long as Coosa, and you will have to do it all again, eventually

You would use that for one localized soft spot?

[Foiled Again]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have a beautiful trailer with a very weak skeleton. Use SEARCH and look for "broken frame". You'll find a few old, and some quite recent posts by me and others. As for just the leak, it comes from around the trimline at the lid of the bumper... it will also run right under the shower/wet bath.

If you are planning any long distance traveling in this Airstream do the major repairs. If you are leaving it at Penn Woods or some other campground, you might get years of enjoyment with less drastic measures.

I am personally nuts enough that I might buy a new frame with a coosa subfloor and hire some labor to help move the shell and furniture and appliances. But... your financial good sense might rebel at that idea.

Best wishes, whatever you decide.

Paula