1992 34 ft excella 1000

[superChop]

Now that you have your project/AS, you need to visit Land Yacht Harbor in Melbourne, FL, where we have about 40 triple axle 34’s. You could obtain great advice and check out the upgrades many of us have made to our rigs. Our sofa at the front of the 1989 AS is the most comfortable sitting area, I have ever enjoyed in an AS (with the exception of a wonderful recliner in our 1964 26’ AS named Gracie). Some upgrades we made, reupholstered the sofa and dinette cushions, new countertops, new stove, switched queen bed to twin beds, removed the antenna and a leak was stopped, installed a fantastic fan in front, installed a couple of new light fixtures, replaced the reading lights in back with fans and installed a new kitchen sink.

Other responders provided a lot of great advice, and this bit of info does not require you to tow your new beauty to Melbourne, FL, but a drive down there for a week or so in the Jan - Mar timeframe could be an excellent investment in the future of your AS! Just need to book hotels for a few nights.

[Mikebrady62]

Congratulations Adventure TN
It sounds and looks like you found an incredible deal on a rare AS.
Have a great time in it, whether on the farm or in a forest nearby.

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by ts8501

I had those same cracks on my ‘90. I think that yellowing is due to aging. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Congratulations on your new 34’!

Great to know! Thanks. I assumed it was probably a normal issue and a minor one at that. Thinking of painting the interior white. Might get some plastic jbweld to fill crack before painting.

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by richard5933

Congratulations! Very happy for you.

Don't scrap the water heater yet. Unless the tank is leaking, nearly everything else is easy to fix on the original water heater. Much cheaper to do that than buy a new one and pretty easy to do.

Thanks! I am so excited. Already planning on what to start updating first!


I do have the "bad" water heater. PO removed it, but I still have it. I guess I should look for visible cracks in tank or should I fill up with water to see if it leaks?

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by superChop

Now that you have your project/AS, you need to visit Land Yacht Harbor in Melbourne, FL, where we have about 40 triple axle 34’s. You could obtain great advice and check out the upgrades many of us have made to our rigs. Our sofa at the front of the 1989 AS is the most comfortable sitting area, I have ever enjoyed in an AS (with the exception of a wonderful recliner in our 1964 26’ AS named Gracie). Some upgrades we made, reupholstered the sofa and dinette cushions, new countertops, new stove, switched queen bed to twin beds, removed the antenna and a leak was stopped, installed a fantastic fan in front, installed a couple of new light fixtures, replaced the reading lights in back with fans and installed a new kitchen sink.

Other responders provided a lot of great advice, and this bit of info does not require you to tow your new beauty to Melbourne, FL, but a drive down there for a week or so in the Jan - Mar timeframe could be an excellent investment in the future of your AS! Just need to book hotels for a few nights.

Thanks for the info! I am under 55 years old... Am I allowed to visit this place? haha Would love to get ideas on updating the interior. Any good threads on the forum that have interior ideas? The couch was already removed so I was thinking of building an L shaped Foam couch/beds.

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by Mikebrady62

Congratulations Adventure TN
It sounds and looks like you found an incredible deal on a rare AS.
Have a great time in it, whether on the farm or in a forest nearby.

Thanks! I feel like I got an amazing deal for the condition this trailer is in. And at the end of the day, how I feel, is all that matters.



Looking forward to the updating process and making memories along the way. That's what it's all about.

[Adventure TN]

So I have not tested the AC and it onlt has one unit. PO said it worked and honestly everything they told me that I was able to check was true. So hopefully the AC works. At the price I paid for it I expect it not to work and it's a big bonus if it turns out to work as PO said.



My question, 34' is a large space to cool if it's summer and 90+ degrees. I'm thinking about adding second AC unit. Is that difficult and crazy expensive? Trying to get a rough idea of the process and cost on adding a second AC unit. It's something I would more than likely let a local RV shop handle and not fool with. Anyone have experience adding a second AC unit?

[ts8501]

Originally Posted by Adventure TN

My question, 34' is a large space to cool if it's summer and 90+ degrees. I'm thinking about adding second AC unit. Is that difficult and crazy expensive? Trying to get a rough idea of the process and cost on adding a second AC unit. It's something I would more than likely let a local RV shop handle and not fool with. Anyone have experience adding a second AC unit?

I’m not sure you’ll need a second A/C. Those non-ducted units put out the cold.
I never needed more than one in mine;
It would freeze me out. I was not, however, camping over 100 degrees.

[richard5933]

Two a/c units would be nice, but running both on 30 amp service will be tricky. Best to read up on the options for making this work before committing to it.

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by ts8501

I’m not sure you’ll need a second A/C. Those non-ducted units put out the cold.
I never needed more than one in mine;
It would freeze me out. I was not, however, camping over 100 degrees.

GREAT to know!! That would be excellent if one did the trick! Where I plan to set it is down in a hollow. Only will get full sun maybe 6 hours at midday. Thanks for comment!

[richard5933]

If you're parking it in one place you've got lots of options for creating shade, which will help your trailer stay cool with less effort. I've seen some creative uses of sail-like 'awnings' strung between a few tall poles.

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by richard5933

Two a/c units would be nice, but running both on 30 amp service will be tricky. Best to read up on the options for making this work before committing to it.

Great point. Less is definitely more if I can make a single unit do the trick! I have a big generator and I plan on testing the AC once I have a chance to get it plugged in!

Originally Posted by richard5933

If you're parking it in one place you've got lots of options for creating shade, which will help your trailer stay cool with less effort. I've seen some creative uses of sail-like 'awnings' strung between a few tall poles.

Yes, I am leaning toward building a dedicated place to park it. Right now I am leaning toward building a nice A-frame pavillion building with metal roof for the AS to sit and building a nice walk out deck in front of AS.


It doesn't get crazy cold in TN during the winters, but my biggest question, if I decide to Airbnb it, would be whether I can keep it heated throughout the winter months and not have issues with frozen water pipes, etc? Or if I just shut it down december-February and winterize it? May not be worth the propane heating cost to keep it heated in winter. I would probably buy a large permanent propane tank if I tried keeping heated throughout winter.

[richard5933]

If you're going to use it for an AirBnB, maybe consider going a little bit different and install a mini split with heat pump. It could be powered by a separate feed from the pedestal so you wouldn't need to make changes to the trailer's wiring. It would do a great job with both heating and cooling.

For use through the winter, you've got to worry about keeping the tanks and waste plumbing warm, not just the interior. When you run the propane furnace it is designed to send heat down to the belly pans around the tanks, but there's no telling if yours are still working as intended.

There are some threads on the forum about putting insulated skirting around the perimeter of the trailer. I believe that there are now some inflatable skirting kits in addition to all the more traditional ways of doing this. With a fairly airtight skirting you will have a much easier time keeping both the tanks and the interior warmer.

[Adventure TN]

Originally Posted by richard5933

If you're going to use it for an AirBnB, maybe consider going a little bit different and install a mini split with heat pump. It could be powered by a separate feed from the pedestal so you wouldn't need to make changes to the trailer's wiring. It would do a great job with both heating and cooling.

For use through the winter, you've got to worry about keeping the tanks and waste plumbing warm, not just the interior. When you run the propane furnace it is designed to send heat down to the belly pans around the tanks, but there's no telling if yours are still working as intended.

There are some threads on the forum about putting insulated skirting around the perimeter of the trailer. I believe that there are now some inflatable skirting kits in addition to all the more traditional ways of doing this. With a fairly airtight skirting you will have a much easier time keeping both the tanks and the interior warmer.

Great idea to install a mini split with heat pump. That should certainly do the trick heating it in winter.


So you have any suggestions on where the best location to install a mini split unit in the Airstream? What size you would guess would be big enough?



If I go the route of making this an AirBnB and making a permanent spot to park it I definitely would plan on installing a skirt. For our type winters in middle TN I think that would be enough to keep the pipes and tanks from freezing if I maintain heat throughout winter inside the Airstream. Maybe a small space heater below the trailer on the coldest nights would keep the tanks and water lines plenty warm with the skirt. I will have to check out those threads on installing skirts.



I really like the design of the inflatable skirt. Probably one of the more expensive ways to install a skirt vs. DIY, but also looks like quickest way to install a skirt. My question is how durable the inflatable skirts are if they were used year round? How long would they last and what kind of warranty. Will have to do some more research on those. For permanent parking it may be wiser to install a DIY skirt that is more permanent than the inflatable. I think the inflatable is a great option for short trips here and there. Just not sure if it was designed or could hold up to continuous use year round 24/7.

[tbashin]

Originally Posted by Adventure TN

Picked it up today! Could not be happier or more excited. It is in great condition from a newbie point of view. Checked every compartment and place I could look. Floors all seem solid. No leaking signs on walls or around edge of floors.

Owner bought 2 new batteries. I installed them and sure enough, the power jack worked like a charm. Interior lights all functioned as they should. As the owner stated the water heater needs to be replaced. Trailer lights and brake lights all work besides a burnt out bulb or two. All new tires Does appear to be original Axles but rode fine. Didn’t drive over 65 mph on interstate just to be safe.

Question: I noticed in the bedroom and in the front area (pictured) the plastic in the corners cracked. I assume this is probably normal or is it something to be concerned with? Easy to replace or repair?

The AS plastic is easy to repair, remove what's attached to it, use JB Plastic Weld then sand smooth and paint. You can add support on the back side via wood attached with Gorilla Construction Adhesive. Nice rig.