Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Class C Motorhomes: B+ motorhomes

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Topic: B+ motorhomes

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 07/13/13 06:54am

Yesterday I sealed the service door openings with the Flex-Mend tape. It does seem to be good stuff. It definitely sticks well. I had enough left over to go ahead and tape over the seams at the inside bottom of the walls, below the frame. Last year I sealed gaps on those with caulk. But some of that job was iffy, so now it is sealed better.

My test piece of Gorilla Tape was stuck pretty well too. Not as well as the Flex-Mend tape though. But probably good enough.

I'm also sealing all the exposed screw heads. Along the back cap, the ladder mounts, and the various things on the street side: Range vent, water fittings, gas door, etc. What I've found is that the screws wick moisture in along their threads. Eventually there is a little rot in the luan at the hole, and the screw can't be tightened. So it's no longer doing its job. Also the screw head starts to rust. That's a sign right there. I always thought it meant the paint was just failing. But every one I've seen, it's the last part of the screw to rust. The rust is working its way from inside the body to out. On the range vent, more than half of the screws just turned in their holes. Fortunately it is very well sealed to the body. TL used the real good butyl tape on it, at least on mine.

I have a bag of new screws, so I'm replacing the rusted ones. My caulking method is to simply back the screw half way out, then apply a dab of ProFlex RV caulk the size of a pencil eraser, to the threads. When I turn the screw back down into place, the caulk swirls around the underside of the screw head and ends up squeezing out as a donut-looking thing surrounding the screw head. This should be done even on screws that are shielded by a door or cover, if it is not water tight. Example would be the water heater.

Unsealed exterior screws are used on most RVs, and you have to wonder why they don't have some sort of sealing washer under them. It's almost criminal. Every RV we've owned has had this issue. Next one, I'm sealing them from the git-go. I've caught this one in plenty of time, albeit with some screws that are no longer providing any holding power.

Currently RV-less but not done yet.

Posted By: burlmart on 07/13/13 09:01am

We've always kept a full tank in storage, usually w/ a cap of that bleach they sell to sanitize water (= bleach!) Seems to work except for the last batch, so we'll try yo continue w/ this and keep a closer watch.

Edit -- went out to look at stuff and water is OK after two days

I will look at all those screws. On both sides above the tail lights, there is a wide gap between the lower bumper and the upper vertical rear fiberglass corner pieces that I put an ugly lot of caulk to close it, but I might try and get a pic and ask your advice on a better detail. Similarly, I have always wondered if all those exposed screws at bumper and going up the corners could be nicely taped over w/ something.

Edit -- screws are still white. I had caulked the horizontal bumper seam where the gap was wide.

About our roof AC. We did hit some tree limbs in the graveyard. I did not see anything but a missing grey tank vent cap. But after running all nite, at one point the AC started to blow only a little air (and it had been making a funny kind of rumbling noise on the rear side of the AC unit between the main blowing vent and the ceiling light just to the rear of the vent).

Later, at a roadside stop, the genset ran the AC just fine, and I think the rumble was gone.

A friend said that maybe something got sucked in? What might I check?

Edit -- no apparent tree hit to front of AC. Cranked genset and ran AC - all seems well. The noise between the big vent and 1st ceiling light to its rear is now what I think has always been a sound like wind passing thru duct. There is a ceiling AC vent just to the rear of the AC unit, between the light and main blowing vent that has always had little or no air coming out, and I wonder if there is some kink or something in this area (it is useless anyway, being inches from the main blowing vent which can be opened a crack to act as one of many distributed vents). Other vents are good, and Bath vent always works even if you open the main AC unit's blower so as to bypass all other ceiling vents

Ahh, what great technical writing practice we get as TL owners!

* This post was last edited 07/13/13 10:39am by burlmart *

2005 Trail Lite 213 B-Plus w/ 6.0 Chevy

Posted By: Gene in NE on 07/14/13 10:20pm

burlmart wrote:

Teacher's Pet wrote:

When I drained ours using the "T" valve, I observed about a 1/4" stream of clear water, but then again ours has had very little use until this summer.

OK, so the T-drains do give a thin stream.
What bothers me is that there seems to be room below the lower edge of the drain pipe opening to prevent a total drain and to allow some sediments to build up w/ time -- sediments might become inert? I do not know.

Mine is just like the two of you, the stream is small because the inside diameter of the drain tube looks to be around 3/8" and there is no pressure to push the water out. I manage to get about every drop of water out of my fresh tank. I use a leaf blower right after opening the drain on the gravity fill connection. The leaf blower pressurizes the tank and I get a full stream. I have a canvas strap under the tank on the opposite end of the drain. I lift up on that part of the tank to finish the draining. If you use chlorinated city water, you should not have too much problem with bad water in the tank.

2002 Trail-Lite Model 211-S w/5.7 Chevy (click View Profile)
Gene

Posted By: burlmart on 07/15/13 04:57am

With city chlorination and the capsful of bleach we periodically add, hopefully the chemicals that are settled at tank bottom are as inert as well worn rocks in a crystal clear mountain streambed. (Gotta make it seem natural and pure!)

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 07/15/13 06:31am

Gene, at least on mine, it's not the diameter of the tubing, it's the tiny brass right angle stop valve they used. I took it out the other day to see about changing this, because it's an annoyance. I recall the last trip it took forever to drain the tank. I couldn't find any valve at the big box store that would fit in the tight space available. What I do plan to try is to make one like my trailers have had. No valve, just a capped fitting on the bottom end of the tube, outside the RV. Mine would hang down just in front of the genset. But that capped fitting must be an RV item as I could not find it in the big box store either.

Cap
Fitting on end of drain tube

It's not a high priority for me, but I'm going to be on the lookout for the parts when I'm in RV stores.

Posted By: burlmart on 07/15/13 06:44am

when and why do you guys drain the FW tank?

couldn't you lift the tank w/ Gene;s strap and waterpump the tank pretty empty. Maybe attach a hose from kitchen out the door to grass

Posted By: burlmart on 07/15/13 07:37am

Does blowing high pressure air necessarily get out water that lies below the lower lip of the drain pipe, or do you have to agitate the water to get it to'jump up' into the moving air?

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 07/15/13 09:57am

I drain the tank whenever it's not going to be used. You should be able to pump it just as dry as the drain hose gets it because they are at the same level. I don't know about your air question.

Posted By: Gene in NE on 07/15/13 11:16pm

burlmart wrote:

Does blowing high pressure air necessarily get out water that lies below the lower lip of the drain pipe, or do you have to agitate the water to get it to'jump up' into the moving air?

My use of an electric leaf blower really is not high pressure, but high volume. It does seem to not only blow all the water out of the tank, but also seems to dry it out. However, when I am on the outside holding the leaf blower against the gravity fill, I cannot see what is happening inside to the fresh water tank.

You're right, that using the pump should do about the same thing.

Posted By: Snowman9000 on 07/16/13 01:54pm

Trail Lite owners: has anyone run the fuel tank down to a point where the genset won't run? I ran the tank down to 1/8, and the genset still ran. I wonder if there is any safety margin built in to the genset fuel pickup, or not. Why am I guessing "not"? [emoticon]

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