Poo Pipes Positioned . . .

I said I wasn't going to screw it all down but I was carried away with enthusiasm and the nice solid feel of walking on screwed down ply and not falling into the bin bays so it all got done.

I may well have to take some of it up again but that's another story and that's why it was done that way I guess.
Bed elevated and seats in position.
There are a couple of areas under the near end part of the seat which are not accessed by the bin door from the outside.
In another vehicle I saw being done recently one of them was made into a shoe storage area so that shoes can be changed on the way in or out.
Seems like a pretty good idea actually . . . may do that.
The other one is for all the switches, dials and circuit breakers which will be recessed into the end of the seat (not to be kicked on the way past).























For reasons that now escape me I decided to start fitting the toilet system.
Until the shower floor is in position which lets me position the dividing wall I can't even cut the floor segments to length under the toilet so it will have to be removed and the floor cut later . . .
in the mean time the toilet has been positioned on its elevated floor area (which gives a more comfortable height for the seat and allows apace for the disposal system underneath) and the holes drilled etc. for mounting.



















The mounting for this system must be one of the more obtuse engineering efforts I have seen for something which is going to be mounted in a confined and often awkward space. . . caravans and motor homes not being noted for excess spare space.
As can be seen in the following picture of the back of the unit some of the screws are tucked in behind the corner and are impossible to get at for final installation.
My solution is to screw it to a "transfer" board and then arrange for a more convenient method of screwing that down.
At the same time the capacity gauge and 12Vdc power MUST be connected . . . there is no way to get to it once screwed down.























The unit is then turned around and put into position.















The "poo pipes" can then be connected.
In this case I have arranged them so they form a "U-bend" up behind the vacuum generation system and also a hinge to allow the entire unit to be moved and turned around, should maintenance be required, without disconnecting the pipes.
A task to be avoided where at all possible !!
A pipe clip can also just be seen which holds the weight of all the pipes in position when they get full . . .


















There is a small vent pipe from the toilet which must preferably be directed overboard and the gas bottle bin must also be vented which was causing a little consternation until in my wanders through the local hardware store I discovered this little gem designed for connecting pipes to tanks.























All of about $10 so one of them was procured,
a hole of the appropriate size drilled with a hole saw






















the fitting screwed in place (and looking very neat)

















and a small piece of pipe connected underneath as a test
















This also came out right alongside where the toilet vent pipe is to run (the end currently being tucked into the side of the base station) so a simple "T" joint will allow both areas to be evacuated through only one "hull penetration".
The fewer of those the better . . .























I also visited "Sich" to see what he was doing about filling tanks and water pipe sizes etc.
The standard input cover fits quite well into his bus where there is plenty of room in the sides but it seems to be a bit of overkill.















So my next mission is to find a nicer input connector . . .

Four on the Floor . . .

Purchased four sheets of plywood during the week and had it delivered to "Sich's" place as he has the requisite equipment for wood working.

The flooring support frames have been screwed in and all the tank packing placed in position and leads connected to the gauge sending units.

Windows have been temporarily screwed into position to make everything watertight.
The duct tape is only to hold the outer frame in position while I go inside and screw the inner frame to it (sandwiching he wall in between).
I'll leave it there for the time being as I will have to remove the inner section again when I start to put up the wall lining.
You have to do things that way when you are working by yourself.
So this is the truck ready for the first excursion out into the rain to see what the weather sealing is like before it's all lined and any leaks likely hidden in the walls until it's too late and everything rots !!















If you look very carefully you will note the mistake I made of leaving in the cross tube covers without fixing them properly.
As a consequence I now have to make two more to replace the ones which fell out on the way . . .
Not really very happy about that (it feels like the intimations of "old timers' disease").

Never the less the journey went well although the wind resistance and weight can now start to be felt.
As it was Sunday no weighbridges were open so I still don't know about the weight distribution but it still feels a little rear heavy.
There are also a few strange noises every now and again??
It sounds like the whole mounting arrangement has come loose and is rattling about but several checks along the way determined it was all still firmly attached.
Nothing moves or rattles when you push, shove and swing on everything so it's a bit of a mystery at the moment.
Never the less arrived safely and began cutting plywood for the floors etc..
18mm thick external grade ply is being used.
The manufacturers say it uses the same glues but the timber is not selected as carefully as marine grade.
They assure me it will be adequate.
First section right across the middle (so I don't keep falling off the frames and nearly breaking my neck).
I wont actually screw it down until I have all the underfloor systems in place as it will just be easier if parts of it can be pulled up from time to time.























Next parts are seat bases and fronts (stacked on top in this picture) and the rest of the floor panels.
They're not in place here as various notches need to be cut out to fit around the frames.
I can do that part at my place.























So in any few spare moments this next week there are lots of little pieces to cut out and fit. . .

Weighty Matters . . .

The air conditioning drain was a little awkward as it came from right in the middle of the unit and out the front.
When you read all the installation instructions it becomes obvious that this unit is intended to be mounted under the floor or a bench etc. so the problem of dripping onto something outside is greatly reduced.
It seemed the easiest way deal with that was to add an extension to the plastic drain tube and bring it out the side of the unit inside the compartment and then arrange for this to be tube to be taken out through the floor at some other point.
For the moment it is coiled alongside ready for final disposition.


















Next step seemed to be to start installing the permanent under floor items.
Largest and most central of these is the fresh water tanks.
I didn't like the idea of just letting the hard plastic sit and rub on the hard floor underneath so some high density foam about 15mm thick was obtained and layed in underneath.
This also had the effect of making the fittings a little easier to get at.























The foam is also layed in all around the edges of the tank to prevent it moving around and between the floor support frames.
These frames are screwed in place and in an "emergency" may be removed to provide access to the tank (as long as I remember to also cut the floor panels to match).























Next I will need to connect and run wires to where ever the gauge will be mounted.
I have a feeling the weight is all being added toward the rear at the moment so as soon as the final windows are mounted and the door seals completed I will take a trip to the nearest weighbridge and check out the balance and total weights.
I may end up moving the batteries from their current intended position to something more forward to help this matter a little.

Good News . . . Bad News

The good news is that there is more paying work coming in the door . . .
The bad news is that there is more paying work coming in the door . . .
(not enough time for the truck !!!)

However one of the jobs allowed me to do some small amounts in between setups so I decided to put the reversing vision system in as it didn't require the use of any of the machines to make anything.

I had bought this at one of the 4WD drive shows and wrote a comment on it some time earlier.

I have since bought a second camera as I had all the other bits like cables and connectors etc.

First the screen needed mounting in the cab . . .
(this was obviously taken later as you can see the view straight down from the back of the house:)


















Then the bit that I hate - drilling holes in the fibreglass walls through which cables have to be fed and screw fixings made, which I never like as they are potential leaks, but an external cable would just look silly.
(It was tempting as the cables merely go in one end and out the other to get into the cab where the screen is mounted.)




















It occurred to me that I needed to make provision for something going wrong at some time and needing to remove the mounting bracket (you just never know . . .) so I couldn't just bolt through with bolts and nuts (normally used) as they would be hidden behind the insulation and walls.

If it became necessary to remove the bolts to replace some part then the nuts would fall down behind the wall and be useless but only if I could get them undone in the first place!
So I decided to drill and tap a piece of stainless steel which could be fixed to the inside of the wall and would remain in place to allow me to undo and do up the necessary bolts.












Next some Very High Bond double sided tape was attached to the back of the piece.











and the piece was pushed into position using the bolts to line up with the holes so that the plate ended up in the correct position.



















The bolts could then be removed from the back and reinserted from outside to hold the camera brackets in place.
The left hand side camera was pointed so that it was looking down close to the back end of the house.
They're fairly wide angle any way so it still covers a lot of ground while allowing to see the very back of the truck while backing.























The right hand side was aimed to give a longer view.





















While working both in and outside of the house it was a nuisance to keep dragging extension cables inside and out and I needed to get the camera cables into the cab as well so I decided it was time to decide where the cables would enter the house and make at least a temporary power access point.
A location near the front edge was chosen and some temporary holes made (which will be tidied into a proper junction box later when I have worked out just what needs to go through there).
The proper waterproof receptacle was just screwed into the floor for the time being but at least I now have convenient power inside wherever I need it.
In this view the underside has been sealed around all the joints but will not be proof coated until all the work has been completed.


















While inside I decided to also fit the gas bottle box which is required to be both gas tight and waterproof among other things!
I had a local sheet metal worker make up the basic pressings as I don't have the required equipment for that little job.
It fits in right next to the hot water system leaving just enough room for the water fittings at the back of the heater (to be fitted later).


















In order to reduce the number of small doors on the outside a single door was made to allow access to the gas compartment and the hot water system (if required).
As they needed to be quite separate a dividing frame and central seal was also incorporated.























Being "on a roll" I decided it was also time to put in the air conditioner which is mounted in a recess just above this door.
As was mentioned some time ago rivnuts had been fitted in the correct spots to allow for mounting with stainless steel bolts rather than the zinc plated screws provided.


















Then a trial run was undertaken.
It is quite interesting that the unit merely idles when the temperature is below 20 deg. C. and is almost silent from outside.
As the temperature rises the compressor cuts in and it gets a bit louder.
I could see how in a quiet campground this could be a little annoying . . . but then I don't plan to be in too many campgrounds.
Last thing to do is fix the cover on the out side.


















Well second last really.
There is this stupid little drain tube for condensation which is going to drip all down the side so I will have to find a way to route it somewhere else.

Closure is Good . . .

A (now not quite so welcome) break in real work has allowed me to fit all the bin doors.

It's marvellous what a little hindsight can teach you.
Now that all the doors are made and fitted I know what sort of problems to look out for.
Pity I didn't know beforehand.

Just a millimetre doesn't sound like a lot but if the opening is one millimetre different from another and the door is just one millimetre out of square and the hinge is just one millimetre out of alignment the whole thing can be a disaster!!!

Fortunately only one bin door was bad enough to require dismantling and remaking and even now I think that if I ever get a really slow day I may do that one again. . .

So now it looks like this . . .


















After all the trouble with the bin doors I was really worried about the main doors and they are far more difficult to manoeuvre into position and then take down again for trial fitting.
Never the less they fitted better than most of the bin doors and the slight twisting mentioned in earlier posts is only noticeable in strong side light and knowing what to look for . . . wwwheww!
Left hand side . . .























Right hand side . . .























Never having worked with this type of construction and door lock (different from bin doors) before I have got it about as wrong as you can get !!

I wanted the seals to be on the doors and not on the sills as I think they get less accidental wear and tear that way.
That was OK but the sealing area has to be completely separated from and around the outside of the lock area.
Surprisingly these locks are not particularly waterproof and need to be kept away from the wet.
Not realising this mine are of course way out in the weather . . . and the edge of the door and lock area looks like this . . .























Of course water can get in everywhere and while this is not always a problem the construction here is ply (not necessarily marine grade) glued to fibreglass . . . water is it's worst enemy!
So a plate had to be made and fitted and then all the gaps securely primed and sealed with "roof and gutter silicone".
This is the plate before silicone was applied.























At least now the doors shut with a satisfying "thud".

Now I just need a way to get the seal to miss the striker plate but still seal on the frame . . .
Wishful thinking . . . I feel more mod's coming on . . .