What is under my bed

[Landrum]

I'm the proud parent of a new 23fb (which is my first airstream...first rv actually). I'm trying to locate everything on the camper and get familiar with the systems. I have found part diagrams for the camper, but I'm having a hard time with a couple of items.

I assume the converter is located behind the breaker/fuse panel since there is fan that runs occasionally at this location. There is something mounted behind a grille under the front bed......what is it? And while I'm asking.....where is the water pump?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[Sphere Guy]

Welcome CaptainNecro,

The inverter is under the head of the bed. The water pump is under the floor of the wardrobe closet next to the fridge.

Sphere Guy

[dznf0g]

What is under my bed ...

That's where the "Hungry Thing" lives. When you shut off the lights, be veeeerrrrry quite and DON'T close your eyes!

[Landrum]

Perfect. Now I have a bedtime story for the kids tonight on our first outing in the airstream.

[0557]

Be sure the Mold Monster isn't living under that bed

[Gringo]

Does using an inverter mean you also have to have some way to recharge your batteries off grid?

[CanoeStream]

CaptainNecro -- read this thread about Secret doors on 23D. Looking at 23' FB pics on colonialairstream.com, I see the factory may have put a handle on the door under the streetside wardrobe just forward of your fridge. I don't know if it would but you might pull the bottom drawer from your curbside wardrobe area and carefully see if the lowest panel below that opens. They are hinged on the 23D.


(photo credit to Colonial Airstream. Thank you Patrick!)

It doesn't open to a significant area on the 23C but a good friend has found it a good place to keep some shoes.

Originally Posted by Gringo

Does using an inverter mean you also have to have some way to recharge your batteries off grid?

Could SphereGuy have meant convertor? RV inverters convert 12V DC to 120V AC -- and not very much AC at that. Off grid? Recharging batteries from a DC source? I suspect the solar power users could discuss that better than I.

[Sphere Guy]

Captain, that's where I store water shoes, right next to the water heater. Also, the items in the drawers get hotter than normal due to being right above the water heater. I'm trying to figure a way to insulate below the drawers to stop the heat transfer.


My converter is below the fridge, the inverter is below the bed.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Sphere Guy

Captain, that's where I store water shoes, right next to the water heater. Also, the items in the drawers get hotter than normal due to being right above the water heater. I'm trying to figure a way to insulate below the drawers to stop the heat transfer.


My converter is below the fridge, the inverter is below the bed.

Try Prodex or Reflectix. I used it on water heater as well as covering the inside of the fridge compartment while the fridge was getting a new cooling unit. I never miss an opportunity to insulate everything while I have access to it. This stuff makes great storage window/vent covers to prevent interior sun fade.

[Landrum]

I assumed it was the converter under the bed, but my manuals says something about a fan located in the electrical panel that cools the converter. There is a fan in the electrical panel ( under the frig) but it is nowhere near the converter.

On the 23fb there are two wardrobes. The one on the curb side has a bottom door with hinges (but no handle) that opens to reveal the back of the water heater and a subwoofer. The street side wardrobe has a door on the bottom to reveal a 4-6" deep cabinet. The back of this area has a panel held on with screws which I assume is access to the water pump. Looks like its going to be darn near impossible to get that panel off. For winterizing I'm either going to cut an access panel into the floor of the wardrobe bottom; use a hand pump outside to pump in antifreeze; or dump the antifreeze into the fresh water tank and use the water pump.

[CanoeStream]

Originally Posted by CaptainNecro

For winterizing I'm either going to cut an access panel into the floor of the wardrobe bottom; use a hand pump outside to pump in antifreeze; or dump the antifreeze into the fresh water tank and use the water pump.

Many ways 'no'. Get down on your back and look below your trailer. Try checking in the vicinity of the water heater (HWH). There may be a white PEX tube sticking 1.5-2" below the belly pan in this area. This is the low point drain.

In contrast to my previous post. Think again. It seems that the space under your curbside wardrobe is taken up by the HWH. That is the white arrow in this ColonialAirstream image:


Is the white PEX low point drain just forward of the HWH? Get down and take a look.

If so, look under your mattress or under your bed in the area noted by the red strip on the image above. That could be the location of your HWH bypass valves. Or open your curbside outside compartment just forward of this area. The bypass valves may be on the aft wall of this compartment.

I never would put RV antifreeze in my fresh water tank. For one, it is not really possible to drain the fresh tank completely [no harm from that small amount freezing] and RV antifreeze would be diluted before you pumped it through your system. Second, it is very very difficult to get the viscous RV antifreeze out of your tank after the second, third or fourth rinse next summer.

Best solution is to determine the pattern of how your HWH valves function. Add a Camco bypass valve like john hd did. It's easy enough to find the water pump. Just turn it on. Your ears will lead you.

[Landrum]

I'm 99% sure the HWH bypass is accessible under the curb side wardrobe....at the back of the water heater. Obviously I'm very new to this, but I'm learning fast. Is it very easy to use the hand pumps to pump in AF through the city water connection.....avoid the freshwater tank and the difficulty of accessing the Water pump.

I assume these are the low point drains.... At the bottom of the water tank enclosure street side.

[CanoeStream]

Those are the drains for your fresh water tank. The plumbing itself will have a low point drain. Lay down, look under your trailer and check the belly pan in the vicinity of your hot water heater (curbside, just forward of the axles). There may be a white PEX drain coming through the belly pan. The control valves will be inside the shell -- either at the back of the outside storage compartment next to your HW heater - or - under your bed in this same area.

[Sphere Guy]

CaptainNecro, YES, the pic shows up front the fresh water drain and to the rear of the pic the low point drain lines.

Just pry up the floor of the street side wardrobe. That is where the water pump is located, among other things, bedroom heater venting, wires etc...

Also, to Be clarify, the converter is under the fridge, yes it does have a fan.

The inverter is under the bed and has a vent panel on the right bed head under the night stand. At least that is where mine is, not sure about your International.

Dznf0g, Thanks, I was thinking of something more rigid like expanded foam with the foil backing to reflect heat. I didn't think the Prodex or Reflectix would hang very well under the drawer. I do like the stuff though.

The water heater, under the curb side wardrobe, is where you will also find the water heater bypass....not to allow AF in the water heater tank and elements...

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Sphere Guy

CaptainNecro, YES, the pic shows up front the fresh water drain and to the rear of the pic the low point drain lines.

Just pry up the floor of the street side wardrobe. That is where the water pump is located, among other things, bedroom heater venting, wires etc...

Also, to Be clarify, the converter is under the fridge, yes it does have a fan.

The inverter is under the bed and has a vent panel on the right bed head under the night stand. At least that is where mine is, not sure about your International.

Dznf0g, Thanks, I was thinking of something more rigid like expanded foam with the foil backing to reflect heat. I didn't think the Prodex or Reflectix would hang very well under the drawer. I do like the stuff though.

The water heater, under the curb side wardrobe, is where you will also find the water heater bypass....not to allow AF in the water heater tank and elements...

Where the wood is thick enough, I use a staple gun to tack it securely in place. Contact cement might be good for a drawer bottom, if it's thin wood.

I also reworked the foam insulation covering the water heater to close off the rather large areas of the tank and "line bungs" where there was no foam insulation. I "jig saw puzzled" pieces of Reflectex in those areas and the heat under my bath sink cabinet was greatly reduced.

[Landrum]

Originally Posted by Sphere Guy

CaptainNecro, YES, the pic shows up front the fresh water drain and to the rear of the pic the low point drain lines.

Just pry up the floor of the street side wardrobe. That is where the water pump is located, among other things, bedroom heater venting, wires etc...

Also, to Be clarify, the converter is under the fridge, yes it does have a fan.

The inverter is under the bed and has a vent panel on the right bed head under the night stand. At least that is where mine is, not sure about your International....

I didn't even know I had a inverter! But what you describe, a vent panel under the night stand, sounds just like mine.......

I'm going to try getting the floor out of the wardrobe this weekend. I'm anxious to get a plan in place for winterizing so I don't get caught 'flat footed'.

[Landrum]

Ok. After looking at some google images of inverters I don't think whatever is under my bed is an inverter. I also don't have an inverter switch near the control panel which I would have according to the manual.

[Sphere Guy]

Captain, it shouldn't be difficult. It should not be nailed, screwed or glued. I cut a piece of grey carpet, like the stuff for the exterior steps, from HD, on top to keep things from sliding around.

BTW, that's where I gained access to the exterior front to run my wired rear camera system. If you ever need the directions, just write. I think I replied to somewhere on here to someone on how I did it.

I also have my own covered storage and live in Southern Texas so I don't need to winterize. Good luck!

[CanoeStream]

CaptainNecro -- All Airstreams have a voltage converter. It turns 110-120V AC into 12V DC. It helps keep your battery charged when you have an electric campsite.

Honestly -- converting 2 batteries of DC to AC (an inverter's function) is both inefficient and has a very minimal number of AC appliances that it can service (certainly NOT many resistance appliances; eg, coffee maker, hair dryer, toaster and similar ilk).

[Landrum]

Yeah....I get that. The converter I have and it is located under the frig at the elec panel with a cooling fan which I hear running sometimes. I don't have an inverter. I'm still not sure what the black box is located under my bed.

We love our new AS ( after 3 whole nights of camping), but AS could go a much better job with the manual and provide a few diagrams/drawings......