I started on this post earlier today with the name, “Everything Must Go”, then I decided that the more accurate name for today should be the above. I’m feeling a little defeated at the moment. I know that oftentimes you must fail many times at something before you can succeed, but the failing part is always so hard to get through!
Before I got started working on Junebug this weekend, I went on another date with a guy I met on that dating app, Tinder, that I mentioned previously. We met at a wine bar on Friday night, and I’ll admit, I had low expectations after the first three guys turned out to be pretty disappointing in general. To my surprise, the date turned out to be one of the best I have had in a while. Now I find myself overcome with fear, and I can’t really explain what is causing it. I think maybe it’s the feeling that I have no control over what happens next, and of course I would really like to go out with him again. This is my biggest complaint about dating, especially online dating. You really put yourself out there, and the rejection that happens is multiplied by 10 thanks to the fact that you don’t know enough about the person before meeting them in person, making it all the more likely that either one of you thinks it’s not a good match after the first date and never speaks to the other person again. Lesson learned here, when you don’t know someone very well, you can never predict their behavior, and you have to be ready for surprises and disappointments. If this doesn’t work out, I know I will have to keep going on dates and not give up, but this is the tough part and I’m struggling.
Along those same lines, I feel like I don’t know Junebug very well, and I have been experiencing my fair share of surprises and disappointments. The plus side is that Junebug isn’t going anywhere, and she’s always there every weekend to keep me company. 
So, on Saturday, I worked hard to remove the lower skin on the curbside of Junebug as well as the rear paneling. I wanted to see how bad the wood rot was, as well as check the integrity of the floor. Luckily I didn’t find a significant amount of wood rot. I also had a welder come by the house and take a look at my frame where it is bent. He’s going to be able to make a new beam for the frame to replace the bent one. He is planning to repair it next Friday or Saturday.
I’m hoping that once I get the frame straightened, I will be able to get the floor level so that I can continue making repairs to the frame and retile the floor.
Today, I had a goal to remove the old fresh water tank and the old asbestos tiles. I had to go buy a reciprocating saw and some metal cutting blades to get the old tank out because it was pretty much impossible to get the metal pot fill on the exterior of the camper loose from the pipe connecting to the tank.
You can still see the original label. This is where the inlet attaches from the exterior. I can’t really get to it because it’s so tight against the wall.
Another view of the tank from above.
Picture of the pot metal fill on th exterior. I already removed the screws around it and it still won’t budge, not even a little!
Inside of pot metal fill. Looks like a pipe is attached, but I can’t really tell where the connection is.
View of tank from another angle.
Using my new saw, I successfully cut through the pipe and removed the water tank and water fill. It took a while and my nice neighbor came to assist, and we finally cut through it.
New recip saw, only $69 at Lowe’s! My tool collection is growing rapidly.
Definitely will be replacing this wood, looks pretty nasty from water leaks behind there.
Here’s the water fill and the place where it was attached. I think it was some type of copper but it’s hard to tell. It originally screwed together, but after 50 years, the metal was basically all one piece.
This is what the bottom of the tank looked like after I pulled off the drain spout. I thought I would need to unscrew it but it was so rusted that it just pulled off. haha No wonder it was leaking!
Next, I put on my goggles and face mask and proceeded to scrape off the tiles with a big tile remover. I kept wetting the tiles to ensure no particles were airborn. Unfortunately, the tiles are not coming off all the way and leaving behind the bottom part of the tile in most places. So frustrating! If there wasn’t asbestos in there, I wouldn’t care as much but since I’m almost 100% sure it’s there, I don’t want to just start cutting into the wood or something stupid. Once again, things are not going as easy as I would like. Figures!
I decided to put a layer of Kilz over the remaining bits of tile since it was proving to be too difficult to remove them completely. I could have kept trying, but I was worried about the asbestos exposure and decided not to risk it. I will later add an additional layer of soundboard over this floor for additional support and to cover the old tiles.
I just put a layer of Kilz over the asbestos tile that I tried so hard to remove but failed. Hopefully this will seal in any potential particles that are trying to get into my lungs and kill me.
I cut a small hole in the paneling behind the sink so that I could get to the faucet and hand pump. I wasn’t ready to remove the paneling there yet since it’s helping to keep the structure sound for now.
I was able to remove the hand pump and the old copper tubing. I tested the hand pump in my sink and it works great!
I just ordered a new fresh water tank and inlet, so I will install those when they arrive and connect the tank to the hand pump. This will work great if I’m ever camping where there is no city water connection.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/15-gallon-tank-12-x-12-x-24-/5582
I also ordered a new tankless water heater today. I’m really excited about the possibility of having hot water on demand in my camper.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/eccotemp-portable-tankless-water-heater/37786
One other handy item I ordered today was a flexible drain for my sink. It had a big brass pipe attached to it for draining purposes, and I didn’t really think that was necessary.
http://www.etrailer.com/Motorhome-Accessories/Camco/CAM37420.html
I used my recip saw today to remove the old drain pipe. It was pretty fun!
Unfortunately, I also used my recip saw to cut through the copper propane tubing leading to the gas lamp since I knew I wouldn’t actually be using the lamp, and it was just for looks. I didn’t think about the vibration that would be caused by the saw, and then next thing I knew, the glass surrounding the lamp fell and shattered into a million pieces in my sink. 
I learned my lesson the hard way once again.
I hope I’ll be able to find a replacement. If not, maybe I can find something that is close to the original but new. We’ll see.
Overall, it was a productive weekend but also very challenging. I hope that there are good things in store for me at some point in the future with Junebug and otherwise. I just have to be patient, and I can’t give up. Sounds easy enough, right?
junebugflying 