Finally did it......................

[RoamerRV428]

yes there are tons of dump station options out there. but if you want that off the list to find and use, then no use of the tanks is the way to go of course. I get ya on that. Beauty of it all is you have options, you might take another course or hold what suits you when ya experiment with no tank use. Sounds good.

 

[B and C]

I thought I would never use full hookup campgrounds either. They are nice every now and then. Dump, fill, SHOWERS and laundry all in one place. Some even have swimming pools. Once a month it is not expensive. Finding dump stations on the road is not difficult. Some you will have to pay for. When I am in an area that doesn't have fee dump stations, the full hookup park becomes less expensive. You still have to get water and a lot of dump stations also have that included in the price.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Im going to be mostly boondoocking and may never go to an RV park... I know there are other RV dump sites, but right now... until I get out there and see what I need.... Im going to try different ways of full timing

Just FYI:

If the waste valves have been in use previously, and then are not used for a long period of time because the holding tanks are left dry, the seals on the waste valves can dry out and they can end up inoperative, or worse, they will leak when you DO use them again. 

Some brands of waste valves have replacement seals available.

 

[WanderingBiker]

Thanks... I had read that.. so will keep some water in the tanks.... it will be a on the road training experience... for sure

 

[WanderingBiker]

After a few days cleaning up the THer, I have started on some of the additions and mods.....

There is a tall closet with zero shelves, so did a no screws shelf addition... 
(thanks to Creativity RV (on YouTube) ) for sharing this idea...




I also moved the bench/bed down towards the back door to make room for my air compressor.... I will be doing sand etching with this
Made a cradle to set it in and will strap it at the top to keep it stable, I can still roll it outside if needed...




Will be building some custom cabinets on the opposite side of the garage... (will remove second bench/bed) Have designed them, now to start building

 

[highdesertranger]

nice. highdesertranger

 

[WanderingBiker]

had a bunch of rain this morning... went into the RV to do a little measuring  and heard a little sound of water hitting the bathtub.... went into the bathroom and saw a little drip... it was pouring outside, but the leak was small and slow.. but a leak is a leak...  

the sun come out around 11am so got up on the roof and checked it out.... the 11 year old skylight was leaking. it looked like the previous owners had sealed over the original sealant with some other kind of sealer.. the original was heavily cracked and instead of removing it they just covered it up.



I didn't think it was leaking from the sealer..as the dome had a bunch of cracks in the flange... and a couple leading up to the dome itself. all the cracks had dirt in them except one... the one right where the leak was in the bathroom, so that was probably the culprit.



so I stripped the sealer off, (what a PITA) and found even more cracks.... so I could have resealed the flange and siliconed the cracks, but the plastic would continue to crack and I would be doing it all over again. the plastic is really way past its prime and no need to push it any further



so I ordered a new dome and will start fresh with all the foam and sealant and it will be like new... and hold up for another 10+ years hopefully

what can I use to get the gray sealer off the rubber roof?  

while im up there.. might as well do a good cleaning on the roof....

more to come.....

 

[WanderingBiker]

I ordered a new skylight, got my butyl tape and the self leveling caulking....

started taking off all the old sealer... what a PITA,  took forever, but got it down to the rubber roof material

Before pulling the old dome, I went ahead and gave the roof a good scrubbing,  I got the dirt of, but the stains still remain
any product that might get it a little cleaner?



after the roof dried, started taking out the 28 screens holding the skylight in... then got the old butyl tape scraped off...

the old skylight just fell apart as I was taking it off... which was no surprise....

got the new one installed and started screwing it down.. used the drill to start them, then hand tightened to a snug feel
put the self leveling caulking on and will check it tomorrow

You can see my Quality Control Boss, taking a break on the lawn below



now on to the cabinet building, been making changes to the layout... may be a few more in the next week or so

 

[Cammalu]

What’s wrong with the existing cabinets?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WanderingBiker]

What’s wrong with the existing cabinets?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nothing... I'm just adding more.... took out one couch/bed. these new cabinets will hold all my supplies for making signs, sand etching, making custom t-shirts etc... while I travel around

 

[highdesertranger]

nice thanks for the detailed write up. highdesertranger

 

[WanderingBiker]

nice thanks for the detailed write up.  highdesertranger

thanks

 

[WanderingBiker]

been waiting for a good rain storm to make sure the new skylight wasn't going to leak.....be careful what you wish for... today we had over an inch of rain and major thunder and lightning.



I'm please to say that my Toy Hauler is completely dry inside... no minor or major leaks... Yeah!!!

not the best self leveling caulking job, but it was my first.. I can only get better

now on to the cabinet build... then adding my 5th wheel to my truck, then hitting the road west...

I can't go east as I'm 1/4 mile from the atlantic LOL

hope to get to the RTR on time

 

[bullfrog]

It will look fine in the drone videos. Ha!

 

[WanderingBiker]

A small project.... making an insert for the sink... to make more counter space.... making a pattern out of heavy duty paper.. then I will transfer it to a wood blank...

 

[WanderingBiker]

Starting the cabinets tomorrow so decided to finish up the sink insert today....

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Decided to increase my counter space by 2.5 times. All I had was small space on the left of the sink and one little sink insert.[/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]So I created the paper pattern, got a pine black from home depot and made a new sink cover. I decided to leave it natural which helps reflect more light.[/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]This is not a cutting board, just counter space.. I will use cutting mats for all that[/font]

[font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Overall time from start to finish (minus drying time) was about 3 hours[/font][/font]

Paper pattern


cutting out the rough blank


Finished Rough Blank


First rough fit


Final Fit - nice 1/8" spacing all around


This is what I had


This is what I have now

 

[WanderingBiker]

It will look fine in the drone videos.  Ha!

True....now just need to get a drone

 

[RoamerRV428]

Sweet pics of your work! Doing great. I can hear the excitement in your voice as you work on your build

 

[WanderingBiker]

Sweet pics of your work!  Doing great.  I can hear the excitement in your voice as you work on your build

thanks... got a bit more to do... and some upgrades to tires and such... then ready for a new adventure

 

[WanderingBiker]

And so it begins.....

Cabinet construction..... As I am not a cabinet builder and want to keep this light weight...

will be OJT  (on the job trainier),  looking for function over form....

this is about a third of the material needed...

gettin busy tomorrow...