Water Damage Assessment and Repair

[JohnB]

Hi Tommie,

These pics are much better, but I'm not really seeing a heavy denting of the siding. It is not coming through or it is that subtle. Trim up the butyl when the time comes and you will be OK.

Thanks

John

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by johnnybgood

Also, just so you know. Your drivers side is called the street side and your passenger side is called the curbside. Purist frown on stuff like that. Like unseasoned boaters calling the bow and stern the front and back.[emoji846]

H'mm... Welllllll, I'll be.... OK that is a new one on me. Curbside and street side for a camper?

For campers I thought it was "door side" (aka passenger side or right side) as most campers have the entry doors on the right side or "non door side" Or maybe "slide side" if your camper only has 1 slide. (aka driver side or left side).

So... I went to Good Sam's for some form of official RV'ing consultation. They have RV lingo definitions RV Terms Glossary, RV Camping Glossary - Trailer Life Directory

Curbside - The side of the RV that would be at the curb when parked.

Streetside - The part of the vehicle on the street side when parked.

Odd how these things get started. Having campgrounds with curbs is not a very common thing.... And campgrounds generally have "roads" and not "streets".

And also if you have a motorhome, well "front" does not seem to be the right word...

Cockpit - The front of a motorized RV where the pilot (driver) and co-pilot (navigator) sit.

I didn't see a back to the motor home??? So I guess front and back works for a TT and a 5'er...

Learn something new on Sunline Owners Club every day!

Thanks

John

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by johnnybgood

Also, just so you know. Your drivers side is called the street side and your passenger side is called the curb side. Purist frown on stuff like that. Like unseasoned boaters calling the bow and stern the front and back.[emoji846]

I mean technically, neither are correct. The official Sunline terminology is Door Side and Off Door Side, or sometimes also called opposing door side. Sometimes if we get in a really geeky technical discussion, we'll abbreviate these to DS and ODS.

[Thomascine]

Good afternoon,

60s almost 70 degree weather here today so decided to do a little bit more work on the camper today. Was doing some final touches on the interior and noticed that the hot water heater was cold to the touch and has condensation. Problem? If it’s empty why would it be cold and have condensation on the outside?


Thanks,
Tommie

[JohnB]

Hi Tommie,

I'm assuming you know for sure it is empty, right? If the drain plug is out, well that is a tell tail. Regardless the issue is the same.

The next reason is, what temp outside has it been for the last week?

Large quick temp changes makes metal or other cold conductors sweat when fast high air temps come. We had this a short while ago. Everything in my barn was zero, 0F for weeks. Then in 2 days it was 50F. Everything was sweating in the barn, but not so much outside. Even the concrete to some extend...

In the barn, my truck frame, camper siding and frame even my tractor tires which are filled with calcium solution for added weight etc where sweating real bad.

Why? When metal or something that conducts heat/cold is outside in the open, the sun warms it slowly and there is air moving during these cold to hot times. And when it is slow like that, the object changes temp more even and the air is moving around too to help stop condensation from forming. A lot less condensation is formed on the surfaces.

Inside the barn, there is no sun and no large air movement. The lack of sun and air movement means that metal which is cold and stays colder longer. Eventually the inside of the building starts rising in temperature but the steel truck frame etc is still stone cold. The warm air with moisture in it next to cold metal, condensation forms on the metal.

Your hot water heater is insulated. If it was a lot colder, like something below freezing for a while or even overnight maybe, then the rapid rise to 60 or 70 outside creates the same problem. The heater tank is sweating with the large temperature difference and very little to no air movement around the tank.

It's the difference between the cold object and warm air with moisture in it that creates condensation on the cold object. I really do not know what the temp differences need to be, but things below freezing against temps of things (air) above freezing have the problem a lot faster. And then there is the air movement part of this. If you had a fan blowing on the water heater tank, the sweating would be greatly reduced.

I think I explained the reason right. I'm not a very good weatherman...

Hope this helps

John

[Thomascine]

Thanks JohnB. I was never good at science. The plug is out and sitting in the compartment. So I am guessing the tank has been drained. The PO said he had just winterized the camper not long before I bought it. I have not used the plumbing yet. When it warms up, I still need to test the plumbing and the AC. The AC is new so the only problem should be if it was installed correctly. Everything else has been tested and works:

- Stove
- Stove vent
- Furnace
- Electrical
- Converter/Charger
- Frig (tested on electric I think. Still need to test it on propane)

Still need to be tested:
- Water pump (appears to come on but not sure if it actually works)
- Toilet
- Water heater
- Holding tanks

To be installed
- Brakes
- Breakaway switch
- Weight distribution hitch

If I missed anything, let me know. I have an ongoing checklist.

Thanks again. I feel better. Now that I am almost done, I think I am getting paranoid that something is going to go wrong which is usually how my luck runs. Can't wait til it warms up so I can starting going over the seals. The kid and I are anxious to get going.

Thanks,
Tommie

[Thomascine]

Good evening,

Finally, a sigh of relief. Starting to look more like a camper now. Made curtains and recovered the cushions. My first time. Didn't turn out too bad.






Bring on the warm weather!

[JohnB]

Tommie,

Your camper looks amazing! Very well done. You should feel very proud of your hard work. That front inside area is quite the transformation from when you started....

Did you get the front outside moldings and all the sealing done? I did not see that on your yet to do list.

Thanks

John

[Sunline Fan]

Looks great Tommie!! I really like the red and cream, it seems to compliment well with the wood.

On the water pump, since I just went through this, there are a few things to check. Check the pumping ability from the fresh tank first. Then, check around the pump itself for any leaks. Lastly, hook the trailer up to city water and make sure you don't have any leaks at the pump, AND that no water is pumping back into the fresh tank. My backflow valve failed last fall, which caused city water to pump back up through the pump and into the tank. Slowly, but it still did.

Just tonight actually, I ordered a new Shurflo pump head assembly with a new valve, and then it includes all new rubber parts inside. I'm beyond thrilled that I don't have to buy a whole new pump, and also that I can keep the original date stamped motor in the trailer. It was a bit over $50 for a new pump head. Now I can fix it up and get it ready to go back in the trailer, since it's been sitting on my bench wrapped in plastic since October!

[Thomascine]

Did you get the front outside moldings and all the sealing done? I did not see that on your yet to do list.

Thanks JohnB! Took me a year just to get the front done. There is still water damage in the back but not as bad as the front, no where near in my opinion. Not a priority for me right now.

I have not put the corner trim back on yet. Scheduling conflicts with Amy who is going to help me make sure they get back on right. That aluminum is so rigid it's hard to hold it in place and try to drill pilot holes. It would have been nice to have gotten it done over these past few beautiful days. Oh well. It will get done.

Thanks,
Tommie

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[Thomascine]

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

Looks great Tommie!! I really like the red and cream, it seems to compliment well with the wood.

Thanks Sunline Fan! I wish I could say that I had a scheme planned but actually I was in Walmart and picked up some fabric that was inexpensive. Luckily they also sold pillows that are a close match. The vinyl fabric on the cushions was the cheapest they had at the fabric store.

I am on my tablet right now but when I get on my laptop tomorrow I will add your suggestions on the water pump to my notes. I have a working document with notes that I have been gathering since starting this project. It needs to be updated. Lol...hopefully I can make sense of it.

Thanks,
Tommie

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[johnnybgood]

Looking good Tommie!

I’m thinking maybe your water heater has been replaced. My camper’s newer than yours and the water heater is insulated with regular batt insulation wrapped in cardboard.

[Thomascine]

Thanks Johnnybgood!

I am thinking you are right about the water heater. I have two documents in the binder for it and I noticed that one has an effective date of 4-86 the other is 7/12/00 so it may have been replaced at one time.

Thanks,
Tommie

[johnnybgood]

Tommie, has your camper ever had a weight distribution setup? You should be able to tell by marks on the A frame.

Mine has never had one installed.

[Thomascine]

There are no signs of a previous setup.


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[Thomascine]

Johnnybgood, do think it is needed for a small trailer like mine?

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by Thomascine

Johnnybgood, do think it is needed for a small trailer like mine?

It depends on the truck in the case of this camper. The 87 brochure states a T1550 has 230# dry TW. With LP gas (assuming it has 1, 20# cylinder) and battery is approx 301#. With cargo in side, maybe 375 to 400# might be a loaded tongue weight. Maybe a little more or less, don't know until you weight it. For a full size SUV, it has higher odds of handling the TW with no WD hitch. The smaller SUV, might need some help from the TW.

If you are using your little Envoy, it might need a small WD hitch to help the rear truck sag and rear axle loading. If you camp like the rest of us.... there is normally some kind of camping gear in the back of the truck.

BenB use to tow his popup with his GMC Jimmy. I can't recall the year, maybe a 98 or 99. His is similar to yours, he is the S10/S15 guy.... and can rattle off the top of his head any changes in the truck over the years. I just do not recall the TW of his PU. He towed the PU without a WD hitch but that was short lived as he ended up getting a Expedition and used that. He sold the Expy, but still has the Jimmy.

To do a real assessment of this, ideally you can go to a truck scale, pay between $7 to $10 and get a front and rear axle weight. Have your child in the truck with you and put any "must have" camping gear in the back of the truck. We can then compare the loaded rear axle weight to the rear axle rating listed on the drivers door column and see what capacity is left for the camper. The WD hitch will help reduce the load on the rear axle, restore some weight off the front of the truck and push some weight to the camper axle.

We can help with all the figuring if you can get the axle weights.

Hope this helps

John

[johnnybgood]

I’d measure how much rear drop you get when your camper is attached.

If it’s a half inch or so you might not want a weight distribution hitch.

Like JohnB said, a weight distribution hitch will add weight to your trailer axle.

Not sure what your axle rating is, but weight distribution could possibly push your axle to the limit.

[JohnB]

Hi John,

Unless something changed from factory original, Tommie's camper has a 3,000# GVWR.

The tires listed are the old F78-14-C which today translates to a radial ST tire ST205/75R14 Load range C which is 1,760# load at 50psi. She can check what the prior owner put on it and what load range. Sunline was good to us, they put on running gear to handle the full GVWR and some of the GVWR is held by the truck as tongue weight. This helps the trailer axle never get into an overload as load as long as the camper is not overloaded with camping gear.

The brochure does not call out the axle rating but the tires can handle the full GVWR. The springs may be reduced to 1,500# each side.

A WD hitch will transfer some weight off the rear axle of the truck to the trailer. How much depends on a few factors. There is no even split on how much weight is moved to front axle and to trailer axle. The truck wheelbase and the camper axle center to tow ball play into the equation along with spring bar sizing, adjustment and the truck reciever. As a general rule, the longer the trailer, the less weight ends up on the trailer axles.

If the loaded TW did end up in the 375 to 400# range, I would make a guesstimate that 50 to maybe 75# ended up being transferred to the trailer axles when using a WD hitch properly adjusted. Or ~38# per tire which the camper has the capacity by the way Sunline put in larger running gear.

I owned a 1989 Jimmy at one time, BenB still has it... he is a collector. I would not be surprised if a 375 to 400# TW would drop the rear of the truck 2 maybe 3" in weight carrying mode. Just me (215# worth) sitting in the back of the truck on the tailgate may drop it ~ 1".

This all comes back to the actual loaded camper weights and the truck rear axle weight if a WD hitch is needed to help the truck carry the tongue weight. The camper can handle the WD hitch sized and adjusted correctly, but the truck may or may not handle the camper without one.

Hope this helps

John

[Thomascine]

Good evening,

I looked into where I could get my vehicle and trailer weighed. I think there may be a weigh station about 30-45 minutes away. The problem I have is that the trailer has not been inspected yet. I wanted to take the trailer to have everything done at one time - brakes, state inspection and WD hitch. Not sure if I can legally take the trailer anywhere but to the trailer shop for state inspection. The only items I have for the trailer right now is what came out of it (jacks, wood blocks, dinette table, miscellaneous items that were in the back cargo area) and I did get a battery and have a full propane tank but that's it. I have a suggested list of supplies but have not really started on it yet.

Thanks,
Tommie