I tried replacing the shower pan. Please help.

[The-Marco]

Drains in the C channel sounds like a must. The way it comes 'stock' is pretty stupid in my opinion. I can clearly see where water just sat and corroded the aluminum.


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[Shaggy1970]

Several years ago I ripped out the non Marine grade wood floor of my boat and replaced it with Marine Grade. I took it one step further and took the wood down to a local fiberglass shop and had them coated in Fiberglass. Came out very smooth but beyond that completely water proof. Put snap in Carpet over that and now I clean the interior of the boat out with a hose and brush and have the water drain in the bilge. Just a thought for those doing this type of retrofit to make sure the floor is indeed waterproof.

[The-Marco]

That is a great idea! How much did it cost per 4x8? I'm assuming they just covered it in resin right? Or did they use actual fiberglass mesh as well? I'm in southern CA so I can probably price it out against surf shops too.


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[The-Marco]

Just lifted my first floor panel, and not surprised to find the mother of all mouse nests. Along with countless spider egg sacks. I'm going to talk to my exterminator neighbor to see what I can toss in there before I put it all back together.




I can't understand how mice could live in that stuff, I have a hard enough time pulling it out with my gloved hands for an hour. My idea of hell would be having to tunnel through it naked and sleep in it and make babies in it etc. etc.


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[cwf]

Marco... The fiberglass itch can be minimized by using women's hosiery. Put your arms inside. After work, pull off along with the fibers. Use a fresh one dragged over arms to remove remnants.

As for mice.... They are more than a nuisance. They make people sick. Be careful around the debris. Also, seal all holes with stainless steel wool or bronze Dobie pads.

[J. Morgan]

Fwiw, a method of dealing with fiberglass is to take a shower as hot as you can reasonably stand to open your pores, wash, then turn the shower to cool to close your pores before getting out.

It seems to work for me.

[Shaggy1970]

Originally Posted by The-Marco

That is a great idea! How much did it cost per 4x8? I'm assuming they just covered it in resin right? Or did they use actual fiberglass mesh as well? I'm in southern CA so I can probably price it out against surf shops too.


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Yeah they just covered it in resin, I paid 400 total for 6 pieces, came out looking great. I am sure if you called around you could maybe do it for cheaper. Its the only way to go I think, will never have the rot issue to worry about, the mice and rats, now thats another story.

[The-Marco]

Cwf, I will try the panty hose out on this round of fiberglass removal and let everyone know how it works out. I wonder where the mice are finding panties in their size? And I have a full face respirator for their turd dust.

As for getting it off yourself as I had to after my first round, my arms were literally covered in a layer of pink fur. I was just wearing some work gloves and a t-shirt (wasn't planning on taking the insulation out that night but a piece had fallen off the ceiling and landed on me, so figured, I'm already wet, might as well go for a swim). Anywho, I did a web search and this is what worked for me:

1.Cold shower, cold as I could stand, no soap, no touching yourself.

2.pour apple cider vinegar on yourself, and wipe yourself with your hands, DON'T go against the hair. Then some more vinegar.

3.rinse off with more miserable cold water. (The thing I read said to avoid warm water at all costs to keep the pores closed and to keep more fiberglass from getting in.)

I had very minimal itching the next day and this was the worst fiberglass encounter I've ever had. But hey, to each their own, and there are probably many ways to skin this cat.



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[cwf]

Yeah... I have several pair in my dresser.. I get the discards after my wife wears them. It was funny when she told my mother-in-law they were mine!!! Hahah

[The-Marco]

I don't have a wife, so I'll just look like a cross dresser when I have to buy them.


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[RM66caravel]

I have a wife and if I had hosiery in my dresser she would worry! But I do get my butt chewed when she finds out I took them out of her dresser and used them for a project!
Cliff


Yes I said that! Or did I?

[The-Marco]

Ugh, I'm just going to take my chances with the fiberglass


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[The-Marco]

The fresh water tank is far bigger than I thought! I figured it would be half the size and only run between 2 cross members. And it is all on piece. I'm thinking it needs to be dropped out the bottom.

Keep it or get a new one? (Assuming it doesn't have holes in it)



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[arktos55343]

Try to keep it....replacements are expensive. If it's not too bad on the inside, you can try to clean it out using a few tablets of denture cleaner. Let it foam up, rinse...repeat.

[cwf]

Are you sure that's fresh water tank? Can't tell for sure.

[arktos55343]

Yep - same as mine on my '72 Trade Wind. If you decide to drop the tank, be forewarned that the access cover can be a real bugger to get out due to corrosion and repeated swelling of the wood. I had to use a come-along to get mine to release.

[The-Marco]

Hey cwf,
Yeah it is the fresh, my year did not have a gray water tank (that is what those stupid plastic tubes were for).

I definitely want to get a gray tank while everything is ripped up, and I also need a black tank since I ruined mine. So figured I might as well just get the new fresh one while I was at it. I guess I will price it all out first though. I was thinking $150-$175 per tank? We shall see.


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[arktos55343]

Fresh Water = $360 on sale at InlandRV.com. There may be other sources for that tank.

[The-Marco]

Inca plastics is about $200 per 53"X23"X6" tank. Those are just rough measurements and I was just trying to get a ballpark price. I'll design the system once I get all the boards up.

My plan is to relocate the water pump to the kitchen side. (And all the fresh water tank connections) if I re-use my fresh tank I believe I will rotate it 180degrees.

I'm also re-locating the water heater to be super close to the kitchen sink and shower. That just makes the most sense. The original design was pretty inefficient in that regard. I think I can get the new water heater within 6 inches of where I will be putting the indoor shower and 2 feet from the outdoor shower, and 3-4 feet from the kitchen sink. (These are proximity measurements, not pipe lengths, the pipe lengths will be similar though). The bathroom sink will have the longest run,

and I'm almost wondering if I even need hot water to the bathroom sink? I never really use it at home. Do you guys find hot bathroom sink water to be a necessity?


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[arktos55343]

If you rotate the FW tank, won't that put the access hole in your walking path?


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