Subfloor Water Damage in Our 2007 Safari

[Jim Pona]

Hello All,

We've had our '07 Safari 25SS for ten years and have been careful in tracking and curing any known window/roof leaks during this time. Had the roof resealed about 4 years ago and have incrementally dealt with small leaks at the front wrap-around window. About a year ago we noticed vinyl floor discoloration at the front and rear of the unit. I removed the front couch and peeled up the vinyl floor to find extensive water damage. I didn't peel up the rear vinyl but my digital moisture meter shows readings way north of 50% back there.

I am going to make an appointment at JC to address the problem. They'll remove fixtures and vinyl and replace bad sections of subfloor, then put it all back together. I know that work will be done correctly, given their experience etc. But after reading several tales of woe for this vintage, I am not confident that they'll be able to find and fix any additional leaks that would result in new floor damage down the line. I guess what I am asking for is your studied thoughts on how to tackle the "smoking gun" question - finding/fixing any leak points that I may have missed. (Rub rail line? warped frame causing twists, seal voids, etc.??)

Thanks for any input!

[SeeMore]

Step 1 - purchase a moisture meter
Step 2 - use it regularly to detect the presence of water
Step 3 - take corrective action by tracing to source

Water will find it's way to the floor using a variety of routes which makes discovering the actual entry point difficult to detect. You can use the meter after a good rain shower or create your own with a hose. The most frequent source in my case has been the seals around the windows.

Make the moisture check a part of your regular maintenance routine and at least quarterly if not monthly.

[wulfraat]

I had the same trailer, 2008. 25SS. Water damage despite amazing maintenance record.

We believe there were 2 separate issues.

1. Water ingress at under lower belt line trim at the rear bumper. This is a know issue with trailers of this vintage (2008).

2. A poorly fastened (cross threaded) drain connection at the P-trap in the shower, which caused water to pool on the sub floor under the shower... and leach it’s way under the bed over the years.

Both issues were very difficult to find. In fact, the only way we found the damage after ~6 years of ownership (we bought it new) was because we pulled the bed and vinyl flooring in preparation for laying down wood floors.

$6k to fix it correctly with new subfloors in the rear 1/3rd of the trailer. Big job, but it was fixed correctly and put back better than new.

[skyguyscott]

Evidently airstream is now installing a new composite floor in all the 2021 model trailers. I would talk to the service manager and see if it is all possible to get them to install a composite subfloor in the trailer or at least in the front and rear sections. The composite floor will never rot no matter how long it is submerged underwater, and you will never have to deal with this issue again, unless a portion of the remaining plywood floor gets wet.

As an aside, there are a number of plywood defenders/rot deniers that claim that with good routine maintenance, the plywood floor will last forever and not ever need to be replaced. You can add your experience to that of a number of other owners testifying otherwise.

Let us know what the mothership tells you, especially if they are willing at whatever cost to install a composite subfloor in place of the plywood.

[HeavyMetal]

I don't know if my leak was a one-off problem. This is on a 23' Safari SE. It may occur on other models as well. It took awhile to discover these poorly covered big gaps in the frame around the 2 exterior vent doors for the fridge. Repair is still holding after 10 years, but we do keep our rig in a shelter year-round now.

[J Ingersoll]

We have a 2007 Safari 25 front bed and for years I suspected water was getting in but couldn't find the source. I had caulked the belt line and there is no plumbing there. Finally a soft spot appeared under our table in the rear. I dropped the rear of the belly pan (easy to do) and the plastic bubble insulation on top of the frame under the plywood was holding a pool of water that had leaked in on top of the insulation at the frame rails and across inside the storage compartment. I cut the insulation and a gallon of water came out. Easy to see where it was going in when I started hosing it. Poor design and the 1/8" thick insulation was I think ineffective anyway. A drain hole in the insulation would have prevented the problem. I'll be gutting the rear of the trailer and putting new flooring in.

[bugdoc]

Sorry to read about your problem, but it is not uncommon. At least 5 of our Local Club members have had the same problem. Our 2007 25FB Safari had the problem and there were 2 leak points.

The first was Water ingress at under lower belt line trim at the rear bumper. This is a know issue with trailers of this vintage.This was pointed out to Airstream by many who had to replace flooring and they finally addressed it by placing a gasket at the belt line over the bumper locker to supposedly seal it. When we purchased a new 2018 26U the first thing I did was remover the bumper locker door to allow access to the lower belt line and filled the entire space at the top of the locker and bottom of the belt line with sealant.
The second issue on our 2007 was the frame of the wraparound windows. where the frames for the flat window and the curved windows come to gather there was a hair line crack in the upper corner that had (maybe) sealant in it. However, with travel it would come out. We found this one by removing the inside frame and using a hose on the outside of the trailer. Airstream finally addressed this by welding the frames of the 2 windows together. But it is an area you should pay attention to in future maintenance.

Why it has taken Airstream so long to go to a composite floor is beyond me, but it will solve one of the major maintenance areas of the trailers.

If you can get Jackson Center to replace the flooring with composite you should not have that problem again. Be sure they seal that belt line area or you will have a rerun.

Good Luck

[guskmg]

When I had your problem on the front of my trailer it happened at the factory Terraport. Service pulled it in right away and resealed all the front windows by cleaning and cutting away old sealant and resealing all the glass to trim edges without removing the glass. They rain checked the TT and it is still not leaking many years later. The leaks first showed up on the lower inside window ledges (sills).
guskmg

[J Ingersoll]

Do you know the name of the composite material they now use?

[dooleyfan]

We got our 2003 Classic recently and knew by the smell inside that we had a problem. We accepted the risk because the price was great and we’re pretty handy, with the necessary dash of masochism. There was one obvious leak at the rear curbside belt line (from minor damage) that had got the carpet wet in the trunk. From researching this, I found out that the carpet was original, to make matters worse it was covered with poly that just trapped the moisture, not sure who was the genius at Airstream who came up with that design?

Then today I discovered subfloor rot in the bedroom under the laminate flooring (which itself had minor but telltale damage). It’s under the roadside bedroom window, but I’m suspecting a bathroom leak as another possibility.

I know this is an old thread, but this is a relatively old Airstream too so hopefully this will help build the knowledge for us all. I'll keep this updated with root cause and our remedies.

I'll also upload photos once I figure out how to do that here.

[J Ingersoll]

They also put a bubblewrap type of insulation under the floor that trapped moisture.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by dooleyfan

We got our 2003 Classic recently and knew by the smell inside that we had a problem. We accepted the risk because the price was great and we’re pretty handy, with the necessary dash of masochism. There was one obvious leak at the rear curbside belt line (from minor damage) that had got the carpet wet in the trunk. From researching this, I found out that the carpet was original, to make matters worse it was covered with poly that just trapped the moisture, not sure who was the genius at Airstream who came up with that design?



Then today I discovered subfloor rot in the bedroom under the laminate flooring (which itself had minor but telltale damage). It’s under the roadside bedroom window, but I’m suspecting a bathroom leak as another possibility.



I know this is an old thread, but this is a relatively old Airstream too so hopefully this will help build the knowledge for us all. I'll keep this updated with root cause and our remedies.



I'll also upload photos once I figure out how to do that here.

You might want to start a new thread specific to mid 2000s classics. It would be easier for others to find in the future. I have a 2007 30'er, and have a lot of leak diagnosis and repairs to contribute.

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