Rain Test

The battery meter I had ordered was defective.  I ordered a new one and it arrived today.  So, I decided that I would test it out.  It worked perfectly, so I decided to go ahead and install it.

Just as I started screwing it into its place, the sky unleashed with a torrential downpour.  Once again I was reminded of the genius of the teardrop design; I was completely dry as the rain fell hard all around me.  

As the rain continued to fall, it seemed to come sideways for a few minutes.  Rain splashed the countertop  and the doors.  Luckily for me, the polyurethane did its job!  Minutes before the rain had come, I had lightly sanded the surface.  I'll add another coat or two to all of the surfaces this weekend.  It's nice to see something working the way it is supposed to!

One thing I am unsure of is the health of my battery.  I have only had it for about a year.  I purchased it last spring to use on our canoe with a trolling motor.  I kept it on a battery tender over the winter.  I noticed that the red light stayed on continually a lot during the winter.  Turns out, it might not be okay.  As the image shows, the maximum voltage I can get on it is 11.8 volts.  I'm not sure what to do about it.  I've posted a question on the TTNT website and look forward to the insight of those on the board.

The gasket over the hinge is working perfectly.  I had adjusted the end pieces so that the water would run off the edge.  So far, no problems with the gasket at all.

We have a little moisture coming in through the carriage bolts near the lock.  I am going to use rubber washers to hopefully keep the water out.

I want to use rubber washers on the bolts for the tail lights too.  Additionally, I'll caulk around the top of the lights to keep the water from penetrating under the plastic and entering the hatch.

It's a little hard to tell from this image, but I kept the vent slightly ajar today.  It was another hot day.  The temperature inside rose to over 100 degrees again; outside it was 90+ degrees.  I think the real test will be when I'm able to keep the window screens open too.  

Another item arrived in the mail today; the teardrop's mattress.  We ended up finding a nearly perfect mattress at Wal Mart.  We weren't too sure about it, but after opening the box and letting it expand, we are positive that this will be phenomenal!  It's exactly the right width: 58".  We'll need to trim the feet portion of it to fit the teardrop's bed area, but that should be fairly simple with an electric knife.  The whole family gave it a once over and we really like it.  I'm a side sleeper so I knew that I would need something that would support me; this mattress is perfect.  Throw in a couple of body pillows and we are in sleep heaven!

Tomorrow I'm taking a half day.  I can't wait to get home and get to work.  My first job will be to re-test the trailer wiring.  I'm planning to solder all the connections and test each and every one of them.  My main goal for the weekend is to get the insulation installed and possibly the headliner in place.  It's ambitious, but I'm optimistic.

I found out today that I'm going to have surgery on my left wrist early this summer.  I had the same surgery on my right hand a couple of years ago for carpal tunnel.  Ideally I would like to have the teardrop 'done' enough to camp in it by the time I have that surgery.  I'll have my work cut out for me for sure!

Finally, Some Progress I Can See!

My day started bright and early.  Went for a coffee and then dug right in.  Got the rest of the galley that had not been finished painted.

My second project was finding a way to mount the spare tire under the galley.  You can see the three bolts just in front of my drill.  I used rubber washers to hopefully keep any water from penetrating through the floor of the galley.

Three of the five bolts; should be plenty of support.

Next, I painted all the drawers and doors.  I started by painting them all blue.  I immediately regretted that decision.  I waited for them to dry and then painted them brown; which was my original plan.

The next project was to cut the hole for the Marinco power port entry.  I was very anxious about cutting the hole in the side of the wall.

There's the hole.  The problem I had to solve next was how to trim the wood on the inside so I could use the washer/nut that goes on the inside.  The walls were a little too thick.  I ended up using one of my sanding cylinders; that worked perfectly.

The port installed.

What it looked like from the inside.

Next project, install the gasket over the hinge. I taped it in place to get a feel for how large the gasket would be.

The sun was hot and it ended up helping me a lot because the gasket and the butyl tape heated up and made it easy to 'stick' in the right place.

I ended up adjusting the edges of the gasket a bit.  I bent the aluminum over the edge so that any rain would run off the drip edge.

I'm really happy with how this turned out.

Cabinets, drawers and doors, take two.

Not a good photo, but you can see how I mounted one of the four LED lights that will come on when the porch lights are lit.  Hopefully this will keep me from banging my shin into the corner at night.

Was able to install the galley light.  I really like that it is on a swivel.  That way you can aim it where you need it.

Was able to put in all the power receptacles and fixtures.  They are not connected yet; that's my big goal for tomorrow.

Close up of the spare tire mount.

The last major problem I solved today was one that had been causing me a lot of trouble.  I could not get the latch on the teardrop to connect.  I also could not figure out how to make the new handle work with the old fixture.  The first part, getting it to fit ended up being easy; I just bolted it in place.  The second part, getting it to work, not so much.  Because the latch is a blind connection (you can't see what's going on because the hatch is in the way) I could not figure out how to get the 'catch' to connect.  Then I had an idea:

I needed someone small enough to fit in the cooler slot so that when I closed the hatch they could see what was happening with the latch.  Jack just so happened to come out and ask if I needed any help.  Within twenty minutes, we had it fixed!  Now, the latch is installed and works perfectly!

As I mentioned before, tomorrow's goal is to get the electric completely done.  I'm going to go set my alarm.

Rain Day

Well, I've never had a rain day before, but today school was closed because of the torrential rains we've gotten overnight. Unfortunately, I was already at school!

So, I journeyed home and decided to tackle the windows. Six hours later I had them installed.

I have to say, I knew it would not be easy to cut the aluminum doors to fit the windows. I was EXTREMELY careful. I started by using my cardboard template.

I put the window in place and was immediately heartbroken. I had cut it too big. I couldn't understand how this could be, the template was meticulously made and I measured three times. It turns out the radius of the window was slightly larger than the piece of aluminum that sandwiches through the door. I had used the wrong part of the window as my guide.  (Notice the teeny tiny light coming through the top right corner of the frame.)

I immediately was crushed. How could I have been so dumb? I was beside myself. I thought about my options. I considered making new doors out of wood; ordering bigger windows; etc. none of those options appealed to me so I sat down and sulked. I decided to hope something at the hardware store would inspire a solution.

I went to the hardware store and looked at every type of weather stripping, Velcro, plastic I could find. Nothing would work. So I wandered the aisles trying to think outlet side the box. Defeated, I drove towards home. Then I had an idea; make a gasket, but with what?

I steered towards the bike shop. I purchased a bike inner tube.

Twenty minutes later, I had made my own gasket with the tube. Another trip to the hardware store for some adhesive. I was able to split the tube and work it over the aluminum where the window would sit. I was then able to install the window in a way that provided just that teeny bit of difference I needed from my 'mistake.'

It took a couple of hours to trim the other window. I went through seven metal scroll saw blades all together. I went to the bike store and bought another tube. I was able to quickly make another gasket and install the new window.

Now, the windows are installed and the doors are back on the teardrop. What started as a heartbreaking 'mistake' ended with a unique customization! I'm hopeful when the adhesive sets up that I can add a little more silicone sealant to the gaskets to ensure that they are watertight.

The cabin is already much lighter with the windows in place. I feel proud of my problem solving skills, for today.

Windows

Well,  I've made a cardboard template of the cut out for the window.  I discovered another thing last night as I was meticulously examining the door; I realized that the aluminum angle that was used to screw in the screen windows of the original design, are riveted to the door panel.  This is good news because I can easily remove the rivets, trim the angle pieces and then re-install either with bolts or possibly rivets.  I have not found a solution yet for the larger rivet holes.  I don't own a pneumatic rivet gun so I'm looking into other alternatives.

The above image is before I re-painted the door.

Now all I need is some time and a very good saw blade.  I'm hopeful that I might be able to cut out the window openings tonight and rough fit the windows into place.  It should go pretty smoothly.  NOTE:  Way too tired to attempt this feat!  Will have to try another day. 

Interestingly, the template proved to me that the top and bottom portion, or the horizontal section, is exactly the right size.  The area that needs to be altered is the radii and the width.  If I take it nice and slow, things should go very well.

Installing these windows marks a commitment to the project; there's no going back after this.  If I screw it up, there are not extra 1947 Tourette Travel Trailer doors just laying around.  It has to be done right.  The only other thing that makes me this nervous is cutting a hole in the roof of the teardrop to install the ventilation fan.  That is going to really freak me out!