Aspiring Skoolie Owner

[jlhart1982]

Hello All,
my interest in starting the adventure of converting a school bus into my future home has peaked really high and im just now getting into researching the whole process. I am very confident in the construction aspect of the project but im afraid my weakness right now will be in the plumbing and electrical aspect. im not sure if solar will be worth the investment or if i just need to have a RV hookup and generator. also need do to alot of research on plumbing as far as grey water, black water, and reserve tank for the shower and kitchen. everything else i have down, lol. this will be a huge learning curve and i hope this site will be a good reference for me. If there are any of you in the pacific northwest, dont hesitate to say hi, i will be probally asking alot of you for tips and tricks. looking forward to it.

[New2Skool]

Hello there,
You can learn the plumbing and electrical aspects of your needs.
My only advise on power sourcing is rated on your needs and dont worry, I am not a pro that will tell you to monitor your current usage and document consumption, voltage and amps for devices or bi annual usage blah blah.

I have not completed my bus yet and I am currently working on the electrical and have decided to use a dual system to keep things simple. I bought a four panel solar system last winter which will operate the 12v dc system since, plenty of devices and items can operate from a 12v system.

The second system is a 110v standard system, this will power the bigger heavier devices that would drain or harm the solar system. AC Units, Heaters, etc, the things that are more sparingly used. It will be generator based or shorepower based.

So, I will have two systems the 12v solar and the shore power or generator 110v system. I am building them one at a time which seems easier.

Now, I am as smart as a fence post when it comes to plumbing. So, the plan is to go as primative as possible. Mounting my 40 gallon fresh water tanker high inside of the bus to have a gravity feed system. I am not comfortable trying to use pumps with the lifting capabilities or anything yet. I am trying to avoid the on demand water heater and will heat my shower water by hand with an electric tea pot that mixes with fresh tank water in the shower. That is about as simple as I can get it haha.

Naturally, my plumbing plan should change as I get closer to creating the system. More research, more hardware, all of that should help a lot. It is just a lot fo bite off at once as you can understand. So, I have focused on electrical for now and will focus on plumbing when the time draws near.

How do you plan to convert your bus?
Full size, mid size, shortie?
Are you going to rip it down to bare metal and insulate?
Roof raise?
Do you plan to be more mobile or more stationary?
Do you have a time frame or deadline for everything?
Living alone or with others?
What type of creature comforts do you want compared to need?
(Laundry, full size bath, full kitchen, home theater, work shop, etc)
What is your budget constraints?

I am sure there are a lot of folks on this forum from the Pac North West.
Yes, this forum is extremely helpful, handy, friendly and a great resource.
You have found the best resource for doing a skoolie.
The people here are varied as the buses themselves and they honestly care.

Have fun and remember it is a labor or love.