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gotair · 01-02-2005, 01:53 PM

help... I thought these airstream argosy trailers were not prone to leaks
I have water where the roof begins to curve down... center of roof cap..
I told my wife don't worry we'll get an airstream they dont leak.... now I'm eating my words and they don't tast good...

CanoeStream · 01-02-2005, 02:25 PM

Hello gotair! C'mon, they're over 25 years old...

Leak issues will be the same for trailers new and old. Only the older they are the more the seals are in rough condition. Water inside the shell is often seen at a point removed from the actual leak. It may (only may) start between the ribs where you see the water. Roof vent seals, air conditioner seal, and TV antenna are common sources but not the exhaustive list. It's a battle that will never end. Look around -- in these Forums and your trailer. Let us know what you find.

For every leak there's an easy answer... and it's always wrong.

(Hey -- edit your profile and let us know what trailer you're pulling. All Argosy models are now included!)

Ken J · 01-02-2005, 04:03 PM

Hate to tell you - they all leak at some point.

Ken J.

overlander63 · 01-02-2005, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken J

Hate to tell you - they all leak at some point.

Ken J.

Yes, they do. Airstreams just leak less, and they take longer to start.
Terry

gotair · 01-02-2005, 10:21 PM

today while it was raining less than the previous minute... I was on top of the trailer looking for the sorce.. # 1 choice Antenna mount and support bracket and the hole where the wire enters the vent looks solid and the air conditioner looks like its way to far ..

. I have amended the personal info its a 77 goosy minute
dont take this the wrong way but I am not liking rivits right now...

gotair · 01-02-2005, 10:24 PM

also I think too much of this trailer to remove the interior panels and look for problem.. as I dont think I could without doing more damage than the water

Safari Tim · 01-03-2005, 01:04 AM

I finally got a leak fixed after about 3 weeks of trying. At least I hope its fixed ;-)

First I thought it was the am/fm antenna so I drilled a corresponding hole on the inner wall to facilitate removal of the antenna. R/R and vulkemed behind it. ...not the leak.

Got some aloca gutterseal and sealed the vertical seam on the outside near the leaks location. ...not the leak.

Used some more alcoa gutterseal on the bottom trim wrap. ...not the leak.

Finally while checking the inside I found a drip of water puddle up over the inside wrap window frame. So, I figured the window track was filling up with water and running down into the wall in the corner of the frame.

I cleaned out all the old gasket material and vulkulmed both wrap windows. .... no more leak!!

So, it's never the obvious. Although perhaps it should have been obvious since I replaced those very windows because they were missing when I purchased the trailer ;-(

Good luck being a leak detective!

gotair · 01-04-2005, 09:56 PM

It stopped raining last night sometime we have had rain for @ 5 days now.. when I got home from work I went looking again. and now anything is suspect...
i'm even open the air conditioner as a suspect.. I un-leveled the trailer by lowering the front to see if it was somehow puddling on top... Nope... It still drips ...next weekend we'll get serious about this.. going to the camper store for materials and tools ARRRRR...

j54mark · 01-04-2005, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotair

going to the camper store for materials and tools ARRRRR...

Make sure you get materials suitable for your Airstream/Argosy. To make it simple I use only Vulkem and Parbond. Take a look at the factory website: www.airstream.com for some other recommended caulks.

Do take note of what was said above regarding gaskets and seals. Those things have limited lifespans.

Mark

Silvertwinky · 01-04-2005, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gotair

help... I thought these airstream argosy trailers were not prone to leaks
I have water where the roof begins to curve down... center of roof cap..
I told my wife don't worry we'll get an airstream they dont leak.... now I'm eating my words and they don't tast good...

I haven't had a camper yet that didn't leak or develop a leak at some point. I think it's just power for the course. It's just going to happen!

gsymes · 01-05-2005, 06:42 PM

I have been fighting small leaks on my unit since I bought it. Here are the worst ones I have found.
The Skyliner antenna base was corroded thru under the swivel mount, had to remove the antenna and swivel to find this one. (By far the worst leak)
The flex tube that encases the wires from the antenna was not sealed on the antenna end as per the Skyliner installation manual. (The second to worst leak) http://www.mytravco.com/SkylinerAntenna.htm
The Airstream or in your case Argosy Letters on the front were not sealed well.
The forward clearance lights were not sealed right.
These issues resolved all but one leak, but I think its coming from my awning rail.
Good luck

gotair · 01-06-2005, 01:05 AM

thanks for the encouragement ... J54mark I went to airstream.com are you refering to the can with aplicator for @ $32.oo looks like it would get into small cracks and create smallest mess..neat and clean application... also : gsyms... thank you for the diagram for antena never seen it befor didn't know how it was put together this is very good information for most of us to see.. it should be in an archive somewhere at airstream forums.. the situation is of course a serious one if it is not corrected ... in a timely manner ... thanks everone for your support... Dan..

gotair · 01-08-2005, 01:02 AM

[QUOTE=gotair]thanks for the encouragement ... J54mark I went to airstream.com are you refering to the can with aplicator for @ $32.oo

no time to get to the camper store after work .... its raining buckets so I went to the hardware store found some latex calking and a blue tarp I realy hate to put this on an airstream.. bad for the image

...sorry folks but for me prevention is prefered method ... calked around the vent ... looks like a suspect also .. then bit the bullet and thru the blue tarp on..

what an ugly site..

eljay · 01-08-2005, 04:45 AM

Just remember to go back and replace that latex caulk when time permits or it is likely you will be chasing that leak again. My "quick fix" was to cut squares of plastic to cover any suspect areas. These are large enough to extend to the curve of the trailer sides and over any nearby seams. I used clear packaging tape to secure them (3m makes a tape for "storage" which claims to be good in temperature extremes). Not pretty but it seems to be holding up and has cured the leaks for the time being until I can do the recommended work.

gotair · 01-08-2005, 03:37 PM

[QUOTE=eljay]Just remember to go back and replace that latex caulk when time permits or it is likely you will be chasing that leak again. My "quick fix" was to cut squares of plastic to cover any suspect areas.

Thanks for the great idea!!! cover one thing at a time untill it stops leaking !!! this is good... I'll try this when its better weather.. Dan...

sfixx · 01-09-2005, 01:58 PM

Now that I'm a leak chaser too...can someone please explain the difference in uses between Sikaflex and Parbond.

Thanks,

Steve

gotair · 01-09-2005, 06:07 PM

try this : www.airstream.com and Inlandrv.com ...both places have it ...
probably is minus a couple of toxic's a tree hugger complained about...honestly can't tell you the difference ... but if the seniors on this forum recomend parbond go with it... there usualy right..

wahoonc · 01-09-2005, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfixx

Now that I'm a leak chaser too...can someone please explain the difference in uses between Sikaflex and Parbond.

Thanks,

Steve

Steve,
Silkaflex is for the larger joints, for example I would use it on the window frames or vents. Parbond is for smaller joints like panel seams. FWIW the older units were put together with Vulkem and Parbond. Some of my windows have Parbond along the sides and they used Vulkem across the tops. Vulkem is similar to the Sikaflex that the factory is using today. One good mail order source is www.airstreamdreams.com What ever you do avoid using Silicone! I am working on my second lifetime scraping tubes upon tubes of silver sillycone off my trailer. It leaves a residue that is very difficult to remove and makes it so other caulks don't want to adhere properly. If you clean the area thoroughly and wipe down with mineral spirits the new caulk job should be good for another 20+ years. Also given the age of your unit I would make sure an redo the vent stacks pronto. They are a common source of leaks that can be hard to track down. Also even though they are not a problem at the moment, plan on replacing door and window seals when you get the chance.

Aaron

malconium · 01-10-2005, 12:41 PM

I entirely agree that no one should use silicon caulk on an AS. I also have a lot of it here and there on my unit that I will eventually have to remove. I found a product that really works for helping get it off. It is called AMTEX-CCR. Check it out at the following website:

http://www.amtexchemical.com/pages/13/index.htm

For the areas that I have already worked on I mechanically removed the majority of the silicon and they started using the AMTEX-CCR. I brushed it on with a cheap paint brush, let it sit for 10 or 20 minutes and whiped it off. A second application sometimes was needed for stuborn areas. It really does remove the silicon residue. It also seems to go pretty far. I bought a quart and have not actually used all that much of it yet.

Give it a try I think you will like it.

Malcolm

wahoonc · 01-10-2005, 07:58 PM

Malcolm,
Thanks for the information on the Amtex stuff, that is what I need to try, I have been using primarily MEK but it has been slllloooowwww going. There is a product made by Dow Chemical called OS-12 that is supposed to remove silicone too, but I have not been able to locate an east coast supplier for it, at least not in small quanities.

Aaron