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Old 03-16-2013, 09:02 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Ridgerunner3 View Post
SuperTrouper, I installed two deck plates in the belly pan so I am able to inspect under the subfloor in the area around the rear bumper. The deck plates work really well. That was great idea you had. I think I am also going to place a digital hygrometer inside the belly pan behind one of the deck plates. I can then monitor relative humidity inside the belly pan around the rear bumper area. This may give me further information on leaks getting into the belly pan before damage is done.

My AS does not have reflectix insulation under the subfloor like yours. There are only fiberglass bats under the subfloor, laying on the belly pan.
Hi Ridgerunner,

Glad my idea made sense to you. I was going to add a few cowl vents as well but I think the moisture coming up from the earth in the evenings make this a bad idea. A sealable inspection port made more sense. We'll see if the extra weight is hard on the fasteners on the belly pan. I think it'll be fine.

Here's hoping for dry floors for all!

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Old 03-17-2013, 05:46 AM   #22
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Hi Ridgerunner,

Glad my idea made sense to you. I was going to add a few cowl vents as well but I think the moisture coming up from the earth in the evenings make this a bad idea. A sealable inspection port made more sense. We'll see if the extra weight is hard on the fasteners on the belly pan. I think it'll be fine.

Here's hoping for dry floors for all!

Brad
The deck plates weigh so little I don't believe the added weight will be a problem. I agree on your decision to not install cowl vents.

I am fairly obsessive about monitoring and maintaining my trailer. The deck plates add one more very effective tool for monitoring my trailers health.

The floor area around the perimeter of the rear of my trailer looked healthy. In history I had a leak problem with my rear bumper seal leaking on my trailer. The fix was to remove the rubrail and seal the bumper seam with tempro.

Relative humidity inside the belly pan was 45% (trailer cabin was 47%). I think (may be a wrong assumption) any long term dampness of the bottom of the subfloor would cause a general increase in relative humidity in the belly pan.
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Old 03-25-2013, 12:11 PM   #23
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Started to use the moisture meter!

I finally got the meter and checked the area around the rear bumper and on both sides of the doors. So far i am reading 12%+-, dry lumber reads 8%, outside table in the campground (looked dry) read 35%. More spots to check to establish the reference points.

Thanks to all in this thread, when it started I did not know that these moisture meters exist!
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Old 03-25-2013, 12:21 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridgerunner3 View Post
The deck plates weigh so little I don't believe the added weight will be a problem. I agree on your decision to not install cowl vents.

I am fairly obsessive about monitoring and maintaining my trailer. The deck plates add one more very effective tool for monitoring my trailers health.

The floor area around the perimeter of the rear of my trailer looked healthy. In history I had a leak problem with my rear bumper seal leaking on my trailer. The fix was to remove the rubrail and seal the bumper seam with tempro.

Relative humidity inside the belly pan was 45% (trailer cabin was 47%). I think (may be a wrong assumption) any long term dampness of the bottom of the subfloor would cause a general increase in relative humidity in the belly pan.
I think the deck plates are good for drying the pan (leaving them open in dry weather, and for checking a large water accumulation).
Checking the humidity may not be reliable. The diffusion of gasses in the air is quite fast so once you have the plates open the moisture will equalize with outside quickly. Small patches of moist floor may not effect the pan humidity. This is not a critique of the plates idea, it is good to be able to check this space.
Thanks for your posts!
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Old 03-25-2013, 12:46 PM   #25
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You are correct about the value of measuring relative humidity with an open deck plate. One of my deck plates is clear. I leave the humidity monitor inside the closed up belly pan while the trailer is parked. I can read the humidity monitor through the clear deck plate. I am also able to inspect for any sign of moisture along the rear bumper under the sub floor.

I'll post a picture of my deck plate setup later.
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Old 03-25-2013, 01:16 PM   #26
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Deck Plate Photos

These are pictures of the deck plates I have installed near the rear number.
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Old 03-25-2013, 02:18 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by bovk View Post
I finally got the meter and checked the area around the rear bumper and on both sides of the doors. So far i am reading 12%+-, dry lumber reads 8%, outside table in the campground (looked dry) read 35%. More spots to check to establish the reference points.

Thanks to all in this thread, when it started I did not know that these moisture meters exist!
Hi, my Sonan meter reads no moisture except where I had two different leaks, under rear pano curbside and under loose door hinge. The closer to the outside wall, the higher the reading was. Easily fixed both leaks. This was in dry Minnesota weather and now in very dry Arizona.

Poke around well away from exterior wall from to get some references. I would think it ought to be uniformly dry throughout the floor if there are no leaks.

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Old 03-25-2013, 03:05 PM   #28
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I drilled about 20 small (half-inch diameter) holes in the bellypan, and used a flexible fiberscope to inspect the vulnerable parts of the frame. This also showed up any areas of water staining on the floor material.
Entry Level Portable Flexible Fiberscope
Any areas showing signs of corrosion I sprayed with rust treatment fluid. The holes were blanked off with plastic plugs.
I also cut about eight inspection hatches, about 4" x 3", in the belly pan to spray larger areas, and later covered these holes with aluminum plates and self-tapping stainless screws.
I also sprayed the inside of the longitudinal box sections with fluid, using a 25 foot long wand, a spray head on a tiny chariot, and a compressor.
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Old 03-25-2013, 08:50 PM   #29
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I should not doubt you guys, you are way ahead of me! I will get some reference measurement away from the walls and the details of the ports show very nice work.
This is fascinating - the techniques you developed.

Let me try to sum it up: so far the contributors to this post described following methods to check the status of the floor:
- measuring plywood moisture content with meter, sensor points attached to the meter or detached for better reach. This is done from above, through the vinyl and / or aluminum
- permanent ports in the pan enabling inspection and installation of humidity detector in the pan, detector visible without opening the ports, ports allowing visual on rear area from below
- many (20) not covered holes in the pan to allow inspection via optical wand
- several larger openings for inspection and repair, later covered by aluminum sheet and self threaded screws

This is a good reference and starting point for detecting moisture in the floor plywood. If I am missing anything comment please.
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Old 09-17-2014, 04:40 PM   #30
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Water inspection around the perimeter of 2010-2015 20' FC

My 20' FC has 4 years and over 60k miles so I decided it is time for a more thorough inspection. Since I took a couple pictures i thought others may be interested seeing that on 20' FC it is possible to get nearly to the whole perimeter of the floor.
Starting from the hot water heater under the seat and going clockwise (CW) around the front perimeter I cut off about 6" of the vinyl cover around the walls. I do not think it is needed there and its removal makes water measurement easier. I could get all the way around the front of the trailer to the inside of the compartments on the front edge of the door.
From the water heater going CCW I could get close to the wall between the seats removing the channel cover between the seats. Removing the left seat top does not help much because it is difficult to get to the floor so i took measurements as close I could around. From the bathroom I could get somewhat to the space behind the wheel by removing the metal cover behind the toilet. The space between the wheel and the shower is nearly impossible to check. I could get under the shower by unscrewing the the inspection plate under the shower door. Now I switched to the rear storage compartment. From there i could get limited inspection of the space under the shower. In the future I will cut a larger access to that space. Going CCW from the rear storage compartment I could get all around the rear of the trailer to the space under the kitchen drawers where the water pump is located. (So far I did not find any leaks).

In summary there are only 3 areas where I could not get (total less than 10'):
Between the left wheel and shower (4').
Under the shower (this can be improved easily).
Space under the furnace and fridge (5') = between the right wheel and the door.

Would somebody know if the area around the wheels is likely to get wet? I was concentrating on the front and rear perimeter (known problem areas) but now I am more concerned about the areas difficult to check.
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Old 09-17-2014, 06:41 PM   #31
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I can't answer your question, but I have been doing something similar on our 25fb. I would like to be able to see as much subfloor as possible by removing the vinyl flooring under cabinets etc.


Honeywell makes an area water alarm that will detect moisture along the length of a 4 feet long wire. I plan to buy a couple of these and install the wires on the subfloor in the hard to reach/ see areas under the kitchen cabinet and around the shower area.
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Old 09-19-2014, 03:10 PM   #32
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Great find, I ordered one to try, if not for AS it will work around the house.
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Old 09-20-2014, 06:22 AM   #33
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Bovk and others - provide review on this later as I will be looking for something like this soon too


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Old 09-22-2014, 08:17 PM   #34
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How to inspect plywood floor?

DKOTTUM wrote in another post :
Beyond inspecting shell seams, the moisture meter is an excellent tool, and if you are still uncomfortable back it up with a Seal Tech pressure leak test at an RV shop. We use the meter quarterly and had a Seal Tech test at two years, just before warranty expiration. We'll probably do it again on a two year interval.

I just brought it into this thread so we have a reference to the Seal Tech test. Maybe dkottum or others can described this test some more. I think it is related to this thread.


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Old 09-22-2014, 08:32 PM   #35
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In case Doug misses this, the Seal Tech unit is like a reverse vacuum machine, it pressurizes the cabin of the trailer - usually through one of the Fantastic Fan openings on the roof. Once pressurized, the technician sprays the exterior of the trailer with a soapy solution. Any gaps or imperfections in exterior seals will quickly be seen by large bubbles forming over those areas.
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Old 09-22-2014, 08:35 PM   #36
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Thanks TinTin. Here's a page from their website, I believe it has a video on it.

SealTech Manufacturing USA | Industry Standard for RV Leak Detection
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Old 09-22-2014, 10:43 PM   #37
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doug...I forget now...you had jackson center do this test then they corrected the detected spot(s)?

I would like for leak detection as such to be on AS’s dime during the warranty period if possible of course...it would be useful to have this done within my warranty period just as a check and if any found they can repair...then after warranty period I like your idea of having this done ever 2 years....the cost?
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Old 09-22-2014, 10:52 PM   #38
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just watched the sealtech video...wow, that moho had a bunch of leaks....that is a very cool test....

what does AS folks say about such testing?

Does the process run any risk of damage to otherwise healthy sealed areas?

If you were to find leaks within warranty from a dealer down here somewhere, would AS authorize the fixes for the detected leaks?

Of course outside of the warranty, that would be a non issue.
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Old 09-22-2014, 11:08 PM   #39
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Pharm, I found the leaks first with my Sonin (they were real minor) then had Airstream do the SealTech pressure test while we were there for our recliner conversion, as well as their 27 point inspection, plus a bike rack and vent cover.

They fixed the leaks, and I have added some sealant around similar trouble spots (awning support bracket rivets and screws) since then as a precaution.

Our final bill at the Service Center was lengthy, because much of the repair was warranty, it was unclear how much the leak test was. I'm not even sure they charged us for it, they were very generous.

Normally they charge by the hour and I believe the leak test would be charged that way, or they may have a set charge. Many rv shops have the SealTech machine.

Airstream will want any warranty repairs done by an authorized Airstream repair shop. That would be a good reason for having an Airstream dealer do the test.
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Old 09-22-2014, 11:19 PM   #40
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Generally we 'reseal' our whole AS. There is a member here who actually does this testing with his own rig for AS's.

My thoughts are.. "well, if air can escape and make bubbles like that, how do you know you have it 'sealed'? "

Solution: If we pull a negative pressure on the AS... very low.. say, 2-3, then wouldn't that help 'suck' the sealant into the invisible leaks?
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