Aliner Mods - 2007 LXE

Matted Step The first step in keeping a house clean is keeping the dirt OUT. The LXE has a double step which folds for travel. I used stainless nuts and bolts to fasten a piece of aluminum diamondplate to the bottom step, where it's good for scraping most of the dirt off our shoes. On the top step, I screwed a piece of plastic grass-like doormat, which takes off the rest of the dirt. Mud-dauber Wasp Screen Mud-dauber wasps love cozy nooks like behind the fridge vent panels, or inside the bumper. To seal those openings, hot glue fiberglass window screen to the backs of the bumper caps and vent panels. A commercial screen is available for the furnace exhaust. To discourage spiders from setting up house (and gas-blocking webs) inside the furnace, hot water, and fridge gas jets, set a disposable flea collar in those areas. You can sometimes buy the collars at Dollar Stores and cut them into several pieces for use in the camper. Hatch Doors All of the hatch doors ...

Door Threshold The original threshold was the standard factory strip of aluminum that was hard on bare feet, susceptible to damage, and impossible to sweep. A custom oak threshold wedge, made by another Aliner owner, was much better. Covered Roof Hinges Another clever Aliner owner came up with this idea. It helps prevent condensation and provides a ledge for holding small items like glasses, book or cell phone. I used sheet-metal screws to attach lengths of 1" aluminum angle to both front and rear of the camper body, just below the brown roof hinge, on either side of the center electric wire. In the rear, the aluminum angle goes all the way to the side walls and the ledge is covered with nappy upholstery fabric (carpet was too stiff), attached at the top and bottom with strips of double-stick duct tape, torn in half lengthwise. In the front, the aluminum pieces go only to the kitchen counter on one side of the electric wire, and to the bathroom shelf on the other. ...

Chandelier When I first installed a "chandelier" in our 2004 Aliner, it was just for fun. But after finding how helpful an overhead light can be, I looked for a small fixture to install in the LXE. The floor plan of the LXE allowed me to install a permanent bracket over the kitchen window. When the side is folded, the bracket hangs between the beds. The chandelier is a lightweight pendant lamp from Home Depot, designed to hang from a rod. I removed the rods and wire, spliced white lamp cord to the socket, and threaded the cord through a length of white chain that hangs from the bracket. I added an in-line switch to the cord and put a wall-hugger plug on the end, so that it fits snugly against the cabinet-side outlet. It's amazing how much helpful light is provided by a single 40-watt bulb. Battery The original battery box was mounted on the tongue, in front of the single propane tank. However, all the splices and connections hung outside the box, exposed to...

Quick Connects for Hoses After many scraped knuckles from trying to screw the water hose onto the camper inlet in a tight space, we gave up and opted for the same kind of "quick-connects" we use on our garden hoses. We tried several different models before we found ones that fit inside the water access door, and had to remove the handy-dandy grippers on the connectors, but the results were well worth it. We use Teflon plumbing tape for leak-proof joints. Both ends of our water and utility hoses, as well as the spigot "Y", are now easy and quick to connect. New Faucet  The previous owners had the factory replace the original faucet. The replacement, however, was plastic and developed a crack in the spout. When we bought the camper, the countertop was already a bit swollen from the leaking faucet, so replacement with a Shurflo folding faucet was a priority. To allow enough room to work, I first had to remove the sink. Removing the existing faucet left three h...