VACList DigestVACList-Digest Saturday, June 29, 2002 Issue 349
Today's Topics:
1. locating leaks
2. Re: Deadbolt
3. Re: Travels
4. Deadbolt FUD?
5. Re: kudos
6. Re: locating leaks
7. Re: locating leaks
8. RoadTrip2002 - Rapid City?
9. Re: Deadbolt FUD?
10. Re: locating leaks
11. Very Classic Rigs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message Number: 1
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 23:34:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jill Hari <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: locating leaks
one of our famous mini-monsoons arrived and all
the rain prompted me to look for water inside the
trailer. i'm not sure how to figure out where the
water is coming from though (aside from the
obvious). at the door, there is a tiny little wet
spot on the left as i'm facing the trailer. it's
the corner on the hinge side of the door. so,
where does that water get in? (i do have the
common *soft door-floor*). perhaps it leaks in
through the vent thing that seems to go from the
fridge to the roof? or could it be seeping in
around the door (the rubber seal is wasted.. i
guess that's on the priority list, too). is it a
standard part at an RV store?
the only other spot i saw wetness was around the
base of the kitchen cupboard frame. but there is
a hole on the wall behind that i forgot to block.
i wonder what goes in that hole. it's about 3 or
4 inch diameter - like a pipe or something goes
there.. is that where the gas stove pipes out?
that part of the kitchen is torn up and i haven't
dug through the debris yet.
Jill
Oregon
1960 scarestream
=====
"Everything in the Universe is subject to change...
and everything is right on schedule."
__________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Message Number: 2
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 09:45:08 -0400
From: Terry Tyler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Deadbolt
on 06/27/02 12:32 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Terry,
>
> Do you happen to have any photos of your deadbolt installation?
>
> Dave
>
Hey Dave,
No photos available. That Airstream ('77 31') is back at our house in
Upstate New York. Currently, we're tramping around in Colorado with our '67
22' Safari.
We've been visiting our brand spanking new grand daughter (born 06/07/02)
and helping our son (F-15 Fighter Pilot) and his wife prepare for their move
to his new duty station in New Orleans on 07/19/02.
Coincidentally, your note was received, read and replied to during one of
those rare occasions when both of our grand children were taking naps
simultaneously. But, enough of that.
If I were you, I'd go looking for an Airstream of the exact year and model
as your Airstream (with a deadbolt that was installed 15+ years ago) and use
it as your example.
As Andy mentioned, the door frames varied from year to year which means the
installation needs to be tailor made to the specific configuration of
framing used during that particular year and on that particular model.
Like your father taught you - primary source data is the only data worth
using when it's your turn to make decisions. Assumptions are not worth a
hoot nor a holler.
The only thing that counts is strict attention to detail, pre-planning with
blatant organization and a lot of thought before any action is taken. It's
like painting a house. Nine tenths of the work is done before the paint can
is even opened.
My apologies if this sounds condescending. That's not my intention. I've
made more than my share of mistakes and no one needs to play copy cat
because I failed to mention a few of the lessons I have learned.
Terry
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
Message Number: 3
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 09:45:10 -0400
From: Terry Tyler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Travels
on 06/27/02 1:15 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I was wondering if you guys were going to keep the list up to date with your
> travels? I have always enjoyed hearing about what you are up to and where you
> have been. Thanks, Karen Waldo WDCU #8440
>
Hi Karen,
It's been awhile since we've visited. I haven't been keeping the list up to
date with our travels because it's been mostly mops and brooms type things.
But, I'll take a stab at it and see what reaction I get.
This summer, our first trip (New York to Colorado) was begun without a shake
down cruise. I knew better, but we had a new grand daughter to meet (born
06/07/02) and a son and daughter-in-law to congratulate.
A second reason we and "others in the extended family" were going to
Colorado was to help our son prepare for his upcoming transfer from Norad in
Cheyenne Mountain to an F-15 Squadron in Louisiana on July 19th. Their
rented house needed restoring to pristine condition before they moved out
and they needed a regular baby sitter while they packed. We knew that would
suit us just fine and I know how to repair lots of things, thanks to owning
various Airstreams.
But back to our trek west. As predicted, a few unexpected snags occurred
during on shakedown.
We left Upstate New York two weeks ago to pick up our '67 22' Safari at
Arlene Fowler's place. I had left it with her three weeks earlier. Sandie
and I provided samples of upholstery and carpet and asked her to give our
Airstream her best "soup to nuts" interior refurbishing. Both of us are
immensely pleased with it as we were in 1994 when she did our '77 31'
Airstream. Now, to the snags.
As your Dad taught you, I too, try to keep our tow vehicles ready to tow
anywhere on the continent at a moment's notice. But, sometimes (read "often
times") maintenance needs to be done "on the fly" enroute. That occurred
three times during our 2600 mile shakedown trip (twice with the Suburban and
once with the Airstream).
The first was with the Suburban when I heard the familiar snap similar to a
metal pencil being broken in half - under my seat in the Suburban - each
time we pulled away from a toll booth - and each time I pressed the
accelerator to engage the passing gear.
Some sounds are memorable and never forgotton (even after being learned as a
"know it all teenager"). It was time for three new Universal joints. They
were replaced at the Royal Oaks GMC dealer in Paducah, KY. The price was
fair, the mechanic was sharp and the job was done to my satisfaction. I keep
a list of garages (and names of mechanics) that I would return to in the
future. That garage is now on my list (in my PDA "Handspring Visor").
While we were in Arlene's yard, the electric lights in our Airstream worked.
The first night after we left Paducah, the interior lights to our Airstream
did not work. Yuk!
According to my diagnostic test lamp, there was an "open neutral" in the
system. Being somewhat cocky about it, I figured it was nothing more than a
loose white wire in one of the wall outlets. While piling up the miles and
boondocking most nights, there was no need to connect our pigtail to a
campground utility box - thus, no rush to solve that issue immediately. We
could concentrate on chugging along across the continent.
One very windy afternoon in Kansas, we stopped early and I dug out my
multi-tester to began searching for the outlet without continuity. With a
cavalier attitude, I thought, "This should be simple enough." Ha!!
Several days later and still not finding the elusive wire, I decided to get
serious about this search and stop thinking of it as an after dinner romp.
Each of five (out of six) wall outlets were opened and all nuts tightened.
While at it, I used my flashlight (with new batteries) to look at each of
the screws holding the wires in place. All screws were tight and all
surfaces at each screw were shiny. I thought I had looked all the outlets
and was still baffled.
Rationalizing, I thought, "We don't need 120 volt power anyway. The solar
panels are more than adequate for our power needs." But, the problem kept
nagging me. The next afternoon, I remembered the 1967 Airstream manual that
came with the trailer. Digging it out, I added up the wall outlets and
counted six. Elation set in as I opened the sixth outlet (under the gaucho
next to the refrigerator).
Voila` - there it was. Not only a loose wire, but a crusted over screw to
boot. That meant this was the culprit and was an old problem just waiting
for an opportunity to require my attention.
In my stash box was an exact brand new replacement electrical outlet (price
tag of 37 cents was on it from17 years ago). Ten minutes later, I had it
installed and my test gauge read OK. Everything was back to normal.
Two lessons learned:
1 - Check the screws holding the wires in ALL the outlets more often than
never. <grin>
2 - Being cocky and having a cavalier attitude isn't necessarily the best
way to approach solving simple problems. Sometimes I eat crow. This was one
of those occasions.
Second problem with the Suburban became evident after we arrived in Colorado
Springs and were no longer towing the Airstream (with its' additional
braking capacity). Now that the Suburban had to stop itself without any help
from the Airstream, I was pressing harder on the brake pedal during the long
and steep down grades going into town.
A pulsating brake pedal was my first hint. The second was when the front end
of the Suburban began to bounce when I applied the brakes hard while going
45 miles a hour or faster. It was time for new front brakes. But, in a town
where I had no experience with any of the garages.
This is not a new occurrence for us. To find a competent mechanic who will
do a high quality job at a fair price for me means following a familiar
scenario. I'm sure there are other ways, but what works for me is to first
find a garage that has specialized in the exact job I want done for more
than 15 years in the exact same location.
Second, I telephone them and ask to speak with the owner. In this case, the
owner and his brother had been running the business at the same location
since 1964 and did all the work themselves (no other employees). Third, I
described the symptoms and listened to what the owner thought was the
problem and what he would do to solve it.
His plan was satisfactory to my way of thinking and he offered to do the job
if I would bring the truck to him by 7:45 the next morning. I did, he did
and an hour later, it was done and I paid him $150. It's now been a week and
the Suburban is still its' old normal self with very capable and smooth
braking capacity. Incidentally, the owner/mechanic ground the drums to make
them round again and checked the rear brakes to be sure they were
satisfactory (they were, they had 75% capacity remaining on the pads).
Karen, I don't know if anyone will be interested in this kind of chit chat.
It's just the ordinary stuff all of us face one time or another.
Would you say "Hi" to your Dad from us next time you see him? I haven't
noticed him posting on the VAC list. Did he and your Mom go to South Dakota
with their shiny Globetrotter?
Terry
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
Message Number: 4
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 09:45:10 -0400
From: Terry Tyler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Deadbolt FUD?
on 06/27/02 6:45 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Replacing a cast metal door requires a door, jamb and screen door, that was
> used from 78 to 93.
Thanks Andy,
I wondered which years you had in mind when you first discussed deadbolts.
Terry
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
Message Number: 5
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 09:45:10 -0400
From: Terry Tyler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: kudos
on 06/28/02 12:35 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> oh ya, this is not priority, but does anyone know
> if those little plastic drapery tabs can be found
> anywhere? does anyone manufacture an aftermarket
> replacement that fits the original curtain rods?
Hey Jill,
You might give Arlene Fowler a holler. She uses those tabs when doing a
drapery refurbishing job.
New topic. If you want the tabs for holding a shower curtain in the track,
she has a batch of them and I know she'd love to find someone who needs a
handful.
Her email address is:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Her business keeps her busy and she may not reply the next day. If you
haven't heard from her is a few days, she's probably still at the
International Convention in South Dakota.
She lives and works out of her home in Paducah, Kentucky. If you haven't
received a reply from her by mid July, rattle her cage again. She's a classy
lady with a lot of insight and skills for refurbishing Airstreams.
Terry
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
------------------------------
Message Number: 6
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 10:16:44 -0700
From: "Tuna" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: locating leaks
Tracing the source of water intrusion is a science verging on an art...
water coming in from a roof vent, for example, can slide down the inner skin
until it finds something travelling laterally, like wiring, or a structural
member, or window frame... and travel a particular distance... so the
appearance of the puddle can be yards away from the water's entry point...
Also, water sources can be leaky plumbing, rainwater, wind-driven rain,
air-conditioner condensate, or simple condensation between the skins, road
spray kicked up by the tires into the wheel-wells... and the water's path
can change, if the trailer was/is off-level in some way... the way most
people locate leaks (this is all in the archives, by the way), is to wait
for dry weather, level the trailer, and spray water on the trailer in some
sort of systematic fashion, e.g. starting down low, spray water (medium
pressure garden hose) on a section about 3'x3'... then wait for a few
minutes to let any possible leak to migrate to its puddle.
Also, you might want to inspect all the seams for lost caulk. With vintage
trailers, people usually end up cleaning old caulk out of the seams and
re-applying the Vulkem.
You definitely want to eliminate water intrusion before expending the effort
to repair your floors...
Happy Hunting!
Tuna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jill Hari" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Multiple recipients of VACList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2002 11:34 PM
Subject: [VAC] locating leaks
> one of our famous mini-monsoons arrived and all
> the rain prompted me to look for water inside the
> trailer. i'm not sure how to figure out where the
> water is coming from though (aside from the
> obvious). at the door, there is a tiny little wet
> spot on the left as i'm facing the trailer. it's
> the corner on the hinge side of the door. so,
> where does that water get in? (i do have the
> common *soft door-floor*). perhaps it leaks in
> through the vent thing that seems to go from the
> fridge to the roof? or could it be seeping in
> around the door (the rubber seal is wasted.. i
> guess that's on the priority list, too). is it a
> standard part at an RV store?
>
> the only other spot i saw wetness was around the
> base of the kitchen cupboard frame. but there is
> a hole on the wall behind that i forgot to block.
> i wonder what goes in that hole. it's about 3 or
> 4 inch diameter - like a pipe or something goes
> there.. is that where the gas stove pipes out?
> that part of the kitchen is torn up and i haven't
> dug through the debris yet.
>
> Jill
> Oregon
> 1960 scarestream
>
>
> =====
> "Everything in the Universe is subject to change...
> and everything is right on schedule."
------------------------------
Message Number: 7
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 14:08:19 -0400
From: Chris Elliott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: locating leaks
Jill - Have a good looksee at the awning rail , often they are just screwed on
over some masking tape , the h2o goes in the screw holes .
Chris
------------------------------
Message Number: 8
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 11:13:05 -0700
From: "Tuna" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: RoadTrip2002 - Rapid City?
Dr.Katz (Kitty) and I are about to hit the road in the Silver Beast - the
1979 Dodge dualie conversion van that also serves as the 'test bed' for
trailer mods and such... we're planning to stop over in Rapid City towards
the end of the International Rally... If anyone on the list is/will be
there, and has a cell-phone number, would you please contact me off-list at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ? - Two years ago, it took me about five hours to find
the rally site when i arrived in Bismarck - it would be great to have a
contact there when we roll into Rapid City...
If we make it to Rapid City in time, i'd like to attend the VAC general
meeting - it's on
Wednesday, right?
Tuna
Reno, NV
WBCCI/VAC #8862
------------------------------
Message Number: 9
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 17:11:22 -0400
From: "James Greene" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Deadbolt FUD?
Couldn't an experienced welder weld up a cracked door jam? Probably
reinforce it too while the skin was off. Likely cost less then $2,000 I'd
think. Then again, I doubt there are very many people on the vintage list
with ' 78-'93 Airstreams. I could be wrong.
Jim Greene
' 68 Tradewind
----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Tyler" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Multiple recipients of VACList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2002 9:45
Subject: [VAC] Deadbolt FUD?
> on 06/27/02 6:45 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> > Replacing a cast metal door requires a door, jamb and screen door, that
was
> > used from 78 to 93.
>
> Thanks Andy,
>
> I wondered which years you had in mind when you first discussed deadbolts.
>
------------------------------
Message Number: 10
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 17:19:27 -0400
From: "James Greene" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: locating leaks
Tuna, I've heard that some RV dealers have a blower which can be attached to
a RV to create a positive pressure inside. Then they spray on a soapy water
solution and look for bubbles. Pin points where the entry point is quickly
and no guess work so a fix can be made. Probably wouldn't be too difficult
for a handy do-it-yourselfer to rig up something similar. I have an old
salvaged squirrel cage furnace blower that I'll bet could be made to work.
Jim Greene
' 68 Tradewind
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tuna" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Multiple recipients of VACList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, June 29, 2002 13:16
Subject: [VAC] Re: locating leaks
> Tracing the source of water intrusion is a science verging on an art...
> water coming in from a roof vent, for example, can slide down the inner
skin
> until it finds something travelling laterally, like wiring, or a
structural
> member, or window frame... and travel a particular distance... so the
> appearance of the puddle can be yards away from the water's entry point...
> Also, water sources can be leaky plumbing, rainwater, wind-driven rain,
> air-conditioner condensate, or simple condensation between the skins, road
> spray kicked up by the tires into the wheel-wells... and the water's path
> can change, if the trailer was/is off-level in some way... the way most
> people locate leaks (this is all in the archives, by the way), is to wait
> for dry weather, level the trailer, and spray water on the trailer in some
> sort of systematic fashion, e.g. starting down low, spray water (medium
> pressure garden hose) on a section about 3'x3'... then wait for a few
> minutes to let any possible leak to migrate to its puddle.
> Also, you might want to inspect all the seams for lost caulk. With vintage
> trailers, people usually end up cleaning old caulk out of the seams and
> re-applying the Vulkem.
> You definitely want to eliminate water intrusion before expending the
effort
> to repair your floors...
> Happy Hunting!
> Tuna
>
------------------------------
Message Number: 11
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2002 19:02:35 -0500
From: "Don Hardman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Very Classic Rigs
The latest edition of Motorhome Magazine has and article titled "Are the
Rules Unfair". It covers the increasing practice of RV parks setting age
limits on the rigs they will allow. There is hope for those of us that have
older Airstreams as one park operator stated.
Some very classic rigs, such as Airstreams, might be excluded by universal
age limits.
------------------------------
End of VACList-Digest #349
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