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adonh · 05-15-2015, 09:05 AM

I have to share this. I have been parked at an RV park for about a week in my 1976 31' Airstream Sovereign. I set up everything as usual and settled in for a 2 week stay by myself. Later that evening while having dinner I hear this loud "bang" or clap sound, like something hitting the trailer. I looked around inside and didn't see anything and could not see or find anything outside. So I just think it was nothing to worry about. Then after a couple days after going to bed the same "bang" sound. I jumped up and looked around inside and out, nothing. Again a couple of more days go by and this time in the middle of the day same sound. After happening a couple of more times I am thinking all kinds of possible explanations from the frame breaking or to some type of structural problem that has developed. I go through every cabinet and storage on the inside, crawl under the trailer and open the outside compartments, check the wheels and axles, hitch and A frame. Nothing on the surface, so it must be internal I assume which means trouble for sure, and money to find and fix.

Well this morning after coffee and breakfast I am passing the center bath and I found what was causing the "banging" noise. The Toilet seat which was up fell and closed with a "loud Bang", I jumped 2 feet. That was it. Its a new toilet and the seat when open wants to slowly close on it own at times and when it falls, "bang".

The moral of this story, even though you may be alone, always put down the toilet seat.

mayco · 05-15-2015, 09:15 AM

Hahahahahahaha, thats really funny! Amazing where your mind goes as an Airstream owner, Im exactly the same way....OMG what was that? Just now getting to a point where I can chill a bit and not worry so much. But thats a good one for sure, thanks for sharing

AWCHIEF · 05-15-2015, 09:35 AM

Spend enough time in Aircraft, boats, race cars or trailers you get attuned to the normal operating sounds. Anything out of the norm and internal alerts go off. I have the same sort of toilet seat in my house. It takes about 30 seconds for the seat to go all way down. For the first few days I noticed the little tap sound as it completed its journey. Now I never notice unless I am standing right beside it.

SteveH · 05-15-2015, 10:14 AM

A while back when we were at a rally, we had a similar, but different experience. We were parked in a beautiful RV park on a river with huge old pecan trees, and in the morning we heard loud bangs on the trailer, but we could tell they were from the outside. Come to find out, it was squirrels dropping pecans out of the tree above us. Damn squirrels.

DoublTrouble · 05-15-2015, 11:08 AM

Or this one, a loud thump and the roof followed silence. Then scurrying. Scurry front then back and forth. Load thud and silence. 4 am climb up the ladder to the roof of the SOB with a flashlight . Blood?

DoublTrouble · 05-15-2015, 11:17 AM

An owl had bounced a mouse or rat off the roof to kill or stun it before ingesting the poor fellow. The trouble was that the mouse regained conciousness and tried to get off the roof. Then the owl came back and finished to job, quietly.

Nomad518 · 05-15-2015, 11:19 AM

Glad to hear it was such a cheap fix. We would hear an occasional thump noise in our AS that was a mystery until we figured out it was one of the drawers under the galley sink sliding back into the detent that keeps it from moving when traveling. If we closed the drawer without it already being in the detent, it would roll there at a time of it's choosing and make a little thump when it did. Once that mystery was solved, we had a little chuckle.