leaking shower. Converter box that won’t stay in. Closet doors won’t shut

[jclancy]

Hello!
This is my first time to post here. My husband & I bought a 2014 19’ Flying Cloud last year in June. Our first unfortunate experience was having to travel over a dirt road for quite sometime it shook the truck violently and when we stopped the closet door had completely fallen off onto the bed. We have taken it to 2 dealers to reattach and so far neither of them fixed it right. So my question is has anyone experienced issues with doors not staying closed and if so what did you do? I have a draw full of screws that have just fallen out.

In addition to the closet door coming off the converter under it has come out 2 times as a result of a few miles (2-3) on a not so bad dirt road. It still works but when you try to push it back you can see the screws aren’t lining up. This has also been fixed by a dealer only to come out again. Anybody have these issues?

The shower is now leaking and water is coming out underneath. We haven’t used it since discovering that. Anybody have that problem?

And lastly when we were boondocking the water pump sounded like rapid loud sputtering. Any input on that?

I will wanted to see if other owners were having problems with doors, shower leaking and water pump loud sounds. We want to keep our Airstream but we seem to just always be waiting for the next incident.
Thanks for listening

[Foiled Again]

You will be happier with any brand if you can gain some handiman skills (female posting this!). So, first thing is mind your tire inflation and speed. On rough roads and off road, SLOW DOWN TO A CRAWL.
Next, there are 1000 opinions on the best hitch, and how stiff the connection between the tow vehicle and the trailer should be... I don't want to add to the confusion, but consider that the middle ground probably makes sense. Airstreams do not like super heavy weight distribution bars, but towing with just ball and chains may let the trailer rattle from side to side. Tire inflation needs to be checked daily while on a trip.

Next do not overload your trailer. Learn about CAT scales and balancing your load. Go camping to get away from it all, not to drag it all along with you

Now for the practical stuff. The doors on late model units (other than Classics) have plastic hinges and the laminates are covering plywood. When you reinstall the screws goop up a toothpick or two with wood glue, stick them in the hole and break them off at the surface, then drive in the screws. Let them dry for 48 hours before traveling. Drill a couple of new holes thru the plastic hinges near the top and bottom where stresses are highest and add a couple of screws too. And check the latch, if it barely engages when parked, duh! EASY fix, pull the faceplate and put some thin cardboard behind it.

Remove the screws from the converter, reposition it correctly and do the toothpick trick again. Consider using longer screws too. Depending on where your converter os located, you may need to pull up the floor of a closet, or do some other disassembly to get to the converter. Airstream.com should have service manuals in .pdf format to help you with that kind of chore.

Drawers - consider baby proof locks - plastic hooks that fit inside the drawer that have to be pushed down to be released. Put heavy stuff near the floor, socks and silk scarves up high where the rocking is most severe.

Rally - airforums vintage Airstreamers and WBCCI and Tin Can Tourists and.... hang out with veteran owners and ASK for advice. Most are glad to help, especially if you share beer!

Attitude - make fun of the situation - I am somewhat famous for making it to a rally after an emergency repair on the way. Thanks to a roll of pink duct tape that I used to hold my "imbecile" cord together after it got chewed up in the Hensley. Got more than a few "Whiskey Tango Foxtrots" from the parking crew on seeing that one.

Happy trails, Paula

[Foiled Again]

Leaking shower... many threads on that. Search for Stoett Industries or repair sagging shower door.

[tjdonahoe]

Keep shaking it up on them back roads and you will have a lot more problems

[Tim A.]

Is the shower stall itself leaking or is it the door? I think your 19' still has the rollaway door (http://www.newlinebathroom.com/shub---rv-c-1.html) our much older 19' has. If so, the caulking of the bottom guide bar often cracks and then lets water leak out. After recaulking ours a number if times, I finally used Sikaflex and that has lasted because of its flexibility and good adhesion. It is messy stuff to work with!

Tim

[Tim A.]

jclancy gave this reply privately, "Thanks so much. It’s leaking out the bottom underneath the shower outside. So we’re still researching but thanks for the tip." I am posting this here because of helping fix (in a friend's Airstream with the same corner shower) just such a leak a few weeks ago. Perhaps the relevant information could help more than jclancy.

The shower drain is connected to the P-trap plumbing with a "swivel adapter" (https://www.menards.com/main/plumbin...4449188850.htm, https://www.rveparts.com/rv-sewer-ab...adapter-1-1-2/). The swivel adapter uses a rubber ring gasket to provide a watertight seal. The threaded collar of the adapter compresses the rubber and can easily crack due to continuous tension and from supporting the weight of the P-trap and its contained water. After cracking, the joint then leaks out the bottom of the trailer. Rough roads would "help" crack the collar.

We fixed the problem by cutting a hole in the belly pan to access the plumbing. After repair and leak testing, an aluminum patch and pop rivets covered the access hole.

Tim