The Flood

[jerhofer]

I retired from 40 years in the manufactured housing industry which evolved from the earliest days of RV production. Most of those forty years were spent with high end MH manufacturers with the last ten years spent as the general manager for two different MH production plants.

There were plenty of suppliers for everyday and common MH parts. When we found the upscale parts we wanted, we oftentimes discovered that the supplier could not supply the volume or provide on time delivery for those products. It was very frustrating and I am sure Airstream faces those same issues.

[InterBlog]

I'm not sure where to place this follow-up comment because there doesn't seem to be a thread dedicated to leak prevention and intervention generally (just topical threads... overflow leaks, window leaks, sliding door leaks, improper a/c installation leaks, mystery leaks). But this was a good thread, memorable, so I'll put it here.

When folks on the trailer forums recommended battery-operated leak detectors, did I get them? Nope. I was a Nope Dope for concluding that I didn't need to buy every last gizmo that someone cited somewhere on a thread.

But here's the simple calculus association with this one. These things are about ten to fifteen bucks apiece. When (not if) you have your first leak, I guarantee you that it's going to cost you much more than ten or fifteen bucks in damage and hassle factor if you aren't alerted to it as soon as it starts.

One of our PEX joints under the sink decided that New Years Eve would be *the* perfect time to spring a slow but steady leak. By the time we found it, much of the stuff stored in the cabinetry was soaked and I was standing in a puddle of water.

This kind of outcome is unnecessary. This morning I ordered two of the Doberman Security detectors (BORG link there... I ordered directly from the manufacturer and got 2 for about $25 inclusive of shipping) - that was one of the brands recommended on the WDYGFYTT thread.

I don't know which brands would be best for the Interstate, but some of them are definitely designed exclusively for home use because they are intended to sit on the floor or under a cabinet, and not get accidentally bumped or slid around due to vehicle motion. That Doberman brand has a pad-like device that you stick to the floor and the unit itself can be stashed in a nearby convenient location.

May you all have a dry and prosperous 2016.

[Boxster1971]

Great advice Interblog - I've got this on my todo list.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[73shark]

Here's another option that covers more area.

Honeywell WaterDefense Water Leak Detection Alarm-RWD41 - The Home Depot

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Here's another option that covers more area.

Honeywell WaterDefense Water Leak Detection Alarm-RWD41 - The Home Depot

Oh, I *like* that. An extended sensing area would help with nose vs. tail being slightly elevated depending on camp site, because both areas would be covered. When this happened, we were ever so slightly nose-down, so the flood came forward and soaked the sliding door mat and the dog's bed as well as the goods stored under the counter. If it had instead flowed aft, it would have soaked (gulp) our pillows which are stored in an Ikea tote bag under the couch.

Incidentally, our issue seems to have been a fitting that either worked its way loose with road vibration, or was never properly tightened at the factory. Our previous owners never used the hot water system and I only started using it on the next-to-last trip, so the vehicle may have been born like that. It was the fitting joining the PEX to the stainless flex hose attached to the faucet. My husband tightened it and put it under city water pressure today back at our house, and there was no more leak. One bit of troubleshooting done, X number of other potential weak links in the chain to be discovered in the future.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by 73shark

Here's another option that covers more area.

Honeywell WaterDefense Water Leak Detection Alarm-RWD41 - The Home Depot

Someone on another thread said that they like visuals. Here's one of this Honeywell leak detector installed. I forgot to mention on it that I bundled and velcro'd the detector's excess length of communication line to the PEX lines right below it.

[73shark]

You will get earlier detection if the sensor cord touching the surface that may get wet.

[Jbray333]

Had the same issue with our 2006 T1N. I used a small hex wrench to remove the faucet handle and rotated it 90 degrees. Now hot is horizontal and cold is vertical facing down. Push towards back of sink for "on". Not possible to have this issue now.

[Alex AVI]

Apologies in advance for ressurecting this old thread. But this is a very important thread, as the faucet design flaw is still around on every sink/faucet in current 2018 AI. I have posted all the info below in another related thread. Re-posting here because this is the original epic nightmare thread. Everyone potentially affected should have all available options to implement and not have to go through "The Flood"

《re-post》I have only had my AI a month. However, surprised that this faucet design flaw is still around and yet it still has not been re-designed. WTFreak Dometic?

1. I have a big note on kitchen sink to remind myself & family - but still wont prevent accident.
2. I thought of buying water leak detectors - but still wont prevent accident, but will still add them to my gadget "to buy" list.
3. I still want to buy the aerator PROTAGONIST suggested.
4. I thought of replacing faucet. I was looking at the Comet AC539 which is advertised to work on the round AI Dometic sinks. But on top of wasting a perfectly good/new faucet, I have to spend more money. And the Comet is mostly plastic, the existing one is mostly metal w/ some plastic parts.


5. But I have decided to go the cheap route and modify my existing faucet but still keep my original stub lever intact. I just made a shorter stub lever.
Remove original stub lever, find suitable stainless steel bolt, cut bolt to half-size of original stub lever, and cap-off with plastic rubber end cap for added grip. Fast, Cheap, Works like a champ, even for fat-fingers like mine.

[jkinglet]

Hard to believe this issue lives on. We sold our AI a couple of years ago. Back to a small trailer since then and just getting set to order a new Leisure Travel Van (Wonder, on the new Ford Transit one-ton chassis with the 3.2L Turbo Deisel). Amazing coach for the money. But, as I wandered through a local dealer's cool class B showroom last week I noticed the evil, destroyer-of-minds, flood machine neatly incorporated in a couple of newer, used AIs. I pointed out the long-standing issue to a salesman and illustrated to him how the floods happen. Even a newer Dometic, with a wider on-off handle, looks like it still activates when the lid is closed with the handle in the hot position. I'm not sure the salesman wanted to hear my message but I showed him anyway. Great fix on your new AI by the way and neatly illustrated. We loved our 2013 AI, had a lot of fun and good memories. The class B competition is pretty fierce these days and the LTV will work better for our retirement travel needs. Enjoy. Jeff

[Tronadora]

OR....
to avoid the dreaded flood, you can do this....

New thread coming soon.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

OR....
to avoid the dreaded flood, you can do this....

New thread coming soon.

Now, that is nice! If/when my faucet breaks & needs replacing, this would be excellent option to have. Just curious, never worked on Corian, is it easy to bore the faucet hole?

[Tronadora]

Yes, the hole was easy to drill out with a 1.5" hole saw. Light pressure works best.

Once I get my custom cutting board cover finished and photographed, I'll publish a thread about the w(hole) story.

[InterBlog]

That thing would work beautifully for the poster who wanted to wash their hair in their Interstate sink, separately from the wet bath. They'd asked that question a while back. I forget who.

[Tobbun]

Originally Posted by Tronadora

OR....
to avoid the dreaded flood, you can do this....

New thread coming soon.

Looking forward to the write up... One of the Class B's I was comparing against had the sink like that.. I really liked it better than the fold over thing we have.

[Air99]

Originally Posted by Alex AVI

Apologies in advance for ressurecting this old thread. But this is a very important thread, as the faucet design flaw is still around on every sink/faucet in current 2018 AI. I have posted all the info below in another related thread. Re-posting here because this is the original epic nightmare thread. Everyone potentially affected should have all available options to implement and not have to go through "The Flood"



《re-post》I have only had my AI a month. However, surprised that this faucet design flaw is still around and yet it still has not been re-designed. WTFreak Dometic?



1. I have a big note on kitchen sink to remind myself & family - but still wont prevent accident.

2. I thought of buying water leak detectors - but still wont prevent accident, but will still add them to my gadget "to buy" list.

3. I still want to buy the aerator PROTAGONIST suggested.

4. I thought of replacing faucet. I was looking at the Comet AC539 which is advertised to work on the round AI Dometic sinks. But on top of wasting a perfectly good/new faucet, I have to spend more money. And the Comet is mostly plastic, the existing one is mostly metal w/ some plastic parts.

Attachment 308247



5. But I have decided to go the cheap route and modify my existing faucet but still keep my original stub lever intact. I just made a shorter stub lever.

Remove original stub lever, find suitable stainless steel bolt, cut bolt to half-size of original stub lever, and cap-off with plastic rubber end cap for added grip. Fast, Cheap, Works like a champ, even for fat-fingers like mine.

Attachment 308248

Great idea, for folks without handy tools or dexterity they can just go to Home Depot and buy these, install with a hex key...

Each comes in a 2 pk for about a dollar.

[gmillerok1]

Originally Posted by Air99

Great idea, for folks without handy tools or dexterity they can just go to Home Depot and buy these, install with a hex key...
Attachment 309491
Each comes in a 2 pk for about a dollar.

Thanks so much for this head's up. Great fix for a stupid problem.

I flooded mine twice, but was fortunate that I was boondocking and it didn't go over the top of the sink before it ran out of water in the fresh water tank. All I had to do is dump and refill, but had to drive 38 miles to do so!

[gmillerok1]

Originally Posted by Air99

Great idea, for folks without handy tools or dexterity they can just go to Home Depot and buy these, install with a hex key...
Attachment 309491
Each comes in a 2 pk for about a dollar.

Well, this fix didn't work for me. When the lid closes, it still pushes down the valve. The hex nut is about 1/8th" too long, using the same parts. Maybe there's something missing about how it was installed, but I can't get it to work for me.

[Air99]

Originally Posted by gmillerok1

Well, this fix didn't work for me. When the lid closes, it still pushes down the valve. The hex nut is about 1/8th" too long, using the same parts. Maybe there's something missing about how it was installed, but I can't get it to work for me.

Hmmn, that’s odd, it completely clear of the lid bracket, even has an air gap of 1/8” on mine. Note that I had to trim the white rubber cap at an angle for it to slip on the bolt snuggly.

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by gmillerok1

Well, this fix didn't work for me. When the lid closes, it still pushes down the valve. The hex nut is about 1/8th" too long, using the same parts. Maybe there's something missing about how it was installed, but I can't get it to work for me.

What hex nut? There is no hex nut involved in this fix. I used a long bolt from my old parts bin & trimmed using dremmel until it does not hit cover. AIR99 used a 1/2" set screw - I have no idea if you may have to trim it a smidge. Whichever route you go, lube the bolt or set screw & threads, make sure it bottoms out. Trim the rubber caps so it bottoms out on top of set screw or else it WILL stick out too far.