Transmogrifie and Me

[mightybus]

OOoooh... I like. Thanks. I have a Home Depot here.. although the round one looks nice. More for sanding walls and ceilings I suppose.[/quote]

Great! I am taking the liberty of giving you some sanding music. I hope you don't mind. I do my best work when I listen to Melanie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Ihn7nt ... AB&index=1

[Shadoll]

Originally Posted by GreyEagle

Go with the wood stove. It'll work no matter where you are.....

Go with the solar panels and battery system...... It'll work most of the time... no matter where you are...
and get a generator for a backup system..... a Yamaha 2400 will do most anything you'll need for a short period of time plus it can recharge your battery system if/when needed. Honda's are good ones too but more expensive. Most other generic generators will work for awhile but I / would not invest in any of them short of the Honda or Yamaha.

just my 2 cents, other opinions will vary

Thanks.

[Shadoll]

Originally Posted by mightybus

OOoooh... I like. Thanks. I have a Home Depot here.. although the round one looks nice. More for sanding walls and ceilings I suppose.

Great! I am taking the liberty of giving you some sanding music. I hope you don't mind. I do my best work when I listen to Melanie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Ihn7nt ... AB&index=1

[/quote]

*laughing* I'll have to forward that to my best friend.. she loves yodeling.

[Tango]

Coupla quick thoughts --- I agree with both GreyEagle & DieselDan. Start by calculating your anticipated load. There are numerous online resources for the amp draw of just about everything electrical. Design your systems to fit your lifestyle. If you plan on spending most of your time where you can simply plug in (like most campgrounds), then you can get by with very little in the way of standalone power. On the other hand, if you want to dry camp a lot (that includes WallyWorld parking lots) then you need reliable full time power. 100% genny would be expensive in fuel and solar is free only after the system has paid for itself so the most viable option will likely be some combination.

There are some terrific gen set available these days that are fuel pinching and remarkably quiet. Honda & Yamaha both make very reliable units that also have the advantage of being pure sine wave sets, meaning you won't need a co$tly inverter to operate TV's, computers and other devices that require "clean" electricity. Only issue there is, they ain't cheap. But, you can find some deals out there. I scored a Honda EU300iS with 1 hour on it off of Craig's List for $1400 (new price is about $2600). Can barely hear it run from 5 feet away and it powers my window unit A/C without even coming off idle in the "economy" mode. But, I want a couple of solar panels as well. Between the two systems, I would like to be able to remain "off grid" for about a month and based on the numbers I've run so far, it is doable if I am conservative with my usage. As DieselDan noted, anything that heats using electricity...sucks electricity, so it's best to try and keep those items as idle as possible. If you are out in the wilderness, wait to do your ironing until you are at a campground and rely on a wood stove for heat.

I'm no expert on any of this, but I think you may be getting the picture by now. Plan, research, change plan, do more research, ask questions, change plan again. Eventually you'll arrive at a reasonable and workable solution for your particular needs. Just about everyone I know who has built a Skoolie or home-built RV has gone through the same process. Good news is that there are now resources like this forum to make the process a little less painful and maybe even more likely to get it 80% right the first time.

Best of luck..happy reading...and remember, do it your way.

[Shadoll]

I know.. *sighs* I'm just impatient and low on funds. But I will get there. And thanks everyone for being there. Here. This week I'm sick (rare) and it's freezing out. Whining doesn't seem to be helping..

[GreyEagle]

Originally Posted by Shadoll

I know.. *sighs* I'm just impatient and low on funds. But I will get there. And thanks everyone for being there. Here. This week I'm sick (rare) and it's freezing out. Whining doesn't seem to be helping..

It never does........ Just grin and bare it. it'll pass......

[Shadoll]

Sun is coming and up to 55 degrees by the weekend according to the forecast. Got my propane tank filled and a hose for the heater. Will try my first run with the heater and working conditions in the bus. I've never really worked with a big propane tank. But with new fittings on it (refilled type) and a new hose and a squirt bottle of soapy water....

Question on insulation. If I take off wall panels and put foamcore insulation in, what if I just left the fiberglass and just sort of squished the foam over it, wouldn't that be a 'double' sort of insulation? Or should I rip the spun stuff completely out? Have only taken one panel sort of off, and it seems pretty scrappy at best. Not sure what I'll find under the rest of it all.

[roach711]

Squashing the fiberglass will kill it's insulating value. It's the dead air trapped by the glass fibers that does the insulating. It's a big mess to remove it but you'll get a bit more room for the foam insulation.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Shadoll

... Question on insulation. If I take off wall panels and put foamcore insulation in, what if I just left the fiberglass and just sort of squished the foam over it, wouldn't that be a 'double' sort of insulation? Or should I rip the spun stuff completely out? Have only taken one panel sort of off, and it seems pretty scrappy at best. Not sure what I'll find under the rest of it all.

Or you can simply sheath over the interior walls with 1" rigid foam insulation. It will allow you to create a thermal break from the rivets. That is what we are doing. We used pieces of "1X" culls from the box @ Home Depot ($0.51 ea) as furring strips plus a piece of 5mm luan scrap behind the "1X" to bump it up to right at 1". Put that crappy white poly board with the shiny thermal reflective film (shiny side facing the interior space) and taped all seams with metal duct tape. Galley wall seems warmer. Eliminates the thermal transfer from the million plus rivets. We decided this after realizing the walls was so much more colder at the rivets than the rest of the wall. The small rivet free spaces really weren't all that cold even when it got below 20F. I'll be glad to get the rest of the bus insulated. We seem to have pretty good original insulation in our BlueBird.

[Shadoll]

Lorna, So you used what thickness of foam board on the walls.

And then you can finish with something nice like paneling or carpet tile etc. Will also bring it out to the edge of the chair rails.

do they even make paneling anymore? *lol*

[Shadoll]

Originally Posted by roach711

Squashing the fiberglass will kill it's insulating value. It's the dead air trapped by the glass fibers that does the insulating. It's a big mess to remove it but you'll get a bit more room for the foam insulation.

I'm compiling a pickup load of stuff to the dump. *lol* Was thinking it was pretty nasty.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Shadoll

Lorna, So you used what thickness of foam board on the walls.

And then you can finish with something nice like paneling or carpet tile etc. Will also bring it out to the edge of the chair rails.

do they even make paneling anymore? *lol*

We used 1" R-Tech. I have little tiny white foam beads all over. They are stuck to everything thanks to static electricity... especially the TV screen! This stuff is as bad as Easter grass. I'll be vacuuming it up for months after we're done installing it!

We will "finish" the galley with this...


The rest of the walls will be covered in either the pile of 1/4" pegboard (water closet/toilet area, clothes closet and in the laundry room) we got free (thanks to craigslist) or the laminate flooring (a golden oak) that we picked up for a really low price during the Black Friday sales at work.

Windows will be trimmed in PVC brick molding. Not wood. I expect the windows/aluminum frames to sweat if we ever move back to an area that has a decent amount of humidity. The PVC won't rot or discolour from the windows sweating. We will rout out the backside to fit over the insulation/wall covering and fit up tight to the window trim. We can use clear PVC cement to glue the whole frame together and then bolt it to the window using the same 4 screw holes originally used to hold the window frame in (which is caulked to the max now).

We are trying to bring our conversion in under $5K. I think I am going to pull it off for under $4K. This does not count the electric fireplace insert (pretty space heater to place in the vintage fireplace mantle I have the TV attached to) 24" dishwasher, washer & LP dryer (used of course) or the LP 6000/5000 watt generator (roughly $900) which are not needed to complete the conversion.

We keep reworking the the materials needed to pull this off and I keep a running tally PLUS updated prices on the stuff I still need to buy. I need to add all the bra$$ PEX fittings that we have bought in the last week. Getting the galley sink & shower operational/useable is my Birthday/Christmas present this year. We had planned on putting in a 20 gallon electric water heater but it was 1-1/2" too tall. So I've got a 10 gallon water heater instead (we've lived in the Class C with a 6 gallon water heater and 3 adults taking showers so 10 gallons is okay). I'll be glad to be able to take a shower in the warmth of our bus. New managers here are saying the bathhouse heater is set at 70F but my thermometers show it's more like 55F to 60F. And the bathhouse has been closed periodically due to plumbing repairs for a total of 10 days since Thanksgiving!


BTW, yes they do still make paneling. We just aren't terribly happy with the selection/price. I would rather pick out some interesting looking veneers on 1/4" or 5mm underlayment(I am rather fond of "burls") and stain/poly urethane the stuff. But the flooring presented itself and was finished already (I was going to paint the underlayment) plus David liked the colour and durability... just not on a floor.

[Shadoll]

Lorna, that's funny because I was looking at this

And thanks for all your help and support. You guys are awesome!!!

Also, R-TecH I can't find anything that gives any R-rating indications. The 1/2 foam that I was looking at is dense(not pebbles) and says R-3.2.

oh.. http://www.insulfoam.com/images/stor...Insulation.pdf This site has R-Tech stats. Cool

[Shadoll]

Reading and keeping up on the Farold's trip, I'm not planning any big trips anytime soon. Plan on getting the inside built and then working on insuring the running parts are good before I do. I only hope that my bus does so well when I do get ready to go on the road. At the moment I have a job and am perfectly happy just getting it built with only short trips into town now and again. That will be a major undertaking for me alone. I am still very excited about how things are working out.

[Shadoll]

The last two demon bolts are gone gone gone!!



Over the river and through the woods (literally) I scored some electricity. Borrowed a sander. Sanding away.


When suddenly I realize this is probably way overkill for something that will never be seen again. And the seams are really roughly welded and won't be smooth.

My grandmother used to say 'never leave your house with holey underwear'... just in case.

Two questions:

Someone at work was commenting. "you need to keep in mind flexibility" I've seen some pretty solid builds inside people's busses. Anyone have any trouble with stretching and bending. I read comments where certain bolts might 'walk themselves' out. I know flooring-wize there were comments about leaving expansion ease.

Recommendations on resin or moisture paper? Not sure I'd trust random Home Depot employee to know.

It was a beautiful day yesterday. Looks like today as well.

[mightybus]

Red rosin paper is the best. It wicks moisture from the floor and plywood then slowly releases it from the side. I am not bragging but if you do the research on this site you will find I am the one that started the red rosin revolution. I am proud of that one contribution to skoolie.net. I used it in industry between steel roofs and plywood. Without the paper a steel roof could rust through within 3 years. Steel roofs installed over wood lath needs none.

[Shadoll]

Originally Posted by mightybus

Red rosin paper is the best. It wicks moisture from the floor and plywood then slowly releases it from the side. I am not bragging but if you do the research on this site you will find I am the one that started the red rosin revolution. I am proud of that one contribution to skoolie.net. I used it in industry between steel roofs and plywood. Without the paper a steel roof could rust through within 3 years. Steel roofs installed over wood lath needs none.

Can I get it at home depot? Or where?

[mightybus]

Sure. H.D and Lowes has it in the roofing section. Red rosin paper also adds a insulative value and only costs 10$ a roll. Who wouldn't sign on to value like that except those that haven't been so informed? The kids in the store probably will look at you like you're crazy if you ask them for it by product name. The older employes might have a clue. Go find it yourself if need be. It will be the roll that is slightly redder then the other roll they sell.

[mightybus]

I'm wrong again!
It's 12$ a roll.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... NdOSa5hDiQ

[Shadoll]

Originally Posted by mightybus

I'm wrong again!
It's 12$ a roll.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... NdOSa5hDiQ

Looks like one roll would do the whole bus and then some. I'll put some in my storage unit. Also says not sold here locally.. have to have delivered to the store. No big deal.

You said it wicks the water to the side. Then what does it do with it. *lol*