Battening Down the Hatches

Hey all! How have you been? I've been taking advantage of California's epic drought by working on sealing up the exterior before the famed El Niño rains. For those of you considering the purchase of a travel trailer, this post is for you my dear friends.

Trailers can be great. Pinterest pictures of trailers with coastline overlooks and cute interiors are great. Sleeping in while listening to the rain gently coming down on the trailer roof is beyond great. But don't be fooled- that rain is downright insidious. If I have learned anything with this rebuild, it's that everything leaks and water will find a way. This is why it is so important to be educated about it before and after purchase. As a general rule, if someone tells you that a trailer (or anything, for that matter) does not have leaks, there are three possible realities:
1. There aren't any (at the moment).
2. There are and they don't know about it.
3. There are and they do know about it.

Unfortunately, water and trailers don't get along too well. Lots of trailers are stick built, meaning their walls and roof have wooden ribbing sitting on a steel trailer frame with wood flooring. Airstreams opt for aluminum ribs but still have wood flooring. Water that finds a way in accumulates and starts rotting the wood and causing mold, sometimes completely hidden.

Finding rotted flooring is the worst....

Are we doomed every time it rains? Don't worry, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The first thing I would recommend is to be obnoxiously thorough before putting your money down. Look for the signs- discoloration, previous attempts at sealing, moisture, damp smells, soft floors, etc. This is where having another experienced trailer owner in tow is awesome!

If you are going the complete rebuild route (or have found yourself there haha!) use it as an opportunity to hose test your trailer. Every time it rained I would go inside with a roll of black electrical tape to mark places that got damp. At one point it looked like a jungle of black vines hanging down. Sometimes, it was obvious where the water was coming from. Other times, it was difficult to track it down and I had to replace several rivets to find the one that was originally causing the leak. Just keep in mind that it doesn't hurt to replace too many- it's better than not doing enough! If using a hose, start from the bottom and work your way up the trailer and that way you'll know how high up the leak is on the wall.

Once you have gone through the whole process of getting rid of the leaks (without using silicone on aluminum right? right??) make sure you make it a habit to inspect everything periodically. It may seem like overkill, and it might be! But then you can really enjoy the pitter patter of raindrops on your snug as a bug trailer with the confidence of knowing that the water is staying outside.

On my silver bullet, the rub rail that runs around the back half of the trailer like a belt was growing science projects with the accumulated dirt and moisture. The Airstream letters, the brake light housing, and every little trim piece on Trouble had the same story. While the process is tedious, each time I put another trim piece on sealed with Tempro, I shout "one less leak!!" and take comfort that I won't have to do it again and it makes it aesthetically much nicer. You want pictures, you say?

A whole box of olympic rivets!!

Really? The banana wraps are lapped backwards!

Sealed up wheel well trim.

Don't do this! Say NO to silicone!!

Night rain testing the seals...

Dad cheerfully working away.

I'm on your roofs... fixing your leaks...

These little boogers had a lot of water in them! 

Where did the windows go??

There they are! And tinted, like a boss...

Trouble also now has fancy brake light lenses from Vintage Trailer Supply! The small rectangular lens is virtually impossible to find, so I was really happy when they started making reproductions. The brake light housing itself is cast aluminum (pot metal) and quite weighty.  It is attached with rivets on the inside of the trailer, so it involves taking off the inside panels to access the rivets. Because of the weight and positioning, it is definitely a two person job (you get to pick who gets to work inside). I figure all this effort is worth it since attractive lenses will attract attention when I need to alert the world of my braking... right? We already tested the lights themselves and we are good to go.

New lenses lookin sharp!

Trim off, teal on...

Clean up time.

Travel trailers are rather whimsical creatures at best. They're big, round, grey, and rather slow. Much like manatees. So why not make a little patch to match?

The irony is that it was the only place that didn't leak...

Happy manatee!

Fun times! Now the focus moves indoors- electrical, walls,  plumbing, and furniture! Exciting stuff, but that's for another day. Take care and stay dry!