Hello from Michigan!

[jmbomm]

Salutations, friends of fiberglass!

I recently purchased a 2004 Casita Spirit. I saw it on the side of the road and was thoroughly enchanted. For ten years it was lived in by its previous owner and taken to all corners of the continental US. Unfortunately, in ten years, a trailer can become a bit worn, so there is some minor fixing up that needs to be done. The body is sound and was well-maintained, though, and all included appliances still work as designed despite having sat unattended for the last year.

I've never owned an RV but my dad helped me give it a look and make the decision. I manage a haunted amusement park during the Fall months and it's nice to not have to go all the way home when I'll just need to head back out in a few hours. So, for the price, I just couldn't say no to the Casita.

The only modification to my little pod is that the single bed dinette was completely removed and in its place, the previous owner built and upholstered a permanent bed, hinged, with the entire bottom area being usable for storage space. As the double-bed dinette is still in place, this suits me fine.

What doesn't suit me fine is that the man was a chain smoker of little cigars. I had a carpet cleaner come out and, while it did help, it still wasn't enough. So, an order of foam later and I'm setting down the long and hopefully enjoyable journey of fixing up the interior. First step is to upholster some new cushions. I'm also contemplating pulling up the floor carpet to replace with vinyl wood flooring (I realize there are two very passionate schools of thought on the subject of camper floor choices and several other smaller ones as well!) as that is, as far as I can tell, still the only source of odor, not the walls (thank God). First, though, I fully intend to try an Ozone machine, baking soda, and anything else I can do prior to that. Honestly though, it feels inevitable; I'm just dreading pulling up the carpet to reveal rot in the floor as the source of the sour smell and facing the prospect of a much more complex project or defeat at a lost investment.

However! For now, I can say that the price was unbeatable and I am happy with my purchase and ecstatic to become a part of such a great community.

[TomK]

Hi John,
First of all welcome to FGRV from a displaced fellow Michigander! You sure stumbled into a gold mine of information from people who've been there and done that. You'll get many different approaches to fix your problems or help you with modifications.

My wife and I are new to this as well. We are headed to Backus, Minnesota this weekend to pick up a Scamp, so my experience with these little trailers is limited, but I wanted to welcome you, and let you know there is a fiberglass rally coming to Algonac, MI from 5 thru 7 Sep. There will be an assortment of the different trailers and plenty of people willing to share information and give advice. Should be a good place to get ideas for mods and projects. If your trailer isn't ready for camping by then, just stop by, walk, talk, and look around. Here's a link:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ble-61725.html

Tom

[RogerDat]

Welcome! We are almost local, I live between US-23 and Lansing, not too far off of I-96.

Bags of charcoal (plain not match light) spread on aluminum cookie sheets or plastic will soak up an amazing amount of smell. Learned that from a firefighter who explained the charcoal has an affinity for odors and literally pulls the smell from the air and fabrics and locks them in so they can be disposed of with the charcoal. Tried it myself on a couple of occasions (pet & burned plastic) and it does work pretty well.

Small desk fan to move air across the charcoal can make it go faster. Not sure if it would take it from cigar smoker to non-smoker but it's cheap to try, might make working on the changes more pleasant by reducing the overall odor if nothing else.

Maybe we will see you at the rally in Algonac!

[TomK]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

Welcome! We are almost local, I live between US-23 and Lansing, not too far off of I-96.

Bags of charcoal (plain not match light) spread on aluminum cookie sheets or plastic will soak up an amazing amount of smell. Learned that from a firefighter who explained the charcoal has an affinity for odors and literally pulls the smell from the air and fabrics and locks them in so they can be disposed of with the charcoal. Tried it myself on a couple of occasions (pet & burned plastic) and it does work pretty well.

Small desk fan to move air across the charcoal can make it go faster. Not sure if it would take it from cigar smoker to non-smoker but it's cheap to try, might make working on the changes more pleasant by reducing the overall odor if nothing else.

Maybe we will see you at the rally in Algonac!

That makes sense. Hunters use "scent block" clothing made with a layer of charcoal absorbant to keep their scent in, and away from the deer. Soldiers wear suits that have a layer of charcoal in NBC environments (nuke, bio, and chemical warfare) to keep bad stuff away from themselves.

Tom

[carlkeigley]

to the Forum John.

[Roy in TO]

I'd be tempted to mix some Febreze into the carpet cleaner.

[jmbomm]

Thanks for the advice - I'll definitely try those ideas! I'll also definitely look into the meetup - the RV is currently just down the road from the park anyways!