Rotten floor due to water leak!

[FLMarine]

Got a moisture meter and I have pretty much under the table and in front of it at over 50% saturated. Let the saga begin.

[PharmGeek]

Oh lawdy - is this a new awareness of moisture?

[FLMarine]

I noticed several soft spots in the last couple of months, but didn't know where to begin looking or how to confirm it until I found this thread. I just finished a three week vacation with the girlfriend and haven't had a chance to confirm this until after the trip.

[Shaggy1970]

We had a huge storm here the other night where I was spending the night on mine and I was looking very hard for leaks and trying to feel every inch of the floor and could not find any sign of water. Wonder if the regular floor guy at the factory was out sick a few days and some models in question were overlooked? Can't believe that all models produced have this floor problem. We need to document model, year and serial numbers.

[dayner]

Just fyi, notes on my rear storage compartment floor, 2010, flying cloud, religiously maintained, stored outside in south La (it is sold as an outdoor travel trailer, not an indoor sleeper sofa I believe), true average relative humidity per US Weather Service 72% which gives a long term steady state wood equilibrium moisture content for pine of 13% vs its fiber satiation level of 29% (point at which wood rot fungus, both brown and white, can survive). Moisture meter consistently reads 11% near center of trailer and 13% to a high of 15% at permitter, except for the section under the aluminum plate in the storage compartment which I have been unable to monitor. So reading these posts I decided to cut a hole thru the plate this week and OMG, a level of 72%. With sad anticipation I removed the aluminum plate and vinyl flooring under the plate and low and behold, Airstreams version of a concealed mushroom plantation goes about halfway into the storage cavity and fully across it disappearing under the extreme corner of the cabinetry. No need to elaborate on how I feel, and yes I guess its all my fault because I missed the part in the Airstream Owners Manual that said I should disassemble the trailer periodically to check for rot as a normal routine maintenance procedure. Pretty on the outside but cancerous.

[eheffa]

Hi Shaggy,

The problem is that the water will not show itself above the vinyl flooring. It's underneath if it's there & there is no easy way to find it unless you get a moisture meter or wait until your foot goes through the floor. Maybe you will be lucky & it's dry.
Good luck.

-evan

[dkottum]

Evan is right, you won't know if you have a leak by looking of for water on top of the vinyl. And the only way to look underneath without disassembly is with a moisture meter.

I will point out again when ours arrived from the factory I tested it and found no leaks. But have found and fixed five leaks since then probing through the vinyl with a moisture test meter, all at different times. Our Airstream doesn't sit and gets bounced around going down many of America's roads from hell. Leak inspection and repair is an ongoing maintenance item.

For the external hatches, the door latch may not be adjusted tight enough. Put a bright light in there after dark, close the door, and look for any light coming through the edges. I had one of the hatches showing light that so took off the latch, bent it to tighten and put back on. No light, maybe no leak.

But I'm thinking of a way to probe the plywood under that aluminum floor plate in the storage compartments. Any ideas? Maybe carefully drill test holes along the edge just through the plate so I can probe into the plywood underneath.

[DoubleNickel]

I'm still subscribed to this thread and disappointed to read that these issues are still ongoing. It appears many people are able to handle the needed repairs themselves, but...one more thing to consider- when we sold our AS, we disclosed the leak, and the documented repair. (It was the right thing to do- ethically, morally, and legally). We were told that water damage that required a major floor repair reduced the value by 10-15%. So, a couple of hundred dollars in supplies, a couple of weekends in labor and an instant $5-$6K loss of equity.

Caveat Emptor....

[dkottum]

DoubleNickel, that's for the tip. For the new owners we could advise a moisture test meter is about $40 and regular inspections cost nothing, and no loss in equity.

[eheffa]

The problem with the moisture meter surveillance is that once you have found moisture or water penetration, how do you determine where it's coming from without tearing the unit apart?

Sometimes it is easy and obvious and sometimes it ain't. The pressurizing and bubble test makes the most sense but I couldn't seem to pressurize my rig enough to make that work...

-evan

[dkottum]

In our case all five leaks were directly above the positive reading with the Sonin moisture meter, I mean directly above. That made them easy to find (loose window latch, awning arm mount pop rivets, loose door hinge screw, small sealant gap).

Just before the warranty expired we stopped at Jackson Center and had them do a pressure leak test. They use a Seal-Tech pressure and bubble system, something I have seen available all over the country at many RV dealers. (Hmmm, other brands have leaks too?).

I am considering a Seal-Tech pressure test as a routine maintenance item just to be sleep better, maybe every couple of years or so. It looks like they are available all over the country.

My buddy's $350,000 diesel pusher developed leaks, our Airstream developed leaks. Part of the package they don't tell any of us about. So we'll deal with it.

[Landrum]

Something I did on our 2011 ( and it's on my todo list for our new 2014) is remove the vinyl flooring behind all the hidden access panels. This allowed me to see as much of the plywood as possible for visual inspection while I was testing with the moisture meter.
One thing I never did which I think I will do on our 2014 is remove at least some of the metal plate in the outside storage compartment (perhaps a strip in front of the access door) I don't really need it and I would rather have easy access for inspection.
On the FB models there are 2 storage compartments under the couch/dinette. I'm also considering cutting the vinyl flooring out in those compartments. That would allow me to easily pull up the vinyl floor pieces for visual inspection, but they are well hidden behind doors and it wouldn't look bad.


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[TXMYTX]

Yeap! Had that problem too! (leak around the rear window) Discovered it on the first trip after I bought the rig ( my speaker was floating in water) Reported to the Service Dept. In Safford, VA, only to be told that it was my responsibility to make sure sealing was done (I had owned the trailer for about 2 wks).


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[dkottum]

TXMYTX, are you talking about a new Airstream?

[TXMYTX]

Yes. They did do other warranty work...but I paid $225 to have it sealed....and there was, and still is a leak around the ceiling fan in the bedroom.


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[dkottum]

The floor was rotted on your newly delivered Airstream? Or was there a water leak on your newly delivered Airstream?

[TXMYTX]

There were leaks ... I discovered the one at the back window immediately...only discovered the floor in Oct/Nov, 2013...Had a guy in Melbourne, Fl repair it...


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[PharmGeek]

Huh huh what

If under warranty should cover a leak!

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

Huh huh what

If under warranty should cover a leak!

RV leaks are so common some service managers do everything they can to sidestep the issue. Ours did, advising they limit leak and corrosion repairs and door adjustments to 90 days on their new RVs, all brands. My heart sank, they (he?) clearly wanted nothing to do with it.

A call to Airstream Customer Service resolved our problem with leaking and corroding clearance lights, authorizing local repair. By then I had lost total confidence in our local dealer service and stopped at Airstream factory on a trip east and they replaced them all with a better design, not under warranty, but "in good faith". Their warranty excludes leaks and corrosion, but they have been very good about working with customers on these issues.

[KJRitchie]

Reading this thread is depressing. Maybe I should sell my 2008 Classic 25. I think its water tight using my Sonin moisture test meter throughout the trailer but who knows what lurks beneath where I can't see or test. But then would a traditional trailer be any better? At least I wouldn't have so much money involved. My AS is kept in outside covered storage and it has been out in the rain, some heavy and I went around the perimeter, under the dinettes, under the front windows door threshhold etc and come up dry. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe there is a hidden leak somewhere.

Kelvin