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bkahler · 02-04-2013, 07:07 AM

I really like what you with the galley!

You've convinced me to an upgrade to the little kitchen in my argosy.

Thanks,

Brad

shepherd57 · 02-04-2013, 09:09 AM

Your counter top looks great what is the top made of. Did you make it your self or have some one do it for you.

Keyair · 02-04-2013, 09:46 AM

Looks GREAT Dean!

dadstoy · 02-04-2013, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wxbuoy

That is one sweet looking galley!

Thanks!

dadstoy · 02-04-2013, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkahler

I really like what you with the galley!

You've convinced me to an upgrade to the little kitchen in my argosy.

Thanks,

Brad

Thanks Brad. Just another item on your list!

dadstoy · 02-04-2013, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shepherd57

Your counter top looks great what is the top made of. Did you make it your self or have some one do it for you.

Thanks! Countertop is Formica. A lot less costly then Corian which was my first choice, but I'm extremely over budget on refurbishing the motorhome. I finally got to install my new sink that I had taking up space for a year. I had a local countertop shop make the new top and I installed it all. I took him the old countertop to be used as a pattern. I also had him make me a simple sink cover and a new folding table out of the same material. The Formica I used was Labrador Granite with the etched finish. I was going to do the top myself but having a shop do it wasn't that much more then if I bought materials and some tools.

dadstoy · 02-04-2013, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keyair

Looks GREAT Dean!

Thanks Steve!

bkahler · 02-04-2013, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadstoy

Thanks Brad. Just another item on your list!

I really should stop looking at the forums, he more I see the more I want

Unfortunately the more I want the more I end up spending

Brad

dadstoy · 02-04-2013, 08:54 PM

Floor Rot...

I have the corner behind the passenger seat ready to patch as soon as I find and fix the leak. I got the water hose out today and I believe the leak is right there at the corner of the floor. I don't think it is leaking from the roof and running down the wall. This area is right behind the passenger window and in front of the first side window. A lot of water runs off the front of the awning rail and down this area.

Water leaks through the engine compartment air fins and probably through the rivet holes on the belt line. The water then gets in at the seams between the floor and the wall. There is caulking on those joints and it does leak there. If I spray water on those seams from inside the wheel well, I flood the inside!

Then a disappointing discovery...

I removed the couch to take a look at the floor behind the drivers seat. I have about four feet of rotted floor there. I will pull the water tank tomorrow to see how far inward the rot is. The center of the rot seams to be right under the water tank fill pipe. I can definitely see where it is probably leaking all around the water fill access door on the outside.

Well, the fun never ends and to think all I wanted to do was to replace that pink carpet!

streamquest · 02-04-2013, 09:19 PM

Damn pink carpet, nothing but trouble.

Dean, I know how you feel. When I started to chase the rot in front of my passenger seat, I ended up replacing the entire upper deck, side to side. Then when I started chasing the rot behind the passenger seat, I ended up removing everything half way back to the entrance door. And then when I found rot at the very rear corners, I ended up removing everything up to the bathroom. In the name of historic preservation, the remaining several feet separating front and back are still original vintage particle board. Gotta love that stuff.

On the bright side, at least your floor appears to be made of plywood.

Charly

shepherd57 · 02-04-2013, 09:20 PM

I had a leak in the same place on my Argosy and it was coming from the seam where the center roof panel is riveted to the side panel. I checked the seam with a 10 thou feeler gauge and I could slide the feeler gauge between the seam in several places right above that area. I chased that leak for a month.

What I found after I removed the alum side panels is that the water runs down the outside wall and fills the channel inside the wall and then seeps out right in that corner. I haven't had a leak since I caulked that roof seam. I also found that water was seeping in where the bolts go through the door hinges I had to replace the bolts with stainless steel ones and re caulk.

dadstoy · 02-04-2013, 09:55 PM

Before the new countertop went in, I installed the new furnace and did a bit of cleanup/rework in the cabinet. The old furnace came out with ease and the new furnace went in just as easy. I cleaned up the 12 volt wiring. It was quite a mess. I installed a new plugin for the microwave. I reinforced the microwave stand and insulated the heating plenum that sits over the wheel well.

The top drawer in the cabinet was a shorty because of the mixer in the old counter. I'm not reinstalling the mixer so I installed a long drawer slide and rear bracket so I can put in a longer drawer at some point. The countertop is simply screwed to the braces around the cabinet so it was easy pulling the old one and installing the new one. Plumbing the drain for the new single sink worked out well even with the much deeper sink.

I have only two things left to do in the galley, replace the outlet on the wall and replace the flooring.

bkahler · 02-05-2013, 08:16 PM

Dean, it never seems to end does it. Sorry to hear about all the water damage.

I'm curious, how did you cut the plywood without cutting through the aluminum skin under the plywood?

Brad

dadstoy · 02-05-2013, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkahler

Dean, it never seems to end does it. Sorry to hear about all the water damage.

I'm curious, how did you cut the plywood without cutting through the aluminum skin under the plywood?

Brad

Hi Brad,

I picked up a Craftsmen multi tool. It worked ok but they not the end all of tools. I cut through probably about 2/3 of the way then I used a good old fashioned wood chisel and took my time.

Since I have a lot more area to remove under the couch, I think I will use my skill saw and cut most of the way through then use the chisel again.

bkahler · 02-06-2013, 05:15 AM

I kinda thought the multi-tool would have problems cutting through plywood. I've found a lot of good uses for mine but it sounds like that won't be one of them!

I have two sections of floor to replace and have a couple of sizes of circular saws so I'll probably use them.

Thanks for the info.

Brad

elbundi · 02-06-2013, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadstoy

Hi Brad,

I picked up a Craftsmen multi tool. It worked ok but they not the end all of tools. I cut through probably about 2/3 of the way then I used a good old fashioned wood chisel and took my time.

Since I have a lot more area to remove under the couch, I think I will use my skill saw and cut most of the way through then use the chisel again.

I rebuilt a boat transom recently and after trying every tool in the shop bought a rotozip to finish off the job. I wasn't too worried about knicks as the piece you see in the picture got new layers of fiberglass, but the tool really helped with that tough marine ply.

The deeper scores were from the circuler saw. The triangular shaped hole you see was why I had to redo the transom in the first place.

I imagine a few close shaves with aluminum wouldn't hurt, just set the depth as close as you can and take your time again.

dadstoy · 02-08-2013, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elbundi

I rebuilt a boat transom recently and after trying every tool in the shop bought a rotozip to finish off the job. I wasn't too worried about knicks as the piece you see in the picture got new layers of fiberglass, but the tool really helped with that tough marine ply.

The deeper scores were from the circuler saw. The triangular shaped hole you see was why I had to redo the transom in the first place.

I imagine a few close shaves with aluminum wouldn't hurt, just set the depth as close as you can and take your time again.

Thanks for the info Elbundi

dadstoy · 02-08-2013, 07:13 PM

Floor Rot...

Today, I tackled the floor rot under the couch. I removed the couch, the couch frame and the water tank. The couch frame leaves a lot to be desired...no real "Airstream" quality here!

There was much more floor rot then I expected to see

I used the skill saw this time to cut the border between the good and bad plywood. My multi-tool also was used. Then the best tool was a crow bar and a hammer. As well as still having to unbolt the seat belts, I have some cleanup to do.

dadstoy · 02-08-2013, 07:30 PM

Where's the leak...

Most of the rot was directly under the fresh water filler. A couple days ago, I sealed around the filler frame with Parabond. In doing my water leak test today (garden hose), I didn't see any water getting past the filler frame. However, the gasket on the filler door holds back no water at all. I set a cup under the filler tube on the inside thinking well just incase some water comes in there the cup will catch it. After spraying the side with water, I came back into the MH to see if I had a leak. My cup ran over and the floor was soaking wet. Well I think if I ever want to boondock for an extended period of time, I just need to be in a rainy area and my fresh water tank will be filled automatically rain water!

Well that would only be the leak if the water tank was cracked or the very short filler hose was cracked and I don't think that is the case for either. The plastic catch basin that is part of the filler door does have a crack in it and I believe this is where the water is getting in and leaking down to the floor. The thin aluminum sheet under the plywood floor is a two edged sword. I think its great for it protects the plywood from underneath but if the plywood gets wet, it doesn't allow the plywood to dry out.