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10-02-2020, 04:05 PM
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#1
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Rivet Master
2019 25' International
Washington
, Washington, D.C.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,272
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Can't remove screw so I can slide curtains off the rails
After 3 seasons on the road, the cream-colored, slide-off curtains in my AS need washing. However, I am unable to remove the Phillips screw that allows one to slide the curtains off, because it was screwed in so tightly. I'm afraid that I will strip the screw if I persist. Complicating things is that I have to angle the screwdriver into the screw in order to remove so am unable to get a good grip. (I suspect this is because the AS techs use battery-operated screw drivers). The good news is that the curtains - fore and aft - can slide off the rails from either side - so I only need to get 2 (of the 4) screws out. Any tips on how to do this?
Thanks!
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10-02-2020, 04:23 PM
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#2
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"Cloudsplitter"
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas
, Malebolgia
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 20,000
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PatLee
After 3 seasons on the road, the cream-colored, slide-off curtains in my AS need washing. However, I am unable to remove the Phillips screw that allows one to slide the curtains off, because it was screwed in so tightly. I'm afraid that I will strip the screw if I persist. Complicating things is that I have to angle the screwdriver into the screw in order to remove so am unable to get a good grip. (I suspect this is because the AS techs use battery-operated screw drivers). The good news is that the curtains - fore and aft - can slide off the rails from either side - so I only need to get 2 (of the 4) screws out. Any tips on how to do this?
Thanks!
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May be time to include a manual impact screwdriver to the AS tool kit.👍
Bob
🇺🇸
__________________
I’m done with ‘adulting’…Let’s go find Bigfoot.
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10-02-2020, 07:16 PM
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#3
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3 Rivet Member
2017 30' International
Paradise
, California
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 146
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We removed the curtains on our rig before a Labor day trip to the dusty Nevada desert. I have to go out and look, but it seems there is 2 screws. 1 holds the end cap onto the mount and 1 holds the mount to the wall. I found that the screw into the wall was easier to access. Once removed, the mount could be slipped off of the curtain rail. Slide the curtains off, slip the mount back onto the rail and re-attach the mount. I used a screwdriver, not my rattle gun.
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10-02-2020, 07:36 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2002 30' Classic S/O
Fleming Island
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,673
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I had to use a right angle ratcheting screwdriver to get ours out. Then I discovered another problem. Even with the screws out, the clips wouldn't pull out of the extrusion. The screw had deformed the aluminum. I used a scrolling sabre saw blade (it was only half the blade width of the standard blade) in the groove to cut down the bump the screw made. I think I had to use Vise-Grip needlenose pliers to get a couple of screws out.
__________________
“You cannot reason someone out of a position they have not been reasoned into"
Al, K5TAN and Missy, N4RGO WBCCI 1322
2002 Classic 30 Slideout -S/OS #004
2013 Dodge 2500 Laramie 4x4 Megacab Cummins
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10-02-2020, 07:49 PM
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#5
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4 Rivet Member
1997 25' Safari
Montgomery
, Alabama
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 262
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Timely Topic. With lots of time on our hands, we are trying the same and having the same issues...and those da&$ Valances!! I was wondering if anyone had re- engineered the balance hangers ( simple bent tin) to make removing them simple?
By the way, it bares repeating that gentle cycle in Woolite and hang drying has given good results. Having a lady nearby helps reduce the cussing to a necessary minimum....
__________________
PAT & AL MEYER
TAC AL-26 WBCCI 2626
Montgomery, Alabama
follow the Two Bikes and an Airstream blog at https://airgo.blogspot.com
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10-02-2020, 08:10 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
2002 30' Classic S/O
Fleming Island
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,673
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Hi Al and Pat,
Yes, gentle cycle washing works wonders. Our trailer had a stale odor which I had always assumed was out-gassing from materials. After pulling the curtains and washing them in the gentle cycle the smell was gone. The curtains are much softer now. I don't know whether it was dirt and accumulated cooking oils/smoke/? or a resin in the fabric but it is so much better now.
__________________
“You cannot reason someone out of a position they have not been reasoned into"
Al, K5TAN and Missy, N4RGO WBCCI 1322
2002 Classic 30 Slideout -S/OS #004
2013 Dodge 2500 Laramie 4x4 Megacab Cummins
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10-02-2020, 10:20 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2007 22' International CCD
Corona
, California
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,180
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Sometimes decorative fabric is treated with materials like starch or silicone to make it easier to sew and install it. Makes it smoother and a little stiff. I bet that stuff got old and smelly.
__________________
Rich, KE4GNK/AE, Overkill Engineering Dept.
'The Silver HamShack' ('07 International 22FB CCD 75th Anniversary)
Multiple Yaesu Ham Radios inside and many antennae sprouting from roof, ProPride hitch, Prodigy P2 controller.
2012 shortbed CrewMax 4x4 Toyota Tacoma TV with more antennae on it.
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10-03-2020, 10:11 AM
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#9
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Rivet Master
2012 23' FB International
Woodstock
, Ontario
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,427
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Al and Missy
I had to use a right angle ratcheting screwdriver to get ours out. Then I discovered another problem. Even with the screws out, the clips wouldn't pull out of the extrusion. The screw had deformed the aluminum. I used a scrolling sabre saw blade (it was only half the blade width of the standard blade) in the groove to cut down the bump the screw made. I think I had to use Vise-Grip needlenose pliers to get a couple of screws out.
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Ditto my experience on my ‘96
Also had to pry the end panel off the overhead cabinet to clean up the deformed track
JCW
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10-03-2020, 10:17 AM
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#10
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3 Rivet Member
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Huntley
, Illinois
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 202
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Probably the only screw in an airstream that doesn’t fall out!
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10-03-2020, 10:24 AM
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#11
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3 Rivet Member
2015 25' FB Flying Cloud
Huntley
, Illinois
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 202
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Probably the only screw in an airstream that doesn’t fall out!
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10-03-2020, 11:54 AM
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#12
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Rivet Master
2019 25' International
Washington
, Washington, D.C.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,272
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Al and Missy, Yeah, I know. My AS smells like wood smoke, understandable since there were camp fires burning every night I camped during my 3 months traveling New England this summer. Washing the curtains as well as your bedding is key to restoring a fragrance-free interior.
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10-03-2020, 12:02 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
2019 25' International
Washington
, Washington, D.C.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,272
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I'm half tempted to add it to my warranty list, but I called last week for a warranty appointment at Jackson Center and earliest I could get in was 15 December. So will probably continue trying to remove screws based on your suggestions. Two things I discovered while trying to unscrew the curtains holder is that 1) one of the plastic holders is cracked; and 2) the snap for one of the curtain corners is loose (see photos). Those items will definitely be on my warranty repair list. Yes, that is soot on the rails from campfires. The trailer needs a good scrubbing.
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10-03-2020, 12:04 PM
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#14
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Rivet Master
2019 25' International
Washington
, Washington, D.C.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,272
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Ginophiles - umm, so where is the wall screw that you removed? Thanks.
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10-03-2020, 12:05 PM
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#15
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Rivet Master
2019 25' International
Washington
, Washington, D.C.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,272
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cegardner - ha! You made me LOL!
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10-03-2020, 12:11 PM
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#16
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Rivet Master
2019 25' International
Washington
, Washington, D.C.
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,272
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Robert Cross - thanks but I think the bulkiness of the tool won't be able to get close enough to work. I think the right-angled screwdriver might work better . . .
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10-03-2020, 12:51 PM
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#17
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Rivet Master
2002 30' Classic S/O
Fleming Island
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,673
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This is what I used. It seems most of my tools are old enough to be called vintage...
Harbor Freight sells something similar.
https://www.ebay.com/p/1526540668?ii...AaAsitEALw_wcB
__________________
“You cannot reason someone out of a position they have not been reasoned into"
Al, K5TAN and Missy, N4RGO WBCCI 1322
2002 Classic 30 Slideout -S/OS #004
2013 Dodge 2500 Laramie 4x4 Megacab Cummins
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10-03-2020, 01:24 PM
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#18
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3 Rivet Member
2016 30' International
1957 18' Wanderer
Marfa
, Everywhere
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 104
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Yes ...agree with Ginophiles. Don't mess with the screw that's at a strange angle, and go for the other one. We just hand washed all of our panoramic window curtains. A word to the wise: put them back on the curtain rack while they are still damp: they can shrink if left out in the air.
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10-03-2020, 02:48 PM
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#19
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3 Rivet Member
2016 27' International
North Augusta
, South Carolina
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 122
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Can't remove screw so I can slide curtains off the rails
Quote:
Originally Posted by PatLee
Ginophiles - umm, so where is the wall screw that you removed? Thanks.
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Ginophiles is right-the wall screw is way easier. I don’t have a picture of mine, but it takes the entire end cap off. The screw you’re looking for is toward the very end of the track and attaches that cream plastic end cap to the wall. I think it’s right below (or above on the bottom) the screw you were trying to get out; hidden from view by the track it’s self and the curtain.
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10-04-2020, 07:37 AM
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#20
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Rivet Master
2009 25' FB Classic
Scottsdale
, Arizona
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 850
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PatLee
After 3 seasons on the road, the cream-colored, slide-off curtains in my AS need washing. However, I am unable to remove the Phillips screw that allows one to slide the curtains off, because it was screwed in so tightly. I'm afraid that I will strip the screw if I persist. Complicating things is that I have to angle the screwdriver into the screw in order to remove so am unable to get a good grip. (I suspect this is because the AS techs use battery-operated screw drivers). The good news is that the curtains - fore and aft - can slide off the rails from either side - so I only need to get 2 (of the 4) screws out. Any tips on how to do this?
Thanks!
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In our 2009 Classic, the screws that hold the end cap in place is screwed from the bottom though the the end cap then into the metal rail, not as showed in your photo.
Maybe the AS worker installed that screw wrong and the screw is so tight that you can’t loosen it without a lot of torque.
[ATTACH] As far as how we clean our curtains each year, I soak them in our Landry tub over night in warm water with some oxiclean and very little bleach as they are soaking I turn them over in the tub. Then I wash only the front or the aft set at a time in the washer on white setting with soap and a little bleach. After that washing I re-wash them without any soap or bleach on express wash cycle to insure no soap is left. Then into the dryer on the lowest heat sitting. We have been doing this for the past 7 years being we now live in the Valley of the Sun Phoenix. Lots of dust. Look luck on your removal and cleaning your curtains.
__________________
Bob & Julie # 5587, 4CU in AZ
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