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Old 12-24-2019, 09:38 AM   #261
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Mt Vernon, WA
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Year: 1996
Coachwork: Bluebird, Collins
Chassis: G30 Bluebird Microbird, E350 Shuttle Bus
Engine: 1995 Chevrolet 350, 1992 Ford 460
Nice hydronics. I must have missed what type of floor is used. What about cement board? Then paint it with floor paint? Would that conduct heat well?

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Old 12-26-2019, 09:51 AM   #262
Skoolie
 
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Location: Norfolk, VA
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Year: 2003
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Chassis: Integrated CE S
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Originally Posted by Doktari View Post
Nice hydronics. I must have missed what type of floor is used. What about cement board? Then paint it with floor paint? Would that conduct heat well?
You didn't miss anything; I hadn't posted it because I was getting nervous about how close to the deadline I was so I forgot to take many pictures. The floor is ~3/4" plywood T&G. I chose this because I wanted to use tongue and groove wood, and the only option available was the above. So, basically had that decided for me.

Here's a photo of the run we did to Home Depot to grab the insulation and plywood:
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Old 12-26-2019, 09:53 AM   #263
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Location: Norfolk, VA
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Year: 2003
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Engine: DT466
A photo from when I started out the trip. You can see the floor "fully installed" here.


Plan is today to pull up the floor (haven't glued it yet) and add the heat spreaders to zone 1, then glue down the floor.
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Old 02-06-2020, 07:40 AM   #264
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Year: 2003
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Engine: DT466
Lots has happened since I last posted. I believe the last post was from when we were still in MN. We were able to finish zone 1 there:

And after re-installing the floor, we built a bench!

With storage:

Then I realized that even though the driver's heater was set to "recirculate" the internal air, there was still a big vent completely open to the outside air. While driving at 65MPH. Noisy and chilly, so I blocked it for the drive back:

BTW, we hit a milestone on the drive back!


After getting back, we took some time off to put out feet up, then got back at it. Built a platform and lofted bed frame:

Then installed half of a ceiling:

Also seen there is my two different ideas for fresh water under the bed. We're still not sure whether we want them vertical or horizontal, so we're stewing on it.

Then, we drilled a hole through the floor (missing the coolant lines, intentionally, thank God), ran the 50A shore power cable, mounted and hooked up the circuit breaker panel, wired up an outlet for the DC converter, wired THAT into the DC panel, and wired up the front-most light to test it all. Plugged it in to the house (50A to 20A adapter, extension cord to the house), and success!

I still have to mount the converter, so I'll get a picture of the whole setup when I get there.

Next steps are to wire up and install the rest of the lights (they are very bright LEDs, so we don't have too many to do), run the wire for the light switch for the front section of lights (going to run a relay with a ground connection for signal, since the initial wiring is going to be so long), and install the other half of the ceiling.

BTW, I have an Atwood water heater, LP only, and I came across a kit to add an additional electrical heater element through the drain port:
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Hot-Wat.../dp/B0024ECCJW
Has anyone done this conversion?
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:13 AM   #265
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Location: Philadelphia
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That loft bed looks fantastic. Great idea and execution.
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:58 AM   #266
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That loft bed looks fantastic. Great idea and execution.
It was originally ~9" taller. Basically you had enough room to lay flat and not breath too deeply. The wife nixed that one real quick so I dropped it down. But there's still enough room underneath for storage, access to the emergency exit, AND the dogs' play area.
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Old 02-06-2020, 09:50 AM   #267
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Question about your radiant heat.

Are you going to attach any walls, cabinets or furniture to the floor? If so, how are you going to miss or protect the radiant heat lines in the floor?

I have about given up on putting my heat in the floor as I am still tweaking my layout and will definitely be attaching things to the floor. I don't want to chance running screws through the PEX lines.

Thanks.
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Old 02-06-2020, 10:21 AM   #268
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Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
Question about your radiant heat.

Are you going to attach any walls, cabinets or furniture to the floor? If so, how are you going to miss or protect the radiant heat lines in the floor?

I have about given up on putting my heat in the floor as I am still tweaking my layout and will definitely be attaching things to the floor. I don't want to chance running screws through the PEX lines.

Thanks.
Yes, punching through the PEX lines is a horrifying thought for me.

Prior to placing the PEX, I made the decision that I will NOT secure anything to the floor. I do have the lines placed every 6", so when I go through the floor for drains, I will know exactly where they are. And when I drill I will go stepwise, making sure I'm not about to puncture a line after each layer.

I made the decision to not secure to the floor as I will be securing everything to the walls, which are secured to the frame. So the floor will be held in place by the benches, cabinets, etc set flat on top and then secured to the walls. That way I have no risk of thermal bridging, and I'm relatively confident that the floor will stay down.
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Old 02-06-2020, 01:21 PM   #269
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Okay, so I wired up the rest of the lights and tested them. Full success!


Got some pictures of my wiring setup. So the storage box that I added back left is where the plug in stuff is:

Then the plug goes up through the floor:

And into the AC panel:

The ground is bonded to the bus body on one of the ribs behind this. Then I have the DC converter mounted, with a dedicated 15A outlet and breaker (7A draw):


And finally that feeds back into the DC panel:


The lights are currently all wired directly in, so I can make sure they work. Going forward I'm going to make the front 3 run from a single relay that is run by a grounded switch. The final light will be run by a positive switch, because I can place one in line conveniently. We're going to add a walkway light that's going to be off center to the passenger side, and I'm debating a switch versus wiring it in and running it from the switch on the light.

Looks like the next step to do is finish off the ceiling!
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Old 02-15-2020, 05:19 PM   #270
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Location: Norfolk, VA
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Engine: DT466
We've been plugging along nicely since the last post. Per my previous mention, wood-working is my jam. Metal-working, not so much. Finished the ceiling, with the lights installed:

Used the extra cedar planking (stuff was not cheap) to trim the stairs:

And then puppy-proofed the bed so that my acrobatic dog stops trying to show off her high-diving skills:


Next, I framed out the bathroom:

And then went hard this weekend to frame out the kitchen counter:

You can see approximately where the sink will sit, and you can see exactly where I'm planning on securing the stove. It'll be over top of the water heater, since those are the only two that will be using propane, so no long propane lines prone to fail!
It's a bit more spacious than it seems on the left side of that image. There is room to walk, but it's filled with random scraps of wood right now.

And finally, the water tanks. We are currently testing the fittings right now. We drilled a 1/2" hole and used some JB putty to affix a 1/2" straight pex crimp into the hole. Both tanks (55gal each, because I like to drink a lot of water) have been filled and are currently sitting, testing how it'll hold up over time. So far, no leaks, but I'll give it a few days!
Passenger side tank:

Driver's side:
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Old 02-15-2020, 05:24 PM   #271
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Rated Cap: 54 passenger
You do great work. I keep seeing people start to use the fifty five gallon drums and then decide that they don't fit under the bus. I'm waiting to see how they work for you because there's always a few around here for practically nothing.
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Old 02-15-2020, 05:42 PM   #272
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Originally Posted by JDSquared View Post
You do great work. I keep seeing people start to use the fifty five gallon drums and then decide that they don't fit under the bus. I'm waiting to see how they work for you because there's always a few around here for practically nothing.
JD,

The tanks pictured (fresh water) are going on the interior, and I have another 2 (grey and black) that I do intend to mount underneath the bus. I'm relatively certain that they will fit under my bus, I have test-fitted them. That being said, I haven't mounted them yet so it's possible I overlooked something!
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Old 02-15-2020, 06:35 PM   #273
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Join Date: May 2016
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I've used some wide solid boards to park on sugar sand.
I had great luck pulling up on lengths of 2x12. One for each tire.

I have managed to get a 40' bus stuck in the mud once.

Once is one time too many......

Good luck.
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Old 04-06-2020, 03:43 PM   #274
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Oh boy, a lot of work has happened since the last post.

Heck, the world has changed a lot since the last post.

I'm still being paid as normal, but don't have any work, so I've done a lot of bus-related work with this whole pandemic going on!

First, the interior. Hooked the plumbing up to the sink and water heater:

Found out the the control board is shot on the water heater, which is a shame. But in the mean time, I installed a 110V heating element in the drain plug, which should help.

My original plan of using JB weld to put the ports on the water tanks failed. Catastrophically. So I went with Uniseal, and it works great!

Installed and tested the water pump, and included a way to bypass it when on "shore water" (with a pressure limiter installed), and also use that water to fill the tanks:


On the topic of water pressure, I also built and installed 2 accumulators made form 4" PVC:

I built one and got 1-2 flushes of the toilet before the pump kicked on, so I figured a second can't hurt. I then realized that I did NOT have the water heater valve turned on, so that will also act as an accumulator.

Added 2 mini-fidges I have laying around. I also ran the propane lines for the water heater and stove, and tested both. Then I wired in a propane detector on the floor where those lines are, and tested that to make sure it works. Then I closed the whole section in, so if propane does leak, it won't spread:


Next, we walled in the bathroom:


Then, the part I'm most proud of, and also most scared by. The AC unit. We took a window unit, and installed it on the interior, without protruding at all. Started off by building a support over the wheel well:

The strip of metal is if there is a lot of condensation, it won't soak into the wood. The 2x2 under the front is so that the unit will sit flush with the wall.

Then, very carefully, we measured and cut a hole for the exhaust, and installed a vent:

You can see the screws that go through the wall and into the AC unit, and they hold very well. But, in an overabundance of caution, I also secured it down with some more 2x2s:

Then I cut 3" holes for intakes, 2 on either side of the exhaust:

They are very much unevenly spaced, and I haven't decided if that was intentional or not.

And finally, I took some left-over foam insulation, and boxed in the "exterior" side of the unit:


Tested as is, it blows nice and cold. I'll go back tomorrow and take a can of Good Stuff foam and go to town around the edges and gaps. That should completely seal in the unit and prevent any hot air or water from escaping.

I haven't run an extended test to make sure the "exterior" portion doesn't overheat due to air flow, but based on the amount of air flow when I tested it, I'm thinking that the 4 intakes should be enough. I do have some more should we decide to add more intakes, but at this time I'm thinking we won't need to.

Future directions for the AC unit are to duct the cold outputs and add some fans. As is, the intake is directly below the cold outputs, so it simply recirculates in front of it. With ducting and fans, we should be able to efficiently cool the entire bus!
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Old 04-06-2020, 03:45 PM   #275
Skoolie
 
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Location: Norfolk, VA
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Engine: DT466
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDSquared View Post
You do great work. I keep seeing people start to use the fifty five gallon drums and then decide that they don't fit under the bus. I'm waiting to see how they work for you because there's always a few around here for practically nothing.
JD, I realized I didn't get some good pictures of my waste tanks, so I went back a grabbed a few for you:



Note how low the waste gate is. We are concerned about it, but we think it won't be a problem as we will primarily be on good roads. However, should we need to get extra clearance, the tanks are up against the floor rails, and those could be ground down for an extra 1-2".
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Old 08-17-2022, 03:34 PM   #276
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New owners!

We bought this bus and have had it now for about 8 months and we have torn most of the old out and have begun to renew the bus to fit a family of 5! Bunks are going in the composting toilet showed up on the doorstep today! Just posting to see if anyone is still following this thread!
Attached Thumbnails
F814E039-D884-4CD2-BE84-79BE0190D17C.jpg   E73B8C81-ABAD-426B-8ADA-4C0E1D0D82FC.jpg   466FA97A-E323-4717-993F-7B16D120927C.jpg  
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Old 08-17-2022, 03:41 PM   #277
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At least you have records!
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Old 08-17-2022, 04:33 PM   #278
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Yup

Waitin to see what happens now. Still bothered by how low the waste drains are. One set rural train crossing and the crap is gonna hit the road.

But, then again, I misjudged the situation.

William
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