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TankerIP · 03-13-2012, 09:25 AM

That's great news on the floor. It means your stay may be considerably shorter than planned. Also, you may get to sleep in the trailer each night; unlike us, where everything was torn apart.

I bought mine used. So I blame the leaks and damage not just on Airstream but also the selling dealer for poor inspection and setup. And then the first owner for not following up diligently on warranty work like you are doing. For my part, I didn't do a great inspection, but we wanted the trailer and are still happy regardless of the unnoticed condition it was in.

alozier · 03-13-2012, 09:26 AM

Ok so Rick took Stacey and I to the factory.
We saw raw frame, frame with floor only and then a complete unit. They all have at least the 1/4 inch of play....

False alarm on the floor, sorry ;(

Working on the other issues now...

THEPILL · 03-13-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alozier

Ok so Rick took Stacey and I to the factory.
We saw raw frame, frame with floor only and then a complete unit. They all have at least the 1/4 inch of play....

False alarm on the floor, sorry ;(

Working on the other issues now...

Hey,..no news, on the floor, is good news!!

Now you can enjoy the trip!

Shane

ROBERT CROSS · 03-13-2012, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alozier

Ok so Rick took Stacey and I to the factory.
We saw raw frame, frame with floor only and then a complete unit. They all have at least the 1/4 inch of play....

False alarm on the floor, sorry ;(

Working on the other issues now...

Great news on your floor!!

Hope the same for your list.

Just wondering what build procedures have changed since 03, our Classic is solid thru out. Plywood or OSB?

Bob

alozier · 03-13-2012, 09:45 AM

Looks like 5/8 plywood...

THEPILL · 03-13-2012, 09:51 AM

Airstream calls it Marine grade plywood,..according to Rick.

I'm going to lunch....I'll check in later.....im gonna go eat subway....(I'm kidding)

Shane

ROBERT CROSS · 03-13-2012, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEPILL

Airstream calls it Marine grade plywood,..according to Rick.

I'm going to lunch....I'll check in later.....im gonna go eat subway....(I'm kidding)

Shane

Our Classic is 5/8 plywood but NOT marine grade. Our leaks brought that fact to light.

----- Original Message ----- From: Airstream Customer Support
To: dbeatty686@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 3:42 PM
Subject: re: Fwd: Floors (contact us from airstream.com)

Thank you for contacting us in regards to the plywood used in our trailer. We use only low VOC plywood and paneling in our trailers to help eliminate out gasing. Some pressure treated woods contain preservatives that would not be allowed used inside a close area.

The plywood we are using is 5/8" water resistant grade 1 plywood.

From: David Beatty <dbeatty686@gmail.com>

Date: August 29, 2011 3:42:52 PM EDT

To: Marketing <marketing@airstream.com

Plywood grades.

Marine plywood.....

"Marine plywood is manufactured from durable face and core veneers, with few defects so it performs longer in humid and wet conditions and resists de-laminating and fungal attack. Its construction is such that it can be used in environments where it is exposed to moisture for long periods. Each wood veneer will be from durable tropical hardwoods, have negligible core gap, limiting the chance of trapping water in the plywood and hence providing a solid and stable glue bond. It uses an exterior Weather and Boil Proof (WBP) glue similar to most exterior plywoods. Marine plywood is frequently used in the construction of docks and boats. It is much more expensive than standard plywood: the cost for a typical 4-foot by 8-foot 1/2-inch thick board is roughly $75 to $100 US or around $2.5 per square foot, which is about three times as expensive as standard plywood. Marine plywood can be graded as being compliant with BS 1088, which is a British Standard for marine plywood. There are few international standards for grading marine plywood and most of the standards are voluntary. Some marine plywood has a Lloyd's of London stamp that certifies it to be BS 1088 compliant. Some plywood is also labeled based on the wood used to manufacture it. Examples of this are Okoume or Meranti
Other types of plywoods include fire-retardant, moisture-resistant, sign-grade and pressure-treated. However, the plywood may be treated with various chemicals to improve the plywood's fireproofing. Each of these products is designed to fill a need in industry."
[edit]

Bob

alozier · 03-13-2012, 11:07 AM

Lol, that's what we had for lunch...

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEPILL

Airstream calls it Marine grade plywood,..according to Rick.

I'm going to lunch....I'll check in later.....im gonna go eat subway....(I'm kidding)

Shane

THEPILL · 03-13-2012, 12:23 PM

If you are gonna stay longer the Verandah has a decent lunch..kind foo foo but not expensive. I did not eat there for dinner.

Just down the road from Airstream is the heidout. I had the pork tenderloin sandwhich,....wasn't bad. It's a bar atmosphere,..I met a couple nice locals there.

The grocery store will be closing the 17 or 21st of March..so if you need anything before you head out,...hit them..but the shelves were already pretty much bare.....but did have enough stuff to get by.

That store gas station right in front of the terra port makes a great egg or bacon crossiant in the morning.they also serve pizza among other things...

How are things progressing?

Shane

alozier · 03-13-2012, 02:04 PM

We are going to leave tomorrow ;(

They said they need until mid next week at least to go through the warranty and to add the air etc...

So we will leave her here for now and grab her when done.

Sitting back at the terra port having a cocktail with my better half....

ROBERTSUNRUS · 03-13-2012, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alozier

Met with our mechanic Bill, great guy!
Went through our list and they are now going to look over things...

He isn't sure the floor is a rot problem, might be normal 'spring'. They are going to look at it first of course.

You guys think a 1/4 inch movement to the floor is normal when walking? If so let me know, this is out first trailer so we are clueless...

Quote:

Originally Posted by alozier

Maybe it is me then...
Just seeing over a 1/4 separation from the cupboard when walked on, and the squishy feels scare me....
I wonder how far apart the cross beams are each way...

Thanks eh!

Hi, I understand that the floor may flex a bit, [mine does too] but I don't think a 1/4" is normal. Do you have a picture showing the floor separating from the cabinet? I, for sure, don't have any gaps between my cabinets and floor. Ask to see the same thing in a finished trailer. Either, I don't understand what you mean by the 1/4" gap or Airstream doesn't either. Make sure you both understand each other before you go home. To me, there is a big difference between flexing and squishy. I just want to see that your trailer is properly fixed and/or diagnosed.

Fly at Night · 03-13-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

False alarm on the floor, sorry

Horray! I was worried all day about this, and it's not even my trailer!

Last night I was charging up and down my AS like a maddened bull and could not detect any floor movement.

alozier · 03-13-2012, 06:26 PM

Ahh thanks!
Happy yours doesn't bounce, really!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

Horray! I was worried all day about this, and it's not even my trailer!

Last night I was charging up and down my AS like a maddened bull and could not detect any floor movement.

Fly at Night · 03-13-2012, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alozier

Ahh thanks!
Happy yours doesn't bounce, really!

Well.....errr......the boobies are another matter.

alozier · 03-13-2012, 06:47 PM

lol, literally

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly at Night

Well.....errr......the boobies are another matter.

Gene · 03-13-2012, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, I understand that the floor may flex a bit, [mine does too] but I don't think a 1/4" is normal. Do you have a picture showing the floor separating from the cabinet? I, for sure, don't have any gaps between my cabinets and floor. Ask to see the same thing in a finished trailer. Either, I don't understand what you mean by the 1/4" gap or Airstream doesn't either. Make sure you both understand each other before you go home. To me, there is a big difference between flexing and squishy. I just want to see that your trailer is properly fixed and/or diagnosed.

My thoughts exactly.

The plywood you see in places like Home Depot is usually ACX or CDX. The first 2 letters stand for the quality of the top and the bottom. A is better than B, etc. This is printed on one side, but on ours it is on the bottom, so I have to guess it is BCX or BDX. That is because it has holes filled in with small pieces of wood. A would not have holes. C would have more problems and D would be even worse.

It does not look like marine grade but I am imaging what that would look like. It is possible they used thicker plywood several years ago and that's why Bob's floor and ours don't have such deflection. For years people have been complaining about the quality of plywood and asking why doesn't Airstream use marine grade? Maybe the trade off is thinner plywood (save a few bucks) and better plywood.

Another question is whether when they cut the plywood, do they treat the edges with something to repel water?

This is speculation, but I don't understand it otherwise.

I'm glad to hear you got a clean bill of floor health.

Gene

THEPILL · 03-13-2012, 08:00 PM

Yes if you go back to my thread,..there s a black band of sealant around the edges that Airstream applies to deter moisture.

Shane

dstalzer · 03-14-2012, 07:24 AM

The floor in my 2005 Classic is rock solid. The only thing I have ever noticed is a little squeek sometimes when stepping right in front of the fridge, but that has always been there. In my SOB the floor squeeked and there was some flex in the floor so I welded in some angle iron cross braces to make it more sturdy.

Dennis

Gene · 03-14-2012, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEPILL

Yes if you go back to my thread,..there s a black band of sealant around the edges that Airstream applies to deter moisture.

Shane

Shane, I have the same black sealant on the top of the boards running from the outer edges about 8" inward. It is applied very thinly and lots of areas are left bare. If water runs any further in, or settles in the places where there are bare spots, it does no good.

But my question was about cut edges. Edges suck a lot of sealant and have to be done carefully. Whoever applied the sealant to the top of the plywood was not careful at all. Cut edges are important because any sealant applied to a board's surface by the manufacturer doesn't help when someone cuts the board.

The same problem exists with the aluminum panels. When they cut them, they appear not to put any clear coat on the edges and that's where corrosion starts.

Gene