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/

One More Day (michael)

One More Day! No pictures. Some how the camera stopped working. O well. Lets see, the battery pak is wired and the inverter is installed, part or the 12v lights are in and working, all the plumbing is done, our personal goods are getting into their new home along with the TV and food. Tomorrow is the day. We will finish packing with one more trip to the thrift store. Wow, one more day. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Roof Air (michael)

Roof Air I was going to wait on the roof air for a week or so But, I took Christi on a "show off" drive and she said that the air had to be next. So I said to myself, Why don't I install the roof air next! And I did.

I didn't know what I was doing. I never installed one before.

I just solved one problem and took it one step at a time. It took about 4 hours in all. The cold air flowed on the 1st try. A little trim and paint then on to the next task.

Here is the Batt. bank and inverter that I have yet to hook up. Still reading on this one.

And the 20 gal. elec. water heater.

My $20.00 yard sale tool box. I can unmount the box, put the wheels and have a roll around work table.

My good friend and brother Mason Larry Bowers gave us a 33 gal. air compressor. Very nice. Thank you Bear.

Look what we've done to our bathroom. Our singing land cruiser is coming to life.

Another view.

More plumbing

A little table to travel with.

Christi still caulking and painting.

Only 4 days left till we move in and go to our 1st park.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Chunch Time (michael)

Crunch Time

So many things to do and we are running out of time. The house is sold, more like, passed on. Down to 1 car. 1 more trip left to the thrift store. 1 to the recycling center. Yard sales are over. Conversion inspection on Weds. Mean while, the plumber is plumbing, we are trimming, painting, fabricating, wiring, installing, tiling, flooring and well, you get the picture. There is a lot that we know how to do and we are finding that there is a lot we don't know. But on the bright side, we are learning more with every passing day. Oh, the passing day thing, we are down to just 8 days before "Shake Down". Things are coming along well. I would like to have a little more done like the roof airs. But, all in all things are well. A good thing is we have a 30 day shake down. The whole month of June to tweak Mrs. Jones. We will need it.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Floor and A Back Splash for the Lass (michael)

Floor and A Back Splash for the Lass

Well, the back splash was 1st. Dad (Randy Smith) came over to help with Mrs. Jones. I cut the 1/4 inch hardi-board just before he got here. Don't want him sitting around drinking coffee all day! LOL. While Dad worked on the back splash I put up the light fixture and a cabinet in the bathroom. Christi and I talked about flooring last night. We had picked up some laminate flooring for a real good price a few months ago, but when I went to install it in the salon, it would not lock together. It was to go in the kitchen also. No joy on that! So we do have extra tile from our friend George. We only need a little Hardi-board, glue, screws, mastic and some labor. Oh, Dad! Christi ran to the box store for supplies and Dad and I used up what material we had and started to tile the kitchen. Christi also said she would like one of those counter tops that fit over one sink so she could have more usable counter space. So, I made a cardboard template of the sink opening then rough cut the piece of counter top I cut out for the sink. Dad pulled out his router and cut a seat in it then cleaned the edge up with a rasp and belt sander. Good Job Dad!!! Then Dad said, "Can't we put that flooring in the bedroom if we screw it down, its better than nothing!" OK, we can give it a try. Hey, What do you know? It worked. It's not permanent but it will do for now. Christi arrived with more supplies and made us lunch. Bonus! We ate and got back to work. We finished the bedroom floor and then put the rest of the Hardi-board in the kitchen and cleaned up. Good day Dad, Thanks.

Note: Yesterday I piddled around as Christi painted and stained. I just wanted to finish up some almost done projects. So, I installed the 50amp Genny plug, cut and set the closet poles, ground off rivets and screw tips, nailed off the interior wall coverings and drilled the rest of the holes for the plumber to name a few. I have to say that sometimes during a project like this, some days seem like nothing gets done even though you worked hard all day. Just sit back and look at the whole picture. Every little thing you do brings you closer to your goal. Your Dream. I can see mine now, How about you?

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

A Little Work, A Little Play (michael)

A Little Work, A Little Play, A Lot of Mother's Day

Today Mrs. Jones got the rest of her wall coverings courtesy of Jeff, some more paint by Christi, and I, 2 lights and plumbing prep; hang the valve board, affix the water pump and drill the holes for the waste pipes and water supply lines. Christi started sanding the pantry doors and prowls the bus. Now we are off to the Home Depot to get the h2o heater and other supplies. Our son, Jared wants to take Mom out to eat. The plumber may come by and start on the lines. I'll cross my fingers.

Happy Mothers Day to all of you.

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Venting Through the Roof (michael)

Venting through the roof. For some reason, I did not want to do this. Putting a hole in the roof is just wrong. I put it off as long as I could. Momma want a bathroom and a kitchen sink. I used a 2.1/4inch all purpose hole saw and a drill motor. I cut a hole in the 2x4 plate and then carefully cut through the aluminum ceiling. I stopped to inspect for wires and sure enough, their they were. A whole bundle of them. I moved them out of the way and drilled a pilot hole through the roof in the center of the hole. I climbed up on the roof with all the tools and supplies I need to complete to task at hand. Using the same hole saw, I cut through the roof. Wheew! Not as bad as I thought it would be. Using a 50 year silicone caulk and 1/2 inch self tapping screws, I applied the flashing to the roof. I will paint it white later so it will blend. I then cut the ABS vent pipe at a slant and put it through the flashing boot with the slant facing the rear. I read that on someones web page. A small piece of P-tape and 2 screws held the pipe in place. I'm glad that is over with!

All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog;http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

Bathroom Sub-Floor (michael)

Bathroom Sub-Floor

First, place the toilet in the area you want to mount it. Draw an outline of it on the floor. Then look to see that the area is clear of any supports or obstructions under the floor. Then check to see if you have a straight line from the toilet to the black water holding tank. Drill a pilot hole into the floor and re-check. The toilet requires a minimin of a 3-inch waste pipe. Using a 3-1/2 inch hole saw and a strong drill motor, cut your hole. We found this used toilet at the local thrift store. Now we will prep for the tile by decking the floor with 1/2 inch hardiboard. This will be glued with PL400 construction adhesive and screwed in place. We are ready for tile. All the Best, Michael & Christi See our other Blog; http://michaelhargisshow.blogspot.com/

The Pooper (michael)

The Pooper.

Pooper, Pooper, what to do with the Pooper?

I went to the Net. That is always the 1st step to my research. Most of the time you can find the answer you are looking for in the archives. Sometimes you have to post your question on the Boards and wait for the answer. This topic had a lot of information on it. It told me that it was a long, hard and dirty job. Can we remove the pooper, "yes". But, with all the other things to do, we will leave it for now. We can still use the space though. It will be our walk in closet. I removed the door, handles, the "I'm in here" light and the seat cover. I took a piece of sheet aluminum salvaged from the upper storage compartments. This sheet will be caulked over the hole. The tank is clean but we will put in a small amount of bleach and rinse. Now, Christi can design her walk-in closet. Honey has closet, will travel.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Plumbing, Shower (michael)

Plumbing, The Shower. We picked a single handle, anti-scald, Moen fixture. It has a nice clean look and is easy to install. Just follow the instructions and you will do fine. If you are not comfortable with plumbing, call a plumber. You don't want this to leak. You will have to rip the wall out to fix it. Not fun! I used 1/2 inch PVC, because we had it. Short runs don't expand and contract like long runs. The long runs, 8' or more, tend to pull apart when using the recommended primer and clear glue. Mostly on the hot water supply line. I found that you can use PVC pipe for both hot and cold supply lines if you use the purple primer and the dark purple HOT glue and let dry for 48 hours. Now, that's for short runs only. Less than 7'. I ran the lines down through the wall plate and floor into the storage compartment. I left them long and will cut them to suit later. Next, plumb the toilet.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

The Shower (michael)

The Shower. First. check that there are no supports or cables under were you will be cutting the drain and supply lines. We framed for a 3' x 3' deep well shower and YES, I had to move it over 1 1/2 inches due to a cable! Placed the pan and marked the drain. Moved the pan and cut a 3" hole for the 2" drain pipe. Install the brass drain to the pan, then set the pan. We will be tiling the walls so we affix Dura-rock to the walls up to the ceiling. Set the regulator and shower head. Ready for tile.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below

Plumbing, where to begin? (michael)

Plumbing, where to begin?

1st things 1st. Hit the Internet. Hmmm, Busnut, MCI Bus nut, Bus conversion. The plumbing tree, this looks good. Hmm, by Evangelina. "I can do this". OK, make a list. Give it to Christi. She comes back with all the right parts, she's good. Print the picture from the site. Scratch my head a little and Walla. Find and paint a piece of plywood, a little 1x2. Some keepers. Bam, just like Evan did it. "Now, where do I hang this thing?" Scratch, Scratch.

All the Best, Michael & Christi Please Comment Below