We used the trailer pretty well this year, 89 days including a 75 day trip to Alaska. This along with some recent posts by others gave me ideas and plenty of time to plan some new mods.
RVcircus posted a video of installing a Smart Tile backsplash in the kitchen.
So I ordered some Smart Tiles from HD and did the same. Itโs fairly straightforward, however they donโt tell you how to handle the fact that wall corners and countertops rarely meet at 90 degree angles. I made a couple of small goofs and also had to patch together some trimmings to fill out the area, but overall I am pleased with the result.
The rear kitchen layout has more counter space than other floorplans but there is only one light above the sink and if you are working on the end of the counter you are blocking the light from the room overhead lights. I added a second light beneath the cabinets.
The bathroom has no heat vent and the door is always closed so it can get rather chilly during the cooler times of the year. I saw where
bartlettj had added a heat vent so I thought I would do the same.http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28853911.cfm
I bought the furnace flange on ebay for $6 including shipping, the round register from CW for $7.59 and the 4โ duct from HD for $10.65.
Itโs a bit disconcerting to drill 4โ holes in the bathroom floor and several wall cabinets but the installation went smoothly and we should have a toasty bathroom next spring. There were three blanking plates on the furnace and this summer they all fell off when traveling some of the rough roads in Alaska. I took the opportunity to add a sheet metal screw to each so that wonโt happen again. (If youโre getting low airflow out your heat vents you might check your furnace for the same problem).
The next is a small but annoying thing. When setting up I seem to generally forget to unlock the tabs on the outside flap for the stovetop vent fan. Along about supper time, DW asks โdid you open the flapโ? Sometimes the tabs can be reached from the ground, but if the site is not level, you may have to climb partway up the ladder to reach the tabs. You also have to remember to close it when getting ready to travel. I decided to add a mechanism for opening and closing the flap from inside the kitchen.
I bolted an angle bracket to the inside of the flap to which I attached a small clevis. Several pieces of 3/16โ steel rod were bent to fit through the duct and out through a slot cut in the side of the fan box and threaded to accept the clevis and the coupler. Several screws were added as latching pins. To open, the handle is lifted and pushed aft and latched behind the aft pin. To close the handle is lifted, pulled forward and rotated in front of the forward pin. I really wanted to use a mini linear actuator with a 1โ stroke, wired through the fan switch, but didnโt want to spent the $$.:)
RVcircus posted a video of installing a Smart Tile backsplash in the kitchen.
So I ordered some Smart Tiles from HD and did the same. Itโs fairly straightforward, however they donโt tell you how to handle the fact that wall corners and countertops rarely meet at 90 degree angles. I made a couple of small goofs and also had to patch together some trimmings to fill out the area, but overall I am pleased with the result.
The rear kitchen layout has more counter space than other floorplans but there is only one light above the sink and if you are working on the end of the counter you are blocking the light from the room overhead lights. I added a second light beneath the cabinets.
The bathroom has no heat vent and the door is always closed so it can get rather chilly during the cooler times of the year. I saw where
bartlettj had added a heat vent so I thought I would do the same.http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28853911.cfm
I bought the furnace flange on ebay for $6 including shipping, the round register from CW for $7.59 and the 4โ duct from HD for $10.65.
Itโs a bit disconcerting to drill 4โ holes in the bathroom floor and several wall cabinets but the installation went smoothly and we should have a toasty bathroom next spring. There were three blanking plates on the furnace and this summer they all fell off when traveling some of the rough roads in Alaska. I took the opportunity to add a sheet metal screw to each so that wonโt happen again. (If youโre getting low airflow out your heat vents you might check your furnace for the same problem).
The next is a small but annoying thing. When setting up I seem to generally forget to unlock the tabs on the outside flap for the stovetop vent fan. Along about supper time, DW asks โdid you open the flapโ? Sometimes the tabs can be reached from the ground, but if the site is not level, you may have to climb partway up the ladder to reach the tabs. You also have to remember to close it when getting ready to travel. I decided to add a mechanism for opening and closing the flap from inside the kitchen.
I bolted an angle bracket to the inside of the flap to which I attached a small clevis. Several pieces of 3/16โ steel rod were bent to fit through the duct and out through a slot cut in the side of the fan box and threaded to accept the clevis and the coupler. Several screws were added as latching pins. To open, the handle is lifted and pushed aft and latched behind the aft pin. To close the handle is lifted, pulled forward and rotated in front of the forward pin. I really wanted to use a mini linear actuator with a 1โ stroke, wired through the fan switch, but didnโt want to spent the $$.:)
