Making things even better

Earlier this spring, I performed all of the items on my trailer’s annual maintenance list … check lug nut torque, tire air pressure, brake adjustment, check all propane connections for leaks, top off both propane tanks, inspect the drain holes in the bottom of the front storage bin to make sure they are clear of debris, inspect all sink/shower drains under the trailer for leaks, check battery fluid, lube windows and doors and the tongue jack and corner stabilizer jacks, etc. No problems were found, everything was A-OK.

Photo above … one of the the brass fittings of the propane system underneath the floor of the trailer. One applies soapy water to the fittings, then pressurizes the propane system, then looks for bubbles on the fittings. No bubbles found on my trailer … no leaks.

Photo above … I’m lying on my back looking UP at the bottom of the outer/front storage bin that sits on the tongue of the trailer. There are two holes drilled in the bottom of that storage bin that drain water out so the storage bin stays dry. I checked the two holes and made sure they were not clogged with debris.

Photo above … no, this has nothing to do with the toilet. 🙂 It’s the p-trap for the bathroom sink and shower drain. Each year I check this drain and I check the drain from the kitchen sink for leaks. No leaks found!

Photo above … the two 6-volt batteries (that form the 12-volt system) are installed inside the right rear dinette seat. I removed the hold-down mechanism and removed the cover, then checked the battery fluid (fluid level and electrolyte charge), and I checked that the connections were secure.

Last fall, I had removed the “stop” in the kitchen window opening mechanism so the window would open 6″ instead of just 2″. After three camping trips, I found no problems so I have now removed the “stop” in the mechanism in the side dinette window, so it too can now open about 8″ instead of 2.5″, greatly increasing the fresh air flow through the trailer, without the need to run the ceiling fan as much, therefore reducing the drain on the 12V batteries.

Photo above was taken outside the trailer. I’m standing on the ground, looking along the side of the trailer at the right rear dinette window. (The grey and white building in the background is my house and garage door.) You can see how little the trailer window opens. That’s as far as any of them would open when I purchased the trailer … only a tad more than 2″, not really enough for any kind of air circulation even with a breeze.

Photo above … I have removed the “stop” in the window mechanism so the window can now open a full 8″. What a difference!

Another improvement was that I purchased a portable handheld 300W inverter that plugs into a 12V cigarette lighter receptacle (I had two cig lighter receptacles installed inside the trailer). This inverter runs off of 12V, yet produces 120V. Of course, it uses the trailer’s 12V battery bank so I need to be aware of the drain on the batteries, but this way I can run my laptop for a bit in the evening even if the laptop’s internal battery is low (the laptop gets cranky if I connect it directly to 12v).

Photo above … the Bestek (brand) inverter. I had tried two other brands and threw both of them in the garbage. I love this one! Model number is MRI-3011-BU.

You may remember that I leveled the dinette table inside the trailer a few months ago. That has worked out perfectly. But since the level of the table no longer bothered me, I found that I was then bothered by the location of the levers UNDER the table that release/adjust/hold the table height. So I simply unbolted the pedestal (once again) and rotated it so the levers are now easily reached. I no longer have to crawl under the table to release or tighten those levers. What a concept, eh? A simple idea, easily done.

 

Photos above … the levers are now at the “front” of the table and are easily reachable without needing to crawl under the table in order to reach behind the pedestal.

The floor squeaked, how irritating! But it was only the floor at the foot of the bed that squeaked. While reading information posted by other ETI trailer owners on the online owners’ forum, I found this was a common complaint and that it wasn’t really the floor that was squeaking, but the bed frame. There were several different ideas on the forum about how to stop the squeak, various lubrication products, even the suggestion of applying candle wax. But everything seemed temporary. The CRC lubricant I applied a year ago lasted a good long time, but I wanted to find the “cause” and not just a “temporary cure”. Eventually, the squeak irritated me so much, not because of the noise, but because I needed to figure out WHY it was squeaking. So I started taking the wood pieces of the bed frame apart and, with each change, I tested whether the squeak had stopped.

Well, with the first test, the squeak stopped! So I knew it was the corner of the bed frame … where the wood panel that supported the mattress rubbed against a plastic piece that sits on top of the frame.

Photo above … looking down at the corner of the bed. RED arrows point to the area where the squeaks were originating. The GREEN arrows point to the plastic trim piece. The wood panel that supports the mattress was cut a wee bit too long. As soon as I trimmed that corner-cut a bit (where the red arrows point), then the squeak disappeared entirely and hasn’t returned … no lubrication, no candle wax, no magical ju-ju words, just peace and quiet.

The last project was to secure the small inspection plate on the top of the propane tank cover. Owners on the owners’ forum reported that if that inspection plate was not securely fastened then it could fly off in the wind while the rig was being towed down the freeway. That wouldn’t affect the function of the propane system, at least not right off, but it would allow rain and debris to get inside the housing around the propane tanks.

Photo above … I copied what another ETI trailer owner had done and drilled two small holes in the cover, then installed two black cable ties (one left, and one right) through the holes so that, even if the cover came loose where it’s screwed on along the back edge (the two black knobs), still the cover would not fly off at 60mph never to be seen again.

All of those projects were fun! I do like doing these sorts of things … figuring them out, working out a fix, and then completing the project.

But even better … I’m going camping! My next post will be my first day at Big Creek Campground. Have no fear about big rushing water at Big Creek; it’s actually just a little bitty creek. But it sure was lusciously beautiful there. I’ll tell you all about it. Stay tuned!