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jczednick · 08-24-2015, 01:28 PM

Has anyone else had water leaks in their new trailer? I had to remove and reseal the rear vent, small leak at rear window too.
I have fixed both of the leaks.
Most recent leak was from under the wardrobe,,,,,think from a fitting or pump, I think it was from water heater pressure, I re-created a water bubble in the water heater,,,so far all ok. It would dump about a cup of water in the floor. Anyone else have this problem?
Joe Z

DHart · 08-24-2015, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jczednick

Has anyone else had water leaks in their new trailer? I had to remove and reseal the rear vent, small leak at rear window too.
I have fixed both of the leaks.
Most recent leak was from under the wardrobe,,,,,think from a fitting or pump, I think it was from water heater pressure, I re-created a water bubble in the water heater,,,so far all ok. It would dump about a cup of water in the floor. Anyone else have this problem?
Joe Z

Joe... I haven't found any evidence of water inside our recently received coach.

Did you discover all of your leaks by seeing water on the walls or floor inside your coach?

jczednick · 08-24-2015, 03:05 PM

I found the vent leak by seeing water dripping in the right closet, rear window leak was a puddle on the bedstand

DHart · 08-24-2015, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jczednick

I found the vent leak by seeing water dripping in the right closet, rear window leak was a puddle on the bedstand

Thanks for that info. While it could be close to impossible to notice a leak that was going down the inside of the walls, seeing water inside the coach can be easy to do and wise to watch for. Glad you were on top of it and got it squared away.

Were the leaks occurring during rain or vehicle washing?

jczednick · 08-24-2015, 07:59 PM

In the rain

EarlM · 08-25-2015, 11:01 AM

do you live far from a dealer, I feel a dealer should repair these items for future protection down the road..

just my 2 cents

Earl

AWCHIEF · 08-25-2015, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarlM

do you live far from a dealer, I feel a dealer should repair these items for future protection down the road..

just my 2 cents

Earl

Agree, issues need to be properly documented for future warranty claims and also so the factory is aware of possible QC issues.

Burfield · 08-25-2015, 11:19 AM

[iQUOTE=jczednick;1674141]Has anyone else had water leaks in their new trailer? I had to remove and reseal the rear vent, small leak at rear window too.
I have fixed both of the leaks.
Most recent leak was from under the wardrobe,,,,,think from a fitting or pump, I think it was from water heater pressure, I re-created a water bubble in the water heater,,,so far all ok. It would dump about a cup of water in the floor. Anyone else have this problem?
Joe Z[/QUOTE]
Had same pump leak, was just a loose hose clamp. For some reason it only started to leak when I fired up the water heater. Lucky to have found it early.

dkottum · 08-25-2015, 11:26 AM

The bubble inside the water heater protects the hot and cold water system from leaks due to thermal expansion when the water heater heats the water.

It doesn't work very well because it does not last long. Especially the newer models with both electric and propane water heaters that get very hot. The air bubble will eventually be absorbed by the water, or the bubble will be lost when the water pressure/temperature relief valve on the heater releases water, steam and air.

Then the bubble is gone and the thermal water expansion will find the fitting with the least resistance, or constantly leak out the wp/t relief valve.

We installed a water pressure accumulator which has its own air bubble separated from the water by a rubber membrane, and an air valve so you can put as much air in it as you need. It comes preloaded with 30 psi if you get the one we got at Camping World. I installed it under the bath sink by taking loose the cold water line at the faucet, hooking that line to the accumulator, and running a new supply line from the other side of the accumulator to the faucet.

Here's a picture.

dkottum · 08-25-2015, 11:44 AM

One of the best tools to find water that has leaked under the vinyl flooring and starting to rot the plywood subfloor is a moisture detection meter. This is water that has leaked down inside the wall into the plywood flooring and you will not know it until damage is done.

We bought a Sonin model from Amazon for about $30, battery operated and has a probe on an extension cord to reach into the tight spots. Sharpen the probes a bit with a file and then go around the interior perimeter probing through the vinyl into the plywood surface. You'll find leaks you never thought you had sooner or later.

Mrjkq · 08-25-2015, 12:09 PM

The only leak that I'm aware of is a drip in the hot water pressure valve, but only when the water is heating using propain gas, otherwise all is dry & we've had a lot of hard rain here in Florida.

MacPDX · 08-25-2015, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkottum

The bubble inside the water heater protects the hot and cold water system from leaks due to thermal expansion when the water heater heats the water.

It doesn't work very well because it does not last long. Especially the newer models with both electric and propane water heaters that get very hot. The air bubble will eventually be absorbed by the water, or the bubble will be lost when the water pressure/temperature relief valve on the heater releases water, steam and air.

Then the bubble is gone and the thermal water expansion will find the fitting with the least resistance, or constantly leak out the wp/t relief valve.

We installed a water pressure accumulator which has its own air bubble separated from the water by a rubber membrane, and an air valve so you can put as much air in it as you need. It comes preloaded with 30 psi if you get the one we got at Camping World. I installed it under the bath sink by taking loose the cold water line at the faucet, hooking that line to the accumulator, and running a new supply line from the other side of the accumulator to the faucet.

Here's a picture.

Airstream has been using the XT water version of water heaters that advertise 10 gallon output in a 6 gallon water heater. They do this by super heating the water and mixing it with cold on the output. The high temperature used increases the pressure in the system, which is normally absorbed by the air space or bubble in the water heater. If you read the manual, it explains that this air space is required for operation.

dkottum's suggestion of installing an accumulator provides cheap insurance against leaks because the air space is always maintained. Other standard water heaters (non XT technology) are not prone to this condition due to the lower water temperatures.

dkottum · 08-25-2015, 12:39 PM

Our 2007 Safari SE 20 with propane-only water heater would lose the bubble too eventually, then start leaking out the pressure relief valve. We did not install the pressure accumulator in that one, but learned to shut off the water heater whenever hot water is not used, especially overnight, helped some. Still shut it off with our 25 but the accumulator is a better and easy fix.

woodguy2 · 08-25-2015, 02:50 PM

jczednick....no leaks such as yours but have had QC inferior products installed on my 23 cloud. The hot drain cock underneath where you drain your fresh water tank had a crack in it. this drain valve was a piece of crap. Went to home depot and got a new one and I put them side by side and the Home Depot one was of quality materials. I think what is happening here is like any large corporation and Airstream is no different is they install the cheapest products they can find. Most of them are imported china india their metal is not any good. 1 more item...the fan behind the fridge makes some very loud noise....any body elses do this? I have insulated around the fridg e and have re engineered the holding of the fan ....I took a motorcycle innertube cut it in 10 inch lengths then sliced it into 3 quarter inch slices and hung the fan at 4 corners so now the vibration is gone and presto no noise ....fyi

AWCHIEF · 08-25-2015, 04:03 PM

Boomer, there are several long threads here about the fridge noise. Many have replaced the OEM fan with quitter and higher output computer fans. Also the addition of a fan on/off switch is a popular addition. I did both and it improved the perceived interior Db level.

dkottum · 08-25-2015, 09:26 PM

I replaced the noisy fridge fan with a quiet computer cooling fan. Can't hear it run inside, barely outside.

jczednick · 08-26-2015, 08:05 AM

My dealer is aware of the problems. They would have fixed it at dealer, and they offered to send a service man to me and fix it. Also airstream called me to help. We decided easy way was they sent me a kit to pull and reseal vent.
As far as the water heater pressure, if i just open a facet for a few seconds as water is first heated i have no leaks.

alavekios · 08-26-2015, 03:12 PM

No, we have not experienced that with ours, but
We have a 25' Flying Cloud twin 2015 and have had a water leak from the shower. They replaced the wall and now we have a large gap behind the wall.and interior skin.

woodguy2 · 08-27-2015, 07:12 AM

thank you for the fan idea....can I get one of these fans at any computer outlet online? how about the wiring? same?

Wayne&Sam · 08-27-2015, 07:23 AM

I used a Silenex fan- 90cf and 18dB. I've used the same fan for several years in two different Airstreams. This week it failed. The refrigerator is a much harsher environment than a desk top computer. I replaced it with a cheap one from Best Buy, the only one I could find. It's very quiet, but doesn't move a lot of air. When we get home, I'll replace it.