The Beast - 1997 Thomas Conversion

[onemanarmy]

Originally Posted by Justin McCormick

I got the LED lights off Amazon on sale price here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Grey water tank I bit the bullet and got off of Plastic mart.

I've had 2 of those light go bad on me within a month of owning them, less than an hour of use. they do no like getting wet.

I've read that people have better luck cramming silicone in ever possible area where water may get in.

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by onemanarmy

I've had 2 of those light go bad on me within a month of owning them, less than an hour of use. they do no like getting wet.

I've read that people have better luck cramming silicone in ever possible area where water may get in.

Good to know. I will keep my eye on them. They seemed to have good reviews and look and feel well built. If they go bad, I can easily get to them and replace them.

[cowlitzcoach]

I would go easy on the silicone sealant anywhere sun can touch it. UV light can really degrade silicone quickly.

The best sealant to use where two surfaces are mating is butyl rubber. You can get it in tubes that will fit in caulking guns or in tape form. The tape form comes in varying widths and thicknesses.

If you mount a light and use butyl rubber tape it is very easy to cut away the excess and leave a very nice factory edge finish. And once done it tends to stay done for a very long time.

The only real problem with using butyl rubber in any form is it is relatively difficult to work when the ambient temps go below 45*. It becomes very stiff and hard to mold when things get cold.

[onemanarmy]

silicone...rubber...whatever

just something to keep the water out

[Justin McCormick]

Finally got the grey water tank installed under the bus! Attached the sender units for the See Level II, and put in a uniseal and intake pipe (already had holes for vent and drain).



(Cutting the rubber mat for under the tank)

[BurlKing]

its about time you gave us an update! i've been eagerly waiting a month to see what you've done haha. great work as always!

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by BurlKing

its about time you gave us an update! i've been eagerly waiting a month to see what you've done haha. great work as always!

Thanks! The weather had been crappy which made progress slow. As the weather improves so will the pace of work.

[Justin McCormick]

I finally got one of my storage boxes installed. Three more to go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miKZMpbCBgc

[Justin McCormick]

Also the stairs are stating to come together. Still need to paint the metal, sand and stain the wood.

[Phatman]

That's some fine work you doing there Justin. That will be some of your son's fondest memories.As Tango says " ONWARD" love the video !!

[Justin McCormick]

Thanks! The kids are actually a big help on the bus.

[Phatman]

I may have already asked you this Justin. Where are y'all at in Texas?

[Justin McCormick]

We are in Arlington, altho the bus is in Alvarado.

[Justin McCormick]

Got a start on some of the plumbing.





Gray water tank drain.





Black water tank. It is important to note that the black water will be liquids only. We plan on using a composting toilet, and diverting the liquids to this tank.

[cowlitzcoach]

I think I would have rotated the gate valves 90* one way or the other.

I think you will find that pulling straight up on that rod is going to be difficult once some crud and corruption have invaded the rod.

[cadillackid]

what do you do to keep plumbing from freezing? i see a lot of buolds with exposed plastic pipes below.. or do you just chase sunshine and drain the tanks if travelling to cold climates?
-Christopher

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

I think I would have rotated the gate valves 90* one way or the other.

I think you will find that pulling straight up on that rod is going to be difficult once some crud and corruption have invaded the rod.

Good information! I vaguely wondered about that as I was putting it in. Should have done some more research before setting it into place.

[Justin McCormick]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

what do you do to keep plumbing from freezing? i see a lot of buolds with exposed plastic pipes below.. or do you just chase sunshine and drain the tanks if travelling to cold climates?
-Christopher

Well yes, we plan on chasing sunshine. But if we find ourselves in colder spots, the fresh water will be inside the bus along with all the water lines. From my understanding there is stuff you can put in the holding tanks to prevent freezing right?

[Tango]

Ya...the Valterra valves can get pretty sticky. I set mine parallel to the ground with the valve handle towards the rear to try and minimize how much road grime collects there.

[marcos.cristal]

Originally Posted by Justin McCormick

Well yes, we plan on chasing sunshine. But if we find ourselves in colder spots, the fresh water will be inside the bus along with all the water lines. From my understanding there is stuff you can put in the holding tanks to prevent freezing right?

You can hear trace. That is what we use on pipelines in cold climates!


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