Black Freckles and Electrical Frustration

Yesterday was a pretty good day.  I was able to spray the undercoating to the bottom of trailer.  That was quite messy, but I'm glad that I got it applied.  Jacked up the Carpe Diem to make it easier to work under it.  I'm loving my 3 ton jack stands from Harbor Freight!

 

I ended up using two cans of the cheap stuff; one can of the expensive stuff.  Then I found a third kind of undercoating at Lowes.  It was about half the price between the cheap and the expensive stuff.  I used four cans of it.  Purchased one of the inexpensive 'spray triggers.'  That made the whole process a lot easier.

 

I was really happy to have the glasses and mask on.  However, I ended up with some serious over spray on my face.  Took a long time to clean those glasses too!

I've given up on the idea of having four LED lights the teardrop.  My plan was for them to be on each corner of the teardrop and that they would go on when I turned on the porch lights.  The LED's had teeny tiny wires and I think somehow there must have been a bad connection in one of the many connections.  I spent a couple of days pulling wires again.  I had originally used some wire that I had on hand.  It was way too thick and made it close to impossible to join with three or four pieces like I had to.  I used automotive wire and waterproof connections, but I could not get them to work properly.  I couldn't get them to work and after spending so much time on it, I just clipped the wires and moved on.  No LED's on the corners. 

I had some real problems today too with the switch I planned to use for the porch lights.  I am not sure if I've messed something up with it or if the switch is bad.  Each time I connect the switch, the fuse blows.  I'm going to have to research that a bit.

I am anxious to get the inside insulated, but I'm going to slow down and focus on the electrical; it's not only the part of the project that makes me the most anxious; it's probably the most important part.  I won't be able to easily work on it once i cover the inside with insulation and carpet.

Lastly, I trimmed the cooler tray so that I could easily use the two 12 volt outlets.  I had made the cooler tray an inch too tall and it impeded the entry of the second 12 volt outlet.

 The battery meter is still not functioning properly.  I may have to purchase a new meter if I can't figure out what's going on with the one I have presently.

Now its time to do a little research on trailer wiring and how to fix the switch.

I ended the day with touching up all the paint and tidying up the wires a bit.  Tomorrow I hope to complete the trailer wiring and figure out the switch.  If I can get those two things done, I will install the Marinco power inlet 120 volt system.

On a side note, my wife crawled into the teardrop for the first time yesterday.  She was pretty psyched.  She's been investigating the body pillows and the mattress situation for me.  We planned to use our futon mattress, but we've decided not to do that.  It seems we can find some decent alternatives relatively inexpensively.  We are researching a bit more and we'll see where we come out.  I'm glad she's taking an interest in the project.  I cannot wait for our maiden voyage; whenever that may come!

Undercoating and Re-wiring the Underside of the Trailer

Well, I can't wait any longer.  I need to get the bottom of my teardrop protected.  I've been thinking that I would take it to a place that does underbody spraying, like Line-X.  Unfortunately that has proven to be a lot more expensive than anticipated.  I've also read a lot of conflicting information on whether or not I even need to do anything to the pressure treated plywood bottom.  Personally, I'm all about over-engineering when and if I can.  It seems pretty easy to apply the spray on undercoating.

I purchased two different types of Rustoleum spray; one cost $4 and one cost $11.

 I'll give each a try and see which seems to work best.  The area I'm mostly concerned about is the wheel well; I replaced the aluminum wheel wells, when I replaced the galley, with plywood.  I treated the plywood with Thompson's Water Sealer and then painted over that, however, I think adding the undercoating on top of that will be a little bit of extra protection for very little investment.


I also want to cover the storage boxes.  Even though those are also treated and painted, the rubber coating will add additional weather resistance.

I will jack the teardrop up and then put it on the jack stands to allow me a bit more access underneath.

In addition to applying the undercoating, I'll re-do the marker lights and LED fixture wiring.  I tried using some wiring that I had and it turned out to be WAY TOO thick.  This was great for getting through my improvised conduit, but it made it very tough to pull through the holes I added for connections.  I purchased some auto wire that will work perfectly for these two applications.  Additionally, I purchased some water tight connectors for the wiring that will be under the trailer.  This will make the connections last a lot longer.  I don't want to have to climb under the teardrop more than I have to!

In addition to using the conduit for under the teardrop, I'm thinking that I can improvise a water tight connection through the wheel well; the wheel wells are super 'tall' on this model.  If I were to use a small junction box in the 'hidden' bottom part of the interior teardrop shelf, I could safely bring in the wires and then use plumber's caulk or a rubber washer or two to 'close up' the opening both in the well and in the hidden shelf area.  I think this will work well.

Frustration.

Today was less than excellent.  I met with a lot of frustration today.

It started out pretty good; I got my new fish eye lens for my iPhone and I had a lot of fun making interesting images with it.  Here you can see that I was filling the holes and then re-painting the drawers and the counter trip piece.

One of the only things that did go well today is that I was able to wire up the fuse panel and all of the electrical fixtures, even the galley light, worked perfectly.

This is 'mid-wiring.'  I like how the steel box worked out as a cover for the two 12 volt outlets.

I took the fish eye inside and I could finally capture how huge the teardrop is inside!  That was meant to be funny; but it really is pretty spacious.  Here you can see what it looks like when I am leaning up against the bulkhead; which is where you'll find me reading when it's raining out.

Here you can see the full span of the interior.  

About the only thing that did go well today was that I figured out how to get the wires from the marker lights and the LED lights on each corner, to the back of the teardrop.  I ended up being able to use the PVC pipe I had from another project.  I used insulated pipe clamps to anchor the pipe to the frame.  Pulling the wires through it was a cinch.

I need to figure out a water tight way of bringing in the marker lights and the LED leads.  I'm thinking of putting a piece of threaded conduit in the wheel well in such a way that no moisture will make its way into the electrical area.  I'm going to need to think about that some more.  

One reader, Emmett, noted that the floor is bare wood.  It's actually marine plywood that has been treated, but I am planning to take the teardrop to have an undercoating applied to it; or possibly do it myself once I compare costs.  I appreciate the head's up.  I had it on my radar, but sure do appreciate the reminder.  I'll remove the spare tire, etc. before the undercoating is applied.  

Thinking back on the day and realizing that what frustrated me so much was not having all the supplies I needed to do the job.  I had to go to the hardware store four times today for various bits and pieces.  That always frustrates me.  I also ran out of wire; another thing I obviously needed.  Oh well, this is a short week and a long weekend.  I'm hopeful that next weekend I'll be able to finish the electrical and begin insulating the cabin. 

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.

Current Project List: Galley and Electrical

I'm finding it helpful to articulate what needs to be done in writing so that my mind is clear.  I'm a list guy.  I have lists all over my desk, on my iPhone, even in my car.  I have a special pad that I keep in the car for my commute; I almost always hear something on NPR or think of something I want to do when I get home.  My iPhone list for the teardrop is long, but it has been really helpful.  It helps me keep me from forgetting things.

At this point, with the exception of the bulk head floor and the rubber gasket over the piano hinge, the teardrop is essentially water tight.

Here is a list of projects that remain in order to 'finish' the galley and electric:

1.  Hinge gasket and aluminum strips to hold it in place.

(I stopped by the local bike store South Port Rigging to 'buy' another tube for this purpose.  I ended up trying to explain what I needed and why, to the owner.  He promptly went back into the tube trash and found me a huge inner tube and he gave it to me!  No cost.  Well, I wish I had seen him a couple of weeks ago.  Nonetheless, that was really nice of him!

2.  Caulk bulkhead floor.

3.  Finish trim on galley cabinets, drawers and doors.

4.  Mount spare tire under cooler slide.

5.  Install LED 'night lights.' These will be mounted on an 'L' bracket, which will be bolted to the frame.  Should be pretty cool at night!  Also going to use my extra 'porch lights' under each door. 

6.  Install running lights and tail/turn signals.

7.  Finalize all electrical runs and install fuse box.

(Saw this image on another teardrop build; I like the use of aluminum around the switches.  I may have to incorporate that into my 'switches' or on the battery meter.

8.  Paint/polyurethane galley cabinets.  Thinking I may use the brown paint from the basement project as an accent color.  Might just paint the drawer fronts and the cabinet trim brown. 

9.  Install hardware on doors and drawers.

That should cover the galley and electrical area.  From there we'll move to the cabin cabinets and interior insulation and fixtures.