Plumbing: Fixing the Trailer Drain

The drain in our trailer slowed to a stop and was dripping out the bottom after our most recent guests departed (not so recently). It's been on my list for that whole time but hasn't made it to the top until our friend Phoenix called and said he'd be passing through L.A.

Plumbing is not my forte but this project went very well; I was able to fix the problem with a spare part we had on hand and only had to buy a single rubber washer and a drain snake (a missing staple of the tool box which we have needed in the past). In the picture above you can see the removed piece that was leaking. It had been patched with some kind of goo that was no longer holding.

We had a rubber boot like thing that I had bought for another project where professionals were ultimately called in to save the day. You can see it in the top of the picture (taken by our 4 year old son) on the stump where I cut the two pieces of plastic pipe apart with a hacksaw.

I guess the original idea was that the white pipe would fit into the black one and it would just drain down which probably worked fine until the pipe backed up. Then they needed put the goo patch on.

Once the pipes were cut apart I had to knock the remaining end of the black pipe off the white one with a hammer. Then I used a hatchet to scrape te rest of the goo off the pipes so they were smooth.

Here it is reassembled. Once I snaked out the drain a few times it almost worked but then I found that the connection at the bottom of the shower needed to be cleaned and have a new gasket installed.

click to enlarge if you dare!

While I was under the trailer reaching up into the very cramped space trying to wrench the pipes back on wihout cutting my arms on the sheetmetal, I had the exciting experience of this mummified squirel dropping out on me. It was straight out of a horror film. My best guess is that the area under the tub had been left open for long enough for it to make a home in there and then was closed up with the poor critter still inside.

Now it's back to the nightstands.

Annals of Home Improvement: Trailer Hook Up

Plumbing is one of those tasks where I depend on professionals. It seems like it would be so easy to hook one pipe up to the next, but it never works that way for me. I was impressed by Jeremy's work at Rancho Garbanzo where he replaced his house's main line to the city sewage. Nevertheless, the pros dug in to attach the trailer to the main sewage line.

Having the right tool for the job...like a jackhammer to remove the pavement...is helpful. Prior to this job, we ran a camera down the sewage line to see where we needed to dig. Some people opt for general ballpark digging. We figured it was worth the cost to know exactly where the connection would be made.

By turning the trailer around, the distance to dig was reduced from about 20 feet to about five feet.

Pedro our plumber made quick work attaching the pipes. (The sinister gouge to the left of the pipe occurred about a year ago after some serious rainfall. The trailer fell from the jacks and landed with a crunch. Fortunately, the trailer was unoccupied and no one was hurt. The gouge was the extent of the damage.)

He exchanged the solid pipe for a flexible hose. Although it may be the soundest structure at Camp Ramshackle, it's a trailer and bound to settle. The flexible pipe allows for a bit of movement.

The dirt was replaced on the driveway. Next, we'll need to repair the asphalt.

Trailer Claimed

Inspired by the wonderful adventures of Henry and his dog Laird Angus McAngus, I claim the trailer.

"This is Julia Island for evermore," she declared.

At least until we have a house guest or when needs at Camp Ramshackle shift.

Finch Trapped in Trailer

Upon returning home from picking my son up from school, I saw our trailer door was open. I shut it and went inside the house to make lunch. Little did I realize my simple housekeeping measure had created a trailer aviary.


When I headed back outside within the hour, I saw a bird fly up to the front window in a vain attempt to escape. In that glimpse, I figured it was a sparrow or a finch. My oldest had already discovered the bird and was inside the Streamline with it. My youngest and I joined him and saw our captive was indeed a female finch.


We opened the front door to the right of the louvered window and stood to block the off the rest of the trailer. We watched her confused frightened search for escape. She flew from the side window to the front, pausing and perching after each flight. After about three minutes dancing back and forth, she ventured farther and found freedom. For a brief moment, her tiny body was framed by the door. She greeted the world with an excited trill.

Trailer Update

Since we bought Camp Ramshackle, we have often talked about adding a vintage trailer as an inexpensive guest house.


Our friend Phoenix had just come back from Hawaii to stay with us again so, a few weeks ago we bought a 1958 Streamline. We love the Airstream trailers but appreciated the off brand discount even more. We are told that the Streamline was built locally by defectors from Airstream and differ in that the Streamline has an aluminum interior and originally came with insulation.


Our trailer interior was originally painted with a barfy speckled finish that must have been ugly in 1958. Later it was painted mint green and finally gray. We were also told that it was featured in a few episodes of the series J.A.G.


Phoenix has embarked on the arduous task of stripping the paint off of the interior. It is looking great but it's grueling, unpleasant work. He'll probably stop for a while soon to take a break and focus on other projects.


One of which is to improve the floor covering. Phoenix had the idea to use brown paper bags, a technique that looks kind of like leather but not really like a floor covered with paper bags.

Here are the latest trailer renovation pictures on Flickr.

Previously on Ramshackle Solid:
Latest Addition to the Compound

1958 Streamline Trailer - Latest Addition to the Compound

Well, now we've done it. More to come...