Coolant Lines & Subflooring

[reindeertomatoes]

Greetings friends,

I am in need of some advice. I am about to install the subflooring with insulation boards and wood flooring to build on. I also decided to keep the coolant lines as well as two fans to help cool off the bus. I am seeking advice as to how one could install the foam boards and OSB Wood boards around said coolant lines.

I am following the Chuck Cassedy's subfloor install guide, but am at a lost as to how I can install around the coolant lines. I will attach pictures to this post as well. Also, I have added as much information about my bus in my profile if anyone was curious. Thank you for the advice and guidance.

If possible I would like to:
1. tuck the lines under the wood flooring
2. have them accessible if they need repairing.
3. Keep the lines and fans to help cool the bus during hot days or when I am taxing the engine.

My largest concern is the connection in the back of the bus for there is little room to place any subfloor underneath it.

 

[Dbacks2k4]

I would replace all those old rubber lines with new silicone lines. Also get rid of the cheap garden hose clamps with smooth band worm drive clamps. That'll reduce your likelihood of needing repair. I would just then box them out near your chair rail and build them into back of cabinets, furniture, etc.

 

[heimlich]

If you keep them you will need to make them accessible for replacement for when they leak. I never wanted coolant inside the bus so I removed mine.

Maybe you could run them outside under the bus instead of inside. You would have to consider if that is right for your situation.

 

[cessna175]

I installed sound deadning material from amazon on the metal before installing the floor. it makes a huge difference!

 

[nikitis]

Chuck recommends running them under the bus if you take his advice.

I removed mine but kept the lines past the front heater to maintain a defroster and driver heat. It's actually hotter now that I cut my short and looped them. I built the foam around the loop but made a top cover of OSB that kind of just plops over it so you don't see the lines.

Since you are likely keeping them I'd recommend under the bus and adding hooks on the underside to hold the lines, and then come back up through the floor at the point of your heater.

 

[reindeertomatoes]

Chuck recommends running them under the bus if you take his advice.

I removed mine but kept the lines past the front heater to maintain a defroster and driver heat. It's actually hotter now that I cut my short and looped them. I built the foam around the loop but made a top cover of OSB that kind of just plops over it so you don't see the lines.

Since you are likely keeping them I'd recommend under the bus and adding hooks on the underside to hold the lines, and then come back up through the floor at the point of your heater.

Thank you for that, the more I learn about this step the more I am wanting to run the lines under the bus, do you have any pictures or resources of your process?

 

[nikitis]

Depends on your heater. The lines should come out the front heater and go down the hall. You can drill two holes (Use rubber grommets to not cut the lines with the metal in the holes you just cut), and feed the lines through the holes. That gets them under the bus. Then fabricate some hooks that will hold the lines out of the way of anything bad and run them down the length of your bus. You're extending the length a few feet by doing this so you're likely gonna need some extra hose, then when you want to go back up, repeat with two new holes and run them up through.

 

[Cheezewhiz]

I installed sound deadning material from amazon on the metal before installing the floor. it makes a huge difference!

What was the material? A bunch of my old rubbery stuff around the engine was molding, and the blanket we have draped over it now isn't ideal

 

[cessna175]

Good afternoon, The product is manufactured by Noico Solutions, {SNL 1} 80 mil. It's like a sticky thick dense rubbery material with a foil backing. I purchased it from Amazon. It takes a roller tool similar to a small paint roller to force adhesion. Its made specifically for that application. I painted the metal first like your bus and then applied it down. Each piece is 29.5x19.5". 36sq.ft. per box. I used 1/2"cdx on top of it. I wish I had used it on my first build.

 

[turkmauser]

I'm in the same boat as you and it looks like you also have a Thomas HDX. If it helps, the bulkhead where the lines come through the engine firewall is remarkable as is the bulkhead near the driver seat where the heater lines go back under. The heater lines come back into the heater core at the very front of the bus. You can access these lines by opening the front panel under the windshield next to the turn signals. So you could remove those two bulk head fittings and run 1" heater hose back to front inner the bus.

The issue I see and why I don't think I'm going to do that is I have storage underneath which would make running those lines a challenge. Plus with 80 feet of rubber hose, that's a lot of open elements sucking heat away from that driver heat/defrost.

My bus is 20 years old and I bet those houses are just as old. I doubt I'll have this bus for another 20 years so I don't see an issue keeping them inside and just buried under the subfloor next to a few inches of foam board insulation.

 

[cessna175]

good afternoon, in my opinion, you can run heater hoses where ever you find a place. As long as the engine is running, the engine water in the hoses, will stay very close to normal operating temp simply because of the pump is constantly moving it thru. In the summer time you will have to valve off the water lines inside the bus, or you will transfer heat inside when you don't want it. like when the a/c is running. Remember, heat transfers from hot to cold, not cold to hot. the sun makes it, an a/c pumps it out. I hope it this helps. have a nice day.

 

[1dmpo]

I would run the coolant lines under the bus if at all possible because if it can leak it probably will at some point. JEG's and Summit have aftermarket heaters that are about the same BTU output as those big bulky NOISY bus heaters and they are about half the size and make hardly any noise. My 28' flatnose had one rear heater and I replaced it with an aftermarket and it keeps us plenty warm and you never hear it running.