Tricia the trillium 1300

[Mark in Comox]

Originally Posted by David Tilston

Mark, you have quite an amazing Trillium. In 1973 Trillium did not offer a front dinette. The one in your trailer must have been installed by the PO. It almost looks like they removed the fibreglass from another Trillium and installed it in yours. Are there any structures inside the seats that would indicate it was handmade? They hung the table from the window frame, avoiding putting any unnecessary holes in the shell. This is what Trillium did as well, but with a fibreglass back splash that went down to the seats.

I have some comments about your furnace as well. I am a big fan of “gravity” furnaces. That is, no fan, or electrical requirements. It is totally gas powered. This particular model has enough space around the gas valve to be able to change it, without needing to pull the furnace. This is important, because frequently the telescoping exhaust/intake assembly will have fused due to rust. It is probably not possible to remove it now, without destroying it. This furnace has very few things to go wrong. The thermocouple may need to be changed, or the pilot light may need attention. The killer is when the gas valve quits. Newer versions of the Duo-Therm furnaces don’t have enough room around the gas valve to spin it. This makes it very difficult to change the valve. The condition of the furnace grate is also worth mentioning. I have one of those grates which is missing about 25% of the louvers on the front. The design is kind of flimsy. Your looks perfect.

Is that a 12VDC electric fridge? What I really like about it is that it doesn’t mess up the road side Trillium logo, like a propane fridge would, another very rare feature. Tom Young was selling chrome like stickers that fit the logo, minus the stem on the logo. Trillium eventually dropped the stem. One on either side would look nice.

If this was my trailer, there are only three things I would consider changing. One is the tail lights. The ones on you trailer are after market, (Princes Auto? LED?). You can get the original Bargman lights from Paul Neumeister: Fibreglass RV Parts, Repairs, and Service by Paul Neumeister. If your existing tail lights are LED, it would be worthwhile to remove the guts and put them in the Bargman lights from Paul. https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...2-a-52356.html Note that there is a ridge in the middle of the Bargman back plate. You will need some extra washers to act as standoffs where two of the three screws go through the parts without the ridge.

The second thing I would add is a 14” powered vent fan. I like the MaxxAir 5301, (four speed, manual open): https://www.amazon.ca/Maxx-Air-00053.../dp/B016MWZH0M. You can get a PWM for speed control: https://www.amazon.ca/Controller-Reg...745064&sr=8-48. I would probably add a thermostat too. The optioinal motor to open and close seems redundant; since the fan is designed operate when it is raining. This is not a small job on a trailer with a 9” vent. The hole has to be cut larger to make it fit. I would also recommend some pultruded square tube to frame in the hole from the outside. This allows the fan, and its controls to be flush with the celling, or a bit recessed, depending on the size of the square tube: https://www.grainger.ca/en/category/...emplate=Visual

Lastly, I would consider enough solar, (either on the roof, or as a suitcase) to run the fridge.

Boy, am I ever wordy.

Hey Dave,
thanks for the in-depth analysis! Couple things to follow up on....The lights are after market LED and I am very happy with how well the display. I may still check out original lights with LED replacement guts down the road.
The fridge is a 12v DC from a marine store, almost brand new. Model shown below:


The gas furnace is in great shape and works perfectly....I intend to baby it for years to come!


I am thinking about a maxair fan, but we are happy with vent for now. All our screens are in good shape so opening windows for cross breeze is pretty good...

We do have a portable suitcase 100watt solar setup with an 8.5 amp controller which can keep fridge going and give batteries a boost...


Cheers, mark

[Mark in Comox]

Oh yes Dave, also the bunk conversion is from Outback and was installed by previous owners. The table leg is removable and goes down to support extra bunk, or dog bed, as needed!

[David Tilston]

Oh yah, the other thing I like about that furnace is the window in the pilot light access hatch. That will provide a nice warm flickering night light, and visual confirmation that the pilot is burning. Your heat exchanger looks brand new! Others have used a Peltier powered fan with gravity furnaces to increase the heat output, (efficiency) but you would have to butcher that pristine grill. https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/e...3067p.html#srp

The fridge is a perfect fit, and at 2.2 A, that solar cell will keep it powered indefinitely.

[Steveo1]

Originally Posted by Mark in Comox

I put some photos in an album, still trying to figure out how to put them directly into threads.....I’m trying the “attachments” option below. See if this works.

I keep looking back at the pics of your 1300 and all I can say is wow!