After we towed the camper home it was time for a closer inspection. Not surprisingly I uncovered several issues. The first things I looked at were the plumbing, the electric, and the appliances. After connecting the camper to an electrical outlet we found that the lights worked. Unfortunately, that’s about all that worked. Although the previous owner had bragged about the fact that he had installed new PVC plumbing, I found one of the pipes broken and the electric hot water heater that he had installed rusted beyond repair. I was reluctant to turn on the gas to test the stove, but I did try to test the water pump and the refrigerator. Neither worked. It seems I had purchased the equivalent of an aluminum tent on wheels. Clearly I had work to do.
But before addressing any of the internal systems issues I decided to do some research on the Airforums.com website. The Air Forums discussion boards are an invaluable resource for any vintage airstream owner. Nearly every topic you can imagine has been discussed somewhere within those forums. Through the forums I quickly began to learn that there exists an entire community of Airstreamers who are passionate about the history, care, and use of their trailers. Members of that community stand ready to assist newcomers with any questions they may have.
After reading through the forums and consulting other websites I quickly learned that the internal systems generally do not deserve the highest ranking when prioritizing vintage trailer issues that need to be addressed. My reading suggested that the highest priorities should be:
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Make sure that the axle is good
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Make sure the frame is good
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Make sure that the towing lights work properly
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Replace rotted floor if it is significantly affecting the structural integrity of the trailer
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Stop the leaks
In other words, you first need to make sure that the trailer doesn’t fall apart when you are towing it down the road. Everything after that are just luxury items.