Things I have learned

It was very fortunate that my first full day with Maizy was also a day off for me.  I got to spend all day with her.

I have been watching YouTube videos on how to restore a trailer and I felt confident jumping into the deep end of the pool.

I first started on the interior of the trailer.  I took off doors, removed drawers and hinges. paper towel holders, paper plate holders and anything else that was not screwed down - and some things that were.

I removed the screen door, took out the table rail and banquettes and swept out the space.  It all went smoothly.  Then I moved outside and started removing the gutter/railing.

Then the lessons began.  I learned a few things that I would like to share.

Just becasue someone makes a YouTube video on a topic, does not mean they are experts and they don't know everything.

This railing covers a series of tacks that connect one side of the skin to the other as well as to the framework of the trailer.

The YouTube video I watched stressed how this was a long, tedious process and can not be rushed.  The guy gave tips for removing the screws and explained how an electric screw driver will strip the screws and can cause damages.

This picture is how many screws I removed today:

There are about 160 screws here (I counted)  a little over 1/2 way through removal of these my forearm and shoulder and hands were killing me and I decided to use the electric drill.  It worked like a charm.  It was EASY.  It did not strip anything.  It did not damage anything.  I should never have taken the word of a random guy in a video and I should have known not to since at some point he admitted that he had never done this before.  I still have a long way to go and yes, I will be using the electric screwdriver every chance I get.

I learned that not all trailers are built the same.

This same YouTube guy told me (yes, he was talking directly to me) that underneath the rail, once I painstakingly removed all those screws holding it in, I would find a series of simple-to-remove tacks.  Nope.  My trailer has these horrible little staples.  Not fair not fair not fair. I decided to move on to another project.  I will tackle those stupid staples another day.

Testing the water pipes with the water on full pressure is a bad idea

From the beginning I figured I would have to replace most, if not all, the plumbing in Miss Maizy but you can't just assume things so I decided I should test the pipes.  I plugged in the hose and turned it on.  Before I could leave the tap I heard spraying and spewing.  A smart me would have immediately turned off the water, but I thought maybe the faucet at the sink was just open and spraying and spewing into the sink.  I trotted to the trailer and nope, water, water everywhere.  The water wasn't getting anywhere close to the faucet, it was all coming out under the cabinet.  So of course it was a mad dash back to the tap to turn things off.  Since I choose to put a good spin on this I shall admit my test was successful and I now know, for absolute sure, that the plumbing all needs replacement.  It also gave me an opportunity to clean the cabinets out a bit better.

I learned that when scraping gunk off a trailer from a location that is over your head, KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED!

I don't think this one needs much explanation.  However, I will have you know I gave up any pretense of being a lady and behaved like a teenage boy in a spitting contest.