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Old 04-27-2003, 12:41 PM   #1
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Cute Li'l Bigfoot!

Okay, here's the new baby-- a standard 17' 1988 Bigfoot-- but very lightly used:

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eac21906708eexterior.JPG/>

Many of the exterior screw heads were rusty so I've been replacing them with new. I also cleaned off some epoxy glop that had been slopped in around the bathroom ceiling vent and installed a new one. Very odd, though. The epoxy had been covered with ductape which had in turn rotted. When I cleaned it all up there was absolutely no sign of a leak anyplace-- the glass was great, the wood framed the vent screws into had none of the staining I would expect to find in a leak zone. Nada. One screw hole in the area with the most *repair* evidence was stripped and the sealing goo had been applied poorly in that area, though, so I'm thinking there might have been a tiny drip there. Easy fix-- a matchstick and Elmers into the hole, new sealant all around and the new screw seated just fine.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eac1e99599a8BF-gaucho.JPG/>

Pretty plush, no? I'll need to add some 9v lights to the overhead for better nighttime reading.

I'm having trouble getting the images to upload in one post, so I will continue on another post.

Kitty :wave



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Old 04-27-2003, 12:43 PM   #2
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<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eac1f0f50a82galley.JPG/>

A far cry from the inferno-prone alcohol stove and leaking ice box in the boat we used to use.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eac1f84e8b2ahead.JPG/>

Luxury!

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eac1fa5d3a4fdinette.JPG/>

Perfect for 4-person dining, though I was a little surprised (Doh!) to find it just makes up into a 40-inch wide berth. Some engineering may have to take place in the future.

I'm making bedding now, and working on a ladder/support dealie for the upper bunk. No way am I trusting a strap to support my 120lb kid-- no matter what the rating says.

We had some problems with the hot water heater yesterday, so we're going to play with that again today. Next week I hope to get it into the shop for any repairs we can't do-- but that list is looking pretty small at this point.

Fun, fun fun!

Kitty :wave



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Old 04-27-2003, 12:50 PM   #3
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Move me?

=sigh=

After I got this thread in, I realized I had put it in the wrong area but have not managed to move it and delete it. If the PTB want to move it, I'm good with that.

Thanks,

Kitty



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Old 04-27-2003, 01:17 PM   #4
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pics

nice lookin digs Kitty:thumb



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Old 04-27-2003, 01:37 PM   #5
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Kitty ... the interior looks brand new!

Great little rig.

What's the problem with the water heater?

Remember, most water heaters have a failsafe and will not light unless they are full of water. Do you have water in the system? Does the water pump work?

More pictures, please! I enjoy looking at them!



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Old 04-27-2003, 02:25 PM   #6
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Water heater

Charles,

Not sure if there's any problem with the water heater other than a leaky drain valve. Yesterday it seemed to get hot, then tepid. I'm giving it a longer heat-up time today and figuring how much water is coming out. I should know in a few hours if there's a problem with it. Maybe the thermostat's just set too low.

More pictures soon!

Thanks,
Kitty
:wave



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Old 04-27-2003, 07:34 PM   #7
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1988 Bigfoot (17')

Wow, Kitty, you did good. Real good!

Luxury is right!

Can't wait for more pictures.



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Old 04-27-2003, 07:53 PM   #8
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Charles Watts

Kitty ... the interior looks brand new!
It even looks brand new when you're standing in the middle of it! Provided you take your glasses off.

Quote:
What's the problem with the water heater?
After the burners been on long enough to do some good, the water gives a burst of warmth, then cools down. The temperature seems dependant on how high I set the thermostat, but the smount of warmed water stay consistant-- no more than a quart. Worse, the cardboard around the tank itself is wet. I'm thinking it's time for a new tank at least. Oh, well.

Quote:
Orginally posted by Suz
Can't wait for more pictures.
Well, here's a layout-- will that tide you over til I find something new to shoot?

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eac899da4108B-17G.JPG/>

Kitty :wave



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Old 04-27-2003, 08:21 PM   #9
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bigfoot plumbing

Kitty:
Last year I got an '81 Bigfoot which looks very similar to your own (but maybe not as nice).
I found that the connectors on the gray polybutylene plumbing were all leaking and giving
up the ghost. The previous owner had replaced some with pvc fittings and hoseclamps.
A friend of mine in Arizona apparently had similar pb plumbing in his house and ran into
the same (age related?) issue.

I replaced the leaking fittings with either Pex tubing and brass fittings with crimp
rings, or with "Acorn" fittings which sort of tighten on by hand.

My plumbing was mostly under the clothes closet behind the water heater (although your
schematic looks different. You might want to check that the plumbing fittings are not the
source of your wet cardboard.

Nice looking trailer.



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Old 04-27-2003, 09:09 PM   #10
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Kitty's Bigfoot

All right Kitty, we finally get to see your Bigfoot. As a fellow Bigfoot owner its nice to see another one other than our own '84. Your floor plan is the same as ours, except that we don't have the shower . Also don't have the heater or air. When you have the gaucho made into the bed, do you find it a little difficult to get into the washroom, that is the door can't open wide enough (thankfully my wife and I are not large people!!). Hopefully we aren't offending anyone! Other than that, we really like our layout. Having seen a lot of pics of other rigs on the site, we think the Bigfoot layout with the extra bit of width is the best. It doesn't seem as crowded (slight bias as you can tell). Also the ledge around the dinette is useful for extra stuff. Just a little thing, but very useful. We haven't seen that in many of the other rigs we've seen. Guess we should get a digital camera someday and try to get pics of ours on the site. Enjoy your Bigfoot Kitty.



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Old 04-27-2003, 09:12 PM   #11
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Hi Dan
You should be able to put photos on if you have a scanner.:)



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Old 04-27-2003, 09:15 PM   #12
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Kitty's Bigfoot

Chester: My wife informed of that very thing after I posted . Duh! All right I guess we need to get the camera out and give it a try someday!



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Old 04-27-2003, 09:43 PM   #13
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Rock MacRae

I replaced the leaking fittings with either Pex tubing and brass fittings with crimp
rings, or with "Acorn" fittings which sort of tighten on by hand.
What did you do about the cardboard? Just strip it off and replace it with new insulation?
Quote:
My plumbing was mostly under the clothes closet behind the water heater .
Mine is under the dinette. Easy access!
Quote:
Orginally posted by Dan Poulin
When you have the gaucho made into the bed, do you find it a little difficult to get into the washroom, that is the door can't open wide enough
Yes, a little bit of a squeeze for us, too. And wait 'til I add a ladder/support to the mix! Lots of entertainment.

The upper bunk over the goucho was never used as such, so I had to buy foam for it, and today built covers for the cabinet doors that become trap doors if you roll over wrong. Now to cut some fabric for the first bed back.

Kitty :wave



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Old 04-27-2003, 09:58 PM   #14
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Kitty's Bigfoot

The other thing we really noticed when we looked at our Bigfoot were the really large windows. That really impressed us.



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Old 04-27-2003, 10:27 PM   #15
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Kitty McKoon-Hennick


What did you do about the cardboard? Just strip it off and replace it with new insulation?
The cardboard around the water heater wasn't wet in my case, the water was leaking down
from the fittings and dripping out underneath along the gray water pipe. It wasn't until
I opened the access that I discovered it wasn't the waste line that was the problem, but
rather the water lines. It was getting pretty wet under the cupboard though.



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Old 04-28-2003, 09:38 PM   #16
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One problem down...

I figured out why the hot water would make only a brief appearance: there was a valve open that should have been closed. Why this valve is here at all I don't know. Looks like a retrofit.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eadf215f32a0int-h2ohtr.JPG/>

There's a valve on the inflow and one on the outflow, but why their should be a line between those two is a mystery to me. When open, it acts like and "eductor," sucking water up from the cold intake as the hot outflow goes past. Dumb.

As for the leak, it isn't on any of the interior fittings. I know there is a leak on the drain plug on the exterior, but I haven't figure out if that can somehow drip inside.

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3eae0a0fec248exh2ohtr.JPG/>

Given the evidence of rust both inside and outside, it looks like this is a long standing problem. I'll get a new drain plug fitting tomorrow and see if that fixes it. Then I'll give some thought to re-insulating. And I'm going to put some kind of barrier between all those valves and that wide open DC converter. I don't care if it is fresh water I got running through there!

Kitty :wave



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Old 04-28-2003, 09:43 PM   #17
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Could those valves not be for bypassing when winterizing.Thats so you don't pump anti freeze in hot water tank?Just a thought.:)



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Old 04-29-2003, 06:44 AM   #18
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Leaky valve thingie

Kitty, I have one just like that. Odd thing is that it doesn't leak all the time. Only when I first put water/antifreeze in the system or when I first close it after it's been open.

I am going to replace it, but since it does stop once the system is in full use, I haven't been in that big of a rush. My logic tells me that the water pressure somehow causes the drip to stop leaking after a bit. Might push a tad of rust back over the hole. :shg

I'll be interested to know how hard/easy it is to replace. Truth be told, I'm almost aftraid to attempt the removal. Buying a new water heater is somewhere down on my list of things to do. Mine works and it does stop leaking once the system is in use......



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Old 04-29-2003, 08:58 AM   #19
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The person who designed those water heaters hated the do-it-yourselfer and maybe even all human life. why put that drain where you can;t get to it. I've had three different water heater, and they all had that drain plug behide that propane line. no way to just turn it with your hand. and if and when you drain it, one even drained right over the flame area. stupid ( sorry one of my gripes and why I will NOT put a water heater in my present trailer.)



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Old 04-29-2003, 12:12 PM   #20
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Chester is right, that is the hot water tank bypass.



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