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Old 03-21-2016, 04:49 PM   #61
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Hopefully you've got an air dryer on your rig.

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Old 03-21-2016, 04:58 PM   #62
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I'm going to go ahead and assume that's a real thing, and hope so too. I'm pretty frightened to drain these valves when I get home. Just out of curiosity, what happens if these valves are always off?
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Old 03-21-2016, 05:18 PM   #63
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Water builds up in the tank, which at a minimum naturally causes rust. Water can blow throughout your air system causing a number of problems, not to mention colder climate problems.

Does your bus do the PSSST every once in a while? That would be an air dryer. If not you need to learn to watch your tanks. Open the valve while it has pressure and see how much water comes out and what color it is. Doesn't hurt to have a bucket, and under pressure it can come out fast if you open the valve to fast. You just get wet a little. Keep your mouth closed.
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Old 03-21-2016, 05:21 PM   #64
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I'm not super sure, I know when my psi reaches 120 it will make an awesome "PSSST" sound. Aside from that, it may not. But I also don't know a lot. I'm certainly concerned regarding this, I will take notes tonight what the water looks like after draining/how much pressure it comes out with. Thanks for all your help, you're saving me a lot of headahce hopefully.
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Old 03-21-2016, 05:25 PM   #65
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It's always good to check your tank valves once in a while. I'm betting you've got an air dryer.

You're not a headache, you're just learning some things. I'm still learning things too.
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Old 03-21-2016, 05:28 PM   #66
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Man this community is too nice. I'll have to get some nice bottles of sake to give to all you good people, if I have any money leftover after the bus.
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Old 03-21-2016, 05:34 PM   #67
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I'll buy the house a round.
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Old 03-21-2016, 05:36 PM   #68
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It's a never ending cycle of one-upping. Not many communities online with such relentless kindness.
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Old 03-21-2016, 06:07 PM   #69
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A little bit about myself: I'm an impulsive idiot who doesn't know what I'm doing most of the time. I don't think things through, and I will frequently abandon a project I start after the boredom kicks in.
...I know that feeling...... I'm encouraged by your determination
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Old 03-21-2016, 06:15 PM   #70
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Thank you, your being encouraged encourages me to stay determined. I don't know if it's necessary to mention here but there are two material goods I have found immeasurable value in.

1. My shoplight
2. My bluetooth speakers.


Also, I have really appreciated the thought process of "well I didn't get as much today as I hoped, but whatever time I wasted today is time I don't have to waste tomorrow" (if that makes any sense). Also beer does a great job numbing fatigue.

Not that you asked, but I figured it's worth a mention somewhere.
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Old 03-22-2016, 02:53 PM   #71
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Also, I have really appreciated the thought process of "well I didn't get as much today as I hoped, but whatever time I wasted today is time I don't have to waste tomorrow" (if that makes any sense). Also beer does a great job numbing fatigue.
Oh it makes perfect sense. It should be my new motto.

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress!
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Old 03-26-2016, 03:56 PM   #72
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So progress is fickle, I spent the bulk of my day off "fabricating" a replacement vent for my driver side heater out of some aluminum I got out of the duct aisle from home depot. Unfortuantely/embarrasingly I learned that the adhesive I used was not effective so I will be re-gluing tonight after I get off work.

I have went ahead and begun paving out my new projects and plans for the future. Primarily electrical work!

Below we have a rough "before" pic of my electrical wiring, it is all wrapped in electrical tape, I have gotten 85% or so off. I don't really like the idea of re-wrapping it in E-tape.


I have seen some mixed reviews here of what people use to seal their electrical lines but how do we feel about plastic flex conduit such as this?
1" Flexible Plastic Wiring Tube Conduit 30 Meter 100 Feet Silver Gray Color | eBay

I like the idea of slicing the side like the image below so I don't have to undo/rewire anything. If this idea seems reasonable, then I could ziptie every 6 Inches or so to keep everything secure and tight.



I have seen other people mention using Pex or PVC as conduit, but I don't really want to undo everything and slide it through pipes. But it really wouldn't be that hard I suppose.

After much debate, I have changed my plans again to turn my passenger side stairwell into a battery box. This makes a lot of sense since I don't have the welding skills to make a good box that i can trust, and it will be much easier to keep the temperature stable within the box as well as perform basic maintenance on my flooded batteries. I will draw out a plan for my intentions later to present to everyone.

Amazing how fast time flies, it's already turning to April. Thanks again everyone for all your help so far! I look forward to presenting more satisfying progress to you before 2017!
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Old 03-26-2016, 09:18 PM   #73
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My Aerotech wiring uses that plastic conduit. It's nice to be able to add/remove wiring without stripping off a half mile of electrical tape. It does a nice job of protecting the wires too.

I re-purposed some to wrap my propane hoses.
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Old 03-26-2016, 09:24 PM   #74
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You got 100' of that?
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Old 03-26-2016, 10:18 PM   #75
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I'm on the verge of getting some. Do you want some? I'll probably have some extra.
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Old 03-26-2016, 11:12 PM   #76
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My bus is full of the stuff-I added about 3/4 of it. So is my race car. Easiest way to clean things up and still be able to be accessible in needed. And you dont need to go crazy with zip ties-the wires aren't going anywhere.
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Old 03-27-2016, 11:28 AM   #77
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I've got some that I use when connecting trailer lights and such. It's a good idea throughout the length of the bus. I was just a little shocked at 100 feet of it.
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Old 03-27-2016, 01:04 PM   #78
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Napa sells it by the foot. 25ft boxes-3 or 4 different sizes. its cheap too.
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Old 03-27-2016, 04:26 PM   #79
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I've got some that I use when connecting trailer lights and such. It's a good idea throughout the length of the bus. I was just a little shocked at 100 feet of it.
I have a personality that loves excess if the price 'seems right', perhaps I should upload some pictures later, or maybe I shouldn't.

But in regards to 100ft of the conduit, I figure I have a 25 ft length in the bus so I need atleast 25 ft, but I'd like to seperate the truck and house cables on the driver side so that brings me towards 50ft. Plus the passenger side is another 25 ft which brings me to 75ft total. However I decided I'm going to hold off before I buy the 1" conduit. I have a feeling after I separate everything I can would be better off with 1/2", and I don't mind spending extra but I have been learning that excess isn't always desirable.

Unrelated I found a sweet tandem axle trailer on craigy's for $600. I would post a link but I am too neurotic and protective to share until I claim it. I have a few concerns my modest 22r 2wd Pickup can tow a 3000lb trailer, but ultimately I want to attach it to the end of my bus as a mobile something (bathroom, kitchen, foodcart?, storage, shop, so many possiblities). I'm going to go ahead and assume that the bus will be able to tow it alright, despite the fact it struggles up hills.
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Old 03-27-2016, 05:59 PM   #80
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Wow, I haven't opened those up once since I got the bus. I'm very glad you let me know, I will open these much more often now.
There is moisture in the air, so when your air compressor sucks in air and compresses it, it also takes in the moisture, which will accumulate. Most air brake vehicles have a placard that state the air tank must have the moisture bled daily. Like our military friend stated above, it is all too true.

Air brakes are their own breed of brakes, and I suggest anybody operating a vehicle with them do some research on it. Many DMV's have free cdl books, which will go over air brakes. In Texas, to drive a CDL vehicle with air brakes, you must take a written and physical test on air brakes because of their importance.

https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/intern...orms/DL-7C.pdf

There is my states version. Chapter 5.
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