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Old 07-23-2016, 09:53 AM   #121
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Noisy Steps

Since we owned the trailer, the two wooden steps down from the front bedroom have popped/squeaked/creaked when you stepped on them. The DW was fine with that, but it impeded my ability to quietly go and make coffee. While doing some other fixes, I quieted the steps.

Each wooden step is held down by four 2-inch wood screws. These came out easily with a square drive bit (#2 Robertson) and my screw gun. The wood was wedged in pretty tight and it had damaged the wallpaper.

The squeaking could have come from this rubbing, rubbing against the screws, or against the rough stair treads. The steps were built using plywood and 2x4’s to the same height as the aluminum-framed bedroom floor. Later after carpeting, they just screwed the correct decorative wood treads in place. This technique is great for manufacturing, but left me with creaky, squeaky steps.

Here are the steps with the treads removed.
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Once removed, I cut about 1/16th-inch off each end using a chop saw. You could do it with a circular saw, but it would be harder. I also added duct tape to the rough treads around the screw holes and the front edge to prevent wood-on-wood rubbing. There was also a significant amount of construction debris under the treads that I removed. I do not think it contributed to the noise. Here are the steps with one tread replaced and the tape on the rough framing.
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Once screwed back in place, I had my silent steps. I will see how they behave with use.
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Old 08-07-2016, 04:54 PM   #122
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Post-Disney Work

The step fixes have worked. We spent five nights at Disney’s Ft. Wilderness and they were silent throughout. Success.

Since we added a puppy to the family (Cynder is a Terrier mix of Patterdale and Rat), I had to add a second key rack so we could hang harnesses and leashes by the door.

I also added a door stop to the door to the bunkroom so we do not need to hold it open with a washcloth any more.

We had a catastrophic failure of the dining area table top. I will do a separate post on what happened and how I went about repairing it.

There will be some interesting mods to the sewage dumping system coming up. I have gotten tired of crawling around under the slides.
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Old 10-08-2016, 07:43 AM   #123
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Hurricane Matthew passed through yesterday. At its peak Friday morning, we had winds of 30-40 mph near Orlando with gusts to 50-60 mph. Rain was heavy at times, generally not worse than our usual summer storms, totaling 3+ inches. We have gotten that much and more from a single thunderstorm that parks overhead. We have lots of limb debris, but nothing serious. We never lost power since we own an older house that taps off of a branch feeder line. Some surrounding planned developments are still dark. The trailer weathered the storm just fine parked out behind the detached garage. I opened it up today for inspection. Other than a little water seepage in the basement, it was dry.
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Old 10-08-2016, 10:23 AM   #124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Narboza View Post
Hurricane Matthew passed through yesterday. At its peak Friday morning, we had winds of 30-40 mph near Orlando with gusts to 50-60 mph. Rain was heavy at times, generally not worse than our usual summer storms, totaling 3+ inches. We have gotten that much and more from a single thunderstorm that parks overhead. We have lots of limb debris, but nothing serious. We never lost power since we own an older house that taps off of a branch feeder line. Some surrounding planned developments are still dark. The trailer weathered the storm just fine parked out behind the detached garage. I opened it up today for inspection. Other than a little water seepage in the basement, it was dry.
Glad to hear that and glad you weathered it okay....
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Old 10-08-2016, 01:26 PM   #125
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The post-tropical-storm weather is some of the best. The storm sucks so much energy, it damps everything for days. Looks to be a beautiful weekend.
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Old 04-21-2019, 04:50 PM   #126
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Exclamation Back Again but Selling

It has been a long time, but in the interim we used the trailer a couple of more times. Now, however, we have decided to sell it and replace my tow vehicle with something smaller and less expensive to operate. With kids in high school, there is not time available to go RV camping. It is a pity, so now I will be cleaning and emptying a great trailer. PM me if you are interested in buying. All the mods are detailed in this thread. I an in Orange County (Florida) near Orlando if you want to come look at it. I will have a add posted once I figure out the forum changes.
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