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Old 10-07-2016, 02:33 PM   #21
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2005 28' International CCD
Moreland , Georgia
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Pressure washing my Airstream

Pressure washers are detrimental to your car and your Airstream. The power of the water slowly over many washing eats away the paint and wax on your car and eats away the coating and dulls the aluminum on your Airstream. I personally, after each trip with my Airstream, wash my Airstream with water, ammonia and dish water soap. I use a mop with a handle and use a ladder to get to the roof. The entire washing takes usually about 1.5 hours but my Airstream, a 2005 International CCD, is still shiny and looks good according to many people who have seen it.
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Old 10-07-2016, 02:42 PM   #22
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Pressure washers are detrimental to your car and your Airstream.
Hmmm. I have only been using a power washer on our Airstream since it was new 14 years ago. I started with it on cars many years prior. As far as I can determine, there has been no detrimental effect from using the power washer on either the Airstream or the cars. Of course, I do wax (or use a polish such as Walbernize) regularly.

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Old 10-08-2016, 06:42 AM   #23
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One good way to dry it is to use a leaf blower. Most high end limo companies etc use them to dry there cars off.
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Old 10-09-2016, 08:07 AM   #24
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One good way to dry it is to use a leaf blower. Most high end limo companies etc use them to dry there cars off.

Now that sounds like a great idea.
I will be washing my AS this week and try it. Will post report after.
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Old 10-09-2016, 10:18 AM   #25
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Leaf blower...great idea..

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Originally Posted by franklyfrank View Post
Now that sounds like a great idea.
I will be washing my AS this week and try it. Will post report after.
I like this idea...I just got a Ryobi battery powered blower, which I love...light weight and uses same batteries I use in my trimmer and power tools...great use idea to dry the AS!
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Old 10-10-2016, 02:56 PM   #26
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I like this idea...I just got a Ryobi battery powered blower, which I love...light weight and uses same batteries I use in my trimmer and power tools...great use idea to dry the AS!
I got that suggestion from a world famous car detail-er who frequents www.the370z.com forum. He used to wash the Presidential Limos and left a post on how to achieve perfect car washes with minimal touching. If you find that post he also has some youtube videos. Alot of sport car owners are insane when it comes to the washing/waxing part.
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Old 05-09-2017, 06:06 PM   #27
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Washing aluminum comments

This comes from 40 years of maintaining aircraft and 20 years of aircraft ownership.

1. Simple Green and ammonia are corrosive to aluminum.

2. Dawn and detergents (and hot water) will strip the wax. Best to wash with a mild soap (intended for cars) and cold water.

3. Not all AS trailers are the same, some are clear coated, older ones are not.

4. Not all pressure washers are the same. Pressures vary, nozzles vary and usage varies.

5. Pressure washers are not a substitute for touching unless the pressure is great enough that you don't want to apply it to the seams of your AS.

Our technique uses a pressure washer of 1600 PSI and a gentle wand at a distance of 2'-3'.

1. Soap it down with a soap mixture in the pressure washer and a very gentle nozzle, using a pressure soap for aluminum siding.

2. Give it some dwell time to start to loosen the dirt and excessive pollen. During that time we use a soft toothbrush around the crevices (e.g. the "waist band" or "belt" trim).

3. Use a long handled brush, not a bristle brush but an extremely soft one with "feathered" bristles to loosen the dirt.

4. Use the pressure washer for the rinse using a medium nozzle and staying back 2'-3'.

This reduces a 2 hour event to > 1 hour. It uses a lot less water and we get less wet.

With care and some thinking, you can use a pressure washer to assist you. Unless you are ham-fisted you aren't going to peel the clear coat off or dent the skin.

So many variables... the Q&A is for the most part only talking absolutes and generalities.

Best, Cars
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Old 05-10-2017, 07:07 AM   #28
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wash-o-rama

Yeah I don't use pressure washers, unless I am just rinsing the AS off from a distance to get salt spray off or bird crap.
Its not worth it to break that seal between the layer of aluminum and the sealant in-between. Screw that, I spend way to much time making sure it doesn't leak using that captain Tolley's creeping crack cure/sealer on rivets.
I'm not going to force water into the joints
Microfibre cloths & Turtle wax Zip-wash, spray nozzle on a garden hose, no extra pressure needed. Toro leaf blower/dryer, What I have always used on the truck. Nothing fancy,
Walbernize and it looks like like the day it rolled out of the factory
( maybe better)
have a good one
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Old 05-10-2017, 07:55 AM   #29
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Being new to all this, where do folks find car washes with large enough bays to fit the AS. All of the car wash places near me can only take cars.

Is this perhaps more common in the US than here in Canada
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Old 05-10-2017, 09:46 AM   #30
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I remember seeing a carwash with an RV lane in Montrose, Co. The best part is it had elevated walkways along the sides so you could reach the roof and spray downward.

I can't see myself using a pressure washer on an AS. Yes, with practice and discipline it can work, but I'm afraid I'd slip into the old, "I can get this grime out faster if I get closer."
Once you invite water in through a seam, it will find it's way always.
Frankly, if a competitor built an Airstream clone in fiberglass, they'd sell a million. Yes, I've seen the Oliver, it's a start. But 7' wide and too tall, and a interior better suited to a boat is a turnoff.
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Old 05-10-2017, 09:52 AM   #31
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Once again common sense when using a pressure washer on your Airstream or your automobile.Soap it up good then hand scrub (lightly)with a soft mitt and rinse.I have been doing this for years without any ill effects.I also spray off the under carriage when traveling states that use salt on the roads in the winter.No worries.....
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Old 05-10-2017, 01:18 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moflash View Post
Once again common sense when using a pressure washer on your Airstream or your automobile.Soap it up good then hand scrub (lightly)with a soft mitt and rinse.I have been doing this for years without any ill effects.I also spray off the under carriage when traveling states that use salt on the roads in the winter.No worries.....
Like Moflash said, you just need to use common sense when using a pressure washer.

If you really want to be good to your trailer....stop using Dawn dish soap. Any good detail shop will tell you this. There are better and safer products to use if you need to strip the wax or grease.

If your like me and HAVE to have a clean truck and camper while on the road check out http://www.chemicalguys.com/ or http://adamspolishes.com/ for some really really good products that you cannot buy off the shelf at your local parts store. Both websites have a ton of products and info for cleaning your car, truck, camper or whatever. http://www.autogeek.net/ is another site that carries a full line of different brands and full of great info.
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Old 05-11-2017, 06:25 AM   #33
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Being new to all this, where do folks find car washes with large enough bays to fit the AS. All of the car wash places near me can only take cars.
Is this perhaps more common in the US than here in Canada
You could try a Truck Wash. The one we have near here in Woodstock is always lined up when I go past, and I expect it would be expensive. The big advantage to any commercial wash is soft water, so no calcium spots after it dries.
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Old 05-11-2017, 06:45 AM   #34
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I found Blue Beacon Truck wash a couple of years ago, started a thread on it, and discovered many others here also use it.

I think the price is very reasonable, and they do an excellent job...including the roofs.


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