20-footers

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by centennialman

Good morning all....had a great camping trip up in the Sangre de Cristo range in Colorado this weekend.

I got hit by hail Sunday night. About 1 inch in diameter and the storm was quick and lasted about 4 minutes. My truck is ok. The sides and end caps on the Airstream seem to be fine and there is no visual damage from the ground. The roof has dents all over it. The skylights etc....held up fine. I will call the insurance company today and start the process of getting someone out to look at it.

The roof of the Airstream is painted white, or has a membrane of white material on the raised part where the air conditioning ducting runs through. Does anyone know what it's made of? It took the brunt of the storm. I didn't have the heart to get up on a ladder and take a look when I got home yesterday....will get that done in the next couple of nights and report back on the extent of the damage.

Steve, what a bummer. I looked at an image of the rooftop/FF I had and it really looks like a manufacturer coated surface. I was originally thinking TPO but it is perfectly smooth and looks like paint. Keep us posted on your progress and let us know how the trip to JC was Personally I’d only let JC touch it.


Bob

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by waldosgone

For those who have modified the pump room/replaced the pump how are your results?

I just put the 1/2'' foam pad you use for garage on all the surfaces, including the underside of the pot and pan drawer, and foam pipe insulation on all the pipes. A ShurFlo Revolution (3 GPM) is on the way for installation this weekend. Any lessons learned for swapping out the pump?

I didn't reattach the pipe tie downs because we don't use the rear cubby for much storage and I figured it would just cause more noise. Any thoughts on that practice?

James

Wow, great pics James. Thanks for the post. Hopefully we'll eventually make it to AK.

Similar to Peter, I made also some pump-house mods but used different materials.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f443...-148414-3.html


I used a backpacking ensolite pad and screwed thru it but did not glue it down. I used slightly longer screws to allow for the pad thickness but was very careful not knowing what (tank??) was below the subfloor. I also did not run them down overly tight like OEM. Enough to touch and compress the grommet and pad but allowed for a dampening and some movement. (**) I initially slipped some think sheet form between the lines and brackets but that was a bugger to do. I followed up with some simple ½” pipe insulation at obvious vibration points. IMO my loud sounds was mostly fittings/lines vibrating against the diamond plate as it exited the pump house. (where he lines connects to the pex)

I didn’t do the rear storage as with my bike rack it is very hard to access and I also could not pinpoint any music with the compartment door open.

I found the improvements helped immensely. I still get a bit of shudder at pump power up but believe it’s coming from under the shower…so I’m basically done.

I was initially planning on swapping out the lines in the PH for some stainless residential service connections. I had also looked at the Shur-flo version of anti-vibration lines. However in the end the pump-house itself was quiet so left it as is. I should also say the shudder is louder inside than out..IMO.

I would say that an accumulator tank may help with that last bit of shudder but access to the back corner (rear storage/pump-house bulkhead) is for me, impossible to reach.

Re the pump IMO I’d opt for a variable speed pump. I would prefer not to drop in GPM



(**) I parked next to a class A once. He had removed all pump screws and left it to dance on a foam pad held in place by the supply/discharge lines. He said it never made a noise and was easier to winterize. Well OK.


Bob

p.s. I had a GC from CW so I added a diverter valve like the post #29 in the above link. I also bought a hand pump that I store in the pump house....obviously. I hope I never need to use it with AF but thought what the heck. I also bought a 2' section of tubing and a1/2: NPT male adapter so I can blow back the water to the tank when winterizing and not have to somehow get my head in the pump house

[CruizinDux]

Hew Steve, did you ever get the cabinet hinge clips and how are they working?

bob

[centennialman]

Hey Bob,

Sorry....I should have reported back on the hinge clips. I did get them and installed them just before this last trip. They worked great and, for the first time since I bought the Airstream, I can open the door under the bed and not have it fall off of it's hinges. They were easy to install. I have a door that continuall falls off of my workbench in the garage and will install them on it as well.

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by centennialman

Hey Bob,

Sorry....I should have reported back on the hinge clips. I did get them and installed them just before this last trip. They worked great and, for the first time since I bought the Airstream, I can open the door under the bed and not have it fall off of it's hinges. They were easy to install. I have a door that continuall falls off of my workbench in the garage and will install them on it as well.

Great, thanks for the feedback.

Bob

[TCwheels]

Final step of the dinette project: new upholstery!

[centennialman]

Absolutely beautiful!!! I am impressed

[CruizinDux]

I liiiiike it! Great work TC.

Bob

[TCwheels]

Thanks guys! We are very happy with it. Now on to "lifting bed" project....

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by TCwheels

Thanks guys! We are very happy with it. Now on to "lifting bed" project....

What will this project entail? Being able to lift the bed up for better access to the storage, with lift springs/keepers to hold it up maybe? Nice work on the dinette by the way!

Darrell FYI there is a Tesla X SUV demo near you next week if you have any interest in this kind of thing. Amazing technology and fun to see in person.

https://www.tesla.com/event/tesla-ex...resort-and-spa

We looked at one today, as I had noticed the Tesla Explores national tour as mentioned below.

Our new custom bench seat is getting installed next week finally, so hopefully after the new grandchild arrives, we will be on the road again at least locally. Life keeps getting in the way.

Cheers,

Peter

[click on arrow to go to that post and see photo]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

FYI we looked at a Tesla X SUV today, towing their new AS demo trailer which is making the rounds all over the US. The recent thread here about an accident near a Tesla demo trailer in Detroit led us to research the new vehicle and the AS combo.

Here is the Tesla Explores page:

https://www.tesla.com/teslaexplores

where the interactive map shows upcoming demonstration events.

We are going to take a test drive and get more info this week. An impressive vehicle.

Cheers,

Peter

[TCwheels]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

What will this project entail? Being able to lift the bed up for better access to the storage, with lift springs/keepers to hold it up maybe? Nice work on the dinette by the way!

Darrell FYI there is a Tesla X SUV demo near you next week if you have any interest in this kind of thing. Amazing technology and fun to see in person.

https://www.tesla.com/event/tesla-ex...resort-and-spa

We looked at one today, as I had noticed the Tesla Explores national tour as mentioned below.

Our new custom bench seat is getting installed next week finally, so hopefully after the new grandchild arrives, we will be on the road again at least locally. Life keeps getting in the way.

Cheers,

Peter

[click on arrow to go to that post and see photo]

Yes, you described the next project exactly!

We saw a Tesla display at Crystal Mountain last weekend. The gull wing door SUV is pretty cool!

[OTRA15]

Will be interested in your plan, as I had the same idea when I was checking out our sub-woofer way up forward there on the curb side [re: a possible phantom electrical load -- not -- RIP idroba].

When changing the sheets, the mattress "hinges" up near the window fairly easily, so the general concept seems sound. Where to make the "trap door" though, as we have padded head and foot storage lockers, do you also? So the trap door has to stop short of those lockers. Where to put the hinge, maybe about 18" away from the front window? The curved front corners of the storage area limit storage there anyway. Just keep those corners as dead zones?

Other AS models have beds that "keep" up also, and their hydraulic piston units seem to fail in the up position sometimes, from what I have read here. Also, are they rated for the loads of our mattresses? Guessing yes, if they can handle a larger mattress.

This modification would definitely improve the utility of the storage area under the bed, although we still have to be careful not to put really heavy stuff near the tongue. Dead storage for winter/summer clothes seems perfect. Or a plastic container of extra TP and PT?

Looking forward to your thoughts and photos! Thanks for the idea.

Peter

PS -- Another option might be to buy a 23FB to go with your new tow vehicle . . .

[centennialman]

Looking forward to details on the bed hinge project. It would be great to just lift the bed instead of getting down on the floor and through the access door.

I finally had the courage to get the scaffolding out and check on the hail damage from my memorial day trip. The roof took a pretty good beating. You can't see it from the ground but there are lots of dents on the roof and some very faint ones on one of the curved end caps. The air conditioner cover, skylights etc.... all did ok.

Now to decide on whether to repair it or??

[OTRA15]

Sorry to hear Steve. If there are no leaks you certainly have the option of not repairing it, but a good estimate of the damage will be important to get ASAP. After we got rear-ended last fall, the insurance dance was challenging, but ended up OK.

I would suggest submitting lots of photos to Jackson Center, and any other recommended body shops, to show the damage from all angles. Now that you have scaffolding up, you should be able to get the sun/lighting just right to accentuate the depth of the dimples and dents.

Parallel research would involve the actual market value before the hail damage, so comparable sales in your area, and even nationwide will be important. Coincidentally a 2016 20' nearby was just listed in the classifieds, which I will locate later.

Not sure if I posted about our negotiations with the insurance company for the damage to the van, but it took quite a bit of time and effort to have the van valued fairly. Looking back, the time spent on emails and photos paid for itself.


Good luck!

Peter

[waldosgone]

Got the pump changed out to a Shurflo Revolution (Model 4008-101-E65). Pump swap took about an hour. Put grey rubber garage floor mats on all surfaces in the cavity and affixed them with duct tape. Once the drawer and lower piece of trim were popped back in (be careful if you decide to remove it because it's held with four pocket screws and four dowels (broke two removing).

Overall totally worth the $120 (for the pump, set of four mats, and 8 feet of 1/2 pipe insulation). The pump isn't silent but it's SIGNIFICANTLY more quiet and virtually undetected outside the camper.

Next will be the Clarion stereo being turned into a boat anchor....

I didn't get any pictures but if someone is interested I'm happy to pull the drawer out and take some.

[OTRA15]

Glad to hear about the improvement! Thanks.

Is anyone else getting the Colton RV pop-up ad in a new window before you log in here? If so, please consider participating in this new thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f138...up-168248.html

This problem only started about a week ago, and Firefox and settings in the User CP here have not accomplished much. Hoping that participation in the thread will get the attention of admins and moderators.

Thanks,

Peter

[CruizinDux]

Hey Sallye..here ya go.

re: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...ml#post1968329

apologies, I couldn't figure how to attach an image to a PM

I understood that the CS canvas is standard but that the rear and dinette canvas awnings were an upgrade

Bob

[subfan1]

Hi Bob, I can't thank you enough for your complete description of our travels through Lassen NP.
Here is a picture of our campsite at Lassen, Manzanita CG. Could not see much due to snow, road through park closed.
[ATTACH]

[CruizinDux]

Originally Posted by subfan1

Hi Bob, I can't thank you enough for your complete description of our travels through Lassen NP.
Here is a picture of our campsite at Lassen, Manzanita CG. Could not see much due to snow, road through park closed.
[ATTACH]

Jose, my pleasure. I'm glad it worked out for you all.The pic reminds me of the campgrounds at McBurney...a short drive N up 89. Hot ( maybe you missed the real heat...my buddy in Tehama on the Sacto river was reporting 110 over the weekend), plenty of lodge pole pines so filtered sun & shade and more than ample room between campsites.

Have great trip.

Bob

[centennialman]

I arrived at the campground yesterday...beautiful place! Plugged into the pedestal and have my surge protector in use as well. This morning when I get up there is no hot water. The heater isn't working on gas or electric. Also, when I turn on the furnace the heat pump from the air conditioner also kicks on and I can't get them to work separately.....what the heck?