Sink "unglued" from countertop while towing

[Loulou4]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Wow . . . lucky you have the skills and accessibility to remove the counter and do the work! [Edit -- well done BTW.]

How many labor hours would you say you have into this project, including R&D and diagnostic discussions? Rounding it off . . . say . . . a few days . . . maybe 20 hours at least?

At a cabinet shop rate of $100/hour [minimum], you should request $2,000 [or more] from AS IMO.



Happy trails!

Peter

PS -- One more example of shoddy work by the Jackson Center factory!

Hi ORTA15,

Thanks! Turns out that it really wasn't that difficult to do. Once I decided to tear apart my brand new Airstream a little more... it took maybe 4/5 hours to complete. And to be completely honest, anyone can do it as long as you're willing to be a little "handy". The only tools necessary were some screwdrivers, VHB, and some silicone adhesive (which I bet the majority of folks that are full timing have stored somewhere in their rig!)

All in all, I love the Airstream and would do it all over again if I had to. Just a little frustrating sometimes when you see things that you would have done differently if you were building it yourself.

[Loulou4]

Originally Posted by graysailor

Loulou4,

Essentially you have to remove the oven, disconnect plumbing and propane. Take the top outside and turn it upside down and install the sink correctly. Mine was held on by three pretty flimsy pieces of metal. I stared at it for a couple of days before I realized there was only one proper way to fix it.

Yep! That about sums it up perfectly! Thanks for leading me down this path because otherwise I would have been disappointed in the results.

[SewStream]

Originally Posted by Loulou4

Hopefully me documenting this will prevent some grief for folks in the future!

Thanks for posting the photos of your work. Can you please tell me where you got your paper towel holder? I would like to get one for our GT - I never could find one I like enough to permanently install in our coach.

[Loulou4]

Originally Posted by SewStream

Thanks for posting the photos of your work. Can you please tell me where you got your paper towel holder? I would like to get one for our GT - I never could find one I like enough to permanently install in our coach.

Hi SewStream,

Here is the link of the paper towel holder I am using:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006TZMOE

And I used some command strips to hold it in place because I wasn't sure I wanted it there permanently either. A couple of strips does the trick and it can be removed anytime!

[SewStream]

@Loulou4 - brilliant! Well, duh ( as I slap my forehead) - I love Command strips...I hang everything in our GT with them, because you’re right, what if I change my mind? [emoji6] I never thought about using them for a PT holder. Thanks for the idea!

[Loulou4]

Last update on this thread... I traveled another couple hundred miles today and the sink had no issues staying attached to the counter top! This time around I put everything under the dinette in a new soft bag that I bought for the occasion.

BTW Georgia is amazing! Beautiful and the people certainly have a fair share of southern hospitality!

[PhxTrotter]

My GT has the sink coming unglued as well. I’ve only been on a few trips and didn’t store anything in it. It’s getting fixed now so it’s not really a big deal

[Loulou4]

Originally Posted by PhxTrotter

My GT has the sink coming unglued as well. I’ve only been on a few trips and didn’t store anything in it. It’s getting fixed now so it’s not really a big deal

Hi PhxTrotter,

Sorry to hear that you are having some issues with the sink too! Hopefully they will get is setup as it should have been at the factory.

Good luck!

[John Aspinal]

Hi all had a question for the group.We have a 2019 globetrotter we picked up in March .After a couple of trips found sink seperated from counter top.I read Lou`s repair sounded great but not sure that I should have to fix it as it is brand new.Also if I try to fix it will it void warranty on any future problems.If you did have this concern what did Airstream do to fix it and how long did it take .Thank you for your help in this matter. John Aspinall

[John Aspinal]

Hello just wondering how you made out with sink repair.Had same thing happen to me 2019 globetrotter. Wondering how long to fix and what they did. Thank you John Aspinall

[nryn]

My family and I are traveling through Alaska and my GT sink dropped in transit yesterday. It was a bumpy road but not too bad (the trailer has been through worse). Thought I’d post to this thread in case this happens to someone else. I’ve renovated a few kitchens and am an avid woodworker, so while inconvenient this wasn’t a huge deal. When I entered the trailer this is what I saw:



I took out the drawers and the sink front and removed the garbage door to get a good look. After assessing the damage I took a trip to the local hardware stores here in Seward and picked up the following:

• 4’ of 1 x 2 red oak
• (10) 1-1/4” #8 screws
• Construction adhesive
• 100% silicone sealant
• A couple of 24” grip clamps (which I used but didn’t really need)
• A long (8”?) Philips head driver
• A few other things that I didn’t end up needing

It’s mentioned earlier in the thread that sink retainer clips are only present on the sides of the sink. This is true and more clips certainly wouldn’t hurt, but that’s not the problem, at least on my trailer. The issue is that all of the countertop substrate that surrounds the sink are made of separate pieces (it’s the easy but lame way to make a sink cutout). This pic should make it more clear.



The wooden piece here sits under the countertop on the right side of the sink (facing the sink). It is only about 3” wide. There is a similar piece on the other side; I can’t tell if it is screwed down more securely. You can also see that I’ve disconnected the p-trap to avoid damaging the plumbing and am suspending the the sink with gaffer’s tape while I work on repositioning and reinforcing the plywood substrate that seems to be what failed.*



You can see in the picture above how this piece contributed to sink failure. Connecting the two pic above, it’s clear that the side pieces of substrate (that bear the most stress due to the clips) are affixed to the underlying cabinetry only by a thin strip of adhesive, and that’s optimistic. In retrospect I believe I removed glue from only one side of the substrate piece, suggesting that it was only glued to the countertop and not to the cabinet, but I can’t remember for sure.

I removed the old adhesive from the substrate piece, applied new construction adhesive on both sides, put the piece back and placed a heavy cargo container on top as a clamp.



But I wanted to improve the way the sink was supported rather than just reapply the adhesive. So I added some pieces of red oak, screwing them into the cabinetry between the clips, and screwing up from the bottom to secure the substrate.



You can also see in the pic above that while I had the sink dropped I also drilled some access holes so I could reach the screw that secures the frontmost retainer clip with a long bit (it is otherwise buried under a bunch of wood and cannot be accessed).*

Lastly, after scraping off and cleaning the sink rim and the underside of the countertop, to I applied 100% silicone adhesive around the sink instead of plumbers putty, which is what I think was used at the factory (I think this because it was very easy to remove). Under normal circumstances I would prefer the putty because it makes cleaning/removing the sink much easier. But I think the GT sink needs as much help as possible. I used some clamps and the remaining red oak strip to hold the sink in place while I secured the clips.



I reattached plumbing and didn’t put any weight in it for 24 hours. We’re just now using the sink and everything seems fine. Here’s a pic I took five minutes ago at our great waterfront campsite in Seward, AK.



Total repair time: 2 hours, not including trip to hardware store. I still consider this a temporary fix and will take it up as a warranty item when I bring it in for its first trip to JC.

[jeffmc306]

Nryn, wow! Thanks for posting the detailed steps and photos of your "field repair". You are an inspiration to all who experience problems on the road.

I'm definitely going to take another look under the cabinet before we leave for Colorado this Monday. I hope the rest of your trip is uneventful (repair wise) but full of good times!

[link2dks]

nryn,

Nice job I'll be bookmarking this post for future reference if needed. Will be reinforcing the sink soon. Thanks for the pics and description.

Dave S

[GOUSC]

Originally Posted by link2dks

nryn,

Nice job I'll be bookmarking this post for future reference if needed. Will be reinforcing the sink soon. Thanks for the pics and description.

Dave S

I agree, nice job (especially on the road)! I know exactly where you are camping. Great views and a hardware store that has everything you could need as I bought a fishing rod / reel to catch salmon right outside my door.

I'm a little unsure about pic #5 with the red oak. It will probably make more sense once I take a look at my sink.

Dave, I would like to reinforce mine as well before our Fall trip. Maybe we can talk before we both tackle it. I'm hoping it can be done w/o disassembling everything.

[nryn]

Thanks. Do note—in order to reinforce the sink, you’ll need to drop it in order to access the cabinet sides. That shouldn’t be a big deal if you can drill the hole to access the frontmost clips as I did. If Airstream decides to redo or replace the sink or cabinetry under warranty (I had other sink/plumbing related problems—the p-trap got disconnected in transit which soaked the drawers—tighten up those fittings while you’re at it) and installs the new sink per current factory specs, I’ll be re-doing this fix and possibly adding clips. Again, not a huge deal.

[nryn]

Originally Posted by GOUSC

I'm a little unsure about pic #5 with the red oak. It will probably make more sense once I take a look at my sink.

GOUSC, I meant to post this pic to accompany #5—these are the pair of red oak pieces I used on each side of the sink. They are positioned between clips and attached to the cabinet side (you can see in pic 5) and the countertop substrate (which you can’t see) and merely provide a bit more reinforcement for the side pieces of substrate.



A piece of right-angle metal that has the proper dimensions will also work. The constraint will be the measurement between the edge of the sink lip and the side of the cabinet. I went with what I knew I could make work

Also, If I were to do this fix with a shop handy I’d probably use baltic birch plywood. I couldn’t buy plywood in anything less than a full 4x8 sheet and only have a handsaw, so I went with red oak trim, which I’m sure will be totally fine.

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

Nice job. We had the sink come apart on our classic as well. Made it to JC and they ended up removing the entire counter top and remounting as well as reinforcing everything. It feels bulletproof now.

[rmkrum]

Man, what a pain. I’m real glad our ‘07 International has a drop in sink in a laminate countertop...

It looks very nice now that you got it back in place!

[Loulou4]

Well done y'all! Seems like there was certainly a little design defect in these sinks.

Just as an update from my original post... I've travelled over 3000 miles since fixing my sink and everything is holding up great! No issues what so ever with the VHB tape solution.

Now that doesn't mean I haven't had other issues with the rig. (like the dresser door falling off and the flooring starting to bunch up in places) But at least my fix has been rock solid

[GOUSC]

Thanks for the addt'l picture. After looking a my sink yesterday, it cleared in my mind what you were doing. You also had the following note;

"A piece of right-angle metal that has the proper dimensions will also work. The constraint will be the measurement between the edge of the sink lip and the side of the cabinet. I went with what I knew I could make work"

I was hoping not to drop the sink at this time since I've been lucky enough not to have it drop. Prior to posts similar to this I've stored a 2 gallon water jug in the sink and was lucky nothing happened.

My thoughts in the meantime tie into your right-angle metal idea. I have a 2018 and the inside of the cabinet (inner shell) is a little different than yours. In your addt'l read oak picture, you seem to have a large oval opening in the cabinet side. You would then still have the exterior sides attached to that (sort of an inner shell / outershell). In mine, instead of a large opening, mine has a couple of smaller openings. In between the openings, it leaves vertical strips extending all the way down the inner shell.

I was thinking of taking 3/4" plywood and making an "L frame bracket" and using pocket screws / glue to join the bracket. I would insert a couple of these on each side between the under sink tab to support the wood strip that fails. I would screw the vertical part of the L frame to the inner shell and the horizontal piece to the wood strip that is prone to fail.

I'm thinking I should be able to access all of this by just pulling out the 2 bottom drawers.

In the instance of the 2019 GT's, I'm thinking you could add the vertical strips (3/4" or 5/8" to give a smooth joining surface) to the large opening you have in your inner shell. Just be careful the screws don't go through the laminate on the outer shell. Then attach the L bracket to that.