Category Archives: Enhancements

A repair, some modifications and a new project.

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Repair:

When we were in Bishop I noticed a dripping coming out of a valve on the bottom of our tanks.  There were two valves there so I was unsure of their function.  I thought the freezing conditions may have broke the valve.  I also noticed it dripping at Calico.  However it was only during times where the water system was pressurized either via the pump or shore water.  First thing was to figure out what they were.

Using both AirForums and Airstream support, I was able to find out these were the low point drains for the fresh water system.  One for hot water and the other for cold water.  The cold water one was having problems.  I ordered a new one, actually two.

The good news is:  there is an access panel:

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The bad new is: you have to take off a wheel to get to it:

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Upon opening it up I see the two valves with PEX:

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You can see the corrosion from the dripping.  It took much consternation to remove the valve (I had to cut the PEX) but I got it off and it promptly broke:

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With PEX you are supposed to use a specific tool to connect the parts.  However I could not get the tool in there due to size constraints.  Also I didn’t have the tool so I would have to buy it (pricey) or rent one.  So I thought I would try an alternative.  I used the PEX connector but used hose clamps (see the nice new valve?):

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That was a great attempt but it didn’t work.  I put the system under pressure but the next day I noticed a droplet of water.  Not much but I don’t want any leaks.  I thought about it a bit.  How much do I need the drains?  We don’t winterize as it doesn’t get cold enough here.  Also when we are travelling we won’t go places that are cold enough.  Additionally if I need to drain I can work it out with my solution.

I used a Sharkbite connection to put on a simple plug.  This way IF I ever need to drain, I take off the access plate and remove the plug.  I also wire tied them together to stop vibrations:

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Modifications:

1.

In our overhead cabinet above the couch there is an electrical outlet that I noticed was broken.  I am replacing it.  However the Airstream outlets are not cheap and are rather odd.  I opted for a different one from the local home improvement store.  This outlet not only has two 110V outlets but it also has two USB charging port.  The more USB charging ports the better:

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2

We have a Dyson vacuum that we take with us on the road and will continue to use during full timing.  I needed to have a more permanent mounting solution.  The Dyson comes with a wall mount that is very functional but it needs a 110V outlet.  The ideal area is in our large wardrobe but there is no power in there.  The solution is to run an extension from the back of the microwave into the wardrobe and up the side of the wardrobe to a new surface mounted outlet:

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The Dyson charger brick is plugged in.  Its’ cord runs up over the doors and to the other side to the Dyson wall mount:

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3

In our bathroom we have one huge and bright LED (retrofit) light above the sink and mirror.  This is good for when you really need to see in the bathroom but it is not too great in the middle of the night, however there is a switch on the light.  There is another light attached to the main switch that is in the shower but it does not have a light.  I was trying to figure out how to put in a red light in the bathroom.  We had a homegrown version in our ’92.  I used a LED red trailer marker light that I put a switch on.  It worked well.  I could not find a good way to do this here.  Until I found a replacement light for the shower.  If found a marine light at Amazon.  It does both white:

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and red:

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Perfect.  Works really well.

 

4

Many years ago, while at an Ikea store, I found a LED strip of lights that could do multiple colors (Dioder).  I used them for a while on the back of our TV for backlighting.  One day I noticed that the controller and the lights ran on 12v.  That sparked an idea.  This idea was finally put into play.  We have an area on top of our cabinet above our couch that is recessed:

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I cut off the transformer and wired it into the 12V behind the radio.  I laid out the strips like this:

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Here is a shot of the lights on red:

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And a video of the cycling nature:

New Project:

Solar!

I am almost ready to start my solar project.  I will have one, or more, blog entries about this.  We have a lot of space on our trailer roof but you don’t realize how big solar panels can be until you get them.  Wow!  I was looking for more room when I was looking at my Winegard Sensar antenna.  It is nice that it folds down but it takes up 5 1/2 feet on the roof!!  I can use that for my panels.  Time to change out the antenna with a King Jack antenna:

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One of the fun things about owning a trailer is the ability to customize things but it seems to never end.

The Airstream and Ikea

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As an Airstream owner, what is it about an Ikea store that draws me in?

It must have to do with aluminum.  Obviously I have a penchant for it since we have an Airstream but Ikea seems to like it also.  There are many aluminum/silver metal items throughout the store.  Everytime I see such an item in Ikea I think how I can use that in the trailer.  Sometimes things will work but oftentimes they will not.

Here are some of the hits.

One thing that we like in our 31′ Classic floorplan is that there is a huge wardrobe on one side of the trailer.  It has a hanging rod all the way across the top and a flat bottom to it (with various Airstream systems underneath).  This makes it easy to hang clothes and lay things on the bottom but not much in between.  We have been thinking of ways to be able put some stores there, like a pantry.  Here is a shot of the wardrobe doors:

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Ikea makes a mini-pantry for putting on top of their countertops.  We got one and thought we would give it a try.  So behind the left wardrobe door is this:

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Oooohhh!   Look!  Aluminum look!  What you are seeing there is the rollup door.  Here it is with the door open:

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This way you can see the adjustable shelves, and a bit of insight to us.  Toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, blender, laundry soap and a toaster.  We are very pleased with it.  I still have to anchor it to the wall.

 

In our old 25′ trailer we came up with a way to hang our towels for drying.  We used a compression shower curtain rod, put it up high in the hall way between the cabinets in two different locations.  This gave a very convenient location for the towels.  Alas our ‘new’ Airstream was not conducive to a similar setup.  I knew we would need a hook or three.

Ikea came to the rescue:

bjarnum

 

 

A typical Ikea product, unpronounceable.  But they are silver and shiny!!  I really like how they fold up and down.  Here they are on the wall:

hooks

 

 

Airstream prides themselves on using ‘every available inch’ in an efficient manner.  I can see where that is very true in the most part but they will, as my wife puts it, ‘stub their toe’ sometimes.  One big stub was the toilet paper holder:

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They mounted it inside the cabinet door but then you cannot have anything on that shelf.  Annoying, and you have to open the door to get to it.  Not convenient.   Once again Ikea comes to the rescue:

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This is a bit more pronounceable at least but it is SILVER!  I decided, with spousal approval, to mount it in a different location:

tpnew2

 

 

All in all pleased with this location.  Easy to get to, don’t have to open a cabinet, not ON the counter, out of the way.  Might hurt the aesthetic a bit by being visible but it is OK with us.

 

Those are the 3 hits for us at this point.  It is good that the closest Ikea is at least 3 hours away or we might have a LOT more.  I will keep you posted as there is more.