This is the leak test rig that I built using a blower from Harbor Freight and a concrete form from Lowes:
The form is fitted into a piece of cardboard I cut out to fit the baggage door. I sealed it with duct tape. Make sure all your vents are closed and lock the range vent for maximum pressure.
The form is fitted into a piece of cardboard I cut out to fit the baggage door. I sealed it with duct tape. Make sure all your vents are closed and lock the range vent for maximum pressure.
What do you do to mark each spot until you're done with your test? I'm thinking a piece of blue painters tape, but it would not stick to a wet soapy surface. You would somehow have to mark each spot and then go back over the trailer with caulk after you were done with the test.
I have the largest hand-held, gas powered, blower that Stihl makes, so I'm thinking I could do this through the cargo door, propping up my DS's bunk bed a couple inches.
Before I start testing, I take five pieces of paper and crudely draw out the four walls and the roof. I mark with a pen, the location of any leaks.
Yes a large blower will probably get the pressure differential needed. I made a DIY manometer using a piece of 1/2" acrylic tube and a piece of plywood. Make a "U" with the tube and attach it to the plywood. I fill the tube with water and food coloring. One end of the tube is inserted into the blower mounting board and the other end of the tube is open. I mark on the plywood the water levels before testing with some marks at 1/2" increments from resting center. The measurement is the sum of the higher level and lower level from center in the tube when testing.
The Westend MZ1000 manometer:
The squirrel cage blower I use is positioned on a ladder and the air is directed through a window:
For my first tests I blocked off the ceiling vents with cardboard and tape. My heater stack is fed from the outside and I put a towel around the bottom of the combustion chamber. Sinks and toilet are filled with water. After a couple of tests, I kind of slack on the sealing since the squirrel cage pushes a lot of air. YMMV.
FWIW, my trailer has a full vapor barrier on the interior. Air still enters the wall and ceiling cavities, enough to make bubbles where there is any through hole in the exterior.
When I did the restoration on the trailer, I tried to seal all the mating surfaces diligently. I did have a few small leaks. I continue to test at least yearly as I don't want my work to be undone.
This info should be a sticky for sure! Can a moderator make that happen?
westend wrote:
You can DIY with a furnace blower, a leaf blower, or any fan/blower that moves a good bit of air. The idea is to introduce air into the interior until a positive pressure differential is achieved. 1/2"-> 1.5" of Water column is an accepted range. When the pressure has been achieved, the exterior is sprayed with a water-soap solution. Anywhere there is a passage to the interior will have bubbles forming on it.
A small pinhole leak:
If I knew this Forum would sticky the process as I do it, I'd do a write up and description of the testing. Unfortunately, everytime this comes up and I post up the info and pictures, it fades into the archives. The information is buried in my restoration thread in my signature line, "the Cowboy/Hilton".
