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Old 02-23-2018, 01:52 PM   #1
Steveo57
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New Keystone Cougar 22RBS

We picked up our new 22RBS a few weeks ago. Quite a difference between it and our old 2004 Forest River Flagstaff 17 footer that we had before. Love the floor plan and it seems to have good bones but as with every RV we have ever looked at or owned it's thrown together.

I've been doing doing all the mods to get it fixed up how we like it. Added some new reading lights for the bed, fantastic fan in the bathroom, vent covers, screens on all the outside appliance covers, surge protector, winterize kit, and many more little things.

I've been spending a lot of time fixing the crappy build details too.

Almost all of the window shades and valences are half *** attached and crooked so I'm straightening all them out.

The plumbing drain to the bathroom sink is at an odd angle so the pipes are all cock-eyed. I'll end up having to straighten it out somehow.

While checking out the water heater bypass valve which is tucked in behind the heater and the power panel I found the biggest mess of wires and water pipes I've ever seen. Looks like it was wired up by a bunch of monkeys on crack. I could see some of the wires are stretched tight with no slack whatsoever, not good for a travel trailer. I'll be pulling out the power panel and straightening it all up.

All of the piping and wires coming up through the floors have large unsealed holes into the underbelly which is sealed pretty well but certainly not to the point of keeping out all the little critters. I'll have to seal them all up.

Screws securing the cabinets over the bed were just screwed through the cabinet frame but since the wall paneling had no support behind it the screws just pushed the wall paneling back but never screwed into it. So there was a big gap all along the top of the cabinet.

Lot's of other little things too. I don't mind fixing it up because I know it will get done right and I get to see how it is put together. Everything works fine, all of these issues are cosmetic and long term reliability issues that would become problems down the road if I didn't take care of them now.

I just wish they could do a better job of building these things so there wasn't so many issues. Luckily it's still too cold here to dewinterize and go camping so I have a few months left to tinker. At least when I get done it will be in great shape and we'll enjoy many great worry free trips![emoji846]

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Old 03-01-2018, 03:57 PM   #2
ncgrl1
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We have the 2017 Cougar 21RBS which has the same floor plan as yours. We bought it last January, and a year later we absolutely love it. It is perfect for 2 people. Sounds like you are getting all the little bugs worked out. I'm sure you will enjoy it after making it yours...
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Old 03-01-2018, 08:49 PM   #3
BigTexRex
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Just picked our 22RBS today. Our pipes are straight and cabinets screwed in correctly. Those large holes you're talking about are not an issue. Your main concern should be to seal all the gaps in the chloroplast under the RV. That's were creatures and water will get in and you'll loose heat. The junction of water pipes and wires behind the water heater is quite tame compared to other RV's I've owned.

What I really love about the 22RBS is the 15 inch E rated tires, 4,400 lbs axles, heavy duty frame, 15K air conditioner, 18 cubic foot fridge, larger propane tanks, electric jack and stabilizers, storage rack, Dometic 310 toilet, option to have theater seating and double pane windows, and a king sized bed (albeit, a small king).
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Old 03-02-2018, 08:10 AM   #4
Steveo57
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You're right, we love the floor plan and once I get it all fixed up how we like it I'm sure it will be fine. A few bucks in materials and a little bit of time fixes all the little things for good and I'll never have to worry about them again.

I did find the pass through storage access doors leaked terribly. The rain would run in the top of the hinge and all around the frame where it was screwed in. I found a big puddle on the floor next to the bed one day. [emoji31] I think the water was running in through the screws around the frame but I've got everything sealed up now and just checked it out. Not a drop of water anywhere in this noreaster we are going through here in Connecticut.

I'll seal up the coroplast real good. It looks ok, not too many holes that I could find. But I'm going to seal up the holes in the floor as best I can because there doesn't appear to be any insulation in the underbelly. Not sure how the heat ducting works under there, it's supposed to be heated.

Also check out the AC unit and ducts. When I popped the filter cover off the AC the wiring was a mess and the junction box mounted in the air intake wasn't screwed down so it was flopping all around. Also checked out the air flow at the outlets for the AC and found they had left the cutout where they had cut through the ductwork in the ceiling. It was blocking one of the outlets over the fridge.

Just a lot of little things that bother me but I'm almost done cleaning up the mess. Can't wait for spring time. Going to be heading to Maine for the summer season as a volunteer at a state park there again. Last time I did it was a few years ago and our trailer was much smaller and quite cozy so it will be nice to have the new trailer and much more room!

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Old 03-02-2018, 06:17 PM   #5
BigTexRex
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steveo57 View Post
You're right, we love the floor plan and once I get it all fixed up how we like it I'm sure it will be fine. A few bucks in materials and a little bit of time fixes all the little things for good and I'll never have to worry about them again.

I did find the pass through storage access doors leaked terribly. The rain would run in the top of the hinge and all around the frame where it was screwed in. I found a big puddle on the floor next to the bed one day. [emoji31] I think the water was running in through the screws around the frame but I've got everything sealed up now and just checked it out. Not a drop of water anywhere in this noreaster we are going through here in Connecticut.

I'll seal up the coroplast real good. It looks ok, not too many holes that I could find. But I'm going to seal up the holes in the floor as best I can because there doesn't appear to be any insulation in the underbelly. Not sure how the heat ducting works under there, it's supposed to be heated.

Also check out the AC unit and ducts. When I popped the filter cover off the AC the wiring was a mess and the junction box mounted in the air intake wasn't screwed down so it was flopping all around. Also checked out the air flow at the outlets for the AC and found they had left the cutout where they had cut through the ductwork in the ceiling. It was blocking one of the outlets over the fridge.

Just a lot of little things that bother me but I'm almost done cleaning up the mess. Can't wait for spring time. Going to be heading to Maine for the summer season as a volunteer at a state park there again. Last time I did it was a few years ago and our trailer was much smaller and quite cozy so it will be nice to have the new trailer and much more room!

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I checked above the A/C filter and everything looked good, but I did notice something in one of the ducted vents. I assume those vent covers just pop off?

The heat for the belly comes from a 2 inch duct directly off the heater. You might want to pull the panel off from under the fridge to take a look at the ducting. I had one of the hoses crimped in another RV we owned and no heat was going into the belly.
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Old 03-03-2018, 02:11 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steveo57 View Post
You're right, we love the floor plan and once I get it all fixed up how we like it I'm sure it will be fine. A few bucks in materials and a little bit of time fixes all the little things for good and I'll never have to worry about them again.

I did find the pass through storage access doors leaked terribly. The rain would run in the top of the hinge and all around the frame where it was screwed in. I found a big puddle on the floor next to the bed one day. [emoji31] I think the water was running in through the screws around the frame but I've got everything sealed up now and just checked it out. Not a drop of water anywhere in this noreaster we are going through here in Connecticut.

I'll seal up the coroplast real good. It looks ok, not too many holes that I could find. But I'm going to seal up the holes in the floor as best I can because there doesn't appear to be any insulation in the underbelly. Not sure how the heat ducting works under there, it's supposed to be heated.

Also check out the AC unit and ducts. When I popped the filter cover off the AC the wiring was a mess and the junction box mounted in the air intake wasn't screwed down so it was flopping all around. Also checked out the air flow at the outlets for the AC and found they had left the cutout where they had cut through the ductwork in the ceiling. It was blocking one of the outlets over the fridge.

Just a lot of little things that bother me but I'm almost done cleaning up the mess. Can't wait for spring time. Going to be heading to Maine for the summer season as a volunteer at a state park there again. Last time I did it was a few years ago and our trailer was much smaller and quite cozy so it will be nice to have the new trailer and much more room!

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What did you do to fix the pass-through doors? Mine leaked bad when new so I put new D-cell weatherstripping around them. That helped a lot, but at certain times I can still find a little water in there.
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Old 03-03-2018, 03:33 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigTexRex View Post
Just picked our 22RBS today. Our pipes are straight and cabinets screwed in correctly. Those large holes you're talking about are not an issue. Your main concern should be to seal all the gaps in the chloroplast under the RV. That's were creatures and water will get in and you'll loose heat. The junction of water pipes and wires behind the water heater is quite tame compared to other RV's I've owned.

What I really love about the 22RBS is the 15 inch E rated tires, 4,400 lbs axles, heavy duty frame, 15K air conditioner, 18 cubic foot fridge, larger propane tanks, electric jack and stabilizers, storage rack, Dometic 310 toilet, option to have theater seating and double pane windows, and a king sized bed (albeit, a small king).

Does an 18 cu. ft. fridge come in the 22RBS? I looked at the specs and couldn't find it and it doesn't look that large in the floorplan. Just curious; it seems awfully large for that trailer.
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Old 03-03-2018, 04:27 PM   #8
Steveo57
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Does an 18 cu. ft. fridge come in the 22RBS? I looked at the specs and couldn't find it and it doesn't look that large in the floorplan. Just curious; it seems awfully large for that trailer.
I think that's a typo, it's only 8 cubic feet.

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Old 03-03-2018, 04:31 PM   #9
Steveo57
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Originally Posted by ncgrl1 View Post
What did you do to fix the pass-through doors? Mine leaked bad when new so I put new D-cell weatherstripping around them. That helped a lot, but at certain times I can still find a little water in there.
I used some pro flex caulking and sealed up along the top of the hinge on the outside. Also put a dab on each screw head in the frame around the outside edge to seal the screws up. Those screws are direct paths for water. A really lousy way to fasten the doors and they should have been sealed at the factory.



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Old 03-03-2018, 05:18 PM   #10
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I used some pro flex caulking and sealed up along the top of the hinge on the outside. Also put a dab on each screw head in the frame around the outside edge to seal the screws up. Those screws are direct paths for water. A really lousy way to fasten the doors and they should have been sealed at the factory.



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Yea the Cougar should come with what looks to be a drip edge screwed onto the top length of door frame. That in turn should have a bead of silicon sealing it to the door frame across its top edge. This has been an occasional problem where the silicone bead has not been applied thus causing a leak.
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Old 03-03-2018, 05:49 PM   #11
BigTexRex
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
Does an 18 cu. ft. fridge come in the 22RBS? I looked at the specs and couldn't find it and it doesn't look that large in the floorplan. Just curious; it seems awfully large for that trailer.
Sorry, I fat-fingered that...it's 8 cubic feet.
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Old 03-27-2018, 04:10 PM   #12
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Some mods getting done. Added a Progressive Industries EMS http://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems-hw30c under the bathroom sink cabinet with the remote display installed on the side of the refrigerator cabinet.

Also added a plug in electrical cord for the 30 amp service to the trailer to replace the mousehole attached cord.Click image for larger version

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Old 03-27-2018, 04:23 PM   #13
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I couldn't fit around back of the table because I'm fat. So I moved the table mounts back underneath the table as far as I could while still allowing the slide to close and not have the table hit the kitchen cabinet. It gave me about 4 inches and I can now comfortably fit on the back bench seat behind the table.Click image for larger version

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Old 03-27-2018, 04:42 PM   #14
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One thing that bothered me was the rats nest of wires and pipes behind the converter that you had to reach into to get to the water heater bypass valve for winterizing. So I cleaned up the wiring and added an access door in the bathroom. Now you can get to the back of the water heater much easier plus there's good access to anything back there. And it's a lot neater. I also got familiar with how things are put together.

The first picture is the before mess. You can see the control wiring for the water heater is stretched tight because of the way they ran it. A failure just waiting to happen. Click image for larger version

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Old 03-27-2018, 04:45 PM   #15
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Added LED reading lights for the bed.Click image for larger version

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Old 03-28-2018, 07:12 AM   #16
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It's looking great.

I love the access panel to the back of the water heater. Can you tell me where you bought it, maybe a link?

Thanks
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Old 03-28-2018, 07:32 AM   #17
Steveo57
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It's looking great.

I love the access panel to the back of the water heater. Can you tell me where you bought it, maybe a link?

Thanks
Mike
Amazon.com of course!

Morvat 12x12 Plastic Access Panel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MD1BV7G..._Qn7UAbNA758HD

I used the 12x12 size but they have others. It fits nicely up against the stud that runs down the middle of the wall. I used a multi tool to cut the hole.

You get access to the water heater and toilet piping and some vent and drain piping on top of the black tank. It also gives you a good view of the whole back corner area. I didn't like the idea of having to unscrew the other panel twice a year to reach back blindly to find the bypass valve for the water heater when I winterize/unwinterize.

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Old 03-28-2018, 07:49 AM   #18
Steveo57
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The latest project. Fixing and decoding the rats nest of wires coming from the battery. I wanted to know what the heck all this was and figure out a way to protect it from the weather.

The first step was tracing everything out. I made a drawing of the circuit once I got it all figured out. Next I'll be adding a weather tight box to enclose all the breakers, fuses and terminals. Eventually I would like to change out the battery for two 6 volt golf cart batteries and add a small inverter.

I did figure out that the battery disconnect does open the main DC feed to the distribution panel. The only things that don't go through the switch are the slide out, the stabilizing jacks, the tounge jack, and the solar connection plug. These all have separate feeds connected straight from the battery. Contrary to popular belief the propane leak detector is not powered up if the disconnect is open. And the smoke and CO detectors are both powered by their own 9 volt battery only.

I also added a digital display meter for the DC voltage on to the control panel by the door.

Attached is a picture of the drawing of the DC distribution I did using Excel as well as a PDF of the drawing.

Click image for larger version

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Old 03-28-2018, 07:58 AM   #19
ncgrl1
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Steve...You the man!
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Old 03-28-2018, 07:20 PM   #20
BigTexRex
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Steve...You the man!
+2. Thanks for the information.
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