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HCR · 03-31-2011, 05:02 PM

A week ago I went to get four new tires. Two jacks were carefully applied on the plates on the frame and all four tires were raised with the two rear wheels being highest.

On the curb side, at the rear of the wheel well, water started weeping from a seam between metal and plastic material. For the 30 minutes or so the trailer was on jacks, 1/3 of a cup of CLEAR water dripped out.

Black water and gray water tanks were empty. Fresh water tank drained by use of drain located between wheels on street side.

What could have been the source of this water? Does the fresh water tank have a 2nd vent that water remaining in the tank could have seeped from when rear of trailer was raised? I know there is a vent at the fresh water tank inlet.

As always, friends, thanks in advance for your responses

dznf0g · 03-31-2011, 05:20 PM

Do you mean between the top of the outrigger and the bottom of the rear of the plastic wheel well?

HCR · 03-31-2011, 05:32 PM

I don't know what the "outrigger" refers to.

dznf0g · 03-31-2011, 05:35 PM

The metal piece at the lower rear of the wheel well below the plastic wheel well. It's is about 4" tall and runs from the frame out to the skin.

Frank's Trailer Works · 03-31-2011, 05:39 PM

You have a leak and the water is sitting. When you jacked it up it spilled out. Find the leak and plug it or do not jack up the rear

HCR · 03-31-2011, 05:45 PM

dznfog--yes, that's the area I'm referring to.

62 Overlander--I believe you that I have a leak. And, I've been hooked up here to shore water since the beginning of october (full time) and no water appears anywhere around the trailer so where is it going?

Frank's Trailer Works · 03-31-2011, 05:49 PM

I bet it is sitting in the "c" channel. This is my semi educated guess. I do not work on trailers this late, so I do not know for sure, but in the early trailers, I often see this.

fmr.capt.evi · 03-31-2011, 05:52 PM

Since it only appeared when one end or the other was raised, it was probably condensation, which is not unusual.

HCR · 03-31-2011, 05:53 PM

Frank--what is the "C channel" and do I need to worry about this?

Frank's Trailer Works · 03-31-2011, 06:01 PM

the channel goes around the perimeter of the trailer in between the walls. The skin attaches to the floor there. If water sits, it grows mold and worse it gives a media for galvanic corrosion to take place. Aluminum+ water+ minor electric charge = aluminum oxide. This can eat through the side wall. It also will wick into the insulation and ruin the R value.
As I said, I work on much earlier trailers and am not an expert at these later years.

**Stefrobrts** · 03-31-2011, 06:09 PM

If you use your internal water system (without being hooked up to shore water) and there is a leak you will hear the water pump run occasionally to re-pressurize the system as water leaks out - at least on old trailers - I assume it's the same on newer ones.

If you don't find a leak in your pipes, could it have been rainwater being held under that plastic you're talking about? It sure sounds like a tiny amount.

dznf0g · 03-31-2011, 06:09 PM

Ok, so it's running out at floor level. So you can pretty well eliminate everything below that. I am not terribly familiar with your floorplan, so I am making some assumptions here. I always like to start with the easiest and work up to the hardest.
I think you have your galley curbside aft of the wheel wells, and have a rear door and rear pano windows. If the rear windows or door were leaking, I would think you would've seen water on the floor...or it could be running between the flooring and the sub-floor from the rear. However, you state it was "clear" water. It's been my experience that after water sits on wood and/or glues, it usually looks like weak tea.

I believe your sink is just aft of the wheel well...right? I would check carefully, under the sink area for a slow leak in the p-trap in the sink drain as well as the supply lines.

If there is no wetness or water witness marks, I would move into Frank's camp and believe that you have an outer skin leak which is running into the c-channel. That is the piece which attaches the outer skin to the floor and to the inner skin. Like a "C" laying on it's back around the perimeter of the trailer. If this is the case, it could be coming from anywhere in the rear of the trailer. Rear Pano Windows are suspect. There are several threads on these, if you have them. Might check there first.

Did the water come out the corner where the outrigger meets the skin, or more inboard...toward the frame channel?

HCR · 03-31-2011, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Ok, so it's .

Did the water come out the corner where the outrigger meets the skin, or more inboard...toward the frame channel?

Water came more inboard--about six inches or so

dznf0g · 03-31-2011, 06:20 PM

Well, it can run from the c-channel, along the inner wheel housing before exiting, but that MAY lend some credence to a plumbing issue. Curious....did you jack up curbside first or streetside?

HCR · 03-31-2011, 06:23 PM

The guy used two jacks and street side was first but only by a couple of minutes.

dznf0g · 03-31-2011, 06:31 PM

Well then, the leak could be anywhere from the streetside corner around the rear and curbside corner, forward to the wheel well housing,if the water is running through the c-channel. If he had jacked up the curbside first, water would have flowed to streetside housing.

If you don't find a plumbing issue, I would check the rear pano. I believe in '06 the center rectangular window was not welded in the corners of the frame. Some other threads discuss the sealer in the corners giving way and allowing water inside the wall. There are other issues with the Panos. Do a search and read up. This has also caused rear floor rot on some units. Hopefully you're early in the issue and that hasn't happened.

Being an '06, it's time to take a look at all your sealer. It's time. Awning rail, door eyebrow, everything on the roof. Water can, and will, travel a long way....just to screw with you!

HCR · 04-06-2011, 03:26 PM

Went by Camper Clinic II in Buda, TX. on Sat. Explained the problem I had when I started this post to Les, a tech w 20 years AS experience, and he showed me an '08 w/the damage that resulted from not attending to the leak. Once I described the symptoms, he immediately suspected the cause. Told me to bring trailer in or fix it myself. Very helpful and I recommend them for their assistance.

On the trailer on their lot, water was coming in from the bottom of the rub rail where the rub rail fits against the utility box/bumper at rear of trailer. The '08 had fiberglass insulation under the rear pan, the water was absorbed and eventually rotted the flooring. Serious damage!!!

On my '06, the water was entering from the same location, as I soon discovered, but there is no fiberglass insulation under the pan. Instead, there is a corrugated tin foil type of vapor/dust barrier.

To confirm the source of the leak on my trailer I lowered the jack to its lowest position and used a hose to spray the rub rail at rear of trailer. Looking under the rear, water could be seen leaking from the pan.

Important note: When trailer was LEVEL and water was applied, no leaks appeared from the pan as the water was being trapped in the tin-foil material and was not migrating to the pan below.

To repair:

1. Drilled the rivets holding rear pan and dropped pan. Used a utility knife to make a long horizontal slit in both sections of the tin foil type material. Water poured out.

2. Left to dry out overnight. Floor was not wet and the pan itself contained no water, so just inspecting the pan a person would have concluded there was no leak.

3. Applied caulk (Dap Alex Ultra 230 black) at the BASE (not the top) of the rub rail where the rub rail joins the utility box. There was no caulk here applied by the factory!!

4. Remounted the pan with rivets.

5. Drilled ten 1/4 inch holes in the bottom of the pan so that if water should enter again from the same source, it can drain out and air can enter to dry.

6. Lowered the trailer front again and flooded the rub rail/utility box area to test for water leaking from pan and voila--no leaks.

I'm not aware how widespread this problem is, but were it not for the fact that I watched as the rear of my trailer was jacked up for the tire changing and observed the water dripping out, I would have never noticed the water build up until it rotted the floor.

One final note--I've had people come by and start to sit on the bumper/utility box and I've asked them in strong language not to. If someone had done this in the past, it seems possible, that action (depending on the person't weight) could have caused or at least exacerbated the damage.

As always, many thanks to all of you who responded to my post and convinced me that I had a serious problem that I needed to address.

dznf0g · 04-06-2011, 04:21 PM

Glad you found it. I forgot about that one. There are several threads on that leak.

mello mike · 04-06-2011, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HCR

Went by Camper Clinic II in Buda, TX. on Sat. Explained the problem I had when I started this post to Les, a tech w 20 years AS experience, and he showed me an '08 w/the damage that resulted from not attending to the leak. Once I described the symptoms, he immediately suspected the cause. Told me to bring trailer in or fix it myself. Very helpful and I recommend them for their assistance.

On the trailer on their lot, water was coming in from the bottom of the rub rail where the rub rail fits against the utility box/bumper at rear of trailer. The '08 had fiberglass insulation under the rear pan, the water was absorbed and eventually rotted the flooring. Serious damage!!!

On my '06, the water was entering from the same location, as I soon discovered, but there is no fiberglass insulation under the pan. Instead, there is a corrugated tin foil type of vapor/dust barrier.

To confirm the source of the leak on my trailer I lowered the jack to its lowest position and used a hose to spray the rub rail at rear of trailer. Looking under the rear, water could be seen leaking from the pan.

Important note: When trailer was LEVEL and water was applied, no leaks appeared from the pan as the water was being trapped in the tin-foil material and was not migrating to the pan below.

As always, many thanks to all of you who responded to my post and convinced me that I had a serious problem that I needed to address.

Ahh, the infamous rear bumper leak. Most Airstreams from 1969 forward are prone to suffer from this leak.

You've got to keep that beltline sealed or you'll have major issues with that back floor area. A poor design. Yet another reason to love the older vintage Airstreams.