Leak at rear bumper storage rotted floor inside

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by dkottum

When Airstream finally tackled the rear bumper leak issue in 2012 - present, they used a round gasket between the shell and plate to seal the area (and it works on ours). It would be easier for them to simply caulk it like other seams in the area. It would have been easy for them to caulk it in years past as well. I wonder why they continue resisting putting caulk here.

They did put sealant there, but it wears out over time. However using sealant in place of solid flashing is a poor design. I work with a lot of metal flashing in the building industry and the number of people that think gooping something up with sealant is going to fix the problem is unbelievable. A properly designed and installed metal flashing is going to go a long ways towards shedding the water and keeping it outside where it belongs. A flat piece of metal metal with a bead of sealant is only going to keep the water out as long as the sealant is good, the minute it separates or dries out there goes your seal.

Aaron

[perryg114]

Here is what I did. I removed the plate and put skins between the seam and the lower edge of the rear cross member.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f476...fun-91686.html


Perry

[Al and Missy]

This thread got me worried so I checked my trailer. Was the lack of sealant always a problem? I have a 2001 Safari 25 which I purchased from the second owner 6 months ago. It has been raining here for a week or more, sometimes several inches in an evening, sheets of water cascading down the rear of my trailer and the moisture meter says .2%. I have used a similar meter on wet laminate flooring over concrete and seen numbers as high as 70%. My rear compartment has plastic covering over the original carpet and there is no condensation on the back of the plastic. I think my floor is dry, but I wonder why. My trailer is a rear bedroom twin with the full width storage compartment, in case that makes any difference.

Thanks,

Al

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by perryg114

Here is what I did. I removed the plate and put skins between the seam and the lower edge of the rear cross member.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f476...fun-91686.html


Perry

Thanks for the link!
Did you put the storage box back on?

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

This thread got me worried so I checked my trailer. Was the lack of sealant always a problem? I have a 2001 Safari 25
Thanks,

Al

I would say yes, you should be worried.

There was absolutely no caulking nor any type of seal across the metal plate where it intersected the wall on my trailer. Water could/did run under the rear wall and into the interior beneath the carpet pad. The carpet pad acted like a wick, carrying it further into the interior.

Looking at the floor surface on the interior, the wet could not be seen or felt by hand. Until I removed the clear plastic carpet cover I was unaware of the leak that had obviously been going of for years.

I wish I would have listened to everyone on this forum that recommended using a moisture meter to check for leaks.

Another thing I do now, that I did not do before, I keep the trailer tongue elevated when it is in storage, so that the water sheds off away from the rear wall.

[perryg114]

Yes I did but lazy me can't get around to posting the photos.

Perry

Originally Posted by A W Warn

Thanks for the link!
Did you put the storage box back on?

[Al and Missy]

I had my meter set for concrete, not wood. I set it for wood and re-measured. A dry piece of pine in my garage measured 10%. Pulled the plastic back and measured right up against the storage hatch in the rear of my Safari. It read 8%. I think my floor is dry. Maybe one of the POs had the seam caulked.

Al

[Airlifter]

Who makes an adequate moisture tester?

[Al and Missy]

I don't know how you would define adequacy. My unit has and accuracy specs, but I don't know how you would verify them. For a start, % water by what? Weight, volume? saturation?

There are many of them out there, some remote reading with alarms, some just hand held, some are contact, some are ultrasonic. The less expensive direct contact ones are used for testing moisture content in lumber by woodworkers, among other things.

Mine is an inexpensive direct contact type with pointed pins. It has two modes that appear to change the calibration. One is for wood and other porous surfaces, the other for non-porous surfaces such as concrete and tile. It reads differently on the same test subject depending on which mode it is set in. I got it at Harbor Freight for about $14. I just use it for relative measurements, e.g. I'll test a piece of dry wood first and compare the reading I get in the trailer with that control sample. My daughter used one just like it on a wet laminate floor and read 70% while I am seeing 10% on my dry control and 8% on my trailer floor in the rear compartment.

Al

[Airlifter]

I picked up one at Lowes today. It is a General. They had pretty good reviews online. I checked against some wood that has been in the skhop and it read between 6 and 10. Is this about right?

[dkottum]

I have used a Sonin 50211 for about three years, inexpensive but works very well for checking our Airstream's floor. It is battery powered, the probe is on a cord that allows you to reach tight spaces and see the meter in front of you. I sharpened the probes so I can easily stick it right through the vinyl and hardly leave a mark.

Who cares about accuracy. I have found if the needle moves at all, you have a moisture problem in your plywood subfloor. If it moves half way, you are getting close to the leak. And if it pegs out, you are right under or next to it, or it's big.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Good that you all have tools to check for the issue, but since 1963 Airstreams have had this issue. That bumper hatch encourages the water to flow inward. As long as the sealant is good the water is kept at bay. Sooner or later, it will get through. Those fancy monitors will allow you to know it happened, but by then damage is occurring. The microbes that eat plywood are water activated and will lay dormant for years waiting for their next drink to wake back up and eat a little more.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

Good that you all have tools to check for the issue, but since 1963 Airstreams have had this issue. That bumper hatch encourages the water to flow inward. As long as the sealant is good the water is kept at bay. Sooner or later, it will get through. Those fancy monitors will allow you to know it happened, but by then damage is occurring. The microbes that eat plywood are water activated and will lay dormant for years waiting for their next drink to wake back up and eat a little more.

Nasty little critters, aren't they.

From 2012 on Airstream started putting a tubular rubber seal between the bumper plate and shell. This is better than sealant I think and a lot better than nothing. We'll have to see how it plays out over time.

QUESTION FOR 2012 - 2015 AIRSTREAM OWNERS:

Has anyone had a leak coming through the bumper plate/shell connection? (You won't know it unless you probe the plywood subfloor with a moisture meter.) And are you sure that's the source; we had an apparent leak there but it turned out to be leaking at the window gasket directly above because of a loose latch.

[Frank's Trailer Works]

man, the dripped with sarcasm! The original poster owns a 2000. I missed the thread change to 2012-2015 owners.
Glad to know they finally made a change. I will go back to working on old trailers now and let you new guys have your thing.

[scamp]

I checked my 2012 when it was two years old and no leaks using a moisture meter at rear of trailer.

Don

[Hometeam4]

It's so frustrating to view and now witness the dreaded leak in the back due to a systemic problem that AS/Thor continues to know about and do anything with. I am heartbroken that my AS has now succumbed to the floor rot due to the rear bumper leak. It's similar to the Zip Dee awning problem that plagues us due to a hickory dowel that lasts a few seasons and deteriorates with the addition of ......water. The dowel is from a vendor but the floor is all AS/Thor. Clearly there are alternatives that for $80K plus could be used instead of untreated plywood and God forbid, particle board. To an unsespecting buyer, (one who doesn't normally visit airforums.com), it isn't fair. I'm pissed off and I'm not taking it anymore.

Sorry, had to rant a bit.

One suggestion is that when the trailer is parked at home or at camp, make sure to lift the front end enough to be just above level. The engineering of the bumper is not good, but letting the water, due to rain, flow to the end of the back bumper solves a lot of this problem.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Hometeam4

It's so frustrating to view and now witness the dreaded leak in the back due to a systemic problem that AS/Thor continues to know about and do anything with. I am heartbroken that my AS has now succumbed to the floor rot due to the rear bumper leak. It's similar to the Zip Dee awning problem that plagues us due to a hickory dowel that lasts a few seasons and deteriorates with the addition of ......water. The dowel is from a vendor but the floor is all AS/Thor. Clearly there are alternatives that for $80K plus could be used instead of untreated plywood and God forbid, particle board. To an unsespecting buyer, (one who doesn't normally visit airforums.com), it isn't fair. I'm pissed off and I'm not taking it anymore.

Sorry, had to rant a bit.

One suggestion is that when the trailer is parked at home or at camp, make sure to lift the front end enough to be just above level. The engineering of the bumper is not good, but letting the water, due to rain, flow to the end of the back bumper solves a lot of this problem.

I was at the Airstream factory a few weeks ago and watched as they installed a shell/body onto the floor/frame. They have improved this issue. They are now installing a rubber seal and using sealant. Not sure what year this started. This is only an improvement, not a fix, since seals fail with time. It still is a maintenance issue to be concerned with, regardless of year model.
I would like to see a re-design that eliminates the storage box lid intersecting the outer skin. That is the only way to eliminate this problem.

[La3rdworld]

Have a 05 bambi, same issue, water entering between bumper storage box and rear of trailer. Bummer. Had to spend a week disassembling rear of trailer, bed, heater, fuse box. Cut out old OSB floor and replaced w/marine plywood. Finally sealed joint with clear flexible sealant (NOT silicone). Seems to be the fix. Am astonished that the company (Thor) is operating such a sloppy assembly line. Inexcuseable for the price of these trailers.

[HiJoeSilver]

Like AW Warn above but more recently to the AS factory. Saw the rubber seal they were using. I was specifically looking to see if they've fixed things that have been issues for a long time. Not impressed. The rubber seal is a poor fix for the problem.
I think AS is simply a cash cow for Thor. Enough people without knowing enough keep buying them faster than they can make em. As long as it lasts past warranty.

[nickclifford]

picture from my '72 Sovereign, I just realized that despite a lot of effort to seal this, water is still finding it's way in. I removed the trim piece and caulked the entire area.
i'm going to experiment and tape over the entire bumper / storage locker area and then see if wet still after next rains. Where else could this come from in theory ? any seams higher up the rear end ? or maybe the tail- light fixtures ? mainly damp around in the corners ... grrrrrrr