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BessieB · 06-07-2010, 10:28 AM

Gosh you all,
My husband did not winterize and now he gets to tackle that failure. And then he looks at me and asks why I didn't. Geeeeeee!!!!!!!! Anyway, where does one start? What is all the access? We have a 97 21fter and leaks galore. So underneath there is access panel so he says, but what about inside? He did put in a new faucet in the lavatory since we both didn't like the original and he wasn't impressed with the access underneath there.
So any starting hints?
I've got the manual in the house now.
Thanx,

HowieE · 06-07-2010, 10:50 AM

Most of the water piping should be above the floor. There may be one traverse under the floor depending on your layout. Piping generally brakes at an elbow so I would start by inspecting what you can see so and repair that which you can see. For plastic pipe Sea Teck or Shark Bite fitting are easy to install.

Once you have the obvious fixed I would apply low air pressure 25 lbs or so and lessen for leaks. This could be a major job and one you may want to ask your insurance carrier about. Not sure they will cover neglect but it is worth and ask.

The traps may also be broken. The one under the shower will be the killer.

The tanks should be OK unless they were quite full.

bobfowler · 06-07-2010, 11:12 AM

YIKES! Having repaired blown copper in the past, I feel your pain. You probably have more than one split pipe (yes, pipes DO split wide open). You may want to consider pulling out the copper and installing Pex. I had to replace every inch of plumbing in my 72 Argosy. It wasn't that hard of a job at all, but my Argosy is probably a simpler trailer than your '97. One thing we did was to replace all of the gate valves with ball valves. I also made a manifold that resides on the rear wall under the bathroom sink with shutoff valves for every fixture in the trailer. A little overkill, but worth the effort.

BessieB · 06-07-2010, 11:21 AM

Hi,
Tanks should be empty without being blown with compressor. Also in the cold when the trailer went out hunting last December, it was way cold. Anyway, the valve that drains the water broke then and that will need to be replaced. Like 12 degrees or less out there and that plastic just broke like a paper fold.
thanx......

bobfowler · 06-07-2010, 11:22 AM

This is the city water/system drain manifpold I made. It resides in the bathroom closet.

This is my under-the-bathroom-sink manifold that feeds the bathroom sink, shower, and kitchen sink. (cold water lines are color-coded with blue painter tape).

You'll note we used braided stainless steel supply lines for everthing. The lines to the kitchen route behind the shower pan and are braided SS all the way to the faucet in the kitchen.

I don't have any pix of the new pipe installation by the water heater, but essentially I made a manifold for that as we. The cold water line from the pump is plastic to a barbed connector on the copper pipe manifold at the water heater. The far end of that manifold has 3/4" threaded connectors from which more braided SS lines run to the city water/system drain manifold.

bobfowler · 06-07-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BessieB

Hi,
Tanks should be empty without being blown with compressor. Also in the cold when the trailer went out hunting last December, it was way cold. Anyway, the valve that drains the water broke then and that will need to be replaced. Like 12 degrees or less out there and that plastic just broke like a paper fold.
thanx......

I had to replace mine last weekend. Is this the one you need?

BessieB · 06-07-2010, 12:14 PM

Yes,
It looks about right, thanx for the link. I started unscrewing but never finished. These posts are all great.
My husband was thinking of using that very piping, the metal corrugated stuff if that is what it is called.
Can you imagine how smart I can get after all this?
Thanx

**Janet H** · 06-07-2010, 12:58 PM

We had to do the same repairs to our Argosy when we first got it and used PEX on everything It's worth buying the fitting crimper although you can rent one. Not a fan of the bayonet fittings....

We found split copper lines, broken toilet valve and faucets, but the tanks and drain traps were ok. On many models the toilet valve is replaceable.

BillTex · 06-07-2010, 01:56 PM

Yikes!
If your Husband did not winterize you should be sure to check his plumbing thoroughly; apply pressure and check for any drips, leaks, or sagging anywhere in the system. How old is the plumbing? When was it last drained? Is there a history of non-performance? A thorough examination of all components, including those hanging beneath the chassis should provide you with all the information you need to properly diagnose the system and hopefully get him up and running again!
Should this result in the system failing to rise to the occasion, there are remedies available. Many of them available on-line as my inbox indicates daily!
Good luck…and don’t report back with any details…

BessieB · 06-07-2010, 04:04 PM

I brought home an excellent functional trailer. So I have him reading this and hopefully the nose will go to the grindstone and he can tackle this. I really had some summer plans here......

FreshAir · 06-07-2010, 10:10 PM

We bought our Trade Wind from a family way up in Oregon 4 Aprils ago. Once it was home I set out to check out everything. Hooked up the garden water hose, turned the faucet on and before I could go into the trailer water was flowing out from every door, hatch and whatever. I ran back to the faucet and quickly turned it off. I then waded into the flooded trailer and located 6 split pipes from the galley to the rear bath! I had just had 2 hips replaced and Lynn was recovering from a stroke so we both had a mighty distraction and plenty of time to bring this trailor up to snuff by late summer.....the time we were permited to venture out onto the highways and camping. I can't say it was the physical therapy that our doctors would recommend but it was certainly the best mental therapy we could have wished for.

Neil.

BessieB · 06-08-2010, 10:14 AM

So you tackled it? Good for you. Making progress here, the manual is in my husband's possession.
I made progress on the home front. I bought a little shop vac. I can see why hard floor is the direction. The rug is very impressive in how well it cleans up, but until we get home........... I even put down area rugs, but grit still gets tracked in. So this little shop vac will be mighty handy when out and about.

BessieB · 06-09-2010, 10:37 AM

Making progress. My husband is trying to avoid but got him out there. So far it looks like it is just the pvc sort of stuff, just very brittle All looks original, which he was wondering about. So this he can handle. And I will get on the horn and order that valve part, that I know to do,
thanx all again......

FreshAir · 06-10-2010, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BessieB

Making progress. My husband is trying to avoid but got him out there. So far it looks like it is just the pvc sort of stuff, just very brittle All looks original, which he was wondering about. So this he can handle. And I will get on the horn and order that valve part, that I know to do,
thanx all again......

If hubby is a 'typical' guy he's loving the repair process. I did/am...new black tank...new water heater....new axles....new cork floor ....polishing....replacing bad oven with microwave............lovng it with camping too.

Neil.

Minnie's Mate · 06-10-2010, 09:01 AM

Quote:

........... I even put down area rugs, but grit still gets tracked in.

We travel mostly to Florida and the beach so grit is a regular issue for us. My wife is obsessed with vacuuming the Airstream when we travel. I bought one of these and require every one in the family to scrape their shoes before entering the trailer:

Clean Machine ® Shoe & Boot - Item - Camping World

I also always take my shoes off as soon as I enter the trailer. These two activities has greatly reduced the amount of sand, grit, and dirt that we have.

We also have a set of these:

Presto-O-Fit Jumbo Wraparound+Plus RV Step Rugs - Product - Camping World

Search - step covers - Camping World

And one of these:

Ruggids RV Door Mats - Product - Camping World

And last but not least in our battle against dirt, we always use a patio rug, even on our shortest trips.

BessieB · 06-10-2010, 11:52 PM

You serious? About loving repairs? I'm seeing sarcasm I think..... He has to finish some stuff he started at his mom's house before he dives in. Literally, some of that stuff looks like he will be on his head.

BessieB · 06-17-2010, 07:39 PM

This is a 97 trailer. Were these not by this time designed for access? My husband is under the lavatory and to get beyond that box, I found screws on the left for 2 maybe retainer type cabinet work? And then a rectangular hole that I assumed gained access to that plumbing there. According to my husband not very good access.
Is this thing going to have to get more torn into?
Betcha my husband becomes very religious at winterizing after this ordeal

BessieB · 07-07-2010, 01:30 PM

Howdy all,
My husband did not winterize and he had to replace all the PVC plumbing or practically replace it all. Now he is at the shower. The toilet is out and the panel is down. You can see the plumbing but the brass fittings need to come off. Is there a horizontal style wrench? Or any other ideas?
So things are getting tackled a bit at a time. He was out of town for over 2 weeks and he couldn't take the trailer since it is all torn up.
Thanx

HowieE · 07-07-2010, 01:55 PM

Not sure what type of wrench your are asking about. A picture would be helpful.

BessieB · 07-07-2010, 02:41 PM

Hi,
Just tried to take pictures, all blurry and bad. I have a corner back shower and the shower knob is on that left back wall. The panel is open to the side by the toilet and you can see the pipes tying into the shower. 3 brass fittings with not much space to get torque to loosen that are connected to the pvc pipes.
Bessie