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Old 07-24-2014, 07:48 AM   #41
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by claydbal
great work! so you figure the composting toilet will be ok in the humid environment of the shower? i too will be stealing your ideas! thanks.
I don't see why not.. The composting toilet IS a humid environment: all pissy and poopy in there...

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Old 07-26-2014, 11:41 AM   #42
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty
Quote:
Originally Posted by claydbal
great work! so you figure the composting toilet will be ok in the humid environment of the shower? i too will be stealing your ideas! thanks.
I don't see why not.. The composting toilet IS a humid environment: all pissy and poopy in there...
I think you want to divert the pissy or it will get stinky. Bus is looking good.
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Old 07-26-2014, 01:18 PM   #43
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by crazycal
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty
Quote:
Originally Posted by claydbal
great work! so you figure the composting toilet will be ok in the humid environment of the shower? i too will be stealing your ideas! thanks.
I don't see why not.. The composting toilet IS a humid environment: all pissy and poopy in there...
I think you want to divert the pissy or it will get stinky. Bus is looking good.
I've used household sawdust composting toilets installed indoors before. No smell, even with urine, as long as enough sawdust is scattered.

Extra tip: don't use cedar. It seems like a nice fragrant option, but cedar is non-absorbant! A friend of mine learned that early on with her sawdust bucket toilet.
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Old 07-29-2014, 08:28 AM   #44
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

The shower progresses:



With braces holding the FRP firmly to the curve




Without braces


Where'd the window go?
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Old 07-31-2014, 05:11 AM   #45
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Braces looked scary... Turned out great!
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Old 08-07-2014, 03:35 PM   #46
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by Drgnnite
Braces looked scary... Turned out great!
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Old 08-29-2014, 08:57 AM   #47
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Bought two light-converters the other day!

Both are a Heliene 72M solar panels, made just 10km down the road. Here are the details:
- 295Wp. NOCT max rated power is 221W. PTC max rated power is 264.8W. Voltage hovers around 36v
- 280Wp. This panel isn't on the information sheet, but I would deduce that the NOCT max rated power would be ~210W and the PTC max rated power would be ~251.4W. Voltage hovers around 36v

The charge controller I purchased (a Tracer 4210rn) can handle around 500w when charging a 12v battery system. The combined PTC max rated power of the panels is 516.2W; NOCT max rated power is 431W. I expect they will do just fine.

http://www.heliene.ca/products/detai...,10,20,581,616


These panels are big!



I'll be putting them lengthwise on the roof of the bus. They extend from the back all the way to the downward slope at the front of the bus.



This is the rig I made to bring them home. The rear struts of the car pinch the cargo bay and I didn't want the panels teetering on the top of the strut. This solved the problem nicely. Always nice to have crap wood lying around!
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Old 08-29-2014, 09:04 AM   #48
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty

FRP does a number on the jigsaw blades..
With some experience under my belt, I should revisit this issue.

Only use a jig-saw for tight corners within a panel (cutting a hole out for a shower control, for instance). Use a cut-off disc on a small grinder for the big cuts! It works much better. Just be sure that the grinder's spindle isn't touching the FRP as you go along, or there will be nasty melt marks on the panel face. And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE wear a quality respirator. The dust is nasty. It is fibreglass, after all. You WILL be itchy after cutting.

Also, when cutting with the jigsaw on a panel that is face-up, by sure to put something soft between the jig-saw shoe and the panel otherwise scratches will occur. I wrapped a clean rag around the saw. It blocked some air vents so you'll want to take it easy.

EDIT: Use an angle grinder with a cut off wheel.. Way faster
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Old 10-09-2014, 10:26 PM   #49
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

I recently had some time to work on the bench. Functionally, it's complete. Now it needs finishing, which won't likely happen for some time. For most things the motto has been, "make it work first, prettify later". The bench is no exception.

I'm building it stout.. Very stout. No squeaks, no sag. People will be riding on it while underway and I want it as solid as possible (without going so far as building it out of steel.. Don't have the time for that). That 2x4 on the back rest is to straighten the slightly warped 3/4" (18.5mm?) plywood while I secured the hinges.









Folding it out for sleeping:



In the sleeping position:



Yep, that'll make a fine guest bed! The aisle is narrow, but can still be walked. I worked hard to maximize the bed size so it could fit two people fairly comfortably. Every inch counts in a skoolie and even more so in a short bus skoolie!
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Old 10-13-2014, 08:29 AM   #50
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

I'd just like to add that during the construction of this bench I fell in love with T-nuts. Now that I've used them once I can think of dozens of times where they would have been the best choice...

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Old 12-04-2014, 07:27 PM   #51
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Little bits of progress here and there.. Installed a light in the bathroom:



I've also been working on the fuel tanks. Here is the original tank coated in Por15. To the left of it is one of the new tank mounts I constructed. The bigger tank can be seen in the background.
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Old 12-07-2014, 10:05 AM   #52
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

I am in awe. I was married to a cabinetmaker who would have loved how you kirfed the plywood. I would have cheated and used luan ,also because of weight. About the sawdust toilet, will pine work? Where I live, cedar and pine sawdust sawdust is about all you find. Love the Oregon coast but few hardwoods here.
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Old 12-07-2014, 01:53 PM   #53
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Well thank you! I'm no cabinet maker yet, but am getting better as I go along.
I think pine is alright for a composting toilet. Cedar doesn't work, though, because it's naturally moisture-resistant.
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Old 12-11-2014, 06:36 PM   #54
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Put the solar panels up! FINALLY! It's been a long time in the making, but I've been waiting for a) a day where I have the time and b) there are folk to help me out. My lady has recently come off of contract work so she's been around and we had a friend over this morning as well. Perfect opportunity!

I built a quick and dirty ramp to slide the panels up:




Here's a panel loaded onto the dolly portion of the ramp. I made a dolly so I wouldn't scuff up the paint on the panel frame. Ropes are tied to the upper portion so I can pull from the roof of the bus and the two helpers can push from the ground.



And the forward panel is on the roof. Next step: walk the ramp towards the rear where the second panel will reside.



Both panels are up. If it weren't for the ladder to the right you'd think I was just playing on the snowy ground!
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Old 12-12-2014, 01:55 PM   #55
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Here's a view of one of the panels tilted upwards. The other is still laying flat on it's mount. I need to get a couple more nuts and bolts for it.
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Old 12-12-2014, 03:49 PM   #56
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Looking good! --- Bu did you have to use a special snow drill?
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Old 12-12-2014, 05:08 PM   #57
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

No need for drilling! I just wet the feet of the panel mounts and let the ice set. Should hold for a couple months
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Old 12-13-2014, 05:23 PM   #58
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Really sweet solar set-up
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Old 12-17-2014, 09:34 PM   #59
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty
Oh, right.. and to elaborate on the spray foam:

The walls have about 3" spray foam in them. It was a real pain in the *ss to get it evenly sprayed between and under the strapping. There was a lot of waste, which was later trimmed down by a 5amp grinder with a braided wire wheel cup on it. Holy freakin' dang blasted foam dust mess!! But dealing with the clean up was easier than trying to cut it with hack saw blades and the like. Tyvek suit, respirator and eye protection is a must. But really, for anyone who is considering spray foaming anything more than the most trivial wall layouts, heed this advice: PAY SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT!

It really works wonders, though. My little radiant kerosene heater pulled the bus interior from -3°C to 25°C (26.6°F to 77°F) before I opened more windows (always have one cracked with the kero heater, for those not in the know).
Messing around, I found this online.... What do you guys think? Gut's telling me this is a bit high....
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Old 12-18-2014, 06:28 PM   #60
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Re: Armageddon: the smell of airborne rust

250sq.ft. floor, so a medium sized bus? I'd say $3200 is pretty high. Chances are you won't be applying spray foam to the floor, either. It's best to use closed-cell rigid foam for the floor since it doesn't compress easily. I bought two Foam It Green kits to do my bus. I'm fairly confident it would have been about the same, or cheaper, to drive it to a professional to get the job done.
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