I don't understand all the fuss about the rubber gasket that splits and cracks about 15 mins after you installed it. I took my gasket out and saw that the gap between the skin and the pipe was almost nothing. I just got some Vulkem and put around the pipe and the outer housing can called it good. I could see the need for a gasket if the hole was 1/2" larger than the pipe but when it is small why bother. If the gap was wider I think I would just fill it by putting an O-ring around the pipe an then seal with Vulkem.
I don't understand all the fuss about the rubber gasket that splits and cracks about 15 mins after you installed it. I took my gasket out and saw that the gap between the skin and the pipe was almost nothing. I just got some Vulkem and put around the pipe and the outer housing can called it good. I could see the need for a gasket if the hole was 1/2" larger than the pipe but when it is small why bother. If the gap was wider I think I would just fill it by putting an O-ring around the pipe an then seal with Vulkem.
Perry
I guess ours is a little different....you can see how well it was installed at the Factory.
Bob
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I think folks are referring to an o-ring type thing down inside the vent that prevents water from running down the inside part of the vent, not necessarily the outside.
Does that make any sense? John
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John
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Perry, that pipe will move ALOT up and down and vibrate side to side. The vent cover is a way to waterproof the opening and remain independent of the pipe and thus allow it to flex. It's attached at the bottom to a plastic tank that when full will flex also - even pull down on the pipe enough to make any firm seal fail over time. Replacement of the rubber gasket and screen is a once every 3 year event and good peace of mind project.
Well we will see how the Vulkem does over time. The surface area is small there and I am not real worried but I will keep an eye on it. It has been raining solid here for two days. We will see if I got all my leaks fixed. The main ones were around the door frame and the window just to the right of it. I just sealed 3 of the 4 awning covers over Thanksgiving. Don't you just love catching up on 30yrs worth of maintenance.
Sure have been a lot of these threads lately; "I want your advice and opinion" followed by "I know better"
Not singling you out perryg114, just making a general observation of the state of the threads lately. Just about everyday I see a thread following this same course. I have refrained from commenting many times, guess this time I could not help myself.
This forum is an awesome resource. Literally hundreds of thousands of hours of true Airstream experience is here for the taking if one wants to learn. At this point no one is re inventing the wheel.
Well I am an engineer and I look for better ways to do things. 90% of the time I am right but sometimes I fail miserably and that is part of the learning experience. You start with a simple approach and refine it as need be. The rubber sheets that split every few years are not a viable option for me. There are better ways to seal that connection. Is my approach valid? I don't know yet. It is an experiment. All of us have found short comings in the way Airstreams are built. We try to make improvements because after we have spent months of hard work restoring a trailer we want it to last.
If someone wants to try out a new method of something, I say , have at it! I tried using Sharkhide over my entire 31 ft trailer (and had some naysayers on the way too) and found that it worked for a mill finish, but not so much for a mirror finish. Back to the vents, I used the traditional method (with my own rubber roofing material & aluminum screen) but the twist I put on it was covering the rubber where the sun hits it with aluminum tape. Hoping it doesn't get eaten up within 3 (what used to be 5) years!
Rubber is going to crack when it is constantly under tension and then exposed to the elements. There are better rubbers out there like silicone and Viton that won't crack as bad but they are not cheap in thick sheets. I think a rubber boot similar to a CV joint boot on a car would work well because you can clamp it to the pipe and the bellows reduces stress on the rubber. The Vulkem has good elongation and good UV and oxidation resistance. Is it better than the rubber sheet, we will see. If the gap was larger I would have filled the gap with some sort of rubber and covered it with Vulkem.
hey all, any thoughts on typically how long these last ? replaced mine 4-5yrs ago, don't see signs of interior water leaking down the pipe, but if the gasket is compromised, assume water could go anywhere and be undetected? thanks
Ps .. I'm Cali and trailer sits in the sunlight ... it's been baked
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