The Kitchen Sink

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   Mark, I can't stress it enough that late model Pod owners like you and I need to check and double check how your sink is mounted under the counter. A few easy to make brackets can solve the problem if you don't mind acting like a contortion artist with getting under the sink so you can install these brackets. Why FR didn't use brackets to mount the sink and only the lips of a few screw heads is beyond me?

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DavMar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592	Topic: The Kitchen Sink Posted: 06 Nov 2018 at 1:48pm
	Mark, I can't stress it enough that late model Pod owners like you and I need to check and double check how your sink is mounted under the counter. A few easy to make brackets can solve the problem if you don't mind acting like a contortion artist with getting under the sink so you can install these brackets. Why FR didn't use brackets to mount the sink and only the lips of a few screw heads is beyond me?
	Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC

Subzilla Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jan 2017 Location: Concord, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 302	Posted: 06 Nov 2018 at 1:28pm
	Something else to put on the to-do list. On our last trip, I noticed the sink caulking was peeling up so while I did recaulk it, I didn't really inspect anything else. But I never have liked the way it is recessed into the counter....always looked like a really good crud catcher to me. Will inspect it better for sure. Thanks for the heads up Dave.
	Mark Concord, NC 2017 RP 179 "Podzilla" 2011 Silverado 1500 4X4

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 6:13pm
	They should have you on retainer at Airstream. We get by with a Costco Lifetime Plastics kids card table that's 24"x24" and weighs about 5 pounds. I beefed up the bottom to hold the pedestal base. The nice thing is that it doubles as a coffee table outside or, if I use the pvc leg extenders, a full height table. We don't use the dinette as a bed. But, like I said, you're welcome to come down to Dayton, NV, this winter ..... Again, the work is beautiful. I am very envious of your skill.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

marwayne Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 Oct 2011 Location: Edmonton AB Can Online Status: Offline Posts: 1002	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 6:01pm
	I can slide the tabletop back and forth for easy access to seating area, the tabletop can be locked in any position.
	If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd.

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 5:01pm
	marwayne, would you mind dropping down to Dayton, NV this winter when it's too cold in the north of Canada? Last time ai was in Edmonton it was a Feb a few years back before I retired and it was way too cold. You could help me with all kinds of improvements in my 172 . Seriously, though, you have done some incredibly nice work. I like the drop down on the stove side of the galley. I had added one over on the other side of the sink, but I'm lazy and just used a conveniently sized cutting board. I also did the pedestal mount for the table. It sure makes getting in and out of the dinette easier.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

marwayne Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 25 Oct 2011 Location: Edmonton AB Can Online Status: Offline Posts: 1002	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 1:50pm
	I replaced my particle board counter top with 3/4" plywood, ( half the weight ) put on oak edging and almond melamine for counter and back splash. Also made a matching table. V
	If you want something done right, do it yourself. 2011 RP172, 2016 Tundra 5.7 Litre, Ltd.

DavMar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Aug 2017 Location: Lexington, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 592	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 1:16pm
	Thanks to everyone who replied to my post about the problem I’ve had with the under mounted kitchen sink. You all passed on some great idea’s on how to repair and resolve the problem. It didn’t occur to me to use an epoxy-based product to stop decomposition with the Particle Board. If my solution of using fender washers and under the counter brackets that I made and re-caulking doesn’t work out then I will use such a product to stop the Particle Board decomposition and convert to a drop-in sink. Of course, I also think maybe the ultimate solution is to completely remove the counter top and replace it with a Corian counter top with the integrated molded in sink. Being that the counter in my 180 isn’t that large I’m sure a competent counter top shop can build a replacement out of this or a similar material for a reasonable price. Right now my fingers are crossed that my repair resolves this problem and that Pod owners that have the same sink as mine check how their sinks are mounted and do preventive maintenance NOW! It will be interesting to see over time how many other Pod owners who have such under the counter mounted sink have the same problem.
	Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 10:03am
	Its called sales and marketing. Sales probably complained that customers were shopping elsewhere because they wanted an undermount sink just like they had at home, not that ugly old fashioned drop in sink. Then marketing did a survey or competitor swot analysis or some such and decided that was a feature that would sell more trailers. No matter that a trailer kitchen and a home kitchen aren't the same thing.The engineering, manufacturing, and service people probably didn't get much of a say in the matter, if any. And all too often thats how that goes....
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 7:58am
	+1 to offgrid's suggestions. I have used epoxy on rotten wood, Get-Rot was the brand many years ago and it worked really well. Any product from West=Systems will be of outstanding quality, so go for the g-flex and you'll probably be happy. We are fortunate to have the old drop in plastic sink [in fact, the other day I was eying a SS drop in replacement on sale for about $75] but we've had water intrusion problems along the edging of the counter top. Water has gotten into the crack between the Formica and the edging strip and swollen the particle board very slightly. At the suggestion of my wife, we put a strip of 3/8ths thick 1 1/2" plexiglass between the sink and the edge to keep the water from running off. Her concern was it could get on the upholstery. It is clear and runs next to the sink to the forward edge from the backsplash.. I glued it down and it has effectively eliminated the problem. For the life of me, I don't understand why anyone would ever put an undermount sink on anything that can't be wet. Water is going to get in no matter how well you think you've sealed it. They look nice, but unless they're on stone or one of the solid plastic faux stone counters, they will eventually deteriorate any wood product substrates.
	Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 6:11am
	Sorry about all the problems. I hate to say this but the easiest and least expensive solution is probably just to remove the undercounter sink and install a drop in sink before the countertop is compromised. They should cost less than $100 and you could take the opportunity to upgrade the crummy faucet and the same time. If the countertop has been damaged but not too bad one fix I've used coming from my boating experience to deal with materials that get frequently wet but shouldn't is to use one of the new water tolerant epoxies to seal the surfaces. West Systems g-flex for example. Not cheap material but if you grind down the swollen surfaces/edges of particle board/osb/mdf materials and then give them a thick coating of g-flex it will adhere even if the "wood" is still a little damp and won't let any more water wick in there. Its also flexible so doesn't develop cracks that can let more water in. If the "board" has swollen too dramatically (it can literally double in thickness) then unfortunately its probably time to remove and replace the countertop with some real exterior grade plywood, a new (lightweight-not granite!) work surface of your choice, and a drop in sink. That sounds terrible but its really not such a bad or expensive job for a small area like an rpod kitchen, and you'll have a proper installation with a nice custom look at the end of it.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold