Bathroom Remodel

As you know, the contour of the radiused walls in the rear bathroom have changed over the years. After much thought and deliberation, I've decided to have a friend make and install a new bathroom vanity in the bathroom. I'd rather do the job right than something makeshift which is what the welts along the outer walls would have been. We're still going to use the tub where it is. We're thinking about a bench along the backwall so you can sit while you're in the tub. Stay tuned. More to follow on this development.

Fall Temperatures are finally here!!

Highs the past week has been in the upper 80s and the nights have been pretty chilly, dropping to as low as 52. Regarding the bathroom, I've decided to have a friend of mine build me a vanity and cabinets to replace the old plastic ABS bathroom assembly. With the money I've spent on my Airstream thus far, I didn't want to skimp on the final product. We've pretty much decided to keep the old tub and the cabinet that encloses the hot water heater, but that's about it. Everything else goes.

In the meantime, I've been working on the fresh water tank issue. A previous owner had replaced the original kitchen counter assembly with a traditional home style unit. It looks pretty good, but there are no doors to enable access to the fresh water tank plumbing, so I need to create some. More on this to follow.

Airstream Respite

August temperatures here in Phoenix were just too brutal to accomplish much. I was able to pick up a few used items from a 1974 Ambassador that a couple had gutted here in Arizona. Items included an accordian door (to mount between the kitchen and bedroom), a Magic Chef stove/oven combo (in excellent condition), a magazine rack, and two walnut room dividers.

Last week I joined the Four Corners Unit of the WBCCI. I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone, especially those who I've come to know on Air Forums.

Temperatures are finally starting to drop a little, so it won't be long until I can begin work again on the Airstream. In order of importance, here's my "to do" list for this fall/winter:
1. Complete the bathroom
2. Fix the connection between the water pump and the fresh water tank
3. Drop the pan beneath the black tank and clean and rust proof that area with POR-15
4. Clean and POR-15 the A-frame
5. Buy and mount a new electric tongue jack
6. Install a new kitchen counter
7. Convert copper plumbing to PEX in kitchen area
8. Polish the exterior
9. Buy new tires (tires only have 1,000 miles on them but are 5 years old)

Three new improvements

Bought a new pigtail from the folks at Out of Doors Mart, replacing the vintage pigtail that came with the trailer (yes, it looked 37 years old). I also installed two golf cart batteries and placed these in a simple plastic tote which I bought at Home Depot for $6 bucks. I also decided to purchase two LED back up lights from Inland RV for extra illumination while backing up (these things are bright!). However, the LED lights are down-right UGLY (see the before pic above). At first I was going to live with the ugliness, but I remembered that I bought two new vintage lenses for the old light canisters. I simply glued the new lenses over the LEDs. Now I have modern bright lights with the old, vintage look! Opinions??? (Note also the new rear reflectors)

Bathroom Vanity Issue

Last weekend before the shakedown cruise, I started to put the bathroom back together, but ran into a problem. Over the years the ABS vanity shrank a bit and the bathroom wall contour slightly changed after the new floor was put it, so what we have is a gap between the bathroom vanity and wall of about 3/4 inch. Yikes! I've put some serious thought into a solution this past week and they include everything from making a new cabinet, altering the walls a bit, or making a decorative welt to fill in the gap. I decided to go with the latter option, since this will involve the least amount of effort and money and will still look great. The welt will be made of 1 inch foam covered with a carmel colored vinyl. Here's a pic of the gap between the vanity and wall.

Shakedown Cruise

Last weekend we took Sterling, yes, that's his name, to the mountains for some boondocking near the Blue Ridge Reservoir. It was just an overnighter, but we were able to test a few systems while we were there. Due to a fit issue with the vanity, the bathroom was only half put together but it was still an enjoyable trip. Propane system checked out great with the refrigerator, hot water heater, and stove all working great. The 12v electrical system, with the two new 6v golf cart batteries, worked flawlessly and lasted the two days without a charge. The fresh water system, however, was a different story with the pump not pulling up any water from the fresh water tank. I suspect a clog of some kind and the tank won't drain either so there's something mucking things up.

Sweltering Phoenix Heat

Hampering my work on the Airstream is the sweltering Phoenix heat. Temps have been between 104 and 112 over the last few weeks. You may say, so what, use your A/C. I have, but an A/C can only cool so much and with the ambient temperature so high it can only cool the interior about 20 degrees. So it's still pretty hot in the interior. My shirts have been drenched after a few hours work. With a regular job, my time on Airstream work is limited to the evenings after work and Saturday mornings. Sundays are set aside for church and resting. Anyhow, here's how I run the A/C--a pair of Honda EU2000i's (one's a companion model)

New Bathroom Flooring

It's been a pretty fruitful weekend. Last night I installed the new Tarkett flooring in the bathroom. It's a spongy type of vinyl flooring but unlike regular vinyl flooring, this stuff is easy to work with and lay down. Spent this morning cleaning the walls in the bathroom again and caulking the edges. This evening I reinstalled the ABS drain and vent pipes. Here are a few pics of this weekend's work.

Bathroom Fixture Repair

Three years ago I repaired the bathroom fixtures with two-part epoxy putty. Some of the repairs held just fine but the bathroom sink counter unit didn't hold under stress. Got a great idea on Air Forums to use ABS glue (I'll be using PVC glue instead) and screen to form a bond from behind. Basically, glue is put down and the screen material is placed over the glue. Once this is done another coat of glue is put over the screen. Tomorrow, a final layer of PVC glue will be put over the screen. Here are a few pics from today's work. Note that PVC glue is clear unlike ABS glue which is black.

New Rear Panels!!

The curbside rear had a nasty dent that left a nice crease. The skin was too badly stretched to pop it out completely, so I decided to just have Oasis RV do the repair along with replacement of the bathroom floor. Now all of the dents from the previous owners are a thing of the past.

New Bathroom Floor and Pex Plumbing!

Finally got the new bathroom floor put in!! I had Oasis RV in Tucson do the work. Marine grade plywood was used for the floor and it looks great. Since they had to remove the copper pipes I had them replace it with PEX piping and also had them install a bypass kit for the hot water tank (used for wintering). Don't know if I'll ever use it here in the warm Arizona climate but you never know where we'll be in the future. Here are a few pics of the new floor and PEX piping.