Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Aristocrat travel trailer water system repair
I've been working on the water system in the vintage Aristocrat travel trailer. I've camped a lot in vintage campers and have come to realize that all you really need is one of those large green plastic water containers. They will last forever and it's easy to manage them, but I wanted the water system in the Aristocrat to work. I've been trying to get all of the trailer's systems to work. The water pump was disconnected when I got the trailer and when I put it back together it didn't suck. Which sucked..
So I took it out and took the pump apart. The gasket was pretty much shot and the blades on the impeller were somewhat bent over. Still I thought it should work because the motor ran, and it's a simple device. Plus the pump is a 4+ gallon per min pump which is a lot just for a sink by todays standards. We have scrap gasket material at work so I cut out a new gasket. The main thing was getting the diameter right which was 1.75 inch. I got it to fit perfect and tight, and then I drilled the holes for the screws. Then tried to make the blades on the impeller straight by bending them back. After a day or so I put the pump back together with the new home made gasket and used clear silicone to seal it. I let that dry over night.
It had to work right? I gave it about a 60% chance and Queenie crossed her fingers. I did not like the idea of buying a new pump if I didn't have to. So I soldered all of the electrical connections, wrapped the water connections with teflon tape, and shazam! we have water in the sink!
Oh yeah. I used a 1967 Ford pickup gas cap for the missing water tank fill lid. It fit the existing fixture perfect and looks retro. I had to grind down the inside flange a little but then it fit like a glove and locks into place.
And for drinking water I recently picked up a vintage Coleman water cooler. It will sit ontop of the fridge cabinet.
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4 comments:
Has anyone ever told you how extremely cool you are? I mean, most people would have just left that alone, or bought a new pump. Your ingenuity and ability to think these types of things through are really impressive. I'm so happy you were able to get that all working! Our little trailer will be so much fun this summer! :*
Well I went and looked at new pumps but something in the back of my mind said the pump just needed a new gasket. And they probably took the hoses apart to winterize the trailer at some point. I've learned from the cabin to drain the pump and water lines for winter. And this was apart for so long it just didn't seal the first time I put it all back together and wouldn't pump water. But now it works great.
Thanks for sharing about your Aristocrat trailer. Is yours a Mainliner? Have you connected with one of our groups? http://www.ipernity.com/group/aristocrattrailers
Hi Tammy, yes I think it is a Mainliner as it has the exact same layout as an Aristocrat floor plan of a Mainliner that is on the Tin Can Tourist website. Kitchen and toilet room in the back of the trailer.
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