Feb 13 2017

My Tires Are How Old?

Quick—how old are the tires on your Airstream?

If you’re like most people, you haven’t thought about that in a while, and you might even be wondering why you should be thinking about it now. The short answer is that tires eventually get too old for safe use, even when the tread still looks good.

For recent owners, here’s the shocker: having bought a new travel trailer or motorhome doesn’t actually guarantee that the tires are new too. That’s because the Airstream may have sat on a dealer’s lot for a while, or (if it was a trade-in) it might have had the tires swapped.

Tires have a finite lifespan even if they aren’t being used, and that lifespan begins from the moment they are manufactured, not when they are placed into service. There’s really only one way to be sure of the manufacture date of your tires, and that’s to get up close and personal with your tires.

Every tire has a date code imprinted right into the rubber on the sidewall. It’s four digits, printed in a little box like the one shown in the photo. This box only appears on one side of the tire, so it’s possible that if you can’t find it on it on the outside, you’ll have to slide under the trailer to look at the tire’s other side. Bring a flashlight and a notepad so you can record the date code for each tire—they may all be different.

Deciphering the four-digit code is easy. The first two digits are the week the tire was manufactured, the second two digits the year. For example in the photo above, “2115” means the tire was manufactured in the 21st week of 2015. That’s mid-May, 2015, which isn’t bad because the tires were purchased in August. It’s not unusual for tires to sit around in a warehouse for a month or three between manufacturer and purchase.

If your tire only has a three digit code, replace it now! Tires with 3-digit date codes were made before the turn of the century.

The tire industry has varying recommendations on when you should replace tires. Some manufacturers say four years, others say as long as ten years. But the actual lifespan of a tire varies depending on how it is used, so if your tires have seen a rough life (lots of storage time, exposed to the sun, under-inflated occasionally, lots of potholes, etc) you should probably err toward the side of caution and replace them after four or five years—no matter how good they appear.

New buyers should check date codes too. The dealer will probably be surprised that you even knew to ask about the tire date codes (and imagine their faces when you slide under the trailer to look at the date code yourself!) but at the same time this shows that you’re a serious buyer and you have done your research.

Oct 10 2016

Why you need tire pressure monitoring

Roslyn B. says, “I have a question about trailer tires. This past weekend I had a blowout on a busy interstate. We spent two hours in 102 degrees in a precarious position waiting for the emergency assistance from Good Sam to get to us. Thankfully a FHP trooper waited with us hoping to slow the traffic speeding by on I-275.

We had the tires on my 19-foot Airstream checked out prior to our trip. The tire was only two years old. Any thoughts on what to do to prevent this from happening again? We keep it stored in an inside facility in Orlando.”

We feel you, Roslyn. A tire pressure monitoring system that allows you keep track of your tire performance might be your best option. When installed, a remote monitor in your tow vehicle tells you when a tire becomes dangerously under- or over-inflated.

Tire pressure monitors are quickly becoming a necessity rather than the newest gadget out in electronics land. Every new passenger vehicle and light truck produced or sold in America has a TPMS system for good reasons.

People are fast becoming believers, due to the fact that they’re hearing stories from other RVers or that they’ve had a near disaster or worse and experienced tire failures themselves. To most folks, TPMS systems seem complicated and difficult to understand, so we’ll try to give a “non-geek” explanation of how they work. They really aren’t that complicated or mysterious.

First, these systems are completely wireless. This means that they have no wires running from the sensors to the monitor installed on the driver’s side dashboard area. They operate on frequencies that allow them to communicate back and forth from the sensors to the monitor. The system is constantly requesting the temperature and pressure from each sensor installed on every tire on the vehicle.

When the sensor is ‘asked’, it responds with an answer, giving the monitor the data and then displaying that information on the screen for the operator to see. Settings are established in advance so that the system understands what the high and low pressure and high temperature settings are supposed to be. As long as the tire stays within those setting parameters, the system remains quiet and displays that all is well.

If, however, the system detects tire anomalies (a fancy engineering word for ‘the system is out of established limits’), the monitor immediately goes into an alert mode, and lights and sirens go off to give the driver the opportunity to make quick educated decisions about the issue before it becomes critical.

If a nail or screw is picked up in a tire, a brake begins to drag, or a hub bearing fails, these (and other issues) can cause air pressure, the lack of pressure, or even heat to become a problem. The system immediately jumps to the problem tire or tires, and lets the driver know exactly which tire is in trouble—possibly preventing a catastrophic event.

Sometimes the TPMS doesn’t alert the driver to a blowout in advance of it occurring, for a simple reason: if there is a catastrophic occurrence that takes place instantly—such as hitting a piece of debris or a very sharp-edged pothole—the tire fails instantly and there’s no way that the system can tell the driver ahead of time that that’s about to happen.

In any case, keep vigilant and make sure you are not driving on old tires. (The date of manufacture may be much older than the purchase date.) Make sure that you have your tires properly inflated, and weigh your trailer at a truck scale to make sure it’s not overloaded.

The TST tire pressure monitoring system is available in the Airstream Life Store.

Oct 10 2016

Battery Storage

Reader Jim L. wants to know:

“How is it best to handle batteries on the winter? Do I take them out? Store in my cold garage? Do I put a charge on them all winter to keep from freezing? Do I add water in the winter when they are not used? Do I store them on wood rather than concrete? HELP!! Before cold winter comes to Tennessee.”

Thanks for asking, Jim. It’s that time of year for many Airstreamers to think about winter storage. From your question, we’ll assume you don’t have an electrical outlet near where you keep your Airstream during the cold months.

In this case the best approach is to remove the batteries from the trailer and store them somewhere that you can keep them plugged into a device designed specifically to maintain batteries. We’re not talking about a typical battery charger here, but a dedicated battery maintainer. You can keep the batteries hooked up to a charge maintainer all winter without fear of overcharging. They are easily found in auto parts stores or online.

You should add distilled water to the batteries anytime they need it (after first disconnecting the charge maintainer). The water will mix with the electrolyte in the batteries and won’t freeze as long as the battery is kept charged.

The stories you may have heard about storing batteries on wood instead of concrete are old myths based on batteries made in the olden days. You can read much more about winterization, batteries, and proper maintenance procedures in The (Nearly) Complete Guide To Airstream Maintenance.

Oct 01 2016

Do you need a water filter? and other water questions

A reader asks: Are in line water filters necessary when camping in established camp grounds?

It’s a matter of personal choice. Campground water has to meet the same standards as any other public water system, so it should be safe. But you might not like the taste, or your body might be sensitive to different water than what you are accustomed to drinking at home. If so, a good filtration system is the solution.

Water treatment is a complex subject. Basic charcoal filters improve taste and remove chlorine, as well as large sediment, and they are inexpensive. From there, you can upgrade to filter out even finer sediment, bacteria, protozoa, chemicals and metals with other types of filters. You can also soften the water, de-ionize it, and even sterilize the water with a UV light.

Of course, every added element means more expense, more weight, more stuff to carry, an ongoing maintenance cost, and (in the case of external filtration systems) more setup time at the campground. So before you buy, consider carefully how far you are willing to go for extremely pure water.

Sometimes water filtration is necessary to prevent problems with the plumbing, as the next question demonstrates:

About three years ago I started having problem with the water valve in a Thetford commode. It was clogging, and holding it open, thus allowing my commode to overflow and flood my trailer. Unable to figure it out, I bought a Dometic toilet and then the water line started to clog up with what looked like calcium pellets. Since the Dometic toilet had a screen in the water valve, it would not let the pellets into the water valve, so I avoided the flooding problem.

Where are the calcium pellets coming from? I installed an inline water filter just prior to the water filter on the commode and now I can just open the water filter and clean the bowl out and everything is good for about two weeks. This problem is really noticeable after I move the trailer as I guess I am shaking trash loose as we travel. Any thoughts on how to solve this problem?

You’ve got hard water, and that’s probably the basic source of all the problems you are having. Mineral deposits from the water are accumulating and clogging the pipes, valves, water heater, and every other part of the plumbing system. Unfortunately, for those living in the southwest it’s a common issue.

The best solution is a water softener. You can buy portable units designed specifically for recreational vehicles, which work the same way as household units. When it’s time to recharge the softener, you can do it with ordinary table salt. There’s some maintenance and a little bit of setup hassle, but a softener would eliminate the mineral pellets and other problems you’ve been having. We’d also recommend a good filter to remove any sediment, installed at the outside of the Airstream.

Aug 30 2016

Black Water: a Newbies Guide

With an Airstream hooked to the back of your car you’ll find that long trips are much nicer. One perk is having your own bathroom wherever you go. There’s only one small price to be paid for this convenience: dumping the waste tanks.

Black vs gray: Blackwater is sewer water from the toilet, which in most Airstreams is held in a separate tank from the gray water (used water from the sinks and shower).

Be not afraid. If there’s one thing that keeps people away from RVing it’s the fear of dumping the holding tanks, but dumping the tanks is as easy as can be. You attach a simple hose, pull a handle, and—whoosh!—your troubles are flushed away. First the black tank, then the gray tank.

Wash your hands whenever you’ve touched the sewer hose. Some people like to wear disposable gloves, but you should wash your hands thoroughly afterward in any case.

Pay attention to your holding tanks, and to a certain extent what goes in them. The black tank should only contain things you’ve previously eaten, easily-dissolved toilet paper, water, and a bit of tank chemical to help things along. Nothing else.

Hose-3-gloves — Wear gloves as an option.

Tank chemicals (often called “sanitizers” or “digestants”) should be added to the black tank every time after it is dumped, along with a gallon or two of water. These chemicals help break down and liquefy the waste, which is what you want for trouble-free tank dumping.

Avoid formaldehyde. We recommend you choose tank chemicals that don’t use formaldehyde. Formaldehyde kills the beneficial bacteria that help break down the waste. Not only is that counter-productive for you, but it can prevent septic systems from working, which causes problems for campground owners. Formaldehyde is also a known carcinogen. Products labeled “bacterial digestant”, “enzyme based”, or “septic safe” are the best choice.

Add water. Don’t be too skimpy on flushing water from the toilet into the black tank. The tank needs a good ratio of water to solids in order to empty properly. Failure to add sufficient water will result in “buildup.” You won’t like that.

TP options: There is special “RV toilet paper” that is sold in RV stores. It’s much more expensive than the household variety. It works, but you will also do well with a single ply toilet paper, such as Scott’s, which is available in grocery stores across the country.

Sewer hoses don’t last forever. To avoid disasters of the worst possible sort, replace that hose at the very first sign of cracking, pinholes, or any sort of wear. People who wait for the hose to fail usually regret their choice.

Excerpted from Rich Luhr’s definitive book for all owners, “The Newbies Guide to Airstreaming”, available at the Airstream Life Store.