Electrical and Water

[bradandamanda]

Help! We are new to camping and not as mechanically inclined as some. Two questions:

1.) Electrical - It seems that someone has rewired the camper with home wiring. The plug from the main power source has been cut. There are wires from the rear access panel that the previous owner supposedly straight wired into. The battery source will power all lights, but we do not understand how to find out if we are running on 110 when we plug up or if we are using only battery power.

2.) Water Leak-

When we plug up the water supply, there is a lot of water dripping from various areas in the rear. No water will come through the faucets. Is there some type of pump system that should be activated, and what is leaking?

Thanks in advance for any basic Airstream 101 advice.

Brad and Amanda

[Tin Hut]

Starting with the water, if you have your manual check to see the winterizing instructions it gives. You may be lucky and the previous owner opened the drain valves to prevent freeze. Don't forget the drain valve on the water heater as well. Find them, close them and try filling again. You should be able to see the water draining if the valves are going, if the leak is difficult to find you may have a loose fitting or burst pipe and will have to backtrack it to find and ix. If you don't have a manual search this site and you'll see threads on how to find one. For the electrical, my lights run off of the battery even when plugged into power. My electrical outlets however only operate when plugged into 120. Try plugging the trailer into power and test your outlets. Welcome to vintage airstreaming....