almost new owner 1350 mid 80s

[noralee]

hi, i'm in the process of buying a sunline 1350 and thought i'd introduce myself here. i've been looking for a while and am also a member at VSTF. i'm going to own a sunline though! i've been going through the camper and came up with a couple of questions i thought someone here might be able to help with.

1) the fridge worked fine until a pepsi bottle exploded, and they said it no longer worked since then. any thoughts on what might have happened/how to fix? or should it be replaced? what should be checked?
2) this is a small camper, 13.5 ft, with a bathroom/shower/toilet. what size is the black holding tank and how much can it hold? how many flushes...the sinks and shower also flow in. is there a gauge to let me know when it is full? how will i know?
3) a general camping question: i will be living/traveling full time in this trailer. when i'm driving, how do i keep my fridge cool (this is if i have to replace the propane original one that is not working). i would replace it with an electric one. what do folks do?

i'm totally new to this lifestyle but looking forward to learning how to make it simple as possible. thanks for your feedback. i'm sure i'm going to have tons of questions as i go forward. noralee

 

[noralee]

also about electric fridges: there is a battery in the camper; couldn't the fridge run off the battery while i'm on the road?

 

[poppyandnana]

Hi Noralee, I can't answer the questions about fridge, but I would the Pepsi did not have anything to do with it.....we do have a great Files Section (see top banner), all of the brochures are posted !=~ thanks to sunlinefan.....check out your floor plan and you'll be able to get the specs for the trailer. Also if you submit the VIN # to Sunlinefan, he can tell you the year of your TT.

What I really qanted to do is welcome you to the forum, you'll find this bunch of people to be very helpful!

Safe travels!

 

[fendermender]

Hi and welcome. I just recently bought a Sunline but had an old Class C for many years.

You can go to the files section and see all the brocures with specs that Sunline Fan has posted. Says a 85 T1350 would have a 22gal freshwater, 21gal gray and 10gal septic. They always try to have more holding capacity than fresh. Older campers didn't have a gauge. I would shut of the water supply/pump, open the toilet flush and look down in with a flashlight. 10gal isn't a lot.

I agree that the bottle probably didn't do anything. First place to start is see if it is lighting on gas or heating on electric. The fridge stays cold on propane when away from a 110 source. They do make models that will run on gas, 110 and 12V but they cost much more and won't last long on just the battery. I tried powering my 110 side with an inverter but it didn't work. Best bet is fix yours or replace with a gas/110 unit.

IMO, that is a real small camper to full time in. I suppose it could be done but be prepared to use public toilets a lot or dump the tank often. Good luck with it.

 

[Sunline Fan]

Welcome Noralee!

 

[mainah-SUN]

Gas fridges can't be beat it is worth the money to replace it or repair it. 12 volt fridges do exist but are energy hogs and way expensive (far more then the cost of a new gas fridge) if you are all ways in a camp ground with power a dorm fridge will work but they will kill a battery pretty quick parked with out power and need an inverter. The gas fridge works on the road and in the woods and will run months on bottle of gas.

 

[dtstanton]

1) the fridge worked fine until a pepsi bottle exploded, and they said it no longer worked since then. any thoughts on what might have happened/how to fix? or should it be replaced? what should be checked?

Welcome from another newbie, Noralee!

We just bought an '88 T-1350 as well - almost a month ago. Only had it out one time, weekend before last. We're still learning about it. It's our first travel trailer. I'm no expert by any means, particularly concerning Sunlines. I have some refrigeration experience.

I have a few questions: Was the camper moving before the Pepsi blew? Was the fridge running? Could/did it get too cold or too hot? Just wondering "how" it blew.

What comes to mind is the Pepsi bouncing around in the fridge and the pressure blowing it. If so, it's nothing to do with the refrigerator. Shake it enough, and it can very well blow up - especially if it got punctured while bouncing around. Stuff can really bounce around back there.

Speaking as if it was a "freon"-refrigerated model... If it froze and blew, it obviously would have gotten too cold. That could just mean it was turned too low, or it's low on refrigerant. I don't know about the gas/electric kind that runs on ammonia. Ammonia systems don't generally get as cold as freon.

Just trying to figure how the Pepsi blew up. It could be a significant clue as to what's wrong. The Pepsi itself could possibly gotten on or in something that caused it to stop working. Something that could be cleaned, maybe? I don't know. I don't know how they are physically put together or what parts are where.

Grasping and trying to think....but maybe I'm on the wrong road. :-?
-Dale

 

[fendermender]

RV fridges will get plenty cold. I have had things freeze in the food compartment. Just takes longer for the initial cool down. They also must be kept relatively level while parked or the cooling unit will be ruined.

If you go through with the purchase, I sugest asking about the fridge in the tech section. I'm sure you will get lots of sugestions...I did. Some knowledgeable RV repair folks here.

 

[noralee]

thanks for the welcomes and suggestions. looks like i have some more questions to ask. the tech section is a good idea too. oh and it's an 83.

 

[noralee]

dtstanton: so what happened is that the fridge apparently broke, got hot, and then the pepsi blew up. so unrelated. i have to have it looked at from someone who is familiar with these things. i just don't know enough if both propane and electric are plugged in and not working.

do you have any pics up of your 1350? 83 was a terrible year for decor, imo

 

[dtstanton]

I've got a few, Noralee. Go to my profile (click on my name) and you'll see my albums/images on the right side.

 

[noralee]

I've got a few, Noralee. Go to my profile (click on my name) and you'll see my albums/images on the right side.

i didn't see the pics...

the fridge is shot. but i found a new/used for $100 same model, 5 years old. planning to pick up/look at this weekend.

even going to start an interior mod next week so that i have a permanent bed. trying to remember to take before/after pics--as long as it comes out well

 

[noralee]

i didn't see the pics...

oh! i wasn't logged in. got it