Worried About Floor Rot

[kala1300]

Considering pulling the trigger on a new Flying Cloud 19 - is it a realistic concern that I might need to replace/repair the floor within 10 years time? Even if I do regular inspections for leaks? This thread has made me nervous. Give it to me straight!

[scamp]

All you can do is do maintenance ,and inspections to try and delay the floor rot issue. It's simple when wood gets wet ,it rots , the airstream design and or materials needs to change to eliminate this problem that's been going on since airstream was invented, I own a 2015 and was waxing it yesterday and noticed the caulking around the roof vent and antenna base had cracks in it , today I remouved the old caulking and resealed it. Airstreams are a lot of work! Even 2015 's , I've attached some pictures the close up photos show a crack in the caulking .

Don

[BoldAdventure]

Keep up the maintenance.

Floors rot because checks for leaks and maintenance don't occur. Floor rot is totally preventable. It's not going to happen because it leaked one time in the rain. But if you let a leak persist for 10 years.... well duh.

[scamp]

Here is a second picture of antenna base. With poor caulking!
Don

[scamp]

Oh here is another spot airstream forgot to put caulking on the rivet heads under the front window,these are were the front plastic ,tinted ,glass protectors are fastened to, nice !�� they did it on three others but missed these two rivets on one mount,
Sorry photo is sideways !
Don

[65CV]

You may want to do a little research on SealTech leak testing. If your dealer does it, maybe you can get a couple of annual tests thrown in as part of the deal.

Down the road, if you are a do-it-yourselfer, search for Hillbilly leak test on this forum.

[KJRitchie]

Originally Posted by scamp

Here is a second picture of antenna base. With poor caulking!
Don

AS management must have had a whip on the tech who applied the chalk on the vent and antenna. What a rushed sloppy job.

Kelvin

[dkottum]

Set up a regular inspection schedule to check for leaks, inspect caulking, and inspect and treat panel edges and rivets and shell fittings for corrosion (CorrosionX is a good product), touch up nicks and scratches with a clear acrylic pen. Treat the underbody steel as well. I would suggest quarterly in your area based on our experience. You could back that up with a SealTech Leak Test every few years by an RV shop.

The only way to know if your plywood subfloor is wet without disassembly is by probing through the vinyl floor into the plywood subfloor with a moisture detection meter. Sharpen the probes to make it easy and leave little trace. Probe the perimeter of the interior floor all around, especially under windows, door, and awning supports. If its wet, find and seal the leak. Then be sure the floor dries out.

This is a simple and effective meter made by Sonin, the probe is on the end of wires so it's ideal to get into the corners. About $30.

Your subfloor cannot rot unless it's wet, and that can be prevented.

[scamp]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

AS management must have had a whip on the tech who applied the chalk on the vent and antenna. What a rushed sloppy job.

Kelvin

Kelvin. I think a three year old put the caulking on , all the newer airstreams are done this way! My 2012 was the same!

Don

[dkottum]

The caulking ain't pretty but it probably won't leak for awhile, unlike a finely laid bead that will be good a season or two. They've been heaping this stuff on the top and underside of the Airstream for some time, our 2012 has it. You do need a stepladder to see it, and I suppose that's the reasoning.

Troublesome is the unsealed exterior pop rivets. Water can enter the trailer in great quantities through those little holes when going down the road in a downpour, and there is a negative air pressure on the inside of the Airstream. Like sucking a soda through a straw.

Add this to your regular inspection and repair schedule. Seal the hole and all around the rivet. You'll find them at the rock guards, awning support arms, model emblems, maybe other.

[PaulnGina]

I would highly recommend sealing everything on the roof with Eternabond Alumibond... EternaBond | AlumiBond / A-Seal, A Seal, Aluminum Faced

You won't have to worry about roof leaks for a long time.

[rostam]

Originally Posted by PaulnGina

I would highly recommend sealing everything on the roof with Eternabond Alumibond... EternaBond | AlumiBond / A-Seal, A Seal, Aluminum Faced

You won't have to worry about roof leaks for a long time.

Thanks for the info. A couple of Q's:

1) How long would the tape last? How often do you need to do this?
2) If/when you need to replace the tape, does it come off easily? Or do you just apply another tape on top of the existing one?

Thanks!

[PaulnGina]

Originally Posted by rostam

Thanks for the info. A couple of Q's:

1) How long would the tape last? How often do you need to do this?
2) If/when you need to replace the tape, does it come off easily? Or do you just apply another tape on top of the existing one?

Thanks!

I have had the Eternabond Alumibond tape on our 1987 Avion for almost 2 years (2 hot summers, one cold winter) and it looks as good as the day I applied it. From Eternabond's site:
"How long does EternaBond® last? Because EternaBond® is made using MicroSealant Technology®, depending on surrounding conditions, EternaBond® has an estimated life expectancy of 18-35 years if applied correctly. The "pre-activated" shelf life of EternaBond®, stored correctly, is 5 years!"


I don't have any more life expectancy information than that, but as sticky as the stuff is, I can't imagine it NOT lasting a long time.


I'll see if I can find any info about removal.

[cwf]

get some Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.

[PaulnGina]

I meant to give you an idea of how much tape you might need: We have a 34' Avion. It has one main seam from front to rear, and a cross seam at the front and end caps. I covered all of that, around each air vent, around 3 or 4 plumbing vents, around the antenna base, and cut small squares to cover every rivet head on the roof. I used the 4" wide tape. Used one complete 50' roll and maybe 1/2 of another. The cost per roll was approx $50/roll. As good as it works, I'm of the opinion that it is a very worthwhile investment. It'll be a breeze on a new trailer. On an older one, you just need to do a good job of cleaning the area to be covered. Mine was a nightmare because the previous owner must have gotten a good deal on a truck load of clear silicone. What a mess (and DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!). Spent a LOT of time cleaning that mess off. Once that was done, applying the tape was easy!

[rostam]

Originally Posted by PaulnGina

I meant to give you an idea of how much tape you might need: We have a 34' Avion. It has one main seam from front to rear, and a cross seam at the front and end caps. I covered all of that, around each air vent, around 3 or 4 plumbing vents, around the antenna base, and cut small squares to cover every rivet head on the roof. I used the 4" wide tape. Used one complete 50' roll and maybe 1/2 of another. The cost per roll was approx $50/roll. As good as it works, I'm of the opinion that it is a very worthwhile investment. It'll be a breeze on a new trailer. On an older one, you just need to do a good job of cleaning the area to be covered. Mine was a nightmare because the previous owner must have gotten a good deal on a truck load of clear silicone. What a mess (and DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!). Spent a LOT of time cleaning that mess off. Once that was done, applying the tape was easy!

Thanks PaulnGina! good info.

Do you happen to have photos of applying the tape to air/plumbing vents, the antenna base, and roof rivet heads? That would be very helpful.

I'm going to order the tape, but I suspect I need to wait till spring to apply it, as its cold and I am worried the tape might not attach properly.

[twolanehwy]

Originally Posted by scamp

All you can do is do maintenance ,and inspections to try and delay the floor rot issue. It's simple when wood gets wet ,it rots , the airstream design and or materials needs to change to eliminate this problem that's been going on since airstream was invented, I own a 2015 and was waxing it yesterday and noticed the caulking around the roof vent and antenna base had cracks in it , today I remouved the old caulking and resealed it. Airstreams are a lot of work! Even 2015 's , I've attached some pictures the close up photos show a crack in the caulking .

Don

Now that is a pretty sloppy caulking job.

[PaulnGina]

I'm on my phone so I can't look at my album very easily, but I think I posted some pictures of the roof project there. If not, I'll be glad to post some.

For the air vents, I used a piece of the 4" tape that was about 3 or 4 inches longer than the edge of the vent base where it contacts the roof. Laid the tape so that it went an inch up the vertical edge of the vent, cut a slit at each end of the vertical edge so the tape would lay down on the horizontal base of the vent. Did that on all four sides of each vent. That provided a nice looking covering of the seam between the vent and the roof. Some might dispute how good it looks, but I think it looks much better than any of those other sealers that get glopped on those seams.

As for the plumbing vents and the antenna base, I used three pieces of tape and laid them in a triangle pattern around the base seam of the vent. That covered those seams nicely.

Same basic pattern for the antenna base.

For the rivet heads, I used scissors to cut approx. 1-1/2" squares of tape and covered all of the rivets on the roof that way.

For a 34' trailer, it was REALLY nice to see the end of that project! As I said earlier, the most tedious part of the entire job was cleaning all of that nasty silicone and brush-on roof coating off of the seams and the rivets. Had to make sure that ALL of the silicone was removed thoroughly, but the brush-on stuff wasn't so bad because the tape will stick to that as long as it's clean and not loose. Probably overkill, but before I added the tape, I shot a bead of ParBond in the seam. I'm very satisfied with the results, and confident that I won't have to worry about roof leaks for a LOT of years.

[Texastex]

I treat naked Woods with a spray own solution I make. Of 50% non-diluted antifreeze, 25% Borax, 25% boric acid. I take borax boric acid and diluted with water and boil it to dissolve. After cooling I pour the mixture along with antifreeze in the proper proportions into a garden sprayer spray areas that might leak and have leaked
The wood that is more severely rotted but not broken through the use penetrated epoxy on those areas after the solution has dried a couple of days.
It works great give some protection to fungus, Wood rot insects don't like it. Even seems to dry out previously wet wood. Good luck.

[rostam]

Originally Posted by PaulnGina

I'm on my phone so I can't look at my album very easily, but I think I posted some pictures of the roof project there. If not, I'll be glad to post some.

For the air vents, I used a piece of the 4" tape that was about 3 or 4 inches longer than the edge of the vent base where it contacts the roof. Laid the tape so that it went an inch up the vertical edge of the vent, cut a slit at each end of the vertical edge so the tape would lay down on the horizontal base of the vent. Did that on all four sides of each vent. That provided a nice looking covering of the seam between the vent and the roof. Some might dispute how good it looks, but I think it looks much better than any of those other sealers that get glopped on those seams.

As for the plumbing vents and the antenna base, I used three pieces of tape and laid them in a triangle pattern around the base seam of the vent. That covered those seams nicely.

Same basic pattern for the antenna base.

For the rivet heads, I used scissors to cut approx. 1-1/2" squares of tape and covered all of the rivets on the roof that way.

For a 34' trailer, it was REALLY nice to see the end of that project! As I said earlier, the most tedious part of the entire job was cleaning all of that nasty silicone and brush-on roof coating off of the seams and the rivets. Had to make sure that ALL of the silicone was removed thoroughly, but the brush-on stuff wasn't so bad because the tape will stick to that as long as it's clean and not loose. Probably overkill, but before I added the tape, I shot a bead of ParBond in the seam. I'm very satisfied with the results, and confident that I won't have to worry about roof leaks for a LOT of years.

Thanks PaulnGina, I found your aptly named "2014 Roof project" album It had all the photos I was looking for.