1993 Sunline Solaris 2653

[ForrestG]

Hello everyone! I am new to the page and just recently bought a 1993 Sunline Solaris 2653! I noticed right away that there was a dip spot going towards the bathroom area right in front of the main power junction where the fuses are. I decided to pull up the floor and take a look. after further examination of pulling up almost 3/4 of the floor and plywood, I noticed the forward part of the camper (the dining/kitchen area) was no water damage! Towards the back end of the couch and going towards the bathroom area (as stated previously) the support wood frame was very dark but still solid pieces of wood. I decided to redo the whole flooring that's walkable. My only concern is:

Why is this part of the floor water damaged and where is the leak?
- the roof seems stable and no water leak damage on the ceiling near the spot but I can only think possibly it might be the shower and or the sink leaking or a busted pipe somewhere.

I plugged the camper up to a 7000 watt generator to see if everything worked. A/C worked like a champ, the microwave worked, all the interior lights worked, water pump worked, and test area for different levels of the tanks worked. My only concern is does it generally take awhile for the fridge to work/ get cool. I had the generator running for about an hour and the freezer started to get cold but the main fridge still felt the same after no power has been hooked up. am I missing something with the fridge housing from the outside? Help.

[Torskdoc423]

Welcome and congrats on your Sunny. The refrigerator works on a closed cycle ammonia/hydrogen Liquid/vapor system. See here for explanation.


https://www.arprv.com/how-dometic-no...idge-works.php



It will run on Gas or 120V or 12V (depending on the model). As there is no compressor it circulates via a burner stack that is either heated by the LP GAS or an electric element. This can take, on a new unit 12-18 hours, or an older unit 24-30 hours in my experience. Recommendations are to fire it up a couple days before using and when cold stock with prefrozen and pre chilled food. Minimize room temp food if and when possible. The fridge portion on an older unit will run normally a little higher than a home fridge, so don't be surprised at 38* to 40* temps. Especially in 80*F and higher ambient temps.



The main water tank is probably under the sofa. Along with the pump. I would think the water heater is probably somewhere between the fridge and the shower, or even under the sink. It's possible that there was a leak somewhere in the water system (pump vibration and loosen some older unit connections at the pump that are screw type). I would put some water in the tank (about 1/2 full), check for tank leaks, then fill the system(both hot and cold) with that using the pump. Check for leaks at joints while pump in operation and verify water heater isn't split and dumping. Don't let it get to full pressure yet. Tighten all visual leaks. Then put full pressure on the system and check again.



Larry

[ForrestG]

Larry,

I appreciate your input. I am going back to working on the camper this weekend and will run the main water tank and see what happens. In the meantime I'm going to continue to replace the floor upto the water damage area and see if the tank or anything is causing a leak. So far I have little to minor damage inside the camper. I do, however, have to fix or replace the forward entry door (majority of the outer portion of the door flew off during travel to storage spot). It is missing half the outer side of the front entry door and the foam portion for insualtion. The wood looks alittle water damaged as well so would it be easier to rebuild the whole thing? And if so what material is the outer portion of the entry door?

Forrest

[Torskdoc423]

JohnB (one of the senior members here) might know of a junkyard that specializes in RV trailers that you might get a door from. PM Him. Otherwise you can deconstruct, repair and reconstruct the door. Mine appear to be fiberglass sheet. But they can be sheet metal or plastic too. Insulation is probably styrofoam sheet.

[Torskdoc423]

Once you prove out the pressureized system, run water thru the drains and check joints for leaks, loose couplings, etc. Tighten up or replace cracked, or cross threaded sections (p or j traps, etc.)

[missp]

Congrats on you 2653 We have the same unit....yay I love mine, love the layout. I also have that dip in the floor at the converter box, I did not notice any rotten floor while replacing the flooring, Not sure whats going on there but I do know there is not enough support in any of the floor structure throughout the trailer. your potable water tank is located under the bed with the pump if it's the same as mine, hot water tank should be located under the nightstand beside the bed. Check for leaks in the potable tank as mine had one and I ended up ripping the whole bedroom apart. The leaks were not in the lines but rather where the lines went into the tank. As far as the fridge, I replaced the mother board in mine and she works but the fridge never gets reallllly cold I only use mine on electric because I've not had a chance or the knowledge to fiddle around with the gas part of it but either way it will take a day or 2 to get cold. sometimes it's a simple fix sometimes it's not, could be as simple as replacing the thermistor.

[ForrestG]

Missp,
Hooray! I'm currently putting in the floor upto the converter box. If you see the picture at the beginning of the thread towards the converter box the wood is more stained then the others. I am going to put some support wood around that area and some wood inbetween each of the boards for better support. The water tank under the bed was full of fresh water, which I drained when I purchased the camper. I saw no wet carpet or anything. I think the water damage to the wood frame is just moisture from beneath the camper. Since you pulled up the floor you noticed under the insulation there is what reminds me of material you lay down on the ground to prevent weeds from coming through. Anyways, I saw a manual for the fridge and it states for it to cool up between 12-24 hours at most so I'll have to test it out. If it doesn't work I'll probably replace it. Those fridge's are very expensive! Wonder if I can buy a smaller, cheaper mini fridge thats just electric and throw it in? I have used youtube for my go to for information about fridges, electrical stuff, etc. Let me know how your build is going and please fill free to post some pictures!

- Forrest

[missp]

ForrestG...You can just replace the fridge with a Mini Fridge, I have been thinking about doing the same, might have to make a few adjustments for a good fit though.That Black material under the floor is to stop water and dirt from splashing up into your units structure, I noticed mine had a few holes in it when I was ripping out the floor so I got some repair tape from the Rv dealer near me and just patched them up. Currently I am in the process of repairing the damage done to the entire bedroom from a roof leak, I have the bedroom completely gutted and will have a blank slate to start fresh. I removed the holding tank as I never used it anyway so that will create more storage under the bed. I capped off the main line coming from the bypass line at the hot water tank, Just in case in the future I want to put a new tank in I have left it in a way that it will be very easy to do.I don't know about your units roof but mine is just epdm rubber wit a paper backing there is no wood up there unless it is a rafter or support around vents or a/c unit, so I also put in a piece of 1/4 inch on the back 2 ft since that is where all the stress was and it created a weakness in the epdm that eventually tore (hence the water damage) so from top to bottom corner to corner the bedroom will be like new. One thing I will recommend is when replacing the floor do not use chip board use real plywood. any moisture gets into that chip board and it is essentially crap after. I would post pics of the rebuild but I do not know how to do that (Yet)....lol