Hope my wife and I made the right choice

[budster]

It has been two days since my wife and I have traded our 2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK for a 2006 Gulf Stream Cavalier. (FEMA TRAILER) I have done every inspection I could think of doing and have been unable to find any problems to date. I am new to the forum and willing to listen to any suggestions on inspecting our new trailer and any preventive measures I may take. I hope we do not regret our choice and since we have a seasonal camp site for 2011 look forward to the new season.

[Old Yeller]

I assume you don't have holding tanks for water? That's the primary thing missing from the FEMA models.

Leaks in the roof have been relatively common and you should probably consider re-sealing the rubber membrane on the top of the camper.

I found problems with the plumbing, specifically the tub drain. it was cracked at the bottom of the pea trap.

Other than that, for me it's just been general checkout and everything has been working fine.

[budster]

I assume you don't have holding tanks for water? That's the primary thing missing from the FEMA models.

Leaks in the roof have been relatively common and you should probably consider re-sealing the rubber membrane on the top of the camper.

I found problems with the plumbing, specifically the tub drain. it was cracked at the bottom of the pea trap.

Other than that, for me it's just been general checkout and everything has been working fine.

Spent most of the day restocking our unit and doing more inspections. We found out that we need to replace our toilet tank because of a crack on the side of the tank that goes all the way through.

We are not planning on adding any holding tanks since we are seasonal campers at Jellystone Campground.

I assume I can check my tub drain by removing the panel on the side of the tub ?

I do plan on re-sealing the roof. Checked all propane lines and all working fine with no leaks. Another thing that I did was redo all wood cabinets and floor with a solution called "Rejuvinate". What a improvement to the cabinets. The unit now looks like it came right off the showroom floor.

So in short, nothing major at this time or expensive. Will continue to take our time and read the forum for any hints.

P.S. One thing that I took notice to was the drain tube for the unit is a SCREW ON MOUNT. I am unable to locate the proper mount. Can you suggest a dealer who sells the adapter ?

[natemoore]

We got rid of our pop-up and bought a FEMA trailer. We were excited because we got a 2006 Cavalier for $3000 and it looked and smell great on the inside! You should take a look at my other post "Why your FEMA trailer has roof leaks."

Go to Harbor Freight tools and buy a $45 pronged moisture meter and start probing around the walls and ceilings in the corners and also probe around the floors, especially near the corners. You may not like what you find.

I also don't think just resealing the roof will help. I did the same thing, but could still see traces of new water on the inside frame after a hard rain. I think it will just give a false sense of security.

But even if it does stop the leak, you may still have wet insulation and mold behind the walls.

In the master bedroom, everything looked great with no obvious signs of water intrusion, and the roof seam in the front had no cracks and had been resealed at least once before I got it, but you can see the results.

I remodel kitchens in Pensacola, FL, but since I'm ready to throw in the towel, I was thinking about starting a FEMA trailer restoration company since the government has auctioned off, what, 140,000 trailers? Buy one for $3K, put two or three thousand more into it, and you're still WAY, WAY ahead of the people who go to Camping World and shell out $25,000 for the same basic thing. Those people won't touch a FEMA trailer and they treat you like you're white trash if you don't drive a diesel pusher.