More activity to report

[Mrbolly]

Good evening all,

Sitting in for a quiet night tonight, it is raining here in Melbourne so I thought it was a good time to sit with a glass of red and write an update on my progress over the few weeks since my last post.

I have finally finished working on the roof, it has been made a longer task by the fact that I hate going up there and working. The roof has 9 x 200 watt solar panels plus the satellite dish, so moving around is difficult and because it is close to the roof of the factory, you can't just stand up and walk. But now it is all secured and the cables are through the roof and connected to the solar controllers. There are two controllers, one is for the main 24v LIthium Ion battery which has 8 x panels feeding it. The second controller is fed by one panel at 12v for the smaller battery also at 12v which provides power for lighting and water pumps etc.

IMG_1297.JPG

I was pleasantly surprised after I had done all the connections etc. I turned the solar panel isolating switches on and the solar controllers started receiving power. All the more remarkable because the coach is still parked inside the factory with only the opaque skylight feeding light into the panels.

I have built an internal control cupboard, at least it will be a cupboard once I install the door! As you will see in the picture, it is a very busy cupboard with solar and various electricals and switching.

IMG_1296.JPG

When the cupboard door is fitted, that will carry a few gauges and controllers so the status of the system can be monitored and controlled without having to open the cupboard.

You can also see in that picture that the air conditioning evaporator units have been hung, one is a bulkhead unit over the driver's area, with bulkhead which will also carry a television still to be built. The second is a cassette unit sized to cover the lounge and kitchen areas. Now they have also been plumbed, air evacuated and commissioned. It all seems to work well on both heating and cooling. The unit is a Fujitsu multi head split system with the outdoor condenser unit mounted in a bin on the right hand side. I mounted the condenser unit on rubber mounts and when we turned the unit on, I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet everything is. I even had to open the window to be sure the condenser unit was running.

I have strung all (I hope) 240v and low voltage cables through the ceiling and with any luck, I hope to be able to put the insulation and ceiling material up by the end of this month?

Some time ago, I made a mould for a one-piece shower cubicle and then laid-up the actual shower unit, that has been sitting on the mould now for about 10 months. I de-moulded the cubicle today and started dressing it out with its plumbing hardware ready for the cubicle to be loaded in the coach with the curved shower screen ahead of building the walls around it.

IMG_1298.JPG

It certainly looks starkly white in the picture! Just need to glass in the mounting for the flick mixer now.

I managed to find a fold down windscreen stone guard and fitted that to the coach, folded down the access for cleaning the screens is much easier.

As most of you would know having worked on your own vehicles, you do so many jobs and intuitively you know the list is getting shorter but you look for watershed moments, a little like building a house. You work away and all of a sudden you find yourself at "lock-up" and then you work like crazy but no-one can see your progress. For me the next watershed moment will be when I get the ceiling lining in, that will be the point where the work happening will be far more visible with walls, cupboards etc. going in.

I hope I haven't bored you all? Time for the glass to be topped up now.
.

Cheers, Alan

[BernieQ2]

Looking good Alan , keep the photos coming . I photograph all and sundry even stuff that one would wonder why ?
But it all comes together when your finished and can sit back (as I do ) and look at what you achieved . both in real life and as photos on the computer .
Bernie .

[Dot]

Hi Alan, you are really getting things done now it is looking fantastic and I most certainly will have another drink. Just 28 deg in the bus now and those little bugs are starting to squeeze through the screens. Never boring Alan when it comes to doing these projects so keep the updates coming.

[Mrbolly]

Looking good Alan , keep the photos coming . I photograph all and sundry even stuff that one would wonder why ?
But it all comes together when your finished and can sit back (as I do ) and look at what you achieved . both in real life and as photos on the computer .
Bernie .

Thanks Bernie,

Yes doing the photo thing, once it is usable and I get some time, I might try and cobble the photos together on the computer into a bit of a presentation. That will probably require plenty of wine to complete though.

Cheers, Alan

[Mrbolly]

Hi Alan, you are really getting things done now it is looking fantastic and I most certainly will have another drink. Just 28 deg in the bus now and those little bugs are starting to squeeze through the screens. Never boring Alan when it comes to doing these projects so keep the updates coming.

Shall do Dot, enjoy your drink as I am mine.

Cheers, Alan

[BruceS]

Top stuff Alan!
Bet you can't wait to kick off the big trip?
There is a photo album available on here if you want to poke a few up!
https://www.ozervnews.com/gallery/

[Mrbolly]

Top stuff Alan!
Bet you can't wait to kick off the big trip?
There is a photo album available on here if you want to poke a few up!
https://www.ozervnews.com/gallery/

You are right Bruce, getting close enough to taste it. But don't want to get ahead of myself, so no firm departure plans.

I' ll look at putting some photos up in the album.

Can you confirm there is a three photo limit on these posts, either that or I have another finger problem?

Cheers, Alan

[BruceS]

Yes, 3 limit but I think if you post 3 & then edit the post you can get another 3 on it. Easier to just make another post?

[Mrbolly]

Good evening all,

Sitting in for a quiet night tonight, it is raining here in Melbourne so I thought it was a good time to sit with a glass of red and write an update on my progress over the few weeks since my last post.

I have finally finished working on the roof, it has been made a longer task by the fact that I hate going up there and working. The roof has 9 x 200 watt solar panels plus the satellite dish, so moving around is difficult and because it is close to the roof of the factory, you can't just stand up and walk. But now it is all secured and the cables are through the roof and connected to the solar controllers. There are two controllers, one is for the main 24v LIthium Ion battery which has 8 x panels feeding it. The second controller is fed by one panel at 12v for the smaller battery also at 12v which provides power for lighting and water pumps etc.

IMG_1297.JPG

I was pleasantly surprised after I had done all the connections etc. I turned the solar panel isolating switches on and the solar controllers started receiving power. All the more remarkable because the coach is still parked inside the factory with only the opaque skylight feeding light into the panels.

I have built an internal control cupboard, at least it will be a cupboard once I install the door! As you will see in the picture, it is a very busy cupboard with solar and various electricals and switching.

IMG_1296.JPG

When the cupboard door is fitted, that will carry a few gauges and controllers so the status of the system can be monitored and controlled without having to open the cupboard.

You can also see in that picture that the air conditioning evaporator units have been hung, one is a bulkhead unit over the driver's area, with bulkhead which will also carry a television still to be built. The second is a cassette unit sized to cover the lounge and kitchen areas. Now they have also been plumbed, air evacuated and commissioned. It all seems to work well on both heating and cooling. The unit is a Fujitsu multi head split system with the outdoor condenser unit mounted in a bin on the right hand side. I mounted the condenser unit on rubber mounts and when we turned the unit on, I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet everything is. I even had to open the window to be sure the condenser unit was running.

I have strung all (I hope) 240v and low voltage cables through the ceiling and with any luck, I hope to be able to put the insulation and ceiling material up by the end of this month?

Some time ago, I made a mould for a one-piece shower cubicle and then laid-up the actual shower unit, that has been sitting on the mould now for about 10 months. I de-moulded the cubicle today and started dressing it out with its plumbing hardware ready for the cubicle to be loaded in the coach with the curved shower screen ahead of building the walls around it.

IMG_1298.JPG

It certainly looks starkly white in the picture! Just need to glass in the mounting for the flick mixer now.

I managed to find a fold down windscreen stone guard and fitted that to the coach, folded down the access for cleaning the screens is much easier.

IMG_1300.JPG

As most of you would know having worked on your own vehicles, you do so many jobs and intuitively you know the list is getting shorter but you look for watershed moments, a little like building a house. You work away and all of a sudden you find yourself at "lock-up" and then you work like crazy but no-one can see your progress. For me the next watershed moment will be when I get the ceiling lining in, that will be the point where the work happening will be far more visible with walls, cupboards etc. going in.

I hope I haven't bored you all? Time for the glass to be topped up now.
.

Cheers, Alan

[Mrbolly]

Yes, 3 limit but I think if you post 3 & then edit the post you can get another 3 on it. Easier to just make another post?

Hi Bruce,
As you may have seen, I used the " to add a photo to the original post although while the new photo attached, the original photos dropped off and it became a new post. So that is obviously not the "edit" you referred? So how do I edit a post?

Cheers, Alan