Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 12-17-2008, 07:58 PM   #1
Rivet Master
 
1960 22' Safari
in the wilderness , The great Mojave Desert
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,077
Vent repair saga. Happy, sad, very happy

We have a '25 FB and as some of you know the bedroom vent from the factory is pretty flimsy. So I went to a local Airstream authorized repair facility* and had a Fantastic Fan installed. Happy.

Well it rained right before Thanksgiving as we loaded the trailer for a trip to Quartzesite. I found the bed soaking wet. Fortunately we have a foam pad on the mattress so it was dry. We then saw the water dripping from around the vent and put out pans to catch the water while we dried the bedding. Sad.

Last Saturday I pulled our trailer to Area 63 in Orange to find the problem and fix it.

Uwe and I laddered to the roof where we found that the replacement vent was installed and sealed with ugly heaping gobs of silicone. The silicone had cracks and holes where the water was clearly getting in. We also found an indentation in the roof at the back of the fan where water had puddled.

The silicone was peeled off and we also found where the fan shroud had been cracked on installation. We also found the silicone was gobbed on top of the original Vulken**. Sad and miffed.

So the rest of the silicone was removed along with the fan. Then the Vulken was removed chemically and we were down to clean metal.

Uwe crafted a spare/stringer to add strength to the roof at the rear of the fan so the fan would have strong positive anchoring at the front and the back. Uwe then using Vulken reinstalled the Fantastic fan. The install now looks clean. Happy

We've had big rain out here for the last few days and when I went and checked. No leaks. No moisture. No problem. Very happy.

The re-repair cost less than the original simple job. It took area 63 less time and at a lower labor rate for a better outcome than the original repair.Re-repair money spent. Worth every cent.

I'm sharing this as a reminder to all. Ask what the technician is going to do before they start the work and when it's done check it. If I had seen those gobs of silicon when I picked it up I would have had questions.

* I am not mentioning the repair place as I have not discussed this with them. There was no point as I had lost confidence when their work failed due to poor workmanship. But in order to not cast doubt on the innocent. This place is not a commercial vendor on this site.

**Nasty vile can't get it off of anything it gets near stuff. By some bending of the time and space manages to get places it has no logical way of getting to. Try to avoid it if possible.
__________________
I'd rather be boon docking in the desert.

WBCCI 3344 FCU
AIR# 13896
CA 4

Yes, we have courtesy parking for you. About an hour North of Los Angeles.
Goin camping is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2008, 08:47 PM   #2
Rivet Master
Airstream Dealer
 
Inland RV Center, In's Avatar
 
Corona , California
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16,497
Images: 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goin camping View Post
We have a '25 FB and as some of you know the bedroom vent from the factory is pretty flimsy. So I went to a local Airstream authorized repair facility* and had a Fantastic Fan installed. Happy.

Well it rained right before Thanksgiving as we loaded the trailer for a trip to Quartzesite. I found the bed soaking wet. Fortunately we have a foam pad on the mattress so it was dry. We then saw the water dripping from around the vent and put out pans to catch the water while we dried the bedding. Sad.

Last Saturday I pulled our trailer to Area 63 in Orange to find the problem and fix it.

Uwe and I laddered to the roof where we found that the replacement vent was installed and sealed with ugly heaping gobs of silicone. The silicone had cracks and holes where the water was clearly getting in. We also found an indentation in the roof at the back of the fan where water had puddled.

The silicone was peeled off and we also found where the fan shroud had been cracked on installation. We also found the silicone was gobbed on top of the original Vulken**. Sad and miffed.

So the rest of the silicone was removed along with the fan. Then the Vulken was removed chemically and we were down to clean metal.

Uwe crafted a spare/stringer to add strength to the roof at the rear of the fan so the fan would have strong positive anchoring at the front and the back. Uwe then using Vulken reinstalled the Fantastic fan. The install now looks clean. Happy

We've had big rain out here for the last few days and when I went and checked. No leaks. No moisture. No problem. Very happy.

The re-repair cost less than the original simple job. It took area 63 less time and at a lower labor rate for a better outcome than the original repair.Re-repair money spent. Worth every cent.

I'm sharing this as a reminder to all. Ask what the technician is going to do before they start the work and when it's done check it. If I had seen those gobs of silicon when I picked it up I would have had questions.

* I am not mentioning the repair place as I have not discussed this with them. There was no point as I had lost confidence when their work failed due to poor workmanship. But in order to not cast doubt on the innocent. This place is not a commercial vendor on this site.

**Nasty vile can't get it off of anything it gets near stuff. By some bending of the time and space manages to get places it has no logical way of getting to. Try to avoid it if possible.
You could post the city that vendor operates in.

Andy
__________________
Andy Rogozinski
Inland RV Center
Corona, CA
Inland RV Center, In is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2008, 08:55 PM   #3
Rivet Master
 
ROBERTSUNRUS's Avatar

 
2005 25' Safari
Salem , Oregon
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,452
Images: 18
Blog Entries: 55
Venting Story

Hi, sorry to hear about having to have one job done twice, not to mention the aggravation of the leaks and non professional installation.

Was this shop located very close to my home?
__________________
Bob 2005 Safari 25-B
"Le Petit Chateau Argent" Small Silver Castle
2000 Navigator / 2014 F-150 Eco-Boost / Equal-i-zer / P-3
YAMAHA 2400 / AIR #12144
ROBERTSUNRUS is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2008, 09:29 PM   #4
Rivet Master
 
1960 22' Safari
in the wilderness , The great Mojave Desert
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,077
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In View Post
You could post the city that vendor operates in.

Andy
Andy,

Since I did not discuss this lousy work with the shop and thus deprive them of the opportunity to make it right. I don't feel its fair for me to name them.

However since you are well known on this forum I did not want people to jump to the conclusion it was you when it was not.

I just wanted to remind everyone to ask questions and check the work done on their trailers. Even a good shop can fumble the ball.
__________________
I'd rather be boon docking in the desert.

WBCCI 3344 FCU
AIR# 13896
CA 4

Yes, we have courtesy parking for you. About an hour North of Los Angeles.
Goin camping is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2008, 05:32 AM   #5
Rivet Master
 
willyd's Avatar
 
1993 34' Limited
Melbourne Florida , Springfield Ohio
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 759
Images: 5
Seems sad to have this problem when it should not have happened. you should make a complaint to the Airstream company - especiallr with a 2007.
willyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2008, 08:03 AM   #6
Rivet Master
Airstream Dealer
 
Inland RV Center, In's Avatar
 
Corona , California
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16,497
Images: 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goin camping View Post
Andy,

Since I did not discuss this lousy work with the shop and thus deprive them of the opportunity to make it right. I don't feel its fair for me to name them.

However since you are well known on this forum I did not want people to jump to the conclusion it was you when it was not.

I just wanted to remind everyone to ask questions and check the work done on their trailers. Even a good shop can fumble the ball.
People are people, and we can all make mistakes in our work, regardless of career.

Mistakes, can easily be corrected, usually.

Sloppy workmanship, to me, is highly discriptive of a mechanics attitude. "Hey, if it's good enough for me, it's good enough for you" type thinking, is a hazard for all of us.

Thanks to this Forums, shops or people that do less than acceptable type work, are usually weeded out.

Scares me to think if a shop turns out sloppy work that you can see, what might they have done under the covers?

All of us, must be cautious of who does what for us.

If the shop is good, let others know. If the shop does sloppy work, let others know.

Same is true of labor charges.

Andy
__________________
Andy Rogozinski
Inland RV Center
Corona, CA
Inland RV Center, In is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2009, 12:48 PM   #7
Rivet Master
 
Lily&Me's Avatar

 
2006 22' Interstate
Normal , Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,359
We have had a chronic leak with our Fantastic Fan vent, factory installed on our '06 Interstate we have owned for 2 years. After reading forum posts regarding leaks, we decided it was time to replace the gasket/caulk, and ordered Sikaflex from the AS store. Doug gets on the roof today in 90+ heat (plus our high midwest humidity), finally gets all 28 screws loosened and removed. What does he find??? Two screws in at a clear angle, one in a drill-created hole NEXT to the hole it was supposed to be in. Hmmmmm---suppose they contributed to the leaks??

The good news: called the 800 number for Fantastic Fans, spoke with a very nice, knowledgeable service tech named Bob. They replace gaskets and screws at no cost, ours is going out in today's mail. They will also do a "return and repair" at no cost other than shipping, if the vent is found to have cracks around the screws because they were tightened too much at the factory. Apparently, a fairly common problem.

And so, if your Fantastic Fan & Vent is leaking and you can't get it fixed, might be more to it than a need for more caulk.
__________________
🚐 Interstate Owner Emeritus 🚐
🌹 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last. 🐚
Lily&Me is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-27-2009, 05:26 AM   #8
Rivet Master
 
Lily&Me's Avatar

 
2006 22' Interstate
Normal , Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,359
Update:

Gasket and shiny new screws arrived by UPS From Fantastic Fans two days after our call, no charge to us. With some additional tech support by phone from Bob at FF, (we are not very handy, it is all a learning experience) old stuff was removed and new gasket installed. There were not 2 but 4 screws in drill-created holes next to their original holes.
__________________
🚐 Interstate Owner Emeritus 🚐
🌹 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last. 🐚
Lily&Me is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
SO Happy To Be Here! leopattie Member Introductions 2 05-15-2008 11:07 PM
Happy new owner! Nextlevel 1966-68 Caravel 5 03-23-2008 04:43 PM
Happy To Be Here VeniceLE Member Introductions 3 09-16-2007 06:30 PM
Happy Birthday to US! InsideOut Our Community 27 02-16-2007 12:17 PM
How Happy Are You? Lee Pace Our Community 42 06-11-2005 05:45 PM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:43 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.