Buster the '05 Ford E450

[Taz420]

That is SO not kosher!
Despite being yellow, urine is categorized as being black water, meaning it's just brimming over with pathogens.
Grey water is what drains from your shower, sinks, and washing machine (if so equipped).
That's it.
Technically, if you're in the habit of pissing in the shower, it should be drained into the black tank.

Human urine is for the most part sterile. The exception would be someone with a urinary tract infection, and even those are considered non-contagious even with direct contact. There are no human pathogens that are transmittable through our urine. The sink and shower traps are going to harbor far worse bacteria than piss.

 

[Frochevy]

Well Im not an expert on urine... so I won't comment on that part...

I agree with this build. It is awesome! Very good if not best (cleanest) look to a build. It has inspired me in allot of different ways. I'm kicking myself now for not buying a used awning on Craigslist. Turns out it's the same one you have. I wasn't sure how it would work. Anyhow, I went with an outdoor shower... Now wondering if I would have had room... Keep up the pics!! Thanks for posting!

 

[PNW_Steve]

I do my research before I post anything up here even double check it so I wont put wrong information and mislead someone else.

Pee is sterile, actually has less bacterial then tap water.- google it before saying its "brimming over with pathagens."

Well I guess you never peed in a bush or let your pets pee on grass?

reasearch on multiple composting toilet websites is where I found out it was safe to do,

long as you keep urine separate of feces its sterile, and if its diluted even better and has fertelizer properties for plants.

This is for me to dump in my lawn at home probobly 20 gallons of grey water consisting of wife's and I weekend use water, some biodegradable soaps and around 2 gallons of urine.

My research has led me to pretty much the same conclusions.

I have not seen examples of routing urine to the grey tank. I have seen plenty of folks collecting and diluting urine for use as fertilizer on food crops.

I have no problem with my dogs peeing in the yard. Out of consideration for my neighbors, I generally pee inside.... :biggrin:

 

[mattbus]

The diverter sounds like a pretty good idea actually, it would be easy to do and more convenient than emptying the urine bottle, as that fills up fairly quick compared to the composting portion. It's not really a hassle now but it could be a cool project down the road. From what I've seen, it would be fine to do, this is from Nature's Head's own website "Where do I empty it? Urine is great for mature trees, or can be diluted for plants.". I always use organic soaps in the bus as well.

One random annoyance I discovered this weekend was the fridge being so close to the futon bed when it's folded down. The fridge is very quiet, but when it kicks on I can feel the vibrations in the bed! It's fine once I'm asleep, but it's one of those things where if you are about to drift off to sleep and it kicks on, it wakes you back up. So I might need to see if I can slide it over even 1/2" or maybe just put a foam pad on the bottom and edge. I'd also like to quiet the water pump down a bit, it's not bad really but I'd feel better about showering late at a quiet campsite if it were closer to silent. Looks like adding some padding, flexible tubing, and pipe insulation around some of the PEX should do the trick.

Here's a pic from this weekends outing, got the awning just in time! Also, the solar panels and Yeti are amazing, no worries about electric at all, and keeping the battery topped up at all times. Even after using the hot water heater, it's back to 100% in a couple of hours with good sun.

 

[Bpjr07]

Yeah though of mentioning the pre to the grey since it might be the only thing needed to really not need to use camp toilets....did not want to start a war on your thread, sorry!

As for the the fridge, they sell isolater pads they are about 10$ for 4,made to lower compressor, transformer vibrations they may fit between the cooler and wheels. Soft ones might do the trick, they are sturdy not to get destroyed by drilling through them.or they got rubber bushing style too amazon..

 

[mattbus]

Woke up to an awning full of water and a small pond for a campsite. I can't believe the awning didn't collapse honestly, the thing is a lot stronger than I thought. (first photo is pre-rain storm)

In other news, I got an OBDII reader to monitor mainly the oil temp. I picked up the Veepeak OBDCheck BLE on Amazon for $32, which is nice since a lot of the ones out there for iPhone seem to be wifi only and this one is Bluetooth. After trying out a few different monitoring apps, I sprung the $10 for OBD Fusion and another $10 for the 2005 Ford presets.

Still messing around with different gauges and settings, but the app has a ton of different options. I need to do some more research, but from what I saw on my 1.5-hour drive today, I think the oil and coolant temps are staying where they should be, but honestly, I'm not 100% sure what the max is for these so I need to do some more reading up. Definitely recommend this adapter and app though.

 

[tims5377]

What did you do to the undercarriage to make it so clean?(looking at the frame)

How about the windows, you mention trimming them (i think, reading quickly...) and doing some sealing? How di dyou ensure that they are water tight?

Do you plan to do anything to insulate the windows? Buffalo guy here with plans to build one of these and take it up to the ADK.

 

[Mskgremillion]

So is this bus the 6.0L? Just bought the same one with 136k 2004.. hesitant to start my build though now that Ive read up on the engine etc... Any advice?

 

[jtlightle]

So is this bus the 6.0L? Just bought the same one with 136k 2004.. hesitant to start my build though now that Ive read up on the engine etc... Any advice?

I'm actually looking at an E450 Minotour with the 6.0L & wondering if I should shop further.

Also, I can't seem to find the interior dimensions for the Minotour. Does anyone know ballpark figures?

I'm hoping to put two 2-person beds sideways (a King & a Queen or Full would be perfect) and have seating for 3 plus the driver up front.

 

[Mskgremillion]

Woke up to an awning full of water and a small pond for a campsite. I can't believe the awning didn't collapse honestly, the thing is a lot stronger than I thought. (first photo is pre-rain storm)

In other news, I got an OBDII reader to monitor mainly the oil temp. I picked up the Veepeak OBDCheck BLE on Amazon for $32, which is nice since a lot of the ones out there for iPhone seem to be wifi only and this one is Bluetooth. After trying out a few different monitoring apps, I sprung the $10 for OBD Fusion and another $10 for the 2005 Ford presets.

Still messing around with different gauges and settings, but the app has a ton of different options. I need to do some more research, but from what I saw on my 1.5-hour drive today, I think the oil and coolant temps are staying where they should be, but honestly, I'm not 100% sure what the max is for these so I need to do some more reading up. Definitely recommend this adapter and app though.

So the oil and coolant should not reach a 12-14 degree difference between each other. If they do, your oil cooler is clogged.

 

[Jocelyn-SKO]

I've been considering getting an OBD reader, I have a very similar bus to yours a couple of years older. Going to look up the one and apps you're using!

 

[texastj-SKO]

So is this bus the 6.0L? Just bought the same one with 136k 2004.. hesitant to start my build though now that Ive read up on the engine etc... Any advice?

I'm in same boat. Bidding on one with 57k miles and current high bidder. Didn't realize the 6.0 was so bad

 

[PatrickBaptist]

Human urine is for the most part sterile. The exception would be someone with a urinary tract infection, and even those are considered non-contagious even with direct contact. There are no human pathogens that are transmittable through our urine. The sink and shower traps are going to harbor far worse bacteria than piss.

BUT don't forget, there are people like me that have blood in my piss from kidney problems and stones.... "Hematuria".

 

[PatrickBaptist]

I'm in same boat. Bidding on one with 57k miles and current high bidder. Didn't realize the 6.0 was so bad

You don't want the dreaded 6.OH, they are a horrible design and expensive to deal with, stay with years 2004 and older to stay away from the EGRs and DPFs to begin with.
The 6.OHs are bad about EGR cooler problems and then blown headgaskets that lead up to full rebuilds. One of the worst engines IH made.

 

[PatrickBaptist]

I've been considering getting an OBD reader, I have a very similar bus to yours a couple of years older. Going to look up the one and apps you're using!

I've got some videos on my YT about using a bluetooth adapter and apps to work on 7.3s, if you want a link let me know. I use 2 apps, torque pro and car gauge, can even do injector buzz tests.

 

[texastj-SKO]

You don't want the dreaded 6.OH, they are a horrible design and expensive to deal with, stay with years 2004 and older to stay away from the EGRs and DPFs to begin with.
The 6.OHs are bad about EGR cooler problems and then blown headgaskets that lead up to full rebuilds. One of the worst engines IH made.

That is what I've heard. Hoping I get outbid. Otherwise might be stuck with it. Luckily only bid at $1000....

 

[Mountain Gnome]

You don't want the dreaded 6.OH, they are a horrible design and expensive to deal with, stay with years 2004 and older to stay away from the EGRs and DPFs to begin with.
The 6.OHs are bad about EGR cooler problems and then blown headgaskets that lead up to full rebuilds. One of the worst engines IH made.

I thought the 6.0 was made directly by Ford. The old motor that it replaced was made by IH. But I may be wrong, or maybe you are talking about something else...