Hoping for Help with Floor Damage

[MSL]

I hope this is posted in the correct forum. My 2019 Sport 22 has developed floor damage; low spots (about ¼”) in the center of the aisle (see attached sketch). I assume it’s damage from water as I had a leak from the skylight in June 2022 when travelling in a very heavy rain storm. I noticed several drops of water (no puddles, just drops) on the dinette table and floor and I could see drips at the skylight. I didn’t think much water came in at the time, but now think more water came in and got to that point of the floor. It was late fall when I noticed the floor damage.

Before our next trip, I used 3M Extreme Sealing Tape to seal all the way around the skylight, as well as the vent/installation holes. This was done around the beginning of September, and still looks very good.

I’ve looked everyplace I could relatively easily to see if I could detect moisture or evidence of a leak. I pulled the access panel below the sink cabinet, looked in the water heater/electrical access area, looked in the area below the wardrobe area where the water pump is, pulled the dinette panel (below the cushion) on the street side, and I found nothing.

I’m thinking of trying to repair this myself as I’ve had negative experiences both at my dealer and at Jackson Center. My thought would be to replace sections of plywood that are damaged. My hope is that I could remove cabinetry from the front end of the trailer to the bathroom, and roll the vinyl flooring up so it could put it back down in one piece.

Here is what I’m wondering:

1. How do I ensure I don’t have a leak someplace still?
2. Can this repair wait until the summer? We’ve got a 7-week trip planned to the Pacific Northwest leaving the 1st week of May. I know things like this shouldn’t wait, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to get the trailer travel-ready if I start now
3. Am I missing a way to access the floor to confirm it is water damage? Maybe this is a waste of time … what else could it be?
4. Is the dinette pedestal attached with wood screws into the plywood? I’m thinking I could remove it and cut a slit in the vinyl to examine the floor. Right now, the pedestal seems very solid.
5. Does anybody know reputable service people in the New England/New York/New Jersey area that they would trust with this type of job? How much might something like this cost?
6. I installed a lift kit a few months before I noticed the floor damage. I jacked/supported on the frame, so I don’t think I messed anything up. But, does Airstream ever use shims under plywood? If so, is it possible jacking the trailer caused these to fall out?
7. Are my repair thoughts (paragraph just above the list of questions), i.e. replace sections of floor and keep the vinyl intact, reasonable?

We really like the trailer, but this has really taken the wind out of my sails; very disappointed in Airstream design and manufacturing. We love traveling in this thing, and aren’t ready to give up yet.

Thanks in advance for the help! This forum has been invaluable several times already! Mark

[ROBERT CROSS]

I don't believe (cuz I've an '03) that the flooring is glued down,(floating floor) so a 1/4" may be normal. I would get a moisture meter and probe thru the flooring in the suspect areas. The link is the one I got, cheaper is available, but I can't vouch for them.
Opp's Mine is the older version with the prongs, i'll look for the link.




Good luck...

Bob
🇺🇸

[MSL]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

I don't believe (cuz I've an '03) that the flooring is glued down,(floating floor) so a 1/4" may be normal. I would get a moisture meter and probe thru the flooring in the suspect areas. The link is the one I got, cheaper is available, but I can't vouch for them.
Opp's Mine is the older version with the prongs, i'll look for the link.

Good luck...

Bob
🇺🇸

Thanks, Bob. I'm going to call Klein tomorrow to see if the meter you linked to will sense thru the vinyl flooring. I really don't want to poke holes in it.

Is it ridiculous to think about accessing the floor from below (belly pan)? Or maybe by removing the dinette pedestal ... is the pedestal screwed into the plywood?

Thanks again, Mark

[Jim J]

The holes the meter pokes in the floor are tiny and you can do it in an inconspicuous place. On my trailer the plywood floor was bolted to the floor using self drilling/tapping metal screws that countersink into the wood.

I would recommend you get the job done by someone who is experienced at floor replacement in Airstreams. They will do it faster and will find the leak for you and get that fixed at the same time.

[Shacksman]

I did the same fix last fall, but I opened up the belly pan and found that Airstream had covered the underneath floor with reflex insulation. This was a very bad idea because any water that gets in from the top has no way to get out. The water sat in there at a frame joint and rotted a hole through the plywood. I cut out a piece of the plywood from underneath and did a double patch. The flooring was not glued down so I was able to move it up enough to cut out the rot. I then cut out as much of the reflex as I could get and sliced up any I could reach so water can get out.