Ernie n Tara
Well-known member
Closing up holes to the underside is a good investment. Mice and Roof Rats will find any entrance over the size of a quarter. Rats will nest in your drivers chair. Don't ask me how I know!
Ernie
Ernie
Water damage help
- Thread starter Jey
- Start date
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You guys as of 30 minutes ago.... the floor is ALL LAID DOWN!!!!
Literally there is not a single piece of plywood left to lay!!!
I?m so excited. It?s glued and 90% tacked down.
I just have to figure out what product to use between some of the cracks to fill them properly.
We had to do some puzzle pieces to fit back under the walls but it doesn?t matter because it all worked out!
Tomorrow we will get some more screws down and hopefully Wednesday we will start the process of reattaching the outside walls
Literally there is not a single piece of plywood left to lay!!!
I?m so excited. It?s glued and 90% tacked down.
I just have to figure out what product to use between some of the cracks to fill them properly.
We had to do some puzzle pieces to fit back under the walls but it doesn?t matter because it all worked out!
Tomorrow we will get some more screws down and hopefully Wednesday we will start the process of reattaching the outside walls
Hey sorry for the lack of updates!
It?s been crazy hectic working on the trailer because we had an opportunity arise to go to a charity event this week and we went into overdrive to get the trailer ready to go.
We made the decision that we were going to take it pretty much bare shell (aka no toilet/shower/kitchen etc) we did close up the hole for the black tank with a plug we found at homedepot so nothing falls in there.
Literally we have walls and floor..
But we have walls and floor!
I will get some pics for you guys soon. The walls went in *fairly* easy we used a 2.7mm wood we found at home depot. The most aggravating part was cutting out the hole for the emergency window, It gave us the most trouble.
Last week I installed a furrion 30amp conversion kit to get rid of the old mouse hole style setup. Then a few days ago I hooked up all the outlets and to my surprise I did it correctly and did not burn the trailer down.
Although I did get shocked 2 times.
The roof has been recaulked and new black and grey tank vents installed. I will not have time to reseal the roof before we go but it will be done when we get back.
We installed the two rear original trim pieces as well as two front new corner trim pieces and to my surprise we made it work. We replaced all the screws with stainless. I have to say my caulking abilities are terrible despite the endless amounts of YouTube videos I?ve watched for tips and tricks. I?m thankful that I?ve started adding Eternabond to the trim pieces because it covers up my ugly caulking jobs.
I used seal tite window foam core for the windows and I really think it?s an excellent product. I wish I would have used it around the luggage doors but I was unsure if I had enough. We also used the seal tite corner seal under the trim as well.
So here?s where we are now.
We leave Tuesday evening,
I work today and tomorrow until around 5. Last night we worked on the trailer until 1am and got up at 7 to put in a few hours before work.
We have to get these things done:
Caulk the outside pieces like lights etc
Install brake controller
Install weight distribution hitch and sway
Install bumper support and receiver hitch
Install new tires and new spare
And pack
I?m pretty confident we can get it done, But still nervous. I?ve put making sure the trailer is as water resistant as possible as my main priority and it?s put us a little behind but I think we can make it happen.
If I can squeeze any extra time in I?m going to install our rear view camera on the back of the trailer.
The brake controller/tires and caulking are my main priorities
I?m thinking worse case scenario the weight distribution hitch doesn?t make it on. I have an 8k towing capacity and I?m assuming the trailer is at about 3k right now without gear so we will say 4K+ with gear/passengers.
We have a 3 1/2 hour drive to where we?re going.
I will get pics up soon
It?s been crazy hectic working on the trailer because we had an opportunity arise to go to a charity event this week and we went into overdrive to get the trailer ready to go.
We made the decision that we were going to take it pretty much bare shell (aka no toilet/shower/kitchen etc) we did close up the hole for the black tank with a plug we found at homedepot so nothing falls in there.
Literally we have walls and floor..
But we have walls and floor!
I will get some pics for you guys soon. The walls went in *fairly* easy we used a 2.7mm wood we found at home depot. The most aggravating part was cutting out the hole for the emergency window, It gave us the most trouble.
Last week I installed a furrion 30amp conversion kit to get rid of the old mouse hole style setup. Then a few days ago I hooked up all the outlets and to my surprise I did it correctly and did not burn the trailer down.
Although I did get shocked 2 times.
The roof has been recaulked and new black and grey tank vents installed. I will not have time to reseal the roof before we go but it will be done when we get back.
We installed the two rear original trim pieces as well as two front new corner trim pieces and to my surprise we made it work. We replaced all the screws with stainless. I have to say my caulking abilities are terrible despite the endless amounts of YouTube videos I?ve watched for tips and tricks. I?m thankful that I?ve started adding Eternabond to the trim pieces because it covers up my ugly caulking jobs.
I used seal tite window foam core for the windows and I really think it?s an excellent product. I wish I would have used it around the luggage doors but I was unsure if I had enough. We also used the seal tite corner seal under the trim as well.
So here?s where we are now.
We leave Tuesday evening,
I work today and tomorrow until around 5. Last night we worked on the trailer until 1am and got up at 7 to put in a few hours before work.
We have to get these things done:
Caulk the outside pieces like lights etc
Install brake controller
Install weight distribution hitch and sway
Install bumper support and receiver hitch
Install new tires and new spare
And pack
I?m pretty confident we can get it done, But still nervous. I?ve put making sure the trailer is as water resistant as possible as my main priority and it?s put us a little behind but I think we can make it happen.
If I can squeeze any extra time in I?m going to install our rear view camera on the back of the trailer.
The brake controller/tires and caulking are my main priorities
I?m thinking worse case scenario the weight distribution hitch doesn?t make it on. I have an 8k towing capacity and I?m assuming the trailer is at about 3k right now without gear so we will say 4K+ with gear/passengers.
We have a 3 1/2 hour drive to where we?re going.
I will get pics up soon
Lou Schneider
Site Team
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
- Posts
- 13,370
Wow, congratulations on all your hard work and progress!
Rule 1 when working around electricity ... make sure the wires you're working on are de-energized! When I was working around transmitters with 5,000 volt wiring inside, this involved using a shorting stick to ground everything in sight after turning off the power. In over 30 years I never got shocked.
De-energizing an RV is easier - just unplug the trailer from the shore power and disconnect the battery!
Always disconnect the negative post first, then the positive. Your wrench can draw a large arc if it gets caught between the positive post and some metal connected to the trailer frame, this won't happen on the negative post. Once the negative wires are removed, the postive post is safe to work on.
Reverse the process when you re-connect the battery - positive first then the negative post.
Jey said:
Rule 1 when working around electricity ... make sure the wires you're working on are de-energized! When I was working around transmitters with 5,000 volt wiring inside, this involved using a shorting stick to ground everything in sight after turning off the power. In over 30 years I never got shocked.
De-energizing an RV is easier - just unplug the trailer from the shore power and disconnect the battery!
Always disconnect the negative post first, then the positive. Your wrench can draw a large arc if it gets caught between the positive post and some metal connected to the trailer frame, this won't happen on the negative post. Once the negative wires are removed, the postive post is safe to work on.
Reverse the process when you re-connect the battery - positive first then the negative post.
Lou Schneider
Site Team
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
- Posts
- 13,370
Jey said:
If you got shocked anywhere except on the lug on the main breaker with all of the breakers turned off, you may have an incorrectly wired shore power outlet or a reversal of the hot and neutral wires in your line cord.
Only the Hot lead should have 120 volts on it. The Neutral and Ground lines should be at Zero Volts.
If the polarity is reversed, 120 volts will be on the Neutral line and all of the Neutral lines inside the trailer will become shock hazards with voltage on them whether the breakers are on or off - the breakers only interrupt the Hot wire.
Use your voltmeter or a 3 light tester to check the polarity of the shore power outlet you're plugged into. The lights should light up in the proper sequence if you're using a tester.
If you're using a voltmeter set it to measure AC Volts and insert the test leads into the socket. You may have to wiggle them around a bit inside the holes to make contact. Measuring from the Hot lead hole to Ground should give 120 volts, with 0 volts from the Neutral hole to ground.
If you see 120 volts to ground on the Neutral, the socket is wired incorrectly.
Here's a short article and pictures showing how the socket should be wired:
http://www.myrv.us/Imgs/PDF/30-amp%20Service.pdf
If the shore power outlet is OK, check the connections inside the power plug if it has been replaced. This is often where a reversal happens. The positions of the black and white wires are reversed when looking at the back of the plug compared to looking at the back of the socket due to the shift in perspective.
The plug may also have dark-silver-green screws to indicate the hot-neutral-ground connections.
The black wire also connects to the Main Breaker in the trailer's power panel with the white wire going to the Neutral buss and the green wire going to the Ground Buss. But mistakes here are less common than a reversal in the shore power outlet or in the power plug.
Now that Im thinking about it I was using a 30 to 15amp dogbone because I was not going to be running any equipment just checking power sources. I?m thinking the extension cord was the culprit of my issue.
I have had the trailer hooked up to 30amp on my generator with no issues but I have a multimeter so I?m gonna test the things you said anyways.
I have had the trailer hooked up to 30amp on my generator with no issues but I have a multimeter so I?m gonna test the things you said anyways.
Well guys... we did it.
We took the trailer on it?s very first camping trip! We?ve been to two rv parks in the last 6 days about 3 hours from home and tomorrow we make our venture back. We don?t have the toilet or sink or even the dinette in it yet but we have a bed and an AC that is freezing us out.
The good: we got everything installed on the outside including the new electric brakes/hubs/wheels/spare, weight distribution hitch, brake controller, rear bumper braces, bumper hitch and bike rack.
The not so good: our trailer has two air vents for the fridge on the side of the trailer and they are leaking in water. It?s aggravating because the original vents leaked and these are brand new vents, surrounded by brand new bracing and a whole new wall. They?re not leaking around the seams but right in the channel where the vent can be taken in and out. . I decided to seal them with clear proflex rv caulking the day before we left because we had no reason to remove them and deal with it later. Once parked we covered it with plastic because we didn?t want to be out and about and have a rain storm come and us not be in the camper to keep an eye on the leak.
The next leak showed up once we were already at the park and it?s actually leaking in the hinge of the luggage door. The opposite side is not leaking at all but for some reason the passenger side hinge gets a small stream going. I?m assuming that side needs a thicker gasket for the seal
Definitely have to figure out what?s going on there.
But other than that the trailer has been so much fun!
My F150 didn?t have any problems pulling the trailer and the electric brakes make this thing a breeze to stop. It?s an extremely easy trailer to backup compared to some trailers I?ve had to backup in the past. but I?ve forgotten twice now to release the sway bar before backing (thankfully it wasn?t super tight so I didn?t break anything). It still needs a good cleaning and some goo gone to get rid of old adhesive from tape we used over the last few months for various things on the exterior. The faded/peeling decals still need to go and we have to fix some clearance lights.
We were backed up, unhooked, leveled, and had the power all set within 20-30 minutes at both parks we?ve visited. We were so happy!
I made some videos I will post up as soon as I can.
We took the trailer on it?s very first camping trip! We?ve been to two rv parks in the last 6 days about 3 hours from home and tomorrow we make our venture back. We don?t have the toilet or sink or even the dinette in it yet but we have a bed and an AC that is freezing us out.
The good: we got everything installed on the outside including the new electric brakes/hubs/wheels/spare, weight distribution hitch, brake controller, rear bumper braces, bumper hitch and bike rack.
The not so good: our trailer has two air vents for the fridge on the side of the trailer and they are leaking in water. It?s aggravating because the original vents leaked and these are brand new vents, surrounded by brand new bracing and a whole new wall. They?re not leaking around the seams but right in the channel where the vent can be taken in and out. . I decided to seal them with clear proflex rv caulking the day before we left because we had no reason to remove them and deal with it later. Once parked we covered it with plastic because we didn?t want to be out and about and have a rain storm come and us not be in the camper to keep an eye on the leak.
The next leak showed up once we were already at the park and it?s actually leaking in the hinge of the luggage door. The opposite side is not leaking at all but for some reason the passenger side hinge gets a small stream going. I?m assuming that side needs a thicker gasket for the seal
Definitely have to figure out what?s going on there.
But other than that the trailer has been so much fun!
My F150 didn?t have any problems pulling the trailer and the electric brakes make this thing a breeze to stop. It?s an extremely easy trailer to backup compared to some trailers I?ve had to backup in the past. but I?ve forgotten twice now to release the sway bar before backing (thankfully it wasn?t super tight so I didn?t break anything). It still needs a good cleaning and some goo gone to get rid of old adhesive from tape we used over the last few months for various things on the exterior. The faded/peeling decals still need to go and we have to fix some clearance lights.
We were backed up, unhooked, leveled, and had the power all set within 20-30 minutes at both parks we?ve visited. We were so happy!
I made some videos I will post up as soon as I can.
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Gizmo100
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2018
- Posts
- 3,065
LOOKS GREAT....
You did a great job..
You did a great job..
Looks great, happy you are getting to use it. Really have put a lot of effort into it. Watch those Yeti's 
.
I put the same bumper supports on my TT, and it seems that bikes twist my bumper back and forth and I almost lose my rubber ends all the time.
. I put the same bumper supports on my TT, and it seems that bikes twist my bumper back and forth and I almost lose my rubber ends all the time.
TLRam1
Active member
Glad you are getting to use the fruits of your labor.
How about putting a face with the voice in one of your videos. It is nice to see who the person is when you do videos.
How about putting a face with the voice in one of your videos. It is nice to see who the person is when you do videos.
SpencerPJ said:Looks great, happy you are getting to use it. Really have put a lot of effort into it. Watch those Yeti's
I put the same bumper supports on my TT, and it seems that bikes twist my bumper back and forth and I almost lose my rubber ends all the time.
Oh... I lost both mine this last trip. Is that what?s happening? Should I do something to try and stop it?
My bikes + carrier weigh a good 130lbs + spare tire
Yes, the extra weight twists and contorts the bumper and ozzes the end plugs out I notice it way more when I add our 2-3 bikes, vs when not.
I actually ran a bungee around the end, and hooked to the Clamp. I've seen people drill holes through the bumper and plugs, and drop a 4.5" pin through it.. I store my waste tank hose in there, and I don't want to lose it. Other side, a got a 5 ft, 3/4" piece of copper water pipe, added a bicycle grip and have an awesome fire stir stick.
I notice it way more when I add our 2-3 bikes, vs when not.I actually ran a bungee around the end, and hooked to the Clamp. I've seen people drill holes through the bumper and plugs, and drop a 4.5" pin through it.. I store my waste tank hose in there, and I don't want to lose it. Other side, a got a 5 ft, 3/4" piece of copper water pipe, added a bicycle grip and have an awesome fire stir stick.
SpencerPJ said:Yes, the extra weight twists and contorts the bumper and ozzes the end plugs out
I actually ran a bungee around the end, and hooked to the Clamp. I've seen people drill holes through the bumper and plugs, and drop a 4.5" pin through it.. I store my waste tank hose in there, and I don't want to lose it. Other side, a got a 5 ft, 3/4" piece of copper water pipe, added a bicycle grip and have an awesome fire stir stick.
Where do they normally put the pin? The ends or the middle?
I think I might try that.
