1. The polarity light stays on. I guess I dont really understand this function or how to resolve it. Could this reflect a problem related to replacing the univolt with the converter this spring?
2. When the CD player is turned on it has horrible static which can be eliminated by chimping with the volume setting. I thought the new converter was supposed to provide clean power and eliminate this problem.
3 I am not convinced that the battery is charging off of the TV in route. This has me worried. Ideas anyone?
Two things for me: I had never had a polarity situation when plugging in, however, I plugged in to my BILaw's garage and just happened to look at the light- Whoa- it was on. He moved my cord to another outlet and it was fine. Is yours broken? I assume you mean at every campsite the light is on?
Second thing is my umbilical had the TV charge prong mixed up with the back-up lights for the trailer (of which I don't have). So in reverse was the only time I'd have been charging the battery-? I changed that when I changed out the old umbilical.
I'm not a lot of help here, but hope you get it figured out. I am wondering about the Polarity deal, I think that can be a BAD thing if indeed there is a reverse polarity going on.
__________________
Tanya
"If you want something done right, do it yourself!"
Ok, this ones going to be a whopper! I have started listing the potential repairs and upgrades I may be doing this spring to my 1968 Trade Wind. As you can see, the list is not a short one. Any thoughts, words of warning, or what have you will be welcome. Let me know if pictures of any particular part would be a help, I’m hoping to get out and tinker some this weekend.
Trade Wind Repairs List
January 17, 2006
Bathroom window: repair frame, replace glass if needed.
Window gaskets: replace all around or let sleeping dogs lie?
Awning: Open, see what repairs are required, remove if needed.(it looks a little sketchy, never had it out so far….)
Furnace: install. (the new one doesn’t fit the same space)
Water heater: install, find/make new access door.
Refrigerator: bolt in, install front pannel.
Street side cabinets: reattach.
Worn wood from screws in street side upper cabinets.
Missing rivets on upper portion of first bulkhead.
Bathroom door: rehang ( how do you do that btw??)
Oven: figure out why pilot lights but oven doesn’t.
Water filter: clean.
Battery: upgrade. Move? (Currently located in the ugly box, thinking about moving next to the axles under the midship bunks and increasing to two batteries. Is this a good idea or recipe for disaster?).
Frame: weld. (Weld at tongue is broken on both sides just forward of frames exit from the trailer, any idea about what causes this? Do I want to know?)
Replace indoor lights with LEDs?
Flooring: replace. Linoleum, cork, or laminate?
Curtains: replace with blinds?
Skin: polish?
Wood work: clean and polish. Furniture wax?
Ugly box: fix hinge, replace lock, repair bend.
Door handle: add gasket.(replaced handle last fall, I think it ought to have a gasket of some kind between it and the skin)
Propane system: Replumb? (some bends in the line, currently operable and safe, this one is a low priority)
Propane tanks: update to current regulators.
Water: replumb with PEX?
Add inverter?
The key to success when rehabibg any Airstream, is first and foremost.
Make it water tight.
Replace all the exterior gaskets, windows, entrance door, access doors, and don't forget the sewer vent pipe gaskets.
Since 40 year old tail lights and clearance lights are usually faded out, and can also have water leaks, it's also wise to replace them, especially if you wish to update the lights and use LED's.
Sealing all the seams as necessay, with Vulkem and Par-bond, is another wise preventive step to insure, so to speak, "water proofing."
My stereo has bad static. I hoped that replacing the univolt would fix the problem, but no dice. Further, this occurs when I am off of shore power as well. The way I get the stereo to work free of static is to switch over to the CD and crank the volume until the static stops (sometimes this is attended with a CD failure message as well); then I can switch to my MP3 player/sat radio ect.
Once playing, the stereo does fine unless I turn on a light switch. Sometimes this has no effect, sometimes it causes a pause, and then sometimes it causes the system to revert to static. The bathroom light causes static every time, as does the vanity light; the other lights are touch and go. An additional piece of information is that the batter condition gauge will peg on the charge side when plugged to shore power, but never go above the middle of the charged area when not.
Is it possible that there is a flaw in the wiring that is resulting in insufficient current reaching the stereo that I should look for? Some other common flaw? The batteries are in good condition.
... Is it possible that there is a flaw in the wiring that is resulting in insufficient current reaching the stereo that I should look for? ...
The wire itself is most likely in good condition. Suspect are the unions made anytime the wire was spliced to feed a given light or outlet.
Low-voltage-high-current applications, such as your 12 VDC circuit, as particularly susceptible to poor performance if wirenut connections are not clean & tight. While the Tradewind's wire nuts are probably still tight, the wires joined together underneath may have oxidized. Oxidation means resistance. Resistance means a poor connection.
I recommend pulling the wire nuts off of every connection and sanding the wire ends with 400 grit sandpaper until the ends are bright and shiny. The wire nuts in your Airstream, at a minimum, will be found in the ceiling above each light fixture or fan. More than likely, the unions will be found at each 12 VDC device.
FWIW, some of the connections underneath the wirenuts in my Overlander were green and had flaky crap on them before cleaning.
I had problems that turned out to be the speakers grounding out to the shell. I thought it was the electric feed and did allot of unnecessary work before I checked the speaker wire connectors on the speakers. Good luck Phil
Another coat of polyurathane on the folding table this afternoon and some plumbing progress. One feature I am adding is a valve in the cold water line to allow cold water in the kitchen during cold weather without charging the lines to the rear of the camper. Of course there will be no hot water and water for the toliet will have to be transported by pan, but this should keep the kitchen semi-operable in cold weather.
.... We have had several nights in the low teens and I have been ok. The water tank is under the front gaucho and by opening air flow around it and opening the cabinet doors I seem to be getting by pretty good. Wish me luck
One of the items on this winters list is cutting off the infamous "ugly box". Doing this will require moving the gray tank and shore power. I'm thinking above the axles for the gray tank but I am at a loss about moving the shore power connection. Any ideas?
You would normally have the shore power connection inside the rear compartment hatch, which the Ugly Box now sits in front of. You could move it back inside the compartment where it would normally be, and drop the electric cord down through the rear bumper compartment. If that's where the grey tank is, you can always route the cable around the tank.
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Radio static continues
you can see it on the ugly box
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