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We're testing the orange toilet koolaid this week. Mrs is scared of the blue stuff. We'll see how it goes.
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Sep 6, 2014 00:09
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Jonny 290 posted:We're testing the orange toilet koolaid this week. Mrs is scared of the blue stuff. We'll see how it goes. It's not like you have to look at the stuff. Now just to make sure since you are hooked up all the time, you are closing your blackwater valve and letting the tank get kinda full then dumping it right? You don't want to leave it open all the time, unless you want the BLACK PYRAMID OF DEATH in your poo poo-tank. Just remember to open the valve when you shower though, otherwise you'll have a surprise!* *depends if your shower grey water backs into your blackwater tank.
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Sep 6, 2014 00:21
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Correct. Here's our general circle of life for the tanks, it seems to be working well: -Nominal: black closed, grey open. hang loose till black tank's 75% LED lights up -Day of or before we flush, make sure we close grey tank and do a load of laundry. I like having a good volume of flush water at the ready -drain toilet, leave open (i'm not sure if it helps but i dont want vacuum to stop stuff so I err on the safe side) -drain black tank, close valve -drain grey tank, leave open -few ounces of koolaid down the toilet, run water down there for a little bit -close toilet, fill and koolaid it
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Sep 6, 2014 02:13
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You have a washing machine in your camper? Wow.... That's bad rear end.
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Sep 6, 2014 03:28
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BrokenKnucklez posted:You have a washing machine in your camper? Wow.... That's bad rear end. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Haier-1.0-Cubic-Foot-Portable-Washing-Machine/13346456 These little buggers rock. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Haier-1.5-cu-ft-Portable-Washer/36758182
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Sep 6, 2014 05:30
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i came home today to find this parked down the street.     
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Sep 7, 2014 02:18
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I want to upgrade my solar setup to make it automatically charge both batteries (It currently does one and I manually switch it over and have 2 voltmeters to help me decide when). Loads of places seem to currently be selling what looks like a chinesium (I've found it with 3 different brand names so far) voltage reg/split charge unit that comes with a remote LCD screen. Has anybody seen one of these in use? I can't find any details on what the screen actually does!..  link here - http://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/66-10A-dual-battery-solar-charge-controller-with-a-remote-LCD-meter.html I can get the pair for £61 on Amazon so it looks like it wont be a huge waste of money even if it is poo poo...
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Sep 7, 2014 09:57
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Question for UK or Euro camper peeps. My wife wants to pick up a 4 bed Rv with kitchen / toilet, having seen the prices for package holidays during the school holidays. Can you get something that's not a horrible piece of poo poo for £5-6 thousand? I'm thinking 10k might be more realistic. Basically I have no motivation and less time to wrench on an Rv let alone deal with hosed up electrics plumbing or coachwork. So anything that turns into a project will be a bad investment. Stuff in the lower price brackets seems to be Talbot Peugeot, Peugeot, Fiat Ducato, Merc 208D or DAF based. Any chassis we should particularly avoid?
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Sep 7, 2014 11:53
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InterceptorV8 posted:http://www.walmart.com/ip/Haier-1.0-Cubic-Foot-Portable-Washing-Machine/13346456 Those are great, but we're tier up from that even. Little apartment stack in ours. Frigidaire LC-120F, 2.9 cu feet. It's not enormous but it is _really really nice_ to be able to do a load of whites every day. e: yes this means that when you're out camping you can wake up early and put your socks and underwear in the dryer to be a spoiled jerk
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Sep 7, 2014 18:00
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Saga posted:Question for UK or Euro camper peeps. Decent vans are expensive. Depending on your standards, I suspect that you're actually looking more towards £15k for something 'nice' that's not going to look like a 1960's council house or have a top speed of 31.5mph http://www.practicalmotorhome.com/ - have a read of that in WHSmiths
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Sep 7, 2014 19:09
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Saga posted:Question for UK or Euro camper peeps. Avoid daf. For that money you're buying something that'll need work or looks tatty, probably both. Buying in winter is cheaper though. Please bear in mind you're buying a commercial vehicle that doesn't get driven enough, with a flimsy box screwed to it full of electrics, plumbing and waterproof issues. Unless you double your higher budget you won't be happy. Now if you were of the diy bent there are bargains to be had. E: you could pick something up for 5-7k and spend the rest on having it fixed?
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Sep 7, 2014 22:35
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Cakefool posted:Avoid daf. For that money you're buying something that'll need work or looks tatty, probably both. Buying in winter is cheaper though. Please bear in mind you're buying a commercial vehicle that doesn't get driven enough, with a flimsy box screwed to it full of electrics, plumbing and waterproof issues. Unless you double your higher budget you won't be happy. Thanks Spog and Cakefool, sort of what I suspected. Fibreglass box on neglected or beaten-on commercial chassis is not a good combination. That said, tatty in the sense of needs new interior fabrics or the plastics are 80s-vintage and beige isn't a huge issue. As long as you don't think too hard about the years of motorway layby / sleazy euro campsite  the sofa cushions have seen anyway. We can sort out soft furnishings and a bit of DIY cabinetry easily enough - catching fire a la VW campers or constantly breaking/leaking/falling apart is the bigger issue. Practical motorhome link looks useful!
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Sep 8, 2014 16:05
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Saga posted:Thanks Spog and Cakefool, sort of what I suspected. Fibreglass box on neglected or beaten-on commercial chassis is not a good combination. Yeah, not to piss on your dreams, but I took a half-hearted look at buying one myself and realised that they hold their price stupidly well. To the point where people were asking £8k for a vehicle that I would pay <£1k if it were the base vehicle only. That said, you may get lucky.
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Sep 9, 2014 10:39
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Saga posted:Question for UK or Euro camper peeps. My parents have had 2 motorhomes over the past 15 years, both built on the Fiat Ducato base and haven't had issues with them. If I recall rightly though they were both around £25K. Practical motorhome is a pretty good read. It's probably best if you go wandering around a few local motorhome stores and have a look yourself
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Sep 9, 2014 12:28
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spog posted:Yeah, not to piss on your dreams, but I took a half-hearted look at buying one myself and realised that they hold their price stupidly well. To the point where people were asking £8k for a vehicle that I would pay <£1k if it were the base vehicle only. This is why if I had a motorhome it'd be one I built myself.
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Sep 9, 2014 12:53
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read a bunch of toiletstuff in the last two pages so I figure I'll ask for opinions here: The Vlolvo is pretty well decked out now, but the one thing I don't have but would kinda like is a toilet. I honestly don't see any room for one inside, I was wondering if anyone made something small enough I could theoretically stow underneath the truck on rails or something. For reference:  I either underneath the mid doors, or possibly under the back tucked up under the fuel tank. I can get a nice camping shower kit, but I haven't seen anything that would fit for a toilet, and while I'm fine with a shovel in backwoods camping, It would be nice luxury to have.
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Sep 9, 2014 13:30
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Doccers posted:I can get a nice camping shower kit, but I haven't seen anything that would fit for a toilet, and while I'm fine with a shovel in backwoods camping, It would be nice luxury to have. Can you not get shitboxes like these where you are? They are the standard UK camping toilet. I'm in the same position as you with not having space for a real toilet inside my truck but have seen people use these and simply built a storage cabinet to stow them inside somewhere. Can be used inside if you are desperate or outside with the addition of an awning/windbreak/curtain/small tent/behind the truck
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Sep 9, 2014 14:04
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Sep 9, 2014 18:04
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Thetford recirculating toilet. There are like two models, they've been in prod for like 20 years, and they're reliable as hell. You can run them without a holding tank, you get about 3-4 person-days out of it and then just dump it. Ours dumps into our black tank but it is appropriate for, and in many cases, used standalone.
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Sep 9, 2014 20:57
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Four days "camping" in the 71 Scotsman went well over the weekend. The door latch is giving me issues and I may be considering simply making a whole new door to replace it. I also still really want to lift the axle. Maybe that can be a spring project.
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Sep 10, 2014 01:05
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Sandbagger SA posted:spring project See what you did there?
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Sep 10, 2014 19:12
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Bucephalus posted:See what you did there?  I think the springs are actually just fine but yeah.
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Sep 10, 2014 22:32
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freelop posted:...both built on the Fiat Ducato base and haven't had issues with them. My old work has a 2002 Ducato van thats had the piss thrashed out of it. It forever smells like gear oil and clutch and has had both worked on several times. So don't a 2nd hand van that's been used by a removal firm.
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Sep 11, 2014 11:38
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Anphear posted:My old work has a 2002 Ducato van thats had the piss thrashed out of it. It forever smells like gear oil and clutch and has had both worked on several times. So don't a 2nd hand van that's been used by a removal firm. Always buy a camper off someone who is old. Yes it might smell like piss and have horrid interior fabrics but it will never have been driven in anger!
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Sep 11, 2014 16:25
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If you do buy that, bank on a blocked egr system needing fixing.
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Sep 12, 2014 10:29
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Finally got the chassis painted and the floor finished on the Scotty. The paint was done weeks ago, but I got around to doing the floor in the last couple of days. Next up is wheel wells, sides, ceiling, insulation, skins, windows and doors, and interior! 
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Sep 26, 2014 00:06
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Two and a half months in Hausbus as of today. Issue roundup: -caulking/sealing - it is a big, semi-interminable job but i am staying on top of it -Water heater was cranky as the 85C emergency cutoff thermostat was perma-open. $12 on amazon for both the 85c and the regular 60c thermostat. No biggie. -Furnace blowers started howling/squeaking after a few nights of use - new blowers should be no big deal but for now we use electrics and they're fine. same thing as my old chevy, haha. The water heater is amazing at retaining heat. when we turn it off after showers the leftovers will stay warm enough to wash dishes for ~10 hours. I'm good at bathroom-maintainin', have determined that the blue toilet koolaid is best, the orange is lovely but still usable, and the green is worthless. Fridge is amazing, does its job perfectly, I never have to think about it. Takes 12-24h to freeze ice - but it'll do it. The cats freak out hard when a squirrel gets on the roof. Mrs. still thinks it's really cute. We started out with a 'full' LP tank in August. After about a meal of cooking a day, a few days of furnacing (we have two) and pretty regular water heater usage, we're just over a half tank. I'm going to get an Extend-A-Stay rig next paycheck, and a Hott Rod for the water heater. Mrs and I have bickered once or twice but other than that it is a harmonious, happy little life. Doing good, staying the course. Here comes Denver winter!
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Oct 15, 2014 05:16
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Jonny 290 posted:Good LP lifespan, and water heater above average You might find the hot water heater well-insulated as it is on my Thor which might account for some of your fortune on that front. Glad to hear everything is working out well, though!
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Oct 15, 2014 06:10
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Let me know how that hott rod works out for you.
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Oct 15, 2014 06:13
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Will do. They say 'it'll void your warranty', which if my math is correct, expired around the tail end of Operation Desert Storm. Only installation kink is that you need to attach its thermostat (it's a totally separate system from the stock one) to the inner liner of the tank - need to tin-snip a little hole through the outer skin and push some fiberglass aside. Supposedly about a 400w element, and it's easiest if you just run an outdoor extension cord to the extra outlet on your pole drop (which we fortunately have) unless you want to go super handyman and run a hardline. We've got electric included in the park rent, so we just bought an electric heater, and are getting another on payday. The one we got works great, relatively silent, safe-ish. Figure we'll use those for baseload and just set the gas furnace thermostats low enough to kick in in any 'ummmm it is TOO COLD and it's 3:30 AM' situations. Most of the time right now (~35-45F nights, 65-75 days) we just keep the back furnace on about 60F and run the electric up front on 700w. A little chilly up by our heads (that big rear end rear window right above the bed) but it's really good excuse to snuggle. *waggles eyebrows* Jonny 290 fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Oct 15, 2014 |
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Oct 15, 2014 07:47
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Two electric 1500w heaters have been more than adequate so far in Denver. We haven't had any snow or anything, but we've had a handful of ~35F nights. Usually we just run one on low in the bedroom and one on low/high as needed up front. I run the front one off the 'appliance' circuit that has the fridge/microwave/washerdryer on it, and a single outlet, that way we can't ever break 20A on a single circuit but the 30A main still protects us. Really wish the Coleman A/C's had the optional 1 kW heater addon. If we ever spec out a new one, they will be in there. I did end up popping by Camping World this weekend and found an Extend-A-Stay propane tee kit for 90 bucks or so. Haven't hooked it up (nervous tbqh) but will get it running this week and grab a couple grocery store LP tanks to gauge some runtime.
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Nov 3, 2014 06:31
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Extend-A-Stay installed unceremoniously. Works great. Hint to all winter RVers: Make sure you have enough heat tape and pipe wrap for your external water line. I forgot to pick it up and one day is all it took to freeze it solid. Thawing now. Instead of getting the actual pipe tape stuff, I got the wire that you string on the bottom of a residential roof to keep ice dams melted down. 150 watts for 30 feet if I recall? Feels warmish in there, letting it go for a while. Next trip to Lowe's I'll pick up some laminated styrofoam sheets - they have 1/2" 4x8's for 10 bucks and 1" for 15 - and make a skirt for the bottom. Assuming 2 foot max height all around (seems reasonable) 6 sheets should do it. Stuff seems decently structurally strong, too. Yay, Denver winter here we come
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Nov 11, 2014 19:57
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Jonny 290 posted:Thawing now. Instead of getting the actual pipe tape stuff, I got the wire that you string on the bottom of a residential roof to keep ice dams melted down. 150 watts for 30 feet if I recall? Feels warmish in there, letting it go for a while. Did you also get enough foam pipe insulation to cover the hose+heat tape? It works much better that way. Just get the next size up (if you have a 3/4" water line + heat tape get the 1" stuff).
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Nov 12, 2014 16:57
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Exactly what I did. 1" foam wrap (the kind that already has adhesive down the cut, just pull the tape and squeeze it together). Been running all night and it thawed it like a charm, and it's 6 F here right now. We're still not running the water right now, because I need to go back and buy another setup, this one for the sewer line. The residual water in the ridges froze up and though it's not blocked, that hose is not strong stuff and I want to keep it as unladen as possible. We'll get 20F tomorrow and 35-40 on Friday so right now just burning propane like mad (looks to be about $10 a day during polar vortex funtime, need to go buy another tank in a few so I have two to rotate) and preparing for a big round of winterization fun on the weekend.
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Nov 12, 2014 20:47
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I wonder if there'd be a market in vacuum insulated panel kits sized for RVs.
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Nov 12, 2014 20:58
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atomicthumbs posted:I wonder if there'd be a market in vacuum insulated panel kits sized for RVs. I've read some discussion of it. For example, http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/129417-Vacuum-Insulated-Composite-Panels
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Nov 12, 2014 21:25
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Jonny 290 posted:this one for the sewer line Ohhh....I hadn't thought about that. Heat tape on the bottom with long zip ties and........some kind of wrap? There has to be something common you can use there that is weatherproof. Anything I can think of is for indoor commercial-sized boiler lines.
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Nov 13, 2014 03:18
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Wrap the sewer pipe from the bottom of the dump valve up a little bit, like a candy cane, then wrap the pipe and tape with that fibertape poo poo.
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Nov 13, 2014 10:16
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atomicthumbs posted:I wonder if there'd be a market in vacuum insulated panel kits sized for RVs. I've done supplementary insulation in the past with 50 mm expanded polystyrene panels because they are cheap, readily available, lightweight, incredibly easy to shape and size with just a knife or saw and just glue in place with any non-solvent-based adhesive. Especially useful on the floor then covered with MDF & some thick offcut carpet because surprise surprise an icy wind blowing under your camper rapidly makes mornings pretty miserable. We also selectively insulated parts of the bedroom area where we could get away with it (next to where you sleep mostly, so heat doesn't get sucked from your body) and it made a big difference. We discussed cutting panels for the windows, but replacing the curtains with heavy duty lined ones did the job just as well. You meet some weird, odd smelling people camping in winter though.
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Nov 13, 2014 11:54
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atomicthumbs posted:I wonder if there'd be a market in vacuum insulated panel kits sized for RVs. One of the problems that mid 80s through late 90s RVs have is just this - vacuum sealed insulation panels. See, the environment went to poo poo and they started using shittier less volatile glue because trees or something, and experimented with a few years with vacuum-bonded insulation, which delaminated over time because of the lovely glue. Basically analogous to the whole RoHS solder issues, if you're familiar with that at all. With good adhesives, I bet it's amazing. (I have become real fuckin' good buddies with marine epoxy) cynic posted:I've done supplementary insulation in the past with 50 mm expanded polystyrene panels We're going to do a targeted assault - the rear bedroom window (full width, huge heat loss) is getting styrofoamed and sealed, and maybe the northwest-facing large window in the main area. I work nights anyways so any additional darkening will assist in the bedroom, at least. I'd like to find a solution to insulate the windshield a little bit, but the cats love going up there to watch the squirrels play outside. I dunno. Other notes: --I want a billion gallon propane tank --mrs 290 is being incredibly patient and is taking advantage of the cold snap to hunker with the cats. She is tough as gently caress and I couldn't do this without her. --absorption fridges don't work at these temperatures so our freezer got thrashed. I salvaged most of the stuff and just threw it in a box outside for now. Thinking of just picking up a dorm room style conventional mini fridge to tuck over in the corner, they're low power draw
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Nov 13, 2014 14:02
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