disappointed with Airstream

[Condoluminum]

All the posters are right about the little shutoff on the shower nozzle head, which should let water drizzle to maintain temperature. If main on/off valve leaks, it is likely due to defective cartirdge or crud (technically-foreign object(s)) in the valve body. I'd use owner manual info to remove removable cartridge and look inside with flashlight for crud. Failing that, I'd take unit to plumbing supply/home hardware store and see if you can match it. Many Moen or Delta cartridges are easy to match and replace. Others (like NIBCO from 1980's..) not so easy...

Yes it should have been fixed by dealer, but yours is far away and (so far..) not doing very well at fixing things... Betwen the owner's manual, some basic tools and this website, you can get a lot done. Idea of letting Airstream factory take on wiring and tank and other fundamental problems a good one also...

John McG

[SilverRanger]

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

One was the tank sensor system. They hit it dead on and so far it works flawlessly since they re-calbrated it.

That's very encouraging, especially since the black tank sensor is on my (growing) list of nickle, dime, and dollar list of concerns for the trip to Jackson Center.

[dmac]

The idea of pressurizing the trailer to find leaks sounds cool. I would think there would be large air leaks through the fridge, storage compartment doors, plumbing, wiring holes, and the ceiling vents won't hold much pressure... It sounds like a futile effort.

The battery charging problem should be easy to isolate with a volt meter... I am amazed they can't fix that one! The shower control valve cartridge is another easy fix.

You said the dealer is good... although they have not been able to fix your trailer. Perhaps they are personable, yet incompetent?

[WayWard Wind]

Ours gave up the ghost just when we were back flushing. Thank heavens it was the 2nd time thru, as we had a "full" head of water before we caught on to the problem. It is on our "fix it" warranty list. In all fairness things like the sensor failure is really not A/S fault, but the product MFC. While we have had some major issuses, FWIW A/S has always been fair in addressing and repairing any problems we've encountered with our 04. Our issuses may differ somewhat, in that I feel they were not made by A/S production, but by related products made by others. But, if your unit appears to be like a lemon, smells like a lemon, then it's probably a ---. That dripping after the faucet is turned off and the shower walls are dry, is something else .
Best,

[campcollector]

[You said the dealer is good... although they have not been able to fix your trailer. Perhaps they are personable, yet incompetent?[/quote]

Now that is a Politicaly correct statment .

Now, When my trailer took a tree hit I had a few leaks to fix. I used a garden hose and soaked it down to reveal the leaks. Most leaks on the exterior can be sealed with the acrylic -R sealent and this is what worked for me, tell them to just re-seal all the aluminum seams on the unit after a thoughough cleaning. The soap bubble meathode sounds a little flawed as mentioned.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by SilverRanger

That's very encouraging, especially since the black tank sensor is on my (growing) list of nickle, dime, and dollar list of concerns for the trip to Jackson Center.

I went round and round with the tank sensor issue. I had 2 units blow 1 LED let alone not read correctly. Airstream connected me with the owner of the company that built the unit. He sent me the calibrating instructions. They are on this forum somewhere (and my server is running again). He also overnighted me a new control unit that I installed and shipped back the defective one back to him.

At any rate, I came close when I calibrated it, but never hit it right on. Well, I stored the unit and in the spring, before going to Jackson Center, the same LED blew out again. So, JC replaced the unit and recalibrated it. Since last April, the thing has been dead on. So much so that when the black tank goes red (full), it's about 5 inches from the drop valve. Fresh tank when the it hits the full mark starts spitting out water and the grey tank, the second it hits red, I hear spitting coming from the shower drain. The battery level always seems good.

So there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'm very pleased with how well it works now. I had all but given up before JC dealt with it.

[jameskk]

UPDATE: took the unit to my dealer on Monday and they fixed the AC (was a bad electrical connection). They said the shower needed the valve replaced but part was not in-stock. They also found a leak in the toilet valve (flush handle) and replaced it, but they charged me $100 for the part and labor.. said this was out of warranty??? How long is the warranty on the toilet??

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by jameskk

UPDATE: took the unit to my dealer on Monday and they fixed the AC (was a bad electrical connection). They said the shower needed the valve replaced but part was not in-stock. They also found a leak in the toilet valve (flush handle) and replaced it, but they charged me $100 for the part and labor.. said this was out of warranty??? How long is the warranty on the toilet??

2 years, same as everything else originally on the delivered trailer. They took you an that one.

[thecatsandi]

How long does it leak? All the time or for a few minutes and then it quits?
If it only a few minutes then the water is draining out of the head. Otherwise the valve core is bad.

[Minnie's Mate]

Originally Posted by minuet7.3

When you push the button on the shower head the water folow is reduced to a tricleby design. If you were to drop the head and leave it at the bottom of the shower, it could be in dirty water. If the water pressure were to drop to zero ou could suck dirty water into the potable water supply contaminating both your water tank and possibly any community water supply that the trailer might be hooked to. This is a national plumbing code requirement and also applys tothe sprayer in your home kitchen sink and all lawn hoses that you might hook to your home.

Curt

I concur except with the sprayer in the home kitchen. It has a shut-off in the handle that prevents back-up. The code is fairly new. When our house was built in 1996, the plumber put anti-syphon attachments to all of my hose bibs. He told me they were adapters designed to be screwed onto the hose bib and held in place with a brass set screw that was supposed to be broken off flush with the surface of the adapter so the homeowner couldn't remove them but he always left them in tact because they would cause a humming noise when an interior faucet was opened and a lot of home owners wanted to remove them. I did. but have them so I can re-install them before the house is inspected when I sell the house some time down the road.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by jameskk

UPDATE: took the unit to my dealer on Monday and they fixed the AC (was a bad electrical connection). They said the shower needed the valve replaced but part was not in-stock. They also found a leak in the toilet valve (flush handle) and replaced it, but they charged me $100 for the part and labor.. said this was out of warranty??? How long is the warranty on the toilet??

I agree with John's advice. Based on your first post in this thread, your trailer is only a little over a year old (from a warranty standpoint). There should have been no charge for any repair. You should get that refunded from your dealer and if they refuse, contact Airstream. They will get that straightened out in a flash.

Jack

[jameskk]

UPDATE #2:

We have been camping in our unit less than a week now since the repairs were performed (see earlier posts). So far, the toilet has started back leaking again (this time worse than before). Last night the cable TV went out in the front of the unit. Today the campground maintenance came by and brought a portable TV to connect to the pole outside and it played fine. They also checked my line running to the side of the camper and it was fine, so there seems to be some problem with the cable lines inside my camper. Also, the AC started pouring water last night and we went through two pots of water dripping during the night. Woke up this morning and it had stopped leaking???? I went to let the Awning out and one of the circular spring loaded pins poped off and now I cannot let the awning out because the pin is stuck way down inside the arm.

My wife and I talked this morning and come Tuesday I am calling Jackson Center and my dealer and we are going to see about getting a replacement unit or turning this one back in and look at a different brand. One good thing is that our unit is financed with Thor so worse case I could always stop making payments on it, but hopefully it won't come to that.. plus I don't want to hurt my credit. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Kevbo10]

i have a 2005 international. everything works fine. well, two issues, that really are minor. the black water gauge never has really worked, and the clearance lights fogged up, till i bought the kit to fix them... i REALLY want a new Safari LS SE FB Queen in Beach Club interior trim... i don't think i'm helping here...

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by jameskk

UPDATE #2:

My wife and I talked this morning and come Tuesday I am calling Jackson Center and my dealer and we are going to see about getting a replacement unit or turning this one back in and look at a different brand. One good thing is that our unit is financed with Thor so worse case I could always stop making payments on it, but hopefully it won't come to that.. plus I don't want to hurt my credit. Any suggestions are appreciated.

You are really dealing with minor issues here. The awning problem is the same thing that happend to mine. Sometimes the hook on the arm next to the roller will potentially pull on that spring clip as you are unhooking. Mine popped off a couple times, but the clip fell to the ground. Now I just make sure I push the arm hook away from the roller tube before I unhook the arm. No sweat. No more troubles.

Your cable problem might be the outlet box in the trailer....or it might your supplied cable from the outlet box in the trailer to your TV. That cable just went bad last week for me. One other thought, did someone push on the amplifier button on the outlet? That can cut off the signal coming from the park's cable feed.
Other thoughts, if you have a rear outlet, has that cut off also? If that back outlet is dead, the dealer will probably check the outlet box in the trailer first.

Toilet, not good but fixable. The problem may be unreleated to the orginal fix. The AC, sounds like the drain tube in the drain pan might have some caulk in it. This problem has been reported by others. Again a small item.

While these are a pain, I can probably assure you that all are in the range of what are considered minor issues and fixable by your dealer. That's why mine provides you camping at his dealership prior to you taking delivery to make sure all the bugs are out prior to you going out. I've also made it a practice to do a close to home shake out trip the first trip of the year to catch little things. This year I had a toilet leak which happened to be the rinse hose of the sprayer on the toilet. It was just a small screw clamp that needed tightening.

Personally you aren't going to get much support from either Airstream or the dealer on an exchange or refund on what you have found so far. My advise at this point is to just get it fixed. You are way too early in the process to be asking for a refund or exchange.

If you want real problems, let me tell you about a new SOB I owned where the factory left off a critical piece of the water line, just past the city water inlet. Obviously quality control missed the pressure check. If I hadn't found it prior to my first hookup, I would have flooded the entire trailer.

Stay positive you will get past these issues and all will be well.

Jack

[3Ms75Argosy]

I'll gladly trade a sorted out 76 26 ft Argosy for your CCD! I'll even through in $200.00 in the deal!

Seriously though - I'd try again with maybe a different dealer - or just work on it yourself - we can help! While I understand your fustration with a new unit, in the long run, these will be minor issues and done with.

There's not much to these systems - if you think about it, you can put a whole new toilet in for less then the gas to your dealer. Pop the AC shroud, (I'm assuming it's leaking while the AC is running?), and look for the drain tubing. I'd check to see if it's plugged.

Cable tv? Well, we don't watch when we're out camping - but I'm with Jack - check your cables first, both outlets, and the outlet box.
None of it is rocket science - it's a just a NICE big aluminum tent!
Marc

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by dmac

The idea of pressurizing the trailer to find leaks sounds cool. I would think there would be large air leaks through the fridge, storage compartment doors, plumbing, wiring holes, and the ceiling vents won't hold much pressure... It sounds like a futile effort.

Many auto repair shops that do emissions repair will have a smoke machine, that will put out a slightly pressurized white smoke. This smoke will escape from any leak, no matter where it is, in the shell. It is great for finding that stubborn drip in the ceiling that you can't find any other way. Give your friendly auto repair shop a call, and see if they will perform a leak test for you.

[pmclemore]

I can't add much to all the wisdom here, so I'll contibute a short comment about your battery charger. My Safari has a switch on the wall (behind the curtain) next to the couch, that turns off the charging system. I assume this is to let the soul sleeping on the couch have a quiet night without hearing the hum of the charger. Is there any chance someone turned off that switch?

Pat

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by pmclemore

My Safari has a switch on the wall (behind the curtain) next to the couch, that turns off the charging system. I assume this is to let the soul sleeping on the couch have a quiet night without hearing the hum of the charger. Is there any chance someone turned off that switch?

Pat

The switch has disappeared from all late model Airstreams (although it is still shown in the wiring diagrams in the owner's manual). When Airstream went to state-of-art converters, the switch was no longer needed to quiet the converter.

[jameskk]

thanks for all of the nice posts everyone.. this is my final update I guess.. you see, today we traded our Airstream and our 2003 Toyota Tundra for a 2006 Four Winds Magellan Class A Motorhome. This unit is also manufactured by Thor Industries. I loved our Airstream but we can sure use all this extra space we now have! Cheers everyone!!

[classic67]

Originally Posted by JPAIRSTREAM

... If your batteries are not charging even though as soon as you plug your trailer in the disconnect light comes on the batterries will not charge unless you hit your discoonect to the use position. I suggest turning it on then plug your trailer in to make sure the relay is engauged.

....

JP or Others,

Can you expand on this? Since coming home 2 and a half weeks ago, I have been plugged in 110 shore power, and the indicator hasn't budged. Though I am haven't been overly concerned only becuase the interior A/S indicator is merely 'one light bar' off of a full charge. Per the dealers's instructions, I have left the power box under the couch at the front of trailer turned 'On'. Could it be that the batteries just don't go all the way up, or maybe the interior indicator is not all that accurate? I'm not an electrician, nor do I play one on TV, so I haven't thought about putting a meter directly to the batteries becuase I wouldn't know what to look for. I only know to make sure the (distilled) water levels are up to par on the batteries.