More Trailer Repairs

I love having my own trailer, but the thing is, it isn't your typical park it 'til you need it vehicle. Having a horse trailer with living quarters is a lot like having two vehicles. Just like any horse trailer, this one needs new tires now and then, its wiring looked at, and the mats removed so the interior can be scrubbed clean.

Unlike your average trailer though, this one has a people compartment that always seems to need something as well. Just a few weeks ago I replaced both RV batteries (not for the first time). I've also replaced the propane tank (numerous times), and the water pump. And not too long ago, I had the bathroom door rehung.

The latest repair involved the roof. Some time ago, like maybe 5 years, the latches on my wind up vent lids broke. I didn't want to get them fixed, so I zip-tied them closed. This has worked remarkably well for a number of years. Each time the zip-ties wore out, I just climbed back up there and added new ones.

That was going well until last week. I climbed up to replace the broken zip ties and noticed that the vent covers were actually cracked and broken. This was a problem that a zip tie could not fix, so I whipped out a roll of duct tape. It all held together well enough for the drive down to Simi Valley for a lesson, but I knew I had to actually get them fixed right. I don't know how I made it through this winter with three cracked and broken roof vents.

Neither zip ties nor duct tape were going to fix this one.

I called my local RV repair shop and got a quote that seemed ridiculous for the amount of work involved, $500. My husband insisted we could do the job ourselves for a lot less money. I went to YouTube and watched a how to video that really did make the job look fairly amateur friendly. I drove down to Pensingers RV Parts and Service where they sold me exactly what I needed and then gave me 10% off my purchase when I asked if they could do a little better on the pricing. My bill was $167.

Hard at work.

We dragged all of our supplies up to the roof of the trailer and started scraping off the old caulking. That was the only part of the job that was even remotely difficult. 

Most of the caulking removed.

Once we had the first vent mostly free of caulking, my husband started removing the screws while I went to work scraping off the old caulking from the other two vents.

Each vent had at least 35 screws.

Once all of the caulking was scraped away and the screws removed, we lifted the vent out of the roof. I was really worried that we might see some water damage in the wood, but the frame was in excellent shape.

Demolition is actually a lot of fun!

When the vents were removed, we finished scraping away all of the left over caulking and putty. My husband then went inside and removed the interior flange that covers up the exposed wood.

It's kind of scary to see a hole in the roof!

While my husband was busy bringing up materials and opening boxes, I applied the putty tape to the underside of the new vent and slid it gently into place. It's great when things fit the first time. 

Ready for the new vent.

Once we got the first vent more or less clean of old caulking and got it pulled out, the other two were quite easy to do. While my husband replaced screws in the first vent, I scraped away old caulking and pulled out the other vents. With both of us working together, the job took less than the three hours the RV company was going to charge me.

My husband had a tee time at one of our local golf courses so he ended up leaving once all of the vents were screwed in tightly. He helped me get the caulking gun working, but from there, I finished the job myself.

It was a little like frosting a cake!

While I could have technically done the job myself, I was really grateful that my husband came out to do it with me. I am a little afraid of heights so it was reassuring to have someone else up there with me. We work well together and recognize each other's strengths, so there's rarely any arguing. Now that this part of the job is done, I am going to try and get roof vent covers installed some time this summer.

The next job ...

I've already watched the installation video and think that I might be able to tackle this job on my own. I don't like using a drill though, so I may have to get my husband back up on the roof to help me. I'll definitely owe him a lunch for that one!

I am ready for a month free of repairing or replacing stuff though, so new vent covers are going to have to wait a few months!