Long story short, got screwed over by not one, but two contractors. First one installed my living quarters. The second was hired to fix the first one's mistakes. They both checked out but didn't stop them from ripping me off and not completing the work, so now I'm left to fix things myself.
I took many photos, but today I pulled the nailed down cover to the bench seat, exposing the plumbing and electrical. I found a leak and also saw the water turned off to the hot water heater. Both explain why I ran out of water last weekend while camping and also had no hot water for a shower!
I can fix the leak. This is the culprit. It seems to be leaking from the red arrow but possibly the blue arrow as well. Hard to tell because they're so close together but it should be very easy to replace this. Is there a better way to do this than how it is now?
Here are all the photos I took after pulling up the bench seating today. It looks like a sloppy mess to me. What I'm specifically looking for is to know if everything is connected correctly or if I should hire an electrician.
I took many photos, but today I pulled the nailed down cover to the bench seat, exposing the plumbing and electrical. I found a leak and also saw the water turned off to the hot water heater. Both explain why I ran out of water last weekend while camping and also had no hot water for a shower!
I can fix the leak. This is the culprit. It seems to be leaking from the red arrow but possibly the blue arrow as well. Hard to tell because they're so close together but it should be very easy to replace this. Is there a better way to do this than how it is now?
Here are all the photos I took after pulling up the bench seating today. It looks like a sloppy mess to me. What I'm specifically looking for is to know if everything is connected correctly or if I should hire an electrician.
BurbMan wrote:
Nice pics, and really nice camper! A little more work by someone who knows what they are doing and you;re almost there!
Not quite yet. I installed the new plumbing. Still ONE leak right at the water tank. Not sure what's going on. It's coming from around the new brass fitting. I used the pipe tape and still leaking. It looks like someone over-tightened a fitting originally and it "stretched" the plastic on the tank where that fitting goes! I decided to disconnect all the hoses from the tank and lift it out to inspect it more closely and GUESS WHAT??!! mold.....MOLD....MOLD!!!!!! Oh and some staples...the same ones used all over my trailer on the cheap plastic trim! :M
I'm LIVID right now.
I pulled up the linoleum but can't get it out from around that )(*%*^&)(*^*&()^& trim and walls!!!!! :M
I PAID for a NEW living quarters, not a moldy box of fococta!
BTW today is my birthday. Happy birthday to me...I got screwed and not how one would prefer on their birthday!
I'm not even sure what to do at this point. Done crying now. Going to eat a piece of birthday cake and drink a few margaritas or ten. ๐
Yeah, nice looking rig and about 98% there. If you were closer, I'd offer a hand but too many gallons of gas away from 'ya.
FWIW, hinged bench seating:
The link in my signature line, The Cowboy/Hilton, has a lot of DIY pictures.
FWIW, hinged bench seating:
The link in my signature line, The Cowboy/Hilton, has a lot of DIY pictures.
I think it's more incompetent than dishonest...the guy did the work, just didn't know what he was doing!
As an afterthought, many electricians don't know RVs very well either....you may be better off getting a good RV tech as was mentioned by another poster here.
It's a spaghetti factory in my electrical space as well:
BUT when I installed my inverted and transfer switch I used a junction box for the 120v wiring:
Thwn I installed this switch on the front panel to avoid what your guy with the cord coming out of the cabinet"
As an afterthought, many electricians don't know RVs very well either....you may be better off getting a good RV tech as was mentioned by another poster here.
It's a spaghetti factory in my electrical space as well:
BUT when I installed my inverted and transfer switch I used a junction box for the 120v wiring:
Thwn I installed this switch on the front panel to avoid what your guy with the cord coming out of the cabinet"
BurbMan wrote:
Those black fittings with the butterfly wings should have a rubber gasket or O ring inside to do the sealing against the male side of the fitting, with the washer or O ring missing they leak just as you describe. The should be hand tightened only, that's why they put those wings on them, so you don't use a wrench. Nothing wrong with that per se if they are installed properly...do not use teflon tape on these as I see he did on that leaky one....
The electric is quite a mess and if you paid somebody to do that get your money back, plain and simple. If you look, there is romex house wire that goes to that outlet by the water pump, where a cord is plugged in. If you follow the cord, it terminates to other romex wires with wire nuts. That whole mess can be elminated, the outlet removed, and the wires joined in a junction box as they should be. Nothing wrong with using wire nuts to join wires, but all of those connections should be in the proper junction boxes.
Here is a proper junction box set up for 120v house wiring, and it should have a cover installed when done:
Also look at those 12v positive wires screwed to the wood behind the inverter...those should not be exposed either, a better way to do that would have been with a junction box like this:
OR at a minimum a terminal strip like this, available at any Radio Shack and many home centers:
Not worried about neatness per se, but you don't want wires flopping around. the reason for the junction box on the 120v wiring is to provide strain relief and hold the wire steady by the connection. If the wires are allowed to flop around and flex those wire nut connections they will either come loose or fatigue the wire until the breaks. This is a safety issue and should be corrected. The National Electric Code is in place to protect us from fires that start from amateur wiring jobs like this.
THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, PLEASE READ:
I see the plug for the inverter draped over the pipe by the water pump, not plugged in. I guess that is supposed to get plugged into that outlet BY the water pump too. If you follow the wire, it is spliced with wire nuts (again, no junction box) to the plug that goes through the front of the bench that plugs into the inverter. So you have what is a known as a "suicide cord", a cord with a plug at each end. So if that plug is plugged in under the bench, and you unplug from the inverter while while you are plugged into shore power, that plug will BE LIVE and dangling from the outside of the bench.
The more I look at the pictures, the less I see that is merely sloppy and not a safety issue.
Honestly, that whole thing needs to be re-done by a guy (or gal) that knows something about electricity, proper wiring techniques, and the National Electric Code for RVs. Give that you have gone through 2 handymen, I would opt for a licensed electrician at this point.
One last comment you mentioned that the cover to the bench seat was "nailed down". First off it's against code to have any electric that is not hard-wired (ie a plug/recepticle) that is not accessible. Second, you have some water valves and a winterizing port by the pump...how are you supposed to get to those? You need some kind of a set up to make the lid to where it will just lift off...even if it had 2 screws holding it down you could remove those easy enough.
This is extremely helpful and valuable information. Thank you so very much. While I know I can tackle the fococta plumbing, the electric I will definitely hire out to a licensed electrician!
As far as the two contractors; the 1st guy's mess was even worse than the last guy, so much so that my safety was much more at risk of being burned up in my trailer. I could have died had I not known better.
I told the 2nd guy that he can issue me a refund or we can go to court. His choice.
I am going to re-do all the cheap trim they used in my trailer with some nicer trim I saw today at Menards. It's going to be a fun summer project and I'll know in the end the finishing touches were done by myself and I can enjoy the fruits of my labor.
As far as the bench seats go, they used OSB for the seats, which I loathe. I'm going to throw that cheap******out and use wood instead and line the tops with matching wall board and a finger hole to lift them up. I'll either hinge them or frame the inside so they stay put while the cushions are on top of them.
I'm so very grateful for all the help you've all given me. I appreciate it very much!
Unfortunately, I bought a gel memory foam mattress that is too tall for my gooseneck cabinets so now I can't open those. That mattress was such a job to get up there that I really don't want to take it out, but my son has a less bulky queen size mattress I could change it out with if I get enough energy to wrestle that again. lol
Here are some photos of how the trailer is currently:
I hate this tin. I had another pattern and color purchased but the guy didn't have enough so used this crap. Okay maybe******is a harsh word. It's ugly to me and too masculine for my taste. ๐
How stupid is this for covering the cowboy shower assembly?! Not even the right trim nails or anything! UGH!
I had to re-silicone the sink. It came loose from the counter.
Apparently the Wizard of Oz didn't give my scarecrow contractor a brain to figure out to use a 3 switch plate vs. three switch plates.
This was my original tin back splash. I love the tin but notice the broken, cheap trim?
Floor not finished and this was supposed to be shelves with a cabinet door. ๐
Walk-thru door to the horse area where cowboy shower and flushing porta potty is located. The door not trimmed out and was supposed to be lined with bead board paneling.
Entry door left unfinished.
Table put so far away from bench seating, there's no room to pass through.
Trailer has so much potential to be really nice!
Small closet:
Cowboy shower drains to ground. Was supposed to be plumbed to tank along with sink drain water.
Tape peeling off. Probably can cover with trim.
New hub caps. Okay, I really like these.
Just wanted to show y'all what I'm dealing with. I had a good size budget and wanted a higher end living quarters. After a long day of riding, mucking, and a couple homemade margaritas around the campfire, a little rest in a nice trailer and comfy bed was all I wanted.
I absolutely loathe dishonest people!
Those black fittings with the butterfly wings should have a rubber gasket or O ring inside to do the sealing against the male side of the fitting, with the washer or O ring missing they leak just as you describe. The should be hand tightened only, that's why they put those wings on them, so you don't use a wrench. Nothing wrong with that per se if they are installed properly...do not use teflon tape on these as I see he did on that leaky one....
The electric is quite a mess and if you paid somebody to do that get your money back, plain and simple. If you look, there is romex house wire that goes to that outlet by the water pump, where a cord is plugged in. If you follow the cord, it terminates to other romex wires with wire nuts. That whole mess can be elminated, the outlet removed, and the wires joined in a junction box as they should be. Nothing wrong with using wire nuts to join wires, but all of those connections should be in the proper junction boxes.
Here is a proper junction box set up for 120v house wiring, and it should have a cover installed when done:
Also look at those 12v positive wires screwed to the wood behind the inverter...those should not be exposed either, a better way to do that would have been with a junction box like this:
OR at a minimum a terminal strip like this, available at any Radio Shack and many home centers:
Not worried about neatness per se, but you don't want wires flopping around. the reason for the junction box on the 120v wiring is to provide strain relief and hold the wire steady by the connection. If the wires are allowed to flop around and flex those wire nut connections they will either come loose or fatigue the wire until the breaks. This is a safety issue and should be corrected. The National Electric Code is in place to protect us from fires that start from amateur wiring jobs like this.
THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, PLEASE READ:
I see the plug for the inverter draped over the pipe by the water pump, not plugged in. I guess that is supposed to get plugged into that outlet BY the water pump too. If you follow the wire, it is spliced with wire nuts (again, no junction box) to the plug that goes through the front of the bench that plugs into the inverter. So you have what is a known as a "suicide cord", a cord with a plug at each end. So if that plug is plugged in under the bench, and you unplug from the inverter while while you are plugged into shore power, that plug will BE LIVE and dangling from the outside of the bench.
The more I look at the pictures, the less I see that is merely sloppy and not a safety issue.
Honestly, that whole thing needs to be re-done by a guy (or gal) that knows something about electricity, proper wiring techniques, and the National Electric Code for RVs. Give that you have gone through 2 handymen, I would opt for a licensed electrician at this point.
One last comment you mentioned that the cover to the bench seat was "nailed down". First off it's against code to have any electric that is not hard-wired (ie a plug/recepticle) that is not accessible. Second, you have some water valves and a winterizing port by the pump...how are you supposed to get to those? You need some kind of a set up to make the lid to where it will just lift off...even if it had 2 screws holding it down you could remove those easy enough.
The electric is quite a mess and if you paid somebody to do that get your money back, plain and simple. If you look, there is romex house wire that goes to that outlet by the water pump, where a cord is plugged in. If you follow the cord, it terminates to other romex wires with wire nuts. That whole mess can be elminated, the outlet removed, and the wires joined in a junction box as they should be. Nothing wrong with using wire nuts to join wires, but all of those connections should be in the proper junction boxes.
Here is a proper junction box set up for 120v house wiring, and it should have a cover installed when done:
Also look at those 12v positive wires screwed to the wood behind the inverter...those should not be exposed either, a better way to do that would have been with a junction box like this:
OR at a minimum a terminal strip like this, available at any Radio Shack and many home centers:
Not worried about neatness per se, but you don't want wires flopping around. the reason for the junction box on the 120v wiring is to provide strain relief and hold the wire steady by the connection. If the wires are allowed to flop around and flex those wire nut connections they will either come loose or fatigue the wire until the breaks. This is a safety issue and should be corrected. The National Electric Code is in place to protect us from fires that start from amateur wiring jobs like this.
THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, PLEASE READ:
I see the plug for the inverter draped over the pipe by the water pump, not plugged in. I guess that is supposed to get plugged into that outlet BY the water pump too. If you follow the wire, it is spliced with wire nuts (again, no junction box) to the plug that goes through the front of the bench that plugs into the inverter. So you have what is a known as a "suicide cord", a cord with a plug at each end. So if that plug is plugged in under the bench, and you unplug from the inverter while while you are plugged into shore power, that plug will BE LIVE and dangling from the outside of the bench.
The more I look at the pictures, the less I see that is merely sloppy and not a safety issue.
Honestly, that whole thing needs to be re-done by a guy (or gal) that knows something about electricity, proper wiring techniques, and the National Electric Code for RVs. Give that you have gone through 2 handymen, I would opt for a licensed electrician at this point.
One last comment you mentioned that the cover to the bench seat was "nailed down". First off it's against code to have any electric that is not hard-wired (ie a plug/recepticle) that is not accessible. Second, you have some water valves and a winterizing port by the pump...how are you supposed to get to those? You need some kind of a set up to make the lid to where it will just lift off...even if it had 2 screws holding it down you could remove those easy enough.
2oldnslow wrote:
I hear you on the can cozy - that is much too important a tool to be used for cushioning!
I would find a piece of foam (like pipe insulation) to put in there. If you clamp it to the bench it may still make a fair bit of noise and may even cause leaks down the road. Those pumps move around a bit while working.
Excellent advice! I have to run into the city today for some other errands and am taking this with me to find higher quality plumbing. This is a photo of the assembly between the tank and the pump. It's ALL leaking, no matter how tight/loose/more pipe tape..none of it is working. Those butterfly type connectors leak plain and simple.
I can check this forum from my phone so if y'all have some suggestions for plumbing to replace what I've shown, I will have access to Menards and Lowes while in the city. I live over an hour away from the city so advice will be helpful. Thank you.
