skoolis not welcome

[Skunky Bus]

Originally Posted by thommassey

...I lived in a 20' Itasca for about a year (well, that's another story) and the propane fridge worked "ok" ... but was cheap to run, and i was on shore power, but the 120 side did not work as well. So fridge is not as important as I may reflect that it is.. I am just used to having one 'very cold' all the time. The Bus will not be a live - aboard... yet So thank you for some options. Today i have to figure out if I have a 24 v system or 12...

In what part of the country were you living in your Itasca? How cold did it get? I'm sick of my roommate to the point of being tempted to move into my Winnebago if I don't get a job soon! But driving south for the winter seems a bit of an extreme solution. Was wondering how fast I'd go through propane in subzero weather. I think I know the answer already: just avoid spending time in the same room as said roommate as much as possible. Oh well.

The 1976 'Bago has a refrigerator made by a Japanese company. When using shore power I can get ice in my milk if I have the thermostat cranked up to max cold - and it's never been repaired!

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by Skunky Bus

... But driving south for the winter seems a bit of an extreme solution. Was wondering how fast I'd go through propane in subzero weather...

You would need an "extend-a-stay" either store bought or homebrewed plus a 100LB tank at minimum. In NE, you would be going thru 100lb a week if you were conservative with the heating and used AC heat to supplement. One of the RVs in our current campground has a 250# tank sitting in front of their RV. Not all campgrounds would allow that. It's 9F here right now and I have had the LP furnace kicking on to help the poor electric heater. The furnace kicks on and heats for a while, the electric heater keep the furnace from cycling back on for a while. Also helps keep the heat up as the furnace blows icy cold air at first before the burners kick on. I hate RV furnaces.

[thommassey]

In what part of the country were you living in your Itasca? How cold did it get?

Eastern WA... Dry, but cold...
As lorna, I used electric and backed up with LP. LP frig and Water heater full time...
Used about 100# every 5-6 weeks (aprox 25 gal)

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by thommassey

... Used about 100# every 5-6 weeks (aprox 25 gal)

Wow! That's pretty good if real winter places (snow , ice and freezing temps). You must have a furnace like in the Class C (old but good on LP). When we were in Johnson City TN, we only used about 20# every two weeks and it was very cold that winter. Here in NM, our neighbour's furnace is kicking on every 15 minutes (runs 10 minutes, kicks off for 5 then back on again). Drives me nuts listening to it all night. On the RV forums, I read of others who blow thru a 20# tank in a weeks time and they are in warmer areas than we are in.

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Wow! That's pretty good if real winter places (snow , ice and freezing temps). You must have a furnace like in the Class C (old but good on LP). When we were in Johnson City TN, we only used about 20# every two weeks and it was very cold that winter. Here in NM, our neighbour's furnace is kicking on every 15 minutes (runs 10 minutes, kicks off for 5 then back on again). Drives me nuts listening to it all night. On the RV forums, I read of others who blow thru a 20# tank in a weeks time and they are in warmer areas than we are in.

If I forgot to mention, my electricity was included in my space rent, so I only used LP for refer and stove and Water heater... LP furnace was never used, but had 2 @1500 watt heaters going full time.

[chev49]

I have bought many cars at salvage auctions, and there are a lot of refrigerator fires in the motor homes, especially the high dollar ones. While I have a nice rv como frig, and it hasn't caught fire yet... i have yet to enclose it in steel panels. I purchased them a month ago - just gotta move frig n enclose it. After seeing so many rv' frig fires, i figured this is the only solution. I do have 5 fire extinguishers both in bus and in compartments.

[freakn]

I have used 3 different Dometic rv fridges since the seventies and can say I have never had a problem running them on propane. That said I have installed a new style dometic in my bus. I built a metal surround for it before I installed it. The business side of it is completely sealed off from the interior of the bus. I plan on installing a automatic fire suppression system in the back side of it. If done properly and the system ever catches fire, it is put out before you even know there was a fire. Talk to anyone who does fire suppression installs on buildings or kitchens. It is so simple to set up, I am at a loss as to why all RVs don't come with it. Older kitchen systems actually had tempetature sensitive link hold back a spring on a regular style extinguisher, link melts in fire, spring sets extinguisher off.
I am installing an underhood system as well as one in my kitchen on the bus. my 2 cents

[Skunky Bus]

Originally Posted by peter36330

We went to a Southeast Cruisers bus rally at. WILDERNESS RV PARK ESTATES ,10313 NE 102ND ave,,Silver springs .FL
be advised ,,,SKOOLIE bus conversions ,and all BUS CONVERSIONS,are NOT WELCOME they told us that SKOOLIE bus conversions are a fire hazard...

Originally Posted by freakn

...That said I have installed a new style dometic in my bus. I built a metal surround for it before I installed it. The business side of it is completely sealed off from the interior of the bus. I plan on installing a automatic fire suppression system in the back side of it. If done properly and the system ever catches fire, it is put out before you even know there was a fire. Talk to anyone who does fire suppression installs on buildings or kitchens. It is so simple to set up, I am at a loss as to why all RVs don't come with it...

Steering the topic back to the original of the thread, there's the error in logic on the part of Wilderness RV Park Estates's management. Don't know how it'd hold up in court (I'm no lawyer and this post is not intended as legal advice), but it goes to show that you can't assess the safety of a rig by just looking at it.

[wtd]

Originally Posted by peter36330

We went to a Southeast Cruisers bus rally at. WILDERNESS RV PARK ESTATES ,10313 NE 102ND ave,,Silver springs .FL
be advised ,,,SKOOLIE bus conversions ,and all BUS CONVERSIONS,are NOT WELCOME they told us that SKOOLIE bus conversions are a fire hazard and are unsafe,,after 2days of travel from southeast AL and almost 400 dollars in fuel ...thanks to all for a long remembered lesson

Next time just tell them you're transgendered or choose your favorite from the long list of available 'protected classes'.

[thommassey]

Are there state parks ( I live in WA) that can turn away a "skoolie" if it has current registration and classified as an "RV" , which means it passed a state inspection? I would think not... My bus is going to require an inspection by a state hwy official BEFRORE I can even register it other than commercial... That will make it a "State inspected" RV... (not sticks and staples)

[lornaschinske]

A public park CANNOT turn you away if you are in a vehicle that is legal to be on the highways. That is the law. It is a publicly funded park and cannot discriminate. I have seen everything from U-haul moving vans (said U-haul on the side... these were not conversions), bread truck (still lettered) and all kinds of conversions. Down side to a public park is that you have a limit on how long you can stay. And there is price. A public park is generally cheaper by the night. A private park is cheaper once you are looking at longer stays (like monthly). Our monthly at this higher priced park is running a little over $13 per night. They are priced at the max of what we like to pay ($400/mo).

We have stayed for 3 months in a public park with out moving. This was in "off-season". I would not count on doing that. We were not paying the site rental ourselves. We also were rotating thru 3 names on the stays. Yes the head park ranger knew. He was the one who tried to check us in, as well as his 2nd in charge, as they had a volunteer who hassled us about it.

[Skunky Bus]

Originally Posted by wtd

Next time just tell them you're transgendered or choose your favorite from the long list of available 'protected classes'.

The Spanish word for "motor home" is autocaravana (feminine gender). Autobús is masculine gender. Perfect!

[timbuk]

Originally Posted by Skunky Bus

Yeah, here is a Wilderness RV Park Estates-approved RV after a malfunction in a defective refrigerator. Both Norcold and Dometic (the top 2 RV refrigerator brands) have had fire-related recalls.

that was my camper i built it into a bus!

[chev49]

Originally Posted by thommassey

Are there state parks ( I live in WA) that can turn away a "skoolie" if it has current registration and classified as an "RV" , which means it passed a state inspection? I would think not... My bus is going to require an inspection by a state hwy official BEFRORE I can even register it other than commercial... That will make it a "State inspected" RV... (not sticks and staples)

Oregon doesnt require an inspection.. so you could just register it there, and be fine...

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by chev49

Oregon doesnt require an inspection.. so you could just register it there, and be fine...

No inspection req'd to go from commercial vehicle to RV? That would save alot of frustration and hurried work... I want to be on the road by May, and I am tied up with 'requirements'...

[chev49]

in Oregon, one just has to tell them it is a 2001 or make up the year, converted motorhome, tell them the length but don't cheat too much, and give them the $350 or so for 2 yrs of license..you must present insurance card for vehicle, so a trip to the gmac insurance site is what i have done, for my last 4 busses.

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by chev49

in Oregon, one just has to tell them it is a 2001 or make up the year, converted motorhome, tell them the length but don't cheat too much, and give them the $350 or so for 2 yrs of license..you must present insurance card for vehicle, so a trip to the gmac insurance site is what i have done, for my last 4 busses.

Do you have to provide an address in Oregon as well?

[chev49]

I don not know for sure if you have to provide an oregon address. Maybe you have to use one of your friends address to get title sent to.. I own some commercial vehicles with someone who lives in another state, and either he or i do the dmv paperwork, but we have titles sent to my address.

[thommassey]

I will look into it...thx!

[itsme1738]

i went to a private park last sat,in colorado...sante fe+hampten bvd....no motor homes older than 1985,not even in storage
it was called the flying sauser (cant spell tonight).....funny its the oldest campground in denver....go figure