[A/S] Elusive Leak...Thanks Guys !

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mary - don't run off right away. You've just begun reading what is a large and detailed chapter in
every Airstreamers book on how to fix leaks. Here's another small suggestion <cough>. 

If your frustration level dictates that you follow the suggestion made by Daisy (see below),
consider this. 

If you remove all the old caulk, you can minimize the size of the bead you use when you recaulk.
This will result in a more professional look when you are done. Plus, (and this is the real reason
to do it) you will remove nearly all the possibilities that - what looks like a good section of
caulk (but isn't) is no longer a contributor to your leak(s).

There's more. Namely, how do you THOROUGHLY remove the old caulk, so you can do YOUR caulking job
right - the first time. Remember - good enough isn't.

What's the secret of removing old caulk? Go down to the Salvation Army store (or the like) and
search the kitchen utensil boxes for one or two mongrel lobster picks. With picks, you can do the
job quickly and accurately. Picks are simple to control as you scrape the edge where the old caulk
is located and most important of all - you get immediate knowledge of results and can see if you are
doing job right or not. Start this project on the first of three sunny days, but only do as much per
day as you can re-caulk prior to the last three hours before night time dew sets in and your fresh
caulk gets wet before it has dried.

Remember, if you are going to go to all this trouble to do the job right, it makes sense to control
as many variables as are within your reach. With that in mind, you may want to consider this a two
phase project. Using the picks is the second phase. Here's the first phase. 

Before you even begin thinking about caulking the seams, remove the air conditioner cover, clean out
the leaves, wash everything you can reach, inspect all caulkinh, put a drop of 3 in 1 oil on the a/c
motor shaft (if you can find it) and THEN, decide how much caulking you'll do inside and around the
a/c housing. 

Of utmost importance, don't rush the job. Be a royal pain in the butt about being thorough and
deliberate. Likewise, be reasonable - for example - if there is two inches of caulk inside the area
where the a/c motor is located, it might not be reasonable to remove that caulk. But, it might be
reasonable to "rough" it up with a small wire brush and make sure there are no loose pieces before
you "freshen" it by smearing new caulk over the old caulk with your fingers (surgical gloves, of
course). 

After you finish that caulking and reinstall the cover, proceed with your inspection of the vents,
the tv antenna entry site, each anchor site for your solar panels, the refrigerator vent (not the
cover), all raised lettering and anything else that looks suspicious (but which isn't a seam). 

The name of the game is to save the seams for last. That part of the job will go the fastest. When
you're done, you'll be confident the job was done right and you'll be proud of your well practiced
skills. Just because your hands and arms ache for a week afterwards will be of no consequence.
<grin>

Who knows, you may be presented with a first place, blue ribbon for the best caulking job,

Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net