1935 Chevy school bus

[ol trunt]

Hello All. From the "Should Have, Would have, Could have" file, or the "If it works, don't fix it " file comes today's tale.

As I got to the end of my build, I got tired of waiting to start using my bus. Therefore, I cut a couple of corners. There is a small space in the right rear corner of the bus that is bound in by the a/c flu. the fiberglass bath, the kitchen counter and the body. Through it pass the water, sewer and propane lines along with the hardware for the bathroom sink. I built my way forward from this corner. Until today all of it has worked just fine--and would have continued to do so if only I hadn't decided to finesse the temperature of the on demand water heater. While trying to get just the right balance of water temperature, water pressure and burner temperature, I let the water temperature in the kitchen sink rise to 165 degrees F which is way too hot. The result was a pvc pipe failure, you guessed it, in the inaccessible corner. Now I'll get to cut that access door in the side of the buss--the one I was in too much of a hurry to do when the doing was easy.

No pressure. I don't have to have the thing repaired until May first when we arrive in Yosemite. More to follow. Jack

[somewhereinusa]

I completely understand, even though I'm not finished, I have found things that need changed. I really hate taking things apart that I put together so it wouldn't "fall" apart.

[tango]

You know the rules Jack --- "The probability of having a problem in any given location is in inverse proportion to it's accessibility."

Meanwhile...which on demand WH did you go with and how do you like it so far?

[ol trunt]

Hey Tango. I went with the Ecotemp L5 heater. I am completely satisfied with its quality and ability to do what it is touted to do -- with these caveats: First, the unit is very sensitive to pressure and will shut off if it drops below 20#. By using the Ecotemp recommended pump that problem is taken care of. Because I chose to recirculate the hot water to avoid running water down the drain waiting for it to get hot, I used one pump for hot and another for cold water. Second, It is tricky to adjust the fuel flow and the water flow to obtain just the right temperature water.

It is this second issue which got me into "hot water". The Ecotemp is capable of raising the ambient water temp (with some upper limit I suppose), thirty degrees. My mistake was not taking into account that as the hot water recirculated, the ambient temp in the tank continued to rise resulting in higher and higher water temps the longer I monkeyed with the adjustments. I don't know what made me want to fine tune the system because it actually worked fine the way it was adjusted. I looked up the upper temp range for pvc pipe and found it to be 140 degrees F. I suppose letting the water temp gradually climb to over 160 degrees wasn't very smart. Cpvc is rated to 200 degrees, but at the rate I was going I'd have blown that up too .

I've got about 30 hours into the repair at this point, what with the hole I had to cut for access and I figure I'm about 1/2 done. Lets see, at my new minimum wage of $15/hr, that is about $450 for starters Jack

[tango]

Hey Jack --- the L5 being a "portable" and not rated for indoors...did you rig some venting or how is it set up?

[ol trunt]

Hey Tango. Look at pages 15 and 16 to see pics of the water heater install. The heater gets its combustion air from under the bus and exhausts through louvers where the left rear 1/4 window was on the back of the bus. Jack

[somewhereinusa]

Lets see, at my new minimum wage of $15/hr

Gee, who knew. If I had known I was getting that much I would have taken longer.

[tango]

Oh yeah...the old bring the outdoors indoors trick. Thanks Jack

[ol trunt]

Gotta tell somebody. An ancient mincemeat colored cat found it's way to my yard about 1 1/2 years ago. When I took it in it was on its 9 th life and I didn't expect it to live but a few days. Somehow, it managed to survive and capture my tough old heart. I had to put her down today and I am sad. Funny how we get so attached to our pets. jack
P.S. She got her name from the way she walked (no doubt run over at some point) -- like a high lift cam.

[Lostranger]

Gotta tell somebody. I had to put (my cat) down today and I am sad.

Jack, even though I'm not a cat person, you have my deep condolences. About three years ago, we thought for 16 hours that we'd lost our Kora. My world was a dark place during that time, and I hate to hear that yours is now. Thanks for letting our little troupe know. What are we if not a glorified support group? You've held our hands during many troublesome episodes, and we'd love to return the favor.

Without the internet, most of us would find ourselves in dingy church basements on Thursday evenings. We'd look round the circle and say something like, "Hi, I'm Jim, and I'm a busaholic."

As you mourn the loss of your pet, imagine us looking back from around this larger circle and responding, "Hi, Jack."

Hang in there, Friend.

Jim

[tango]

Sincere condolences Jack. Critters really can work their way into our hearts and lives, which, given what they bring us, is good thing. That's what makes it so tough when we lose them.

[ol trunt]

Hello All.
I just finished up the repair of the burst hot water line in my bus. Once I'd cut an access hole in the side of the body I figured I might as well replace the entire hot water line and install a new shower/sink faucet since I can now get at it all. I added a thermostatic control to the Ecotemp L5 instant hot water heater so I wouldn't over hear the water line again. I used this http://www.ebay.com/itm/10A-12V-Digital ... SwSzdXBzNl I've used this controller on other systems and it works fine. Jack

After I cut the hole in the side of the bus, I built a case and door frame. The door was hung by a stainless steel piano hinge and skinned with the cut out panel.
[b/].

Finished door.
[b/].

[Dusty]

Nicely done Jack

[Lostranger]

That's a beaut, Jack.

[ol trunt]

Hello All.

The walls on my pop top are canvas and let heat out of the bus like an open window. The rest of the bus is insulated with 2" thick foam--top, bottom and sides and the windows are dual glazed. I've been toying with insulating the pop top and today I finished up a snap in liner that still leaves me enough room to stand up. I started with a queen size all season down comforter which I cut and sewed to fit the top. We're heading to Yosemite next week and it will probably still be cold enough to give the igloo a good test. We'll see! Jack

Summer view.
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Winter view.
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