A Dozen Days (michael)

A Dozen Days Mrs. Jones has been in service for 12 days now and she is doing famously. We have had some leaks, the kitchen sink strainer basket and drain line. They were a quick fix. I have to shorten a drain line because it rubs a bay door and I moved the incoming fresh water line 3/4 inches to miss a bay door support among other things. We kept popping an electric breaker on the park pedestal but, we moved to a new spot and it stopped. We still have some trim to do, grout the kitchen floor and organize the bays a little better. No Joy on the 2 side windows Larry Hall had in his toy box, they were out of an MC9 and are shorter then ones from a A3. We have to keep looking. Did get some cabinet doors though. We are having a blast full-timing. What a life style. Of course it can't always be like this, could it? All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Ants (michael)

Ants Can't live with them and we can't live without them. I am finding that the ants that live in and around RV resorts seem to be smarter than regular neighborhood ants. They seem to lie in wait until you pull into your site and hook up your lines. As soon as you go inside they attack. Within an hour they are in your rig sweeping your floor. Two hours and they have found your counter tops and sugar bowl. Left alone they will be into everything you own. I found them using the TV cable as a supper HWY to our food stores. They crossed over to the water piping and found the kitchen sink. From there they split off in all directions. I sprayed all the lines and tires. Christi vacuumed up the little nasties and we were enjoying the resort life until I was out in the bays and placed a set of golf clubs up against the bus. That evening, the floor was moving, again! I went out and found their new route in and removed it. Now we are more attuned to resort living and "dem dar ants"! All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Mrs. Jones and a Busnut (michael)

Mrs. Jones and a Busnut Mrs. Jones had her 1st visit from a true Busnut yesterday. Larry & Carol Hall made a special trip down to St. David, AZ to see her. I have to say I was quite excited to have them come over to see our labor of love. Larry said his hellos then sat down in the driver's seat. With a touch of a switch, our baby roared to life. I kept looking for a sign of approval from Larry but he was giving me nothing. He shut her down and immediately dove into the engine compartment. He was poking and prodding like a doctor giving a 50 year old a physical. Still nothing. I think he was staying somber on purpose! He brought her to life again via the rear panel. He was playing her like a fine tuned instrument; listening, raving, a concerned look only to glance off to something else. I felt like I was in the waiting room awaiting news of a birth! After enduring 20-25 minutes of agony Larry finally blurted out...I'M IMPRESSED! The horns went off with fireworks, HALLELUJAH the choir sang. Then Larry said, "This coach keeps impressing me". Mrs. Jones has her 1st stamp of approval from a guru of the bus world. Thank you Larry, for your time and the nod of approval. It means alot to us. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Water Will Find A Way In (michael)

Water Will Find A Way In A big part about a bus conversion or an RV for that matter is water. We need to deal with the H2O factor. Water is an odd little beast that has a mind of its own. It can be very helpful at times and it can be very damaging if not kept in check. In the most extreme, water in large volumes can be very bad for your bus. Parked on the beach, a storm blows in and the waves have their way with your baby. Bad brakes at the lake and all of a sudden you own a very expensive boat anchor. Tsunamis, tornadoes and hurricanes are also very bad for buses. Other assaults by water the we need to consider are ice. Ice comes in many forms and conditions that can be very bad for a bus like black ice, snow, micro bursts and ice storms. We bus nuts have learned to avoid some of these conditions by putting the bus in gear and moving to better pastures. For those who didn't or couldn't move, our buses were built to shed water. The seams, doors and windows are water resistant. Paint and other coatings keep the rust at bay, for a time. There are other issues with water. We run elaborate piping systems all through our buses to bring us water on demand and discard it at will. We install tanks to hold our water in different forms like black, gray and fresh. We place water in sinks, buckets, pitchers and toilets. All is fine and well until a weak link develops that allows the beast to get out. In most cases you notice the leak and fix it in good time. But it is when a leak goes unnoticed that the real damage is done. I know, BLAH BLAH BLAH! Here's what happened that started this water rant. Day 4 we moved to a new site with shade. Beautiful cottonwoods sway over our new parking place with a great view of the lake, pool and clubhouse. We had the roof air on when a cloud bank moved over us. Then it started to rain, not outside, but inside the bus. Condensation had formed on/in the air conditioner and found its' way into our living space. It is just a clogged weep hole but it got me thinking. If that water did not drip straight down it could have found its way into the sub roof. Now that got me thinking of other drips that could happen at any time in a house on wheels. The bending, rattling and moving of a bus has and will place a never ending strain on all the systems. What else could I be missing? I need a bi-monthly inspection check list of all the bus systems that will/could help prevent water damage to our home. I will start putting together a list asap and post it. Until then I will ask the MAK board for their insight on this. My dad told me "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". I'm starting to sound like my dad? All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/