The product we used is a one part epoxy paint made by Homax and is called “Tough as Tile” ($29.95 at Lowes). Many thanks to Brian and Adrianne (Lothlorian) for pointing me to it. It comes in a kit with most of the things you need to get everything done. The process is something like this:
Mix up a cleaner from the kit called “TSP substitute” and wash the items three times with the cleaner and 000 steel wool. Rinse and let dry. All of the items, paint, tub, brushes, etc, need to be at 72 degrees or above before and for three days after the paint is applied.
The pictures shown so far make things look pretty good, but a few close-ups tell a little different story. There are several areas that the paint wouldn’t adhere to for some reason. I suspect that the reason is that a PO had siliconed the crap out of some areas trying to stop leaks. I scraped and cleaned and was able to remove all of the silicone I could see. My guess is that there was some residue left over that really wasn’t removed even with all of the cleaning and “sanding” with the steel wool.
What I’m going to have to do at this point is to wait until the weather warms back up and try sanding these areas, then try to clean with acetone or some other solvent. The good news is that I can move on with bathroom redo. Many of the blemished spots are in areas that are hidden, so I won’t need to deal with then. I can simply focus on the more visible areas.
__________________
Can somebody remind Susan that I really do want bagpipes for Christmas?
A couple of more pics just for grins. The new drain in the picture is actually made to be used in a bar sink. Fits perfectly in the tub and the sink. Lowe's carries them.
__________________
Can somebody remind Susan that I really do want bagpipes for Christmas?
Well, we had a wedding. Number one child got married last month so we spent about 3 months "upgrading" the house in preparation for the big day. New hardwood floors, painted most everything, new built-in shelves in the living room. Since we did most of that work ourselves, didn't leave much time for the Airstream. Finally got back to work on the 'Stream a couple of weeks ago.
Currently trying to pull together everything for the bathroom to hopefully put most of it back together this weekend. I have a question for any of you that might have already done it. The plan is to put down sheet vinyl over most of the bathroom floor, meaning underneath the tub and waterheater. The floor back there was a mess when we got the trailer so it's nearly impossible to tell what the original tile floor covered. Does anybody see a problem running the new vinyl under the water heater? I'm thinking of heat issues, as in could it catch fire? I've seem many therads here where folks have covered the entire floor of the camper with new tile or vinyl. I assume these folks didn't think it would be an issue. Comments welcome.
Jim
__________________
Can somebody remind Susan that I really do want bagpipes for Christmas?
Did you take out a 10 gallon Bowen water heater? Are you replacing it with a new Atwood or reinstalling the Bowen?
I took out the original 10 gallon Bowen and put in a 6 gallon Atwood with the electronic pilot. Because of the size difference, I had to build a small platform under the new heater. In that case, the new sheet vinyl would not come in contact with the water heater. The new Atwood had insulation all around the tank anyway.
The plan is to replace, but I haven't bought the new one yet. I don't know that there is anything wrong with the original, I just don't like the idea of using a 35 year old WH. Thanks for the tips. Guess I better start looking for a new one. I still need to rebuild the cabinet over the WH, so I haven't been in any hurry to locate the new WH as yet.
Jim
__________________
Can somebody remind Susan that I really do want bagpipes for Christmas?
Jim, if you do decide to replace, I would suggest purchasing the replacement sooner rather than later. In my case, the gas valve in the new unit was in a very different place, I had to install a new, longer gas line and run it through the belly pan in a different spot. It may affect your rebuild of the cabinet, or you may get lucky and have little to change. I am not sure how much changed between '73 and '74.
One other thing I changed with unforeseen consequences was the shower valve. The old shower valve was very basic, and the new valves have anti-scald features that make for a bulker unit. I had to run the vent piping from the black water tank closer to the wall to clear the valve. Of course, I only figured this out as I was trying to put the tub back in.
I have included some pics which hopefully will make this a little clearer. Good luck with the bathroom rebuild, it will feel sooooo nice when it's over.
I don't want to confuse anyone, but in the post below, it's the grey water tank vent in the picture, not the black water tank vent as I stated in the text. I also rerouted the drain line for the bathroom sink more directly into the tank, so that is why there are fewer pipes in the new picture. Sorry for any confusion.
Thanks for the heads up on the mixing valve, Laird. I, too, have already reinstalled the vent pipes. We are putting in a new shower valve as well. The bath area was pretty much hosed when we got the camper. Most of the plumbing lines had been either hacked up or removed and replaced with a single cold water line that was jammed thru a hacked hole in the side of the camper. What a mess. I'm hoping I can figure out the proper plumbing line runs from the shop manual.
Question about the outside cover for the WH, did the new one come with a cover? Or did you have to adapt the old one to fit? Sounds like the new WH was considerably smaller than the old one. I'd love to see some pictures of that install.
Jim
__________________
Can somebody remind Susan that I really do want bagpipes for Christmas?
I am sorry I have not got back with you but I have been really busy. I will give you a call sometime this week.
If you buy an attwood water heater it comes with a door. It is white and you can either spray paint it or get it powder coated. I sprayed mine with rustoleum and it looks fine. The water heater fits into your trailer like a glove. Mine was a perfect fit and I bought a 10 gallon.
Jim, would you like just pictures of the WH install, or would it be helpful to have some of the plumbing layout in the back as well?
Brian is, of course, correct, if you replace a 10 gallon Bowen with a 10 gallon Atwood, then it fits right in. At the time we replaced ours, we could not find a 10 gallon Atwood with the electronic ignition pilot, just a 6 gallon. The 6 gallon is the same width as the 10 gallon, but shorter. We really like the electronic pilot ignition, having set up the campsite more than once in the rain. It's really nice just to flip a switch on the inside of the trailer to start the water heater.
The Atwood does come with a white, painted door. There are several options for covering the white paint, I got a piece of 2024T3 aluminum to match the trailer skin and cut it to match the main face of the door. I then cut in the holes for the exhast grill, view port and latch, and glued the aluminum to the door with 3M automotive epoxy. The thin edges of the door got painted with a cold galvanized paint. When I polish the trailer this summer, the WH door should blend in with the rest of the trailer.
You did a great job on that WH door. Looks fabulous. If you have the time, I'd like to see how you laid out the water lines in the back. I have seen Brian's (Lothlorian's) set up and even took a few pictures of it. WHat I should have done is diagram out what he did so that I can simply duplicate his work. If you don't have the time, that's cool. Brian lives nearby and I can probably swing by his place some time soon. He takes beer (or a fine cigar) as a form of payment for advice.
Jim
__________________
Can somebody remind Susan that I really do want bagpipes for Christmas?
Thanks for the compliment on the door, I really did try to figure out a way to keep the original stainless door and retrofit it to the new Atwood, but I did not see a way to make it as weather resistant as the new door.
Once I made the decision to "clad" the new door, it just took being careful with the new cutouts and was not that difficult. Fortunately I had everything laid out before I mixed the epoxy, because it does have a short working time.
I have split this into two posts, with the first one being pictures of the original piping.
The first picture is where the water enters the trailer and goes into the brass fitting, which is the pressure regulator. In hindsight, I should have tossed it, it doesn't regulate well, and if it does have a backflow prevention component, that doesn't work well either. I now use an in-line regulator on the supply hose outside. The small shiny cap under the alleged regulator is the top of the pressure relief valve.
The second picture is a closer shot that shows the hot and cold water drain valves. You can see the drain line from the pressure relief valve, it's the black plastic pipe with the big kink in it. I replaced that with a copper line so I could get a smooth bend down to the outlet. The big red handles are on gate valves that needed repacking. They got replaced with ball valves that drain the lines much, much faster and don't clog up.
The third picture shows the cold water inlet and hot water outlet to the water heater. The small line coming off the inlet with the red-handled gate valve used to go to the toilet. The installation instructions for the new toilet (my wife was surprised I actually did read them) recommended a 1/2" supply liine, so I put in a "tee" directly off the cold inlet directly behind the toilet and put a new shut-off valve there.
The fourth picture shows that water heater opening after I put in the new floor. You can see the hole for the gas line is only a couple inches from the opening, that had to change with the new unit. Sorry the picture is a little out of focus, the ballasts in the lights in the warehouse I was working in apparently created issues for the camera.
Quick Links
Linear Mode
