Pet peeves of my Airstream

[TBRich]

Originally Posted by drbrick

We really only have one

Inorder to turn on the light in the toilet/shower compartment you have to turn on the light over the sink which on the CB means you illuminate the entire trailer waking everyone.

Has anyone fixed this stupid setup and can tell me how they changed it to work independently?????

I think we have the same corner bed/bath/vanity set up in our 19' 2006 that you have in your 25'... and the same issues with the vanity light and toilet light being on the same switch. Made me crazy. Especially if one of us had to get up during the night...EVERYBODY has to wake up.

I decided to replace the bathroom light fixture with an LED fixture which has a switch on the fixture ... (and I think the original light fixture in the bathroom had a switch at the fixture). While replacing the fixture (you could do this with the original fixture if it has a switch on it), I tied off the original 12v line to dead-end it.

The bathroom exhaust fan is less that foot away from the overhead light, and it has its own switch at the fan ... which means the 12v line to the fan is hot all the time. I took the inner part of the fan housing down far enough to access the wiring to it.

I fished a length of wire from the light housing hole between the skins to the fan housing hole.

I connected the new wire to the light fixture and the other end I tied into the 12v line feeding the fan ... being sure to tie into the line BEFORE the switch...this gave the light the same 12v source as the fan...and each of them is now on its own switch.

There is not a lot of room for my fat fingers to splice into the fan wire (I didn't want to pull on the wiring to the fan too much), but I was able to do it...and if I can do it, you can do it!

If you don't feel confirmable doing this yourself, I am sure your service person could do the modification if you explained it to them.

Yes, you must now turn the bathroom light on at the light fixture, but that is far far better than the original switch set-up turning both the light in the bathroom AND the vanity on all the time. It has worked perfectly for us.

By the way, we had already switched all the original ceiling lights to LEDs so this fixture swap was a good change. We liked the new light so much that we also replaced the fixture above the kitchen sink and above the dinette with the same fixture.

Good luck!

[Ephraim]

Originally Posted by turk123

Let's see . . .

I'm sitting here in my Airstream with the AC running and the window blinds all open with my computer and a cup of coffee.

My pet peeve is people that park their Airstreams at home in their driveways and are not on the road enjoying the country.

Just like me right now. I'm in my driveway right now!

But that will change in one week!

Hmmm, How can your pet peeve be sitting in your driveway in your Airstream? You could be sitting in your living room looking at your Airstream... Now that I could understand. No time spent in an Airstream Classic is wasted. I refuse to say how many times I have already slept in the Airstream in my own driveway!

With grown kids in the house, my wife says it is the only place we have where there is peace and quiet and that we can have a private conversation.

[amollere]

Have told my husband for years that Wally was a chauvinist & if he’d allowed Mrs. Bynam to have some input, things — especially inside — would have been much better!

[Outdoors4me]

No odometer to know when routine maintenance is needed.

[Vlamgat]

Originally Posted by amollere

Have told my husband for years that Wally was a chauvinist & if he’d allowed Mrs. Bynam to have some input, things — especially inside — would have been much better!

And that's the truth of it ! Actually, very few of the RV builders can afford, or will afford their staff the time to use the trailers they build to ascertain this stuff. They are tested on the bench so to speak and hence the stupid stuff. AS/Thor is not alone as the Chinese tire fiasco proved.

[RJJ]

Originally Posted by Outdoors4me

No odometer to know when routine maintenance is needed.

Airstream partnered with Togo. The Togo app has maintenance, vehicle registration, lists and other stuff. Get the app and see if it's for you.


https://www.runswithtogo.com/

[HHPJ]

I own a 2017 25a FC and I must agree with each item on your list, minus the 50amp related references...You nailed it!

Originally Posted by jnm30327

I saw a thread about "major" problems. It got me to thinking about minor problems - my pet peeves. Don't get me wrong. I love my Airstream. We have spent close to 100 nights in our 2018 27FB Flying Cloud over nearly two years and gone nearly 25000 miles (trip to Alaska was 13000 of that.) Still, there are the minor things that are a bother. Some we have solved. Others are essentially un-fixable. Here is my list:

Airstream Pet Peeves

1. Location of toilet paper dispenser. Designed for someone short and left-handed. I am neither. We put a stick on dispenser on the door below the sink.
2. Sweep on shower door. Kept coming apart. Just took it off.
3. Knocking of water pump. Is there such a thing as a quiet water pump?
4. Lighting oven means sitting on the floor, and you need a long reach into darkness to find the light point.
5. Piezoelectric spark devices on stovetop are not reliable. Bought an electric lighter.
6. Accessing electrical outlet under the dinette table means sitting on the floor. Even then, you have to have a long reach. Bought a power strip which sits on the dinette table.
7. Location of light switch in bathroom too close to water heater switches. I still reach into a darkened bathroom and hit the wrong switch.
8. Location of smoke detector too close to stove. Any meal which requires significant cooking will set it off. We have covered it up with a shower cap. Ugly and not the safest but works.
9. Location of rear temperature sensor too close to outside skin of trailer. I am always having to adjust the zone 2 temperature setting either to keep temperature warm or cold. It reads the outside skin temperature as much as the indoor temperature.
10. Weather stripping on front outside compartment door releases when temperature changes. Poor design as the weatherstripping will expand and contract with temperature change and flip off the aluminum track. Towing in driving rain will put water into compartment.
11. Capacity of original equipment batteries too small. They barely last the night when there is a heating load. I bought two 1000 Whr lithium batteries with built in converter and inverter which are portable and can be carried to electric outlet in men's room of most campgrounds for recharging. Also, bought two 100 amp-hr AGM batteries for trailer and a 160 watt portable solar panel. We can dry camp for a week without trouble even in cold conditions.
12. Storage switch leaves significant parasitic loads on battery. See number (13.) Why I need a live propane detector when there is no one in the trailer to hear it is beyond me.
13. No kill switch to protect battery during storage. This is an absolute essential. When stored, batteries will be pulled to zero within weeks.
14. No monitoring system for battery. Another essential if you do any amount of dry camping. I have a Victron which allows me to keep up with battery condition at all times.
15. No thermometer for indoor and outdoor temperatures. Bought one.
16. No tire pressure monitoring system. This is another essential IMHO. I think it should be standard.
17. Light on shore power cable does not light unless 50 amp connection. Have to enter trailer to determine if power is on with 30 amp connection. Trivial perhaps but I always want to be sure I have it connected. I look at small red LED on TVs.
18. 50 amp shore power cable too heavy and too stiff in colder temperatures. I have learned to live with this one but wonder if there is something better out there. Break camp with temperature in the 40s and see what I mean.
19. Front television is mounted so that second HDMI input cannot be accessed.
20. Rear television cannot be moved out from wall making optical audio output difficult to plug in for Bluetooth headphone transmitter.
21. Circular sink cutting board/cover is unusable. It will not stay on sink while in motion and is too big to use on counter. Its permanent home is behind the sofa seat cushions. Sometimes is pulled out as pizza cutting board but most of the time is out of sight.
22. Bottom half of inverter powered TV electrical outlets is blanked off.
23. Rear privacy curtain comes off its track. Plastic pin which hold it in track is too flimsy.

What are your pet peeves?

[emelaich01]

Temp sensor location: when we first got our '17 FCFB, we couldn't figure out why the rear AC stayed on almost all the time, nearly freezing us out. Then noticed how hot the wall of the refrigerator compartment got in warm (air conditioning) weather. Of course, the sensor for zone 2 is mounted on that wall...Solution: unscrewed the sensor housing, pulled the sensor--a little thermistor--wire out of the wall sufficiently to solder a longer wire on, and strapped the wire to a cord on the rear of the TV in open air. Now the sensor 'reports' the same temperature as a nearby thermometer.

BTW: hot refrigerator compartment was remedied by pulling out fridge and mounting two cooling fans at base of roof vent. Will add switch and 'on' light to fridge top trim so fans can be switched on/off as needed once Texas weather cools off!

[Douglas Fir]

Bit of a reach, eh? Haha
It’s the little things, right?

[beerster69]

Originally Posted by turk123

Let's see . . .

I'm sitting here in my Airstream with the AC running and the window blinds all open with my computer and a cup of coffee.

My pet peeve is people that park their Airstreams at home in their driveways and are not on the road enjoying the country.

Just like me right now. I'm in my driveway right now!

But that will change in one week!

I drove from St Louis to Phoenix this past week. I saw 5 airstream on the road, and 2 parked in campgrounds I passed. I was surprised that I didn't see a lot more.

[Baggageguy]

Yup, there are some design issues, but part of the fun (experience) is coming up with solutions. Nite light in the bathroom, multi plug under the tv, power strip on the table and a second toilet paper roll make life easier. Now if it would only hook up to my truck all by itself👍

[DaveAndJane]

As to (3) knocking water pump noised from the OP:
Usually that is cured by venting the outside shower lines. It also helps to flush the air out of the supply hose before hooking up to the camper so you don't introduce another air bubble. The "knocking" is called water hammer.

[stevejones]

Originally Posted by greenflag

I also bought a Marinco 30 amp cord that has a 50 amp head.

Hi greenflag,

Any idea what the model number is for this cord?

Thanks,

Steve

[Ray Graves]

27 ft TB, I love separated shower but why the seat? Hardly any room to move with the seat configuration. I understand that may be needed for some but make it an option.

[lsbrodsky]

Got a wheel well there. Seems like a creative solution to the issue. Don't know how it could be eliminated.
Larry

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by jnm30327

I saw a thread about "major" problems. It got me to thinking about minor problems - my pet peeves. Don't get me wrong. I love my Airstream. We have spent close to 100 nights in our 2018 27FB Flying Cloud over nearly two years and gone nearly 25000 miles (trip to Alaska was 13000 of that.) Still, there are the minor things that are a bother. Some we have solved. Others are essentially un-fixable. Here is my list:

Airstream Pet Peeves

1. Location of toilet paper dispenser. Designed for someone short and left-handed. I am neither. We put a stick on dispenser on the door below the sink.
2. Sweep on shower door. Kept coming apart. Just took it off.
3. Knocking of water pump. Is there such a thing as a quiet water pump?
4. Lighting oven means sitting on the floor, and you need a long reach into darkness to find the light point.
5. Piezoelectric spark devices on stovetop are not reliable. Bought an electric lighter.
6. Accessing electrical outlet under the dinette table means sitting on the floor. Even then, you have to have a long reach. Bought a power strip which sits on the dinette table.
7. Location of light switch in bathroom too close to water heater switches. I still reach into a darkened bathroom and hit the wrong switch.
8. Location of smoke detector too close to stove. Any meal which requires significant cooking will set it off. We have covered it up with a shower cap. Ugly and not the safest but works.
9. Location of rear temperature sensor too close to outside skin of trailer. I am always having to adjust the zone 2 temperature setting either to keep temperature warm or cold. It reads the outside skin temperature as much as the indoor temperature.
10. Weather stripping on front outside compartment door releases when temperature changes. Poor design as the weatherstripping will expand and contract with temperature change and flip off the aluminum track. Towing in driving rain will put water into compartment.
11. Capacity of original equipment batteries too small. They barely last the night when there is a heating load. I bought two 1000 Whr lithium batteries with built in converter and inverter which are portable and can be carried to electric outlet in men's room of most campgrounds for recharging. Also, bought two 100 amp-hr AGM batteries for trailer and a 160 watt portable solar panel. We can dry camp for a week without trouble even in cold conditions.
12. Storage switch leaves significant parasitic loads on battery. See number (13.) Why I need a live propane detector when there is no one in the trailer to hear it is beyond me.
13. No kill switch to protect battery during storage. This is an absolute essential. When stored, batteries will be pulled to zero within weeks.
14. No monitoring system for battery. Another essential if you do any amount of dry camping. I have a Victron which allows me to keep up with battery condition at all times.
15. No thermometer for indoor and outdoor temperatures. Bought one.
16. No tire pressure monitoring system. This is another essential IMHO. I think it should be standard.
17. Light on shore power cable does not light unless 50 amp connection. Have to enter trailer to determine if power is on with 30 amp connection. Trivial perhaps but I always want to be sure I have it connected. I look at small red LED on TVs.
18. 50 amp shore power cable too heavy and too stiff in colder temperatures. I have learned to live with this one but wonder if there is something better out there. Break camp with temperature in the 40s and see what I mean.
19. Front television is mounted so that second HDMI input cannot be accessed.
20. Rear television cannot be moved out from wall making optical audio output difficult to plug in for Bluetooth headphone transmitter.
21. Circular sink cutting board/cover is unusable. It will not stay on sink while in motion and is too big to use on counter. Its permanent home is behind the sofa seat cushions. Sometimes is pulled out as pizza cutting board but most of the time is out of sight.
22. Bottom half of inverter powered TV electrical outlets is blanked off.
23. Rear privacy curtain comes off its track. Plastic pin which hold it in track is too flimsy.

What are your pet peeves?

23 Pet peeves vow !

[Danecoyer]

The under sink (curved) door hinges suck. I replaced with piano hinges

[cptdzl]

Originally Posted by jnm30327

Switches in bathroom for light and hot water heater too close together.

our hand towel holders is mounted directly above the switches so that the towel hides the switches. There should be a better place for the heater switches anyway.

[sctinman44]

Originally Posted by Outdoors4me

No odometer to know when routine maintenance is needed.

STEMCO makes a hubometer made in USA Texas I think. I got one for my 1998 Airstream 31ft Classic. I use to tow with 1998 Ram 2500 traveling 12 to 15k a year and it really helped. They make a digital and a mechanical one. I got the mechanical one. It's just like the 18 wheelers use on their trailers. It was $115.00 a few years ago. They send you 3 different inserts depending on which wheels you have. I have a 2015 Ram 1500 now and it has all the mileage info on the designated trailer menu recorded when I'm plugged in and towing on the big screen. Look it up on line and if you are interested PM me and I could send it to you to try out. Ken

[skyguyscott]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

23 Pet peeves vow !

Yeah, if only he had more time, he would have listed more, but hopefully this is enough for now.