I have the worst luck with Travel trailers.

[jungleboy]

Well this tears it. After a string trailers over the last number of years with issue after issue, I bought a beautiful older 5th wheel that really was so clean, it was as close to mint as I have ever seen . I got it all set up today for it's first trip out . Everything was working great . was about to go to bed and looked out to see smoke coming from it. I ran out side open the door and the bloody fridge is on fire!!! Got the fire out but the fridge is toast and the trailer stinks of burned plastic. It appears I did not turn of the igniter switch after the fridge was going. I think this is the end for me as far as camping goes . I'll fix it I suppose but I am done with travel trailers I think .

[Albertadiver]

Sorry to hear. Rv's can be maddening. I've had a few challenges with mine too but never a fire! I found that there is a huge range in quality of trailers. It makes a difference.

[coreya3212]

You should delete this thread and call insurance. Your trailer caught fire. That's it. They will do a non bias investigation as they do with every fire claim. My 2 cents FWIW.

[jungleboy]

Never even had it added to the insurance yet it was attached to my truck but beyond that not insured .Beside no matter how nice of condition it was in it is a 1990 trailer so I doubt it would even get fixed

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

No need to give up Camping entirely Sir... I sincerely would switch to a Wall Tent going forward if in your position, though.

It is quite strange to have so many trailers with so many problems in so few years. This is an unfortunate occurance. Condolences!

[coreya3212]

Fair enough. Sorry for your luck.

[waterninja]

sorry to hear about your bad luck with the new trailer. i just bought a camper for my truck yesterday and i love it.
i would still call your ins. co, you never know. since it was attached to your truck it should be covered. if it was parked on your property, your house ins. might cover it. good luck (sounds like you could use some).

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by waterninja

sorry to hear about your bad luck with the new trailer. i just bought a camper for my truck yesterday and i love it.
i would still call your ins. co, you never know. since it was attached to your truck it should be covered. if it was parked on your property, your house ins. might cover it. good luck (sounds like you could use some).

x2 I know my insurance company covers anything I buy as long as I notify them within a reasonable amount of time of the purchase. As it was attached to your truck it could be covered under your auto policy.. What have you got to lose? The worst thing they can say is No!

[coreya3212]

Originally Posted by fordtruckin

x2 I know my insurance company covers anything I buy as long as I notify them within a reasonable amount of time of the purchase. As it was attached to your truck it could be covered under your auto policy.. What have you got to lose? The worst thing they can say is No!

Only the public liability extends from your tow vehicle. It would not be covered.

[jungleboy]

Not even going to bother with insurance . last trailer I had was a toy hauler and the roof let go .I went through insurance and that thing sat in the repair shop literally all summer long. It happened on the may long weekend and we got it back in November I yanked the burned fridge out this morning and will scour the trailer down ,install a small electric fridge in order to salvage the weekend and then look for a new fridge later. I promised my grandaughter we were going fishing so gotta get it together

[Sooner]

If the smoke smell is terrible, you can talk to a few detail shops, some have a machine that deodorizes smoke smells but its not 100 %. It has to run inside your trailer for a while is what I was told. Too bad about your luck with trailers. Hope you get out fishing with your granddaughter.

[CheeseBurger]

Maybe grab some of those carbon pucks that absorb door for the short term? You can find them at Walmart with all the febreeze plug in things. I used them to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke from a neighbouring apartment

[CheeseBurger]

Meant to also say condolences for your crappy luck.

[dodgeboy1979]

disaster companies have machines that will get the smoke smell out, i had to have it done to my house after my garage had fire set to it.

[JB_AOL]

IMHO, nothing about RV'ing is "Easy" or Cheap.

There's always something that needs to be fixed or that doesn't work properly.

I've owned two travel trailers, both new from dealerships, and it usually takes 1-2 years of using the RV to ensure all the bugs are worked out. And then once the bugs are worked out, you end up fixing all the poorly designed things.

This goes for every RV across the board. My dad's Tiffin Phaeton, was purchased new, exact same thing.

Buying an RV, you should expect to fix at least one thing a year. More if the trailer is older and hasn't been maintained. Remember, something that is in great shape, doesn't necessarily mean that the trailer was used alot. I know lots of people that use their RV once a year (don't ask) for a week, and that's it. So, I'd expect it to be in great shape, but none of the bugs would be worked out.

An RV is essentially a house on wheels, things are bound to go wrong.
Don't give up, RVing is a great hobby, and the benefits far out weigh the downsides.

To me it sounds like the trailer you bought hasn't been used for a while (or maybe was on a seasonal site with fridge on power), and something was dislodged when you moved it and fell into the fridge exhaust.

[norwestalta]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Sorry to hear. Rv's can be maddening. I've had a few challenges with mine too but never a fire! I found that there is a huge range in quality of trailers. It makes a difference.

Jayco any good? Looking for something that'll stand up to the Ftr or canfor road.

[silverdoctor]

For the short term, see if you can get a large fan and blow air into it, positive pressure will help some, especially with small crevices that you can't reach. Open the windows in one room, then the others one or two at a time. Scrub down what you can, smoke rises so the upper areas are the most important, even in light fixtures and fans. Febreeze will help some, maybe baking soda all around.

That's some tough luck.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

IMHO, nothing about RV'ing is "Easy" or Cheap.

There's always something that needs to be fixed or that doesn't work properly.

I've owned two travel trailers, both new from dealerships, and it usually takes 1-2 years of using the RV to ensure all the bugs are worked out. And then once the bugs are worked out, you end up fixing all the poorly designed things.

This goes for every RV across the board. My dad's Tiffin Phaeton, was purchased new, exact same thing.

Buying an RV, you should expect to fix at least one thing a year. More if the trailer is older and hasn't been maintained. Remember, something that is in great shape, doesn't necessarily mean that the trailer was used alot. I know lots of people that use their RV once a year (don't ask) for a week, and that's it. So, I'd expect it to be in great shape, but none of the bugs would be worked out.

An RV is essentially a house on wheels, things are bound to go wrong.
Don't give up, RVing is a great hobby, and the benefits far out weigh the downsides.

To me it sounds like the trailer you bought hasn't been used for a while (or maybe was on a seasonal site with fridge on power), and something was dislodged when you moved it and fell into the fridge exhaust.

This was purely an electrical fire . The propane igniter for the fridge is not the push button type but an electrical one that runs constantly and has to be shut off once the pilot is lit( I know this now ) . I failed to shut it off and it overheated the wiring and caught fire. I took out the fridge cleaned the trailer top to bottom and the smell is not bad it is usable. Stuck an electric bar fridge in for now so it will be fine

[JB_AOL]

Originally Posted by norwestalta

Jayco any good? Looking for something that'll stand up to the Ftr or canfor road.

What kind of Jayco??

Every manufacturer has good and bad models, and most trailers are built in the same factory. It has to do with quality control.

The best thing I did, was go to an RV show, and crawled all over the trailers. I was amazed at the difference in quality from one model to the next.

As an example, the one floorplan I wanted was available from 4 different manufacturers. I ended up going with the more expensive one, because it was obvious they spent more time on quality control than the other 3. Yet, when I went back for our second trailer, it had switched. The most expensive one, was not the best put together.

Generally Jayco is pretty good. I would skip their lightweight series for any gravel road travel.

Just make sure you are driving for the conditions on gravel. I see many toyhaulers being pulled at 80kmhr (probably faster) down the FTR, and they wonder why it is falling apart.

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by JB_AOL

What kind of Jayco??

Every manufacturer has good and bad models, and most trailers are built in the same factory. It has to do with quality control.

The best thing I did, was go to an RV show, and crawled all over the trailers. I was amazed at the difference in quality from one model to the next.

As an example, the one floorplan I wanted was available from 4 different manufacturers. I ended up going with the more expensive one, because it was obvious they spent more time on quality control than the other 3. Yet, when I went back for our second trailer, it had switched. The most expensive one, was not the best put together.

Generally Jayco is pretty good. I would skip their lightweight series for any gravel road travel.

Just make sure you are driving for the conditions on gravel. I see many toyhaulers being pulled at 80kmhr (probably faster) down the FTR, and they wonder why it is falling apart.

x2

A big thing to look at is the frame itself. Cheap tubes, or solid steel? How are the welds?

My Arctic Fox is a 22H model and weighs as much as a 28ft unit from other brands (around 5500lbs) Its got a beefy frame, and has shock obsorbers in addition to leaf springs. Also, the placement of the tires (further back on the frame) made a huge difference in towing compared to my Puma that I had earlier.

Travelair (now out of business) really made solid trailers in Red Deer. If you can find one that is in good shape that'd be a good purchase.

In general, stay away from anything with the word 'light' in it. Ultra light, superlite, etc.

[Fordwheeler]

I have been running my 05 Jayco Baja 10Y down various portions of the FTR since it was brand new and other than some cheaply built interior pieces I have had no issues with it. Its has a fully boxed frame and leaf springs with shocks.

[357xp]

Jungleboy, is the fridge that burnt a Norcold? If so, phone the factory directly with the model and serial #. There may have been a recall on it that might have never been done.

Same thing happened to me, bought a 1993 5th wheel a few years ago, everything looked fine, turned the fridge on, walked around outside to check stuff, all of a sudden my wife is frantically pointing to the fridge vent on the roof! Smoke! Well the wiring all burnt before I got it out. Just for kicks I phone norcold to see if I can get a new wiring harness.

Well the lady on the other end found out I had a fire, Asked if I wanted to put in a claim, I thought sure but didn't think I would get anywhere with an almost 20 year old fridge. After some paperwork and a month waiting time they sent me up a brand new one, no charge! The only catch was a certified dealer had to install it which cost around $200. Not bad considering I was ready to lay out $1400.00 for a complete new fridge.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by 357xp

Jungleboy, is the fridge that burnt a Norcold? If so, phone the factory directly with the model and serial #. There may have been a recall on it that might have never been done.

Same thing happened to me, bought a 1993 5th wheel a few years ago, everything looked fine, turned the fridge on, walked around outside to check stuff, all of a sudden my wife is frantically pointing to the fridge vent on the roof! Smoke! Well the wiring all burnt before I got it out. Just for kicks I phone norcold to see if I can get a new wiring harness.

Well the lady on the other end found out I had a fire, Asked if I wanted to put in a claim, I thought sure but didn't think I would get anywhere with an almost 20 year old fridge. After some paperwork and a month waiting time they sent me up a brand new one, no charge! The only catch was a certified dealer had to install it which cost around $200. Not bad considering I was ready to lay out $1400.00 for a complete new fridge.

It is a norcold and I will certainly look into that , thanks for the heads up

[Fisherpeak]

Boats,travel trailers,campers....they all hate me..I`m down to an 8 ft. johnboat and a tent.If the tent lets me down I have a canopy on the truck.

[357xp]

Here is the number I called 1 (800) 767-9101. Just don't trash the old fridge yet until u know for sure. They need it back if u are able to make a claim.

[Drewski Canuck]

X2 on the Warranty claim. Had the same recall on a Kustomkoach 2002 model. Brought it in and work was done. Service guys said that they had LOTS of fires from the defect.

A few years ago had an acquaintance get trapped in a trailer fire where the fridge was near the door. He was sound asleep and the fire was full on when he kicked out the escape window. Trailer was ash and bent metal within an hour.

As for the smoke, its a full washdown of ceiling and walls. Try a mix with TSP. Wear gloves and safety glasses. ALL the Soot has to be removed, and it will be oily soot. The fabrics all have to be steam cleaned.

Drewski

[jungleboy]

Made the call and I have a claim number . just need to send documentation and get the ball rolling . fingers crossed

[bison]

Originally Posted by jungleboy

This was purely an electrical fire . The propane igniter for the fridge is not the push button type but an electrical one that runs constantly and has to be shut off once the pilot is lit( I know this now ) . I failed to shut it off and it overheated the wiring and caught fire. I took out the fridge cleaned the trailer top to bottom and the smell is not bad it is usable. Stuck an electric bar fridge in for now so it will be fine

That sucks.
At the very least the factory could've installed a timer on that igniter so it would auto shutoff in case a guy forgets.

[beltburner]

if the smell won't go away; rent a ozone machine and let it run in it overnight. do not enter until you shut off machine and leave door open for a while.

[Ice Fishing Maniac]

There is a fellow AO member and friend of mine lost his trailer to a fire from the fridge. They were out at a gopher shoot.

Sorry to here your run of luck on trailers. I bought my first and new 2014 and before it was 1 week old it was bit and before 2 months old was hit again. Both times just minutes prior to leaving on a trip.