Airstream Remodel Episode 14: Sprung Door, Plumbing, & Propane

Pauline was looking better and better, but there was still a lot of work to do to get her functional. I begrudgingly shifted out of design mode and back into construction mode.

Sprung Door

It’s been a while since we’ve had problems with leaks in Pauline, but one persistent problem spot was the door. At some point before we got her, it appears that the door came open in transit and slammed against the body of the trailer. This means that the door had flattened out a bit, creating a gap in the seal along the top. To fix this problem, we had to reshape the door. After watching this helpful tutorial, we took the door apart and used ratchet straps to bend it back into shape.

We placed two ratchet straps around the door, then very slowly tightened them until they bent the door beyond the degree of curve we ultimately wanted. Then we released the straps and the door would spring back, but not all the way back, creating the additional curve we needed. To follow this process in more detail, check out this vlog.

It’s been several months now since we made this repair, and I’m happy to say that we have not had any leaks at the front door!

Next up were the two remaining systems: plumbing and propane. I have to give all the credit to Jared on this project. He made diagrams to show exactly how the systems work, where the valves need to go, all the connections, etc. And everything is labeled so that future owners will know exactly where everything is.

Plumbing

The gray tanks and drain lines were installed in the first few months of the remodel because they are under the subfloor, but the entire freshwater system still needed to be installed. This meant running all of the pipes through our cabinets to supply the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower, and washing machine. We also added an outdoor shower for hosing off before coming inside.

We used expansion PEX pipe, which turned out to be surprisingly beginner-friendly. After running all of the water lines in Pauline, we were astonished to find NO LEAKS! We secured the pipes in place using these things. I still don’t know what they’re actually called, but I call them Lego hands.

Propane

Somehow we managed to install the entire propane system without taking a single photo or video. You’ll just have to take my word for it. The new propane lines are installed under the bellypan and run to the oven, the furnace, and the water heater. Getting this project done meant we could finally install the oven! Check out this vlog to see the installation of propane and plumbing.

Bonus - Rock Guard

One last improvement for this post - we installed the rock guard!