2022 175bh

[solv3nt]

We were planning on having an airstream renovated, but my wife wanted something now, so we got fleeced at the local show a few weeks back on a 2022 175BH. We took delivery on Wednesday.

Maiden voyage was last weekend for a one-night stand. Right out of the gate, the hitch jack broke upon lifting from the truck. Dealer told me to buy a new one and they'd pay us back. Two hours later and we were grilling lamb on the weber.

1) How often should I be inspecting and sealing the roof?
2) Does the AC drain off the roof?
3) ...?

[JRTJH]

Welcome to the forum... The tongue jack is not a "keystone component" but the result of "the industry's lowest bid practice"... If there was a "cheaper, less reliable one" I'm pretty sure it would be OEM and the one you have that failed would be at Harbor Freight as an upgrade..... LOL

As for the roof, if you haven't yet, NOW is the first inspection. I can't begin to tell you how many people have discovered leaking clearance lights, leaking front wall/roofing molding leaks, unsealed or inadequately sealed refrigerator vents or roof vents.... Usually they find those leaks by discovering water in a cupboard or when they lay down on the bed, expecting a relaxing night's sleep, but discover cold, wet pillows..... So, prevent those possibilities by inspecting your roof and resealing anything that looks questionable... Then, every 3-6 months, repeat your inspection.

The air conditioner drains "out of the base flange, onto the roof and then follows the roofline to the lowest corner where it drips off the roof, usually via one of the gutter extensions.... That's why there's a gutter extension at every corner, so no matter how or where you set up, the air conditioner can drip in any direction without getting anything but you or your grill wet in the process.....

Again, welcome to the forum. Any questions you have, just post them in the appropriate section. There a "new thread" button at the top of every section index page.

[solv3nt]

What kind of caulk do I need? I plan on pulling the lower bunk to inspect the water heater and pump in the near future after reading about a water pump problem just now.

Also, there's a sticker for the TV mounting location, but it is up really high and doesn't seem very practical. The space below does not appear to have any framing. Do I need to find a TV mount that has an arm that drops it down?

After reading posts on here, I'll be pulling the counter receptacle for my dedicated space heater and will replace it with 12ga wire along with a real industrial grade receptacle.

[JRTJH]

Most people use either Alpha Systems self leveling sealant or DICOR Lo Voc self leveling sealant in the appropriate color. It's available online at any internet RV Parts Store, Amazon or locally at any RV dealership.

DO NOT USE SILICONE BASED SEALANT !!!!!

As for the TV mount, there's supposedly a plate/backer board built into the wall in that specific area. The decal may be off 3 or 4 inches in any direction and some "irresponsible person" walking through trailers at the dealer's lot may have pulled it off the wall and put in in an entirely wrong location, so proceed with hanging any TV or wall mount to make sure what's behind the space...

Plumbing and wiring are usually "adequate" but can cause problems. You've got to remember that you bought a "entry level RV" (low cost get started in the lifestyle model) that doesn't have a lot of frills or "high cost options"... It's a basic trailer, comfortable, but missing a lot of the extras that you may see in higher cost trailers or in campgrounds as you start comparing what you have with what's on the campsite next door.....

In many ways, be thankful that you've got a simple, bare bones trailer. There's significantly less to break, to repair and to try to keep working at what seems to be "another failure at every turn"....

One of the first things you'll probably want to do is find a way to make the mattress comfortable for more than a night or two. After that, take it slow, find out what you need and shop around to find the best buy for the "want to have" items. Get the "need to have" first, and don't think that you are "missing out" because you don't have everything that you see around each camper at the campground. I'd guess more than half the stuff you see people using will probably be packed away at the end of that trip and never used again..... All of us have buckets, boxes, bags and shelves full of things at home that we "thought we had to have" and found that they never got used....

So, enjoy, think through the mods and upgrades before you go buying and adding things. There will come a time when space and weight will be the limiting factor. It "hurts" to take some expensive things out of the trailer that never get used, so you have enough space or weight for the extra blocks that go under the wheels and keep you from rolling out of bed on an uneven campsite.....

Again, welcome to the adventures of RV ownership .....

[solv3nt]

I purposely bought the no frills trailer, and stayed away from any additional points of failure, like a slide-out. I bought the cheapest of the cheap, and have no delusions of any sort of quality. I am lucky to have fiberboard for cupboards. Do you use the sealer on joints like you would for caulking, or is there a different caulk for that?

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern MN.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by solv3nt

I purposely bought the no frills trailer, and stayed away from any additional points of failure, like a slide-out. I bought the cheapest of the cheap, and have no delusions of any sort of quality. I am lucky to have fiberboard for cupboards. Do you use the sealer on joints like you would for caulking, or is there a different caulk for that?

Self leveling sealent is for horizontal roof surfaces only. You want to use " no sag" sealents everywhere else.

[solv3nt]

Any recommendations, or does outdoor caulking work?

[curtiscapk]

Welcome we have the 2021 RD model. TV backing is super high. I found a stud and mounted it down lower. We use dicor self levelling sealant. I just did mine. There were a few cracks from the recent colder weather. We have a window air but the old camper did drain off the roof. We are getting a power jack next month for this year. Here are some pics. tv is different location but you should get the idea. We also put on a sway bar but not a WDH as the camper loaded is at 4K pounds. Extreme difference with it on.

We also added a battery cutoff switch. Much easier than unhooking battery.


Happy Trails!!!

[solv3nt]

Originally Posted by curtiscapk

Welcome we have the 2021 RD model. TV backing is super high. I found a stud and mounted it down lower. We use dicor self levelling sealant. I just did mine. There were a few cracks from the recent colder weather. We have a window air but the old camper did drain off the roof. We are getting a power jack next month for this year. Here are some pics. tv is different location but you should get the idea. We also put on a sway bar but not a WDH as the camper loaded is at 4K pounds. Extreme difference with it on.

We also added a battery cutoff switch. Much easier than unhooking battery.


Happy Trails!!!

I've got that same sway bar, but I've also got the weight distribution. The dealer wouldn't negotiate on price, but I was able to negotiate a sway bar, weight distribution hitch, and replace the front single LP with dual.

[solv3nt]

Originally Posted by curtiscapk

We also added a battery cutoff switch. Much easier than unhooking battery.


Happy Trails!!!

Out of curiosity, why the disconnect switch? My trailer came with 200w of solar, a disconnect would kill of the charging.

[curtiscapk]

AAAAH MINE DOES NOT HAVE SOLAR! So I would unhook at the battery so it wouldn't discharge. Carry on!

[solv3nt]

Originally Posted by curtiscapk

AAAAH MINE DOES NOT HAVE SOLAR! So I would unhook at the battery so it wouldn't discharge. Carry on!

Interesting! I wonder if that's a new addon in 2022. I know the 175BH went from a wall mounted AC to a roof mount from 2021 to 2022.

Thanks again for the info!

[curtiscapk]

yep both are new to the 2022 models but to me not worth the 6-8k price increase!!!! We paid 15500 for ours brand new last year!

[solv3nt]

Yeah, I definitely paid more than $15.5. My original number was $20 even, but the wife really wanted it, so.... Here we are....

[curtiscapk]

Funny how that works!

[dutchmensport]

solv3nt,

You want to use only RV caulking on your roof. Don't use anything else. As stated above, either Alpha or Dicor. You can pick up Dicor at Wall Mart, or your local RV dealership parts store. Any other type of caulking will deteriorate the rubber roof membrane and then it will tear away from the caulking and next thing you know, you have a gigantic kite flying from the top of the trailer when you are barreling down the road at 60 mph.

About mounting that television. A viable solution is ... first ... use a stud finder and locate that wooden board that installed between the studs. I do not know if your trailer is wood framed or aluminum framed, but that spot to mount the television will be wood.

Now, if the location is too high, then you can attach a board on the outside of the wall. Screw it into the location where the sign says to mount here. Then you can attach the television mount to the board anywhere you want. You may want to stain and finish that board so it matches the trailer interior a littler closer, instead of just hanging a raw chunk of wood up there.

I did this on a previous trailer and it worked just fine.

I also put Liquid Nails between that board and the wall itself to adhere it more stout. It would never come off again. But I had no intention of ever removing it in the first place.

[solv3nt]

Does the self leveling stuff work for sealing vent, and ac penetrations? What about the vertical on the siding?

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by solv3nt

Does the self leveling stuff work for sealing vent, and ac penetrations? What about the vertical on the siding?

Dicor makes self leveling lap sealant. This is used on the roof. You just apply over the old stuff, where needed (if you see cracks in the old stuff or gaps) and it spreads some. You DO NOT want to use it on the side walls. When the sun hits it, it RUNS and RUNS. I bought a Forest River toy hauler a few years back and the previous owner took it to his dealership and they used self leveling around the windows on the side. It ran. I cleaned up with naptha and it ran some more next time the sun hit it. I cleaned it and repeat this about 10 more times.

The non self leveling Dicor lap sealant will NOT run. I can't speak to the other product mentioned as I have never used it.

With a new trailer, I would get up on the roof and check the factory's work as far as sealing goes. You may not have a ladder. I am too old and stout (I hate calling myself fat) to use the ladder on my fifth wheel. I don't have a lot of faith in it anyway but I use a 12' extending ladder for all my roof work. If your camper doesn't have a ladder it probably means your entry level camper's roof is not intended to be walked on. Folks put something on the roof to distribute the weight and perform roof maintenance which should be done a couple times a year. I would not trust the factory to do the sealing adequately and would take care of this asap.

Here is the type ladder I use and I store it in the front compartment on my 5th wheel.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22438171438...3ABFBM8MCVvftf

[solv3nt]

His recommendation was self leveling, which doesn't sound like what's recommended for the vertical.