Hi everyone. We've just bought our first Airstream and this is my first post. I'll try to upload pictures if that would be helpful, but I'm about as tech-savvy as I am Airstream savvy (next to nothing), so that may not happen right away.:)
We bought a 31ft 69 Sovereign (rear bath/center twin beds) and don't have a clue of where to begin with inspections to determine what work needs to be done, or how to do it. Well, I guess we do have the first clue - which is getting on air forums. The last owner had started a renovation on it and then had to move and abandon the project. I'm wondering if he got a little gung-ho with wanting to make it look cool inside without first doing the nitty gritty…?
Here's my questions/areas of concern:
Electrical: the lights work inside except for the center of the 3 lights on the ceiling. He had also installed a new stainless fridge/freezer, but had an extension cord running to it from a different outlet because of issues with the fridge outlet shorting out and he didn't want to blow the fridge. And the external lights (blinkers etc.) aren't working and need replacement of the plastic reflector parts too. (Forgive my lack of knowledge of terminology etc.) He had temporary tow lights in the back window for towing it home.
Plumbing: He never used any of the plumbing (kitchen or bathroom) so he didn't know if it worked or anything about it. There is a new kitchen sink in place but I don't think he ever actually hooked it up and ran water through it. The bathroom is all the original and looks to be in pretty decent shape, but I have no idea how to check it to know if anything works or leaks? I have zero experience with anything rv related, let alone airstream.
The kitchen is pretty much what he had focused on (he installed a new counter, recessed overhead lighting, sink, stove, wine cooler, and fridge). And he gutted and painted the front room and put in laminate flooring from the front, back to the bathroom door.
I read that you can poke around the edges of the floor to check for rot, and there don't seem to be any signs of that in the bathroom where the floor has been stripped to the wood. The bathroom floor looks ugly but maybe ugly is fine and not a sign of past leaks? (we did determine in the last rainstorm we had that 3 of the windows do leak a bit).
Frame: The front and rear portions of the trailer (bumper and tow hitch areas) have significant surface rust but they seem solid and aren't flaky or soft. I did the stand on the bumper test (had my heavier than myself brother do it), and there was no movement or shifting that I could see. The tow part (sorry - not sure what to call it - can get a picture if needed) has been painted, and he included a new part to put on it which makes me wonder…
The belly pan seems to be in good shape but I don't know what to look for, and the last owner never removed it. He said he had pulled up the front 4 feet of flooring and replaced it because of some rat damage from the inside, and said that the frame looked fine from what he could see in that section. My concern would be more under the bathroom though.
SO, I would love to start doing the fun part of making it pretty inside, but I'm guessing things like wiring and plumbing need to be addressed first. Is it possible to address electrical/wiring issues without gutting the inside? And plumbing? Can we just hook it up to a hose to test the sinks, tub, and toilet or do we need to have holding tanks in place and be hooked up to septic or something?
It would be great if we could do a few things like put in the bamboo flooring we want in it, fix the window leaks, and install a composting toilet, so it would be somewhat useable soon, and then be able to tackle other issues later as we go. But it would be a bummer if we would end up having to tear out the flooring/toilet etc., to do whatever else may need to be done.
Also, if we have no clue on the condition of the frame (aside from the front 4 feet that he could see when replacing the floor), is it dangerous to tow it right now? He did put new axles and tires on it, and it seemed to tow just fine on the 90min tow home.
I'm sorry if this is a confusing, rambling post of unclear questions. That's kind of how I feel (confused and rambling) when I walk into the airstream every day and want to do something but don't know where to begin!:)
We don't have a lot of money to throw at this right away, so we would like to tackle the most important things first, as well as the things we can do ourselves. We have plenty of elbow grease we can put into it. :)
Any advice would be much appreciated!!
We bought a 31ft 69 Sovereign (rear bath/center twin beds) and don't have a clue of where to begin with inspections to determine what work needs to be done, or how to do it. Well, I guess we do have the first clue - which is getting on air forums. The last owner had started a renovation on it and then had to move and abandon the project. I'm wondering if he got a little gung-ho with wanting to make it look cool inside without first doing the nitty gritty…?
Here's my questions/areas of concern:
Electrical: the lights work inside except for the center of the 3 lights on the ceiling. He had also installed a new stainless fridge/freezer, but had an extension cord running to it from a different outlet because of issues with the fridge outlet shorting out and he didn't want to blow the fridge. And the external lights (blinkers etc.) aren't working and need replacement of the plastic reflector parts too. (Forgive my lack of knowledge of terminology etc.) He had temporary tow lights in the back window for towing it home.
Plumbing: He never used any of the plumbing (kitchen or bathroom) so he didn't know if it worked or anything about it. There is a new kitchen sink in place but I don't think he ever actually hooked it up and ran water through it. The bathroom is all the original and looks to be in pretty decent shape, but I have no idea how to check it to know if anything works or leaks? I have zero experience with anything rv related, let alone airstream.
The kitchen is pretty much what he had focused on (he installed a new counter, recessed overhead lighting, sink, stove, wine cooler, and fridge). And he gutted and painted the front room and put in laminate flooring from the front, back to the bathroom door.
I read that you can poke around the edges of the floor to check for rot, and there don't seem to be any signs of that in the bathroom where the floor has been stripped to the wood. The bathroom floor looks ugly but maybe ugly is fine and not a sign of past leaks? (we did determine in the last rainstorm we had that 3 of the windows do leak a bit).
Frame: The front and rear portions of the trailer (bumper and tow hitch areas) have significant surface rust but they seem solid and aren't flaky or soft. I did the stand on the bumper test (had my heavier than myself brother do it), and there was no movement or shifting that I could see. The tow part (sorry - not sure what to call it - can get a picture if needed) has been painted, and he included a new part to put on it which makes me wonder…
The belly pan seems to be in good shape but I don't know what to look for, and the last owner never removed it. He said he had pulled up the front 4 feet of flooring and replaced it because of some rat damage from the inside, and said that the frame looked fine from what he could see in that section. My concern would be more under the bathroom though.
SO, I would love to start doing the fun part of making it pretty inside, but I'm guessing things like wiring and plumbing need to be addressed first. Is it possible to address electrical/wiring issues without gutting the inside? And plumbing? Can we just hook it up to a hose to test the sinks, tub, and toilet or do we need to have holding tanks in place and be hooked up to septic or something?
It would be great if we could do a few things like put in the bamboo flooring we want in it, fix the window leaks, and install a composting toilet, so it would be somewhat useable soon, and then be able to tackle other issues later as we go. But it would be a bummer if we would end up having to tear out the flooring/toilet etc., to do whatever else may need to be done.
Also, if we have no clue on the condition of the frame (aside from the front 4 feet that he could see when replacing the floor), is it dangerous to tow it right now? He did put new axles and tires on it, and it seemed to tow just fine on the 90min tow home.
I'm sorry if this is a confusing, rambling post of unclear questions. That's kind of how I feel (confused and rambling) when I walk into the airstream every day and want to do something but don't know where to begin!:)
We don't have a lot of money to throw at this right away, so we would like to tackle the most important things first, as well as the things we can do ourselves. We have plenty of elbow grease we can put into it. :)
Any advice would be much appreciated!!
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