Canadian Skoolie Project - Page 11

dirtygoat · 04-26-2011, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by browncrown

For what its worth, I used a regular home style closet flange on my RV toilet and it worked fine. Don't rememer what brand of toilet I have, but it is an RV toilet.

Good to know... I have two rv toilets, but haven't looked into flanges yet...

jkindt · 04-29-2011, 11:10 PM

Here's some more progress pics. I kinda feel bad about using mahogany plywood for the walls, since it is only to give the FRP something to adhere to, but I had a few sheets lying around that got water stains on one side, and figure if moisture gets behind the FRP, the mahogany will not be affected as bad as spruce or other plywood. I decided to keep the rear window to let in some light, I framed in a shelf to set shampoo bottles on and to allow elbow room when showering. The top of the shelf will probably get finished with tile. The walls will all be covered with FRP. I will add recessed 12V lighting to the room. The shower pan sits directly on the floor, the rest of the bathroom floor will be raised even with the top of the shower pan. I considered tiling the floor, but will probably just use vinyl flooring to keep things simple. Here's some pics!!!

browncrown · 04-30-2011, 05:19 PM

That shower work looks dang nice!!!

jkindt · 04-30-2011, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by browncrown

That shower work looks dang nice!!!

Thanks. I started with using a hand saw and found that I can't cut straight. I ripped it all out and went to find a miter saw. I ended up with a 12" compound miter saw with a laser sight that was on a clearance sale. Now it is all perfectly straight and strong. Best investment next to my new cordless drill, at least for this project.

jkindt · 05-02-2011, 11:08 PM

I wanted to put a sink in the bathroom, but with the amount of space I have, it wasn't going to happen. So, after work today I went to the bus to 'have a look' and decide what the next step is. I finished removing the metal from the wall ahead of the bathroom, put some 1/4" ply on the wall, and began to frame in some cabinets. Well...I got carried away because now I have a place for a sink, if I can find a smaller one, as well as a great start on some storage space. Of course, here's the pics...

jkindt · 05-02-2011, 11:35 PM

Since the water lines will run under the window to the bathroom and shower, I figured I could just put a small sink under the window. I will have storage space under the sink, and a small area above the sink to use as a medicine cabinet. Between the sink/window area and the refridgerator, I am building a wardrobe cabinet to hang clothes in. It will have the face of it angled to maximize living space while providing enough storage. The only reason I stopped working on it today is because I ran out of 2x2's and screws. I will go buy more in the morning and continue with the project. I would add more pics, but I am getting a "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached." error.

jkindt · 05-03-2011, 09:42 PM

Sometimes it pays off to visit an actual RV supply store. I had been looking for hardware for my shower for a while now, and plumbing is quite expensive. I stopped by the local RV store just to get some ideas, and found the taps for my shower, and they were only $20! I also found a roof vent cap for my blackwater tank for only $3! These will make things so much easier than adapting home stuff. PEX pipe on the other hand, was about 10x more expensive at the RV store, so I picked that up along with PEX connectors and clamps at the local hardware store. Here's some pics...

jkindt · 05-17-2011, 09:57 PM

Update time...

I got the holes cut through the floor for the shower, the toilet, and the vent pipe. I finished framing in the bathroom and am now ready to mount the shower pan and toilet.

I ran the vent pipe up from under the cabinet under the window and over and up through the wardrobe cabinet that I framed in just behind the refridgerator. I did it that way in order to get the vent cap further towards the center of the bus roof where it can sit more level. We plan on camping this weekend, so I gotta get my bus cleaned up and repacked for camping. Not sure where I am going to put everything, but that's part of the fun of building in stages.

jkindt · 05-27-2011, 10:33 PM

So I scored a 13,500 btu rooftop a/c unit for my bus. It is kind of a funny story....we were camping last weekend and I was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling thinking it would look so much better with an a/c panel. I pulled out my iPhone and checked out the local classifieds. I had been in discussions with a guy about a rooftop unit and noticed that he still had it listed so I sent him an offer. One thing leads to another and now I have a Duo-Therm Brisk Air 13,500 btu A/C unit complete with heat strip add-on sitting in my garage.

Now the question comes...how do I wire it in to my 110v electrical panel. I don't have a 20 amp breaker available, no space to add one, and the panel is a bit obsolete. I have considered getting a new 8 slot Pioneer breaker box that uses the stab-lok breakers. Then I would end up with 3 extra slots for future updates. The other question I have is, do I really need a main breaker in my panel??? The post usually has a breaker right where I plug in so it seems a bit redundant to have another main breaker in my panel. I would run a 20A line to my power converter/charger, 20A to my A/C unit, 15A to my refrigerator, 15A to my internal outlets, and a 15A line to my GFCI outside outlets. Then I would still have 3 empty slots for things like electric water heater, microwave, etc. So I guess my questions are...

1) Do I really need a 30A main breaker in my panel?
2) How do I run the #12 romex wire through the wall and into the ceiling for the A/C unit?

jkindt · 05-27-2011, 10:49 PM

My generator has outputs for two 120V 20A circuits out of phase to each other. This way I can run 240V equipment at 40A which is a pretty decent size generator. Unfortunately for me, when I plug it into my bus's 30A wiring, I only get 20A of service out of it. The generator has a 4 conductor twist lock connector that I should be able to use to get both halves of my generator power into the bus. I was thinking I could hook one side up to the A/C unit, and the other to the rest of the bus. My biggest issue is that I am not sure how I would wire up a transfer switch to be able to pull this off. I don't really want to wire up the bus for full 50A service, I think the 30A service is safer and more reliable....and a LOT more common in campgrounds around here. I doubt I would ever find a site with 50A service.

Diesel Dan · 04-04-2012, 11:13 AM

Hey man, it's been almost a year since your last post! I've seen you posting on other threads, so I know you're still alive. How about an update?

chev49 · 04-04-2012, 11:29 AM

i haven't tried this one, but you might be able to run two 30 amp transfer switches... one on each leg of the generator...
I should do this and see if it kicks out the circuit breakers...

bus-bro · 04-04-2012, 12:04 PM

If you're going to push in two 20 amp circuits you might as well wire a 50 amp service with 120v output legs.

jkindt · 04-04-2012, 09:27 PM

Yikes! My thread has gotten a bit old.

I have given up on the generator thing, decided to keep it the way it is and use it as home backup in case we get one of our increasingly unpredictable storms that take the power out for several days at a time. I can wire it into a 240V generator panel and run my house off of it. I plan to get a Honda or a Yamaha inverter type generator for the bus since they are much quieter and I won't have to hear it run when I use it.

As far as the bus...much more work done, much more to be done. I will post pics once I get some more.

jkindt · 04-04-2012, 09:53 PM

I did get the A/C unit installed, runs fine. I ended up tying into one of my 15 amp breakers since it's all I had. Worked just fine all summer long. Kept us cool by the lake and made life with a new baby much more enjoyable.

Unfortunately I did not get the black water tank or the fresh water tank before we decided it was camping season, so we used the port-a-potty again for another season, except this time we got to sit in the room where our bathroom will be.

Today I cut the hole in the side of the bus for the fresh water fill, and the city water hookup.

I had chosen to run PEX pipes throughout the bus, which is great, but I need to run a line behind the refrigerator which would likely expose it to UV light and exterior conditions. I chose to run 1/2" copper pipe through this section, attach the water pump and city water line to the copper at the front, and use a fitting to attach the copper to PEX once it gets past the refrigerator and in behind the closet. Worked like a charm! I also used foam pipe insulation around the pipe where it is exposed to outside air, not sure it will do any good, but whatever, my fresh water tank is to be mounted under the bus anyways.

Water pump is one of those new Revolution pumps that are supposed to run smooth with no rapid cycling. Its got an adjustable bypass built into it so when you turn on less than full flow it will just run quietly and not turn on and off creating a pulsing water flow. Supposedly these are great for showers because your flow is constant. Hope it works out well.

jkindt · 04-16-2012, 02:07 PM

Little more work done. I enclosed the area where the water pump sits, this will help keep it quieter.

I built a compartment in front of that for the converter and electrical panel. The bottom half of the electrical panel usually houses a power converter, so it has a large open area covered with a slotted vent. This will allow airflow into the compartment to help keep my new converter cool. It also allows me to have more breakers than I previously had, as well as keep the 12V fuses in a common area.

Once I get the rest of the lower cabinet/framework completed, I will move my sofa cushions up front. It will pull out to a bed that is just barely narrower than a queen bed. I plan on rebuilding the rear bed area where it was to hold a regular bed mattress as a permanent bed with storage underneath, a much more comfortable sleep.

I also set a few panels of laminate flooring down just to see how it looks and fits together. I think it's going to look okay!

Stuff · 04-17-2012, 10:05 AM

progress!! yeah!

browncrown · 04-17-2012, 10:29 AM

Looking very nice!

lornaschinske · 04-17-2012, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkindt

... Water pump is one of those new Revolution pumps that are supposed to run smooth with no rapid cycling. Its got an adjustable bypass built into it so when you turn on less than full flow it will just run quietly and not turn on and off creating a pulsing water flow. Supposedly these are great for showers because your flow is constant...

A small accumulator tank will also accomplish the same when added after a pump. We never really had much of a problem with the Shurflo 2088 Classic pumps we used but I have heard of others who have. It's a cheap solution (and I do like cheap) if you discover pulsing is a problem.

jkindt · 04-19-2012, 10:52 PM

I officially have heat in the bus!

I got the furnace bolted down, propane line run, thermostat wires run, and a temporary power line ran to my fuse box. I will be adding a pvc conduit from near the furnace under the bus and up in behind the fuse box, that way I will be able to run several low voltage circuits to the starboard side of the bus. I will run a second conduit for the 120V line for my kitchen outlets and microwave. Now I need to built some cabinets, a countertop, drawers, and run some more furnace ducting. At least I can continue working even if the weather gets cold.

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