Hi All.
We're a family of 3, and have been tent campers for years. Started looking for a travel trailer after we had to cancel a camping trip last month due to bad weather.
We purchased an '06 2619 from it's original owners on Thursday, and took it camping Friday! Previous owners took real good care of it, and kept it stored in a garage since new. We even got hailed at a traffic light on the way home by "OscarF" from this forum!
Everything seemed to work fine during the "shakedown trip", but we came up with a list of items that need attention:
- Replace non-working Sharp oven/microwave combo with microwave (did that at the campsite!)
- Heavy rain this weekend showed a slow leak at the fan roof vent. Looks like it's coming from the "riser".
- "Electra Magic" toilet has to go. It appears to work fine though and we used it for #1's this past weekend, but it was a little stinky by the trip's end. We're looking into a composting toilet setup, "wag-bags", or the Poor-man's SeaLand setup.
- We love this camper and want to take care of it. Neighborhood HOA restrictions prohibit us from storing it under a car port, and it's too wide for our garage (We tried for 4 hours yesterday to get it in there though - removed porch lights, awning, and garage door trim and still only had 1/2" clearance on the sides. Sloped driveway prohibits us from backing it in by hand so that we don't damage the sides, and using my truck was too difficult).
SO, my questions:
What sealant for the roof leak, porch lights, and awning? (Coming from the boating world, I'd say 3M 4200 or something similar).
Shouldn't the vent trim be removed to allow the core to dry before resealing it?
Any tips for storing outside? Pretty bummed about not being able to fit it in the garage (Wife loves it so much she suggested we move houses just to store this thing!). We're in North Atlanta area - 51" of rain annually, hot & muggy summers, occasional hail. We've had mice and mold problems with canvas popup trailers I've owned before, stored in the same spot, which made me swear off buying anything that couldn't be stored in the garage. Thinking heavy tarp over the top with ends open for ventilation is our only option. Mice? Maybe I'll start feeding the neighbors outdoor cats to keep them around my yard.
Keeping it popped up with a dehumidifier would keep mold in check, but HOA prohibits that. Lowered, it stays hidden behind a fence, and keeps us in compliance.
Offsite storage is out of the question - it's $150+ a month around here, and wouldn't be covered. And that's IF they have any room available!