Questions about 2017 Rockwood Mini Lite 2503S

[Cathleen]

Hello - Very nice to have a forum to ask questions, receive help and also offer advice to others.

We have a 2017 Rockwood Mini-Lite 2503S that's about 2 months old. There is much to like about this trailer but there are a couple of things we could use advice on:

1) Two different pieces of long rubber - like a gasket of some sort - have dislodged from somewhere under the kitchen slide. One is about 3 feet long while the other is closer to 6 feet long. Has anyone else had this problem and do you know where they came from, whether they are really important and/or how to re-attach?

2) We have a Maxx Air fan in the bathroom with a large smoke cover so it can stay open during the rain. Well, we can open the "hatch" but the fan itself doesn't turn on. Any suggestions?

3) Has anyone else had trouble with leaking in and around the kitchen sink? First the faucet wouldn't turn off but my husband took it apart and finally got that fixed. Then the pea trap was leaking and now sometimes it's ok but at other times something else under the sink does some dripping. Again, has anyone else had a similar issue and, if so, what did you do?

I guess we could take things back to the dealer but it's almost 100 miles one way and not a pleasant trip through Phoenix traffic.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Cathleen

[krosales]

Hi Cathleen - We purchased a new 2017 mini-lite 2304ks in May 2017. Within 3 months we had a leak in our kitchen slide. Upon checking, we noticed 2 sections of D seal had become detached. Our dealership is also around 100 miles away, through San Antonio AND Austin traffic to get there. After their inspection and approval from Forest River, a warranty repair was completed. Rain water had infiltrated the slide and damaged the floor of the slide. So glad we took it in! I would highly recommend you call the dealership and schedule an appointment to take yours in. Those gaskets/seals are definitely there for a reason! We also had them install a slide topper while they had it in the shop to help keep rain and debris from collecting on the top of the slide.

As for the Maxxair fan, it is controlled by the light switch in the bathroom. If you want to run it without the lights on, simply push on the center of the lights to turn them off and on.

Can't help you with the leaks around the kitchen sink. We've had no issues there.

Good luck! And enjoy your new TT!

[Cathleen]

Hello - thanks so much for the quick response and suggestions. The idea to turn on the bathroom light switch makes sense and we'll try that tomorrow when we take a battery to the storage facility and try it out.

Re: D seals - I don't know what those are but will do some online research as that may be what has come loose.

On another note, your TT model (2304KS) is the one I originally wanted but my spouse convinced me that having 2 doors was the way to go - especially to be able to get to the refrig and bathroom without having to put the slide out. This works well for us when either traveling or when we have the TT in front of the house to load up for a trip. I do like your model though since it's a little shorter and lighter. :-)

Again, thanks for your assistance and Happy Trails!

Cathleen

[rockfordroo]

Cathleen:

I have not had any problems with my seals, so I can't help you there.

If what krosales said regarding the fan doesn't help, then you have a broken fan or bad power to it.

I had a fitting split on the line from the kitchen sink drain back to the grey tank. With the slide in, you can see it if you look into the side of the slide from in front of the refrigerator. I simply replaced it with a new one from Home Depot. The clamp that holds the hose didn't seem to be straight in line with the pipe, as you can see in the first pic; I moved it over to the right so it was in line. See pics.

As found:


Split ring:


New ring from HD:


My wife was interested in the 2304 until she saw the huge bathroom in the 2503S. That sold her. And I liked the U-dinette. We've been very happy with ours over 3 seasons. However, here are some issues to think about/check out (NOTE: #1 seems to be specific to Roo's/Shamrock's and Mini-Lite/Micro-Lites. #2 and #3 are common to many TT's. #4 is common to 2503S's, and maybe others).

1. The fresh water tank supports are probably not so hot. If you search the forum for "failed fresh water tank supports" you'll find a lot of issues. We only travel with a few gallons in it for flushing the toilet, so it hasn't been a big deal for us, but before I'd travel with a full tank, I'd beef up the supports.

2. Look up under your wheel wells and see how well they sealed the plastic wheel well to the side (skirt) of the trailer. They don't seem to do that very well. I caulked the heck out of this area so I don't have to worry about it in the rain. In the pic below you can see some of the floor between the plastic liner and the skirt.



3. If they gave you a KW1 filter, you may want to remove it and replace it with a 1/2" coupling. They have a reputation for cracking and leaking. Either plumb it up to use externally, or use one of the blue Camco filters outside.

Filter:


Filter removed, replaced with coupling:


Filter removed, blue Camco installed:


4. Unless they've gotten smarter since 2016, be aware that your black tank flush doesn't really do much. It OUGHT to enter the tank on the opposite side of the tank than the drain (i.e., on the curb side), but mine goes in right above the drain line. So it won't really do much flushing. Think of it as a "black tank fill" connection rather than a "black tank flush" connection. I don't bother to use mine.


There's also a Mini-Lite specific forum here:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...iler+talk.html

[Cathleen]

Thank you so much RockFordRoo - as noted before it is so wonderful to have a forum like this and even better to have folks like you willing to take the time to respond.

Your detailed responses and photos are very helpful for sure. Yes, the larger bathroom area in the 2503S is certainly an attractive feature.

Here's another question if you have time. Do you know the location of the insert point for the manual crank override for this trailer? We looked after seeing several options described in the Rockwood Manual. However we haven't found it yet. Hopefully we won't ever need it but it would be nice to know.

Thanks again and Happy Trails!

Cathleen

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Cathleen

Thank you so much RockFordRoo - as noted before it is so wonderful to have a forum like this and even better to have folks like you willing to take the time to respond.

Your detailed responses and photos are very helpful for sure. Yes, the larger bathroom area in the 2503S is certainly an attractive feature.

Here's another question if you have time. Do you know the location of the insert point for the manual crank override for this trailer? We looked after seeing several options described in the Rockwood Manual. However we haven't found it yet. Hopefully we won't ever need it but it would be nice to know.

Thanks again and Happy Trails!

Cathleen

My slide is a Schwintek slide. It doesn't use a crank for manual. You have to disconnect the motors and push it in/out. I don't know if the newer models are still using Schwintek or another make. Maybe someone with a 2018 can tell you. You can open the panel below the wardrobe that has 3 hinges on it. If it's a Scwhintek, there will probably be a controller behind that panel (or to the right of it behind the solid panel). I've attached a pic of the panel and the controller. I haven't had any problems with mine (knock on wood!).



If you DO have the Schwintek, I've attached a number of documents regarding it.

Here's a video on replacing a motor that will help you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DviEbWT3lUo

[krosales]

Ours is the same as rockfordroo's. No problems with the slide yet except the seals noted above. Thanks for the pics, rockfordroo!

[jimmoore13]

I'll focus on the P-trap.
If your problem is related to things loosening up from vibration on the road, after checking the "nuts" and tapered "gasket" in the fitting and replacing as needed:
A) Use water pump pliers to carefully snug the nuts.
B) Use Gorilla tape to wrap around the nuts and pipe and prevent them from loosening.

[BullHalsey]

Originally Posted by Cathleen

Hello - Very nice to have a forum to ask questions, receive help and also offer advice to others.

We have a 2017 Rockwood Mini-Lite 2503S that's about 2 months old. There is much to like about this trailer but there are a couple of things we could use advice on:

1) Two different pieces of long rubber - like a gasket of some sort - have dislodged from somewhere under the kitchen slide. One is about 3 feet long while the other is closer to 6 feet long. Has anyone else had this problem and do you know where they came from, whether they are really important and/or how to re-attach?

2) We have a Maxx Air fan in the bathroom with a large smoke cover so it can stay open during the rain. Well, we can open the "hatch" but the fan itself doesn't turn on. Any suggestions?

3) Has anyone else had trouble with leaking in and around the kitchen sink? First the faucet wouldn't turn off but my husband took it apart and finally got that fixed. Then the pea trap was leaking and now sometimes it's ok but at other times something else under the sink does some dripping. Again, has anyone else had a similar issue and, if so, what did you do?

I guess we could take things back to the dealer but it's almost 100 miles one way and not a pleasant trip through Phoenix traffic.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Cathleen

We have the same unit about 4 months old.

Re #2. About the fan. In ours the bathroom light needs to be on before the fan will work.

About the other two I’d get back to the dealer pronto.

We have enjoyed the TY very much. Only problem so far is the electric tongue jack blew up. Dealer replaced right away.

[Jean D]

Hi we have a 2017 Mini Lite 2503S, we also had two different water leaks one was the hot water under the kitchen sink the connection worked loose after camping in the Adirondacks. We also had a leak in the cold water line from the kitchen sink this one was at the connection right under the oven. Both fixed with plumbers tape and carefully tightening the plastic nut and replacing the clamp on the line under the oven. Had to be a bit of a contortionist to get the one under the sink.
The only other problem we had was the fresh water tank drain was clogged on our first trip, had to empty the tank by opening the faucets. It was a pain because we were boondocking.
Dealer is almost 90 miles one way so did our own repairs.
Love our 2503S no modifications yet other than putting sweater hanger pieces in each of the small closets by the bed to put folded clothes in.

[OscarsMom2]

Regarding the water leak under the sink, we had something similar on our MiniLite. The p-trap under the sink would leak when I used the stopper and had water in the sink. When I pulled the plug it would leak. If I was just washing my hands, the water drained fine. On closer inspection, I found that there was a washer missing by the P-trap. Took ours back to the dealer and they added a washer. (It was covered by warranty.)

[DNA Dan]

We have a 2017 - 2504s and after purchasing I noticed the p-trap drain connection at the sink was really loose. I had to snug it up by hand. Also the drain trim ring screw connected to the bottom of the sink was a little loose. There should be a gasket under the trim ring.

Regarding the manual crank for the slide, ours is located under the entry steps. (Counter-intuitive!) Just under the top step there's a shaft with a key-way in the end. If yours is the same, you should have receiced a special wrench for this which is kinda long as part of your purchase. There's another similar wrench that's shorter, used for manually turning the tongue jack. Anyhow, from what I gather you just put the wrench on there and turn. Not sure if you need to "disengage" anything, so re-check your manual!

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by DNA Dan

We have a 2017 - 2504s and after purchasing I noticed the p-trap drain connection at the sink was really loose. I had to snug it up by hand. Also the drain trim ring screw connected to the bottom of the sink was a little loose. There should be a gasket under the trim ring.

Sinks don't use gaskets under the trim ring. There should be plumbers putty under the ring and a wedge shaped ring under the sink.

[tandum3745]

After reading the reply's on this forum I feel pretty good about my 2502KS -2017, Only major issue as loosing 120v sporadically. took it to dealer several times before it was repaired. Found that from the assembly plant they ran the hard voltage line between the floor and frame. as we traveled or walked on the surface it would cut off the breaker, dealer finally found the problem by taking off the undercover and tracing all the lines to and from the power distribution panel and replaced the fractured wires. so far so good. thanks to the forum I'll keep my eyes on the leak issues. Not regretting the least signing up for this helpful site

[DNA Dan]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Sinks don't use gaskets under the trim ring. There should be plumbers putty under the ring and a wedge shaped ring under the sink.

I beg to differ. I saw it with my own eyes. I understand that putty is how it is typically done, however in our coach I could see the gasket made of foam about the same size as the trim ring. I actually adjusted it so it was more centered and wasn't visible when looking in the sink. The sink is plastic. Perhaps this is a new way of doing it when a metal sink isn't used? See for yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/JR-Products-9...=RV+sink+drain

The photo you posted even shows the foam gasket. This goes on the inside "wet" side of the sink basin, does it not?

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by DNA Dan

I beg to differ. I saw it with my own eyes. I understand that putty is how it is typically done, however in our coach I could see the gasket made of foam about the same size as the trim ring. I actually adjusted it so it was more centered and wasn't visible when looking in the sink. The sink is plastic. Perhaps this is a new way of doing it when a metal sink isn't used? See for yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/JR-Products-9...=RV+sink+drain

The photo you posted even shows the foam gasket. This goes on the inside "wet" side of the sink basin, does it not?

Never seen a foam ring, but I've done lots of sink drains, so if it was leaking, I know how I'd fix it. They probably use foam because putty would take them too long on the line!

[babock]

Its the large rubber ring from under the sink that does the major sealing. Plumbers putty or foam ring under the trim ring is only to seal the sink when you have the stopper closed.

[MadDog2020]

When we got our 2018 2503S home I noticed that the left side D seal was laying in the floor. You can only see this when the slide is in. It was out when we went thru it with our dealer so no one noticed. Like others in this forum, the dealer is 100+ miles away. I tried to squeeze in between the fridge and the slide to no avail and you can’t just push a D seal back on. You have to slide it on from the top or bottom. Since the bottom was covered with the wall somehow, the top was the only option. I put the slide out but stopped 6 to 8 inches short of all the way. Got on step stool and by feel only, slide the D Seal back on. That was 5 months ago. I just noticed a few days ago it’s partially off again. Not sure how to make it stay but I’ll try my technique one more time. I coated the outside of the D seal and what it mates to with baby poweder to try to keep it from sticking to it’s mating seal when out but apparently that wasn’t enough.