Help finding leaks.

[nursematt]

i have a 2007 31' classic limited which seems to have a water leak in the trunk storage under the bed. not sure where it is coming from. unfortunately did not find the leak till late and now have wood rot. another topic. but before repairing the problem need to find the stinking leak. anyone else have this problem in their 2007. looked at exterior. no tell tale signs of leaking there but what do i know. if there is a way water will find it. kind of like the government and taxes. oops did i say that out loud. any help appreciated.

anyone know a good airstream shop in central florida. don't like bates in dover florida. had unit there and they said. "no water damage", ha ha on me.

[Mixter]

haha- 10-4 on Bates TOTALLY agree.

As someone doing a full shell off resto, and tracking down leaks in an empty shell for 4 months now, I can say that most of my leaks have been from miscellaneous rivets on the roof to the ribs, and vertical seams. Surprisingly, not many leaks from windows, vents or horizontal seams. Some from the misc pop rivets in the rails. Vista views are almost a given, but easy fix if you simply seal the glass to the frame.

But I can say, that without having an empty shell to see, they could be anywhere!

[nursematt]

i forsee a shell off restoration project in my future too. meeting with an airstream rep in sarasota (he happened to be coming to some sort of event) to take a look and maybe help me find the problem. a little disheartening that the unit is 2007 and has bad floors already. i could understand if it was older but too expensive to have that kind of problems already.
silly question but how difficult to replace some flooring in trunk area? not even sure how to get to it. i forsee the bed and cabinetry coming out.
will be an educational project. i guess if you are going to own one must know how to fix one.

[Minno]

Could be coming from your rear lights.... they are notorious for leaking. Water can travel laterally quite a distance sometimes following jungle trails only they know. You would probably have to do some deconstruction in your rear area to get to the floor, including removing inner skins on the lower part in order to replace floor. Is it rotted completely out? Or could you use some floor epoxy to fix?
Good luck!

Kay

[nursematt]

thanks minno,
the rear trunk area is soft, could put finger thru it in some places. will know more information once getting into the demo and stuff. thanks again kay.

[Jammer]

I would suggest finding someone with a Sealtech machine. That would either find any rivet and seam leaks, or rule them out, and may help with the taillights.

[wdkennedy]

Chase those pesky leaks! With a wet spring in the high desert, I have found my leaks from hello!
2007, 27’ FB. Owned by us for the past 10 months. Replaced rotten floor at dinette, replaced linoleum and carpet with new linoleum. Dealer not able to pinpoint leaks. HELLO! The fricking seams are not sealed when assembled! SO..... a previous owner put some minor dents in the top of the trailer, at the top of the back panel seams. Using the process of elimination, I applied small, exterior, beads of Butyl to the total length of the seams, from the top junction to the top of the back dinette window and poof! No leaks!
Process now is to remove Butyl, clean, apply very small bead of PARBOND aluminum or ADSEAL. I will practice on the clearance lights where the gasket does not meet the edge of the light base.
I will re-use the Butyl to seal the lenses of the clearance lights.
My discovery, thank you Jesus! Moment? Inspecting our ‘92 Sovereign and seeing that all the seams are sealed. There must have been a brain drain at Jackson Center and someone forgot to post the memo to use a sealant at the panel joints!

[WindRat]

Could be as simple as the rear access hatch not sealing well and driving in the rain. Moisture collects under the linoleum, travels around a bit, then starts to go to work on the wood. Fortunately I found mine before rot set in. I was amazed to see there was a 1/4" gap at the top half of the hatch. Adjusted the door latch, took out the linoleum, dried out the floor, and painted with a resin infused paint that makes a flexible and waterproof covering.

If you don't want to gut your trailer to replace the floor you can use a product called fit-rot. I've used it before and it works wonders.

[n2916s]

J.D. Sanders in Alachua has a SealTech machine. Drag it up there and they will get it water tight for you. Definitely make an appointment, though, they are a busy shop.

[WindRat]

Originally Posted by WindRat

Could be as simple as the rear access hatch not sealing well and driving in the rain. Moisture collects under the linoleum, travels around a bit, then starts to go to work on the wood. Fortunately I found mine before rot set in. I was amazed to see there was a 1/4" gap at the top half of the hatch. Adjusted the door latch, took out the linoleum, dried out the floor, and painted with a resin infused paint that makes a flexible and waterproof covering.

If you don't want to gut your trailer to replace the floor you can use a product called fit-rot. I've used it before and it works wonders.

Git-Rot, not fit-rot

[wdkennedy]

These are great suggestions. My panels are caulked and the parbond looks the best. We are quite confident we have found all the leaks. I am building a pressurization unit like the SealTech to really see. We will live with the dents in the top of the rear panels until we can schedule a repair at Oasis in Tuscon. If we downsize it will be The Neutron from Flite Camp.