[VAC] Got me an Argosy Minuet

["Dave Harris" <gvanman@xxxxxxx>]

Hi all,
      A few weeks back I asked for advice on a 30ft Airstream and the
general consensus was that my Ford F-150 truck would not be up to the task
of pulling it.
      I scouted around and found a 1977 20ft Argosy Minuet for a good price.
It was in need of some fixing up but the skin was sound with no dings. The
underbelly was a patchwork and in need of replacing. After being assured
that 'everything worked 3 years ago', I went ahead and purchased it. It was
as steady as a rock on the journey home (50+ miles) even at speeds of 75 mph
(only for a short time).
      Last weekend I started in to it to see what worked and what didn't.
Started off by putting some bleach and water into the potable water tank and
filled it up. When I looked inside there was water everywhere - new water
pump had been fitted but there were no hose clamps on it! The drain valve
for the tank is a dinky little thing that you can hardly get to because of
the support for the dinette seats. Finally got it open and drained the
tank - why are all of the fuses (12v)and the converter mounted on the floor
right by the water pump?
      Got the water pump fixed up and mopped up the water. I followed the
water pipe under the twin bed and found that it ended abruptly - somebody
had cut the rest of it off! I replaced the missing piece of pipe, looked the
rest of the system over and couldn't see any problems. I filled the potable
water tank again and voila! - no leaks.
      Filled with confidence now, I connected the hose to the city water
hook up and switched on. Heard a swishing noise from inside - the water pipe
had blown off the toilet. Switch off water, repair toilet connection and mop
up again. Turn water back on and stand inside the trailer to keep an eye on
everything. No leaks - cool! Checked out the fridge (Dometic) and it looked
like it hadn't been cleaned in years - hear another swishing noise and as I
look up, I get a jet of water in the face (S**T!). This time it is the
connection to a faucet in the rear bathroom - I grab the flailing pipe and
stop the water by placing my thumb over it. Now what - there is only me home
and if I let go, I am going to be mopping again! I see the neighbor working
in his yard and shout him a couple of times - he is oblivious and carries on
with what he is doing.
I end up shoving the pipe down the toilet and hope that the lid can hold it
in place for the few minutes that it will take me to sprint round the back
of the house and turn off the hose. No such luck - I fix the connection and
mop up for the third time (at least the floor was pretty clean by now!). I
go around and check every connection before I turn on any more water. After
this, I turn the hose on at a slow rate, just in case. All is now OK with no
more leaks and all of the faucets work fine. Switch off the hose and as I
get back to the trailer, I see water dripping from various places in the
underbelly. The gray water tank or connections are leaking and also the
black water tank or its connections are leaking as well. Worst of all. I
discover that the black water tank wasn't emptied after its last use (3
years ago?).
      It is clear now, that all of the above problems are associated with
the trailer not having been winterized after its last use.
      We have vacuumed up about a ton of dog hair and general dust and
scrubbed the inside from top to bottom. Temporary covers for the upholstery
on the dinette and the twin bed have been fitted. Everything works great and
we will set off on vacation with the trailer, on Saturday, for 2 weeks -
should be fun but I am taking my toolkit and a couple of mops just in case.
Cheers,
      Dave Harris