Decided not to take any pics even though I would really like to show you some. The maple is starting to go in and its looks just stunning. Norm has almost finished a work of art disguised as the kitchen, it truly looks magnificent. Each day at the moment is long, we start at 9am and finish at 6pm. The weather is getting warmer, I even started to leave a layer of clothing off, I am now down to three shirts lol.
I think it will all just come together now. All the hard work has been done and now its a case of putting it all together, build stage 1 is in our sights.
Norm sent home two bits of the maple we cut out. One was for a socket and the other the propex heater vent outlet. One was rectangle and the other round. I gave them to Jessica and within seconds she had stuck them together. I asked her what she had made and she said they were a tree again, think about what she said………………
Yesterday was a very pleasing day. We switched the water pump on and presurised the system and got no leaks, that’s no leaks. I still can’t quite believe it. Then it was time to check the Truma. Gas was already there so it just had to be switched on. All we needed to do was connect to the 12v. We turned the switch and it tried to ignite but the red light came on meaning failure. After three attempts I sat back to think. Of course, I had left the weather cover on the outlet. After removal I turned the start button again and this time the gren light stayed on, success. After 15 minutes we had piping hot water, fantastic.
Today the electrician is coming to fit the 240v side. Norm meanwhile carried on building the rear bedroom during the morning and then we both set to cladding the bathroom. We needed at least the front side of it doing for the electrician to mount switches to. First we prepared a sheet of 6mm ply. The difficult bit was getting it to the exact curvature of the van. We took the framework down and then used the riggers that butt upto the wall as a guide drew a curve. Norm then used a jigsaw to cut it. We offered this upto the wall and then marked the bits that were keeping it from fitting perfectly. Using a small plane these were planed off and after three adjustments the ply fitted perfectly. This was then carefully stapled to the framework. The 3mm maple finish board was then cut and then glued using quick drying pva glue to the ply.
Yesterday as Norm worked on the rear bedroom area I put a 5amp inline fuse into a power line and connected up the propex. I then fitted a four way gas manifold (we have a four way one because we could not get a three way one) and completed the gas line to the cylinder. It was then time to turn it on, the first big test. Within two minutes, as described in the instructions warm air started to flood into the van, everything was working well.
I fitted a few blocks of 44mm wood under the gas pipes that were suspended in mid air to ensure they were safe and then started on the final fitting of the water system so that today I can check out the truma so the fingers are still crossed.
Just created a work sheet which should see us to completion stage 1……. a useable van to sleep and live in. This is the list I have created
Day 1 Friday Morning
1) refit kitchen
2) fit manifold gasket – we need an 18mm ply L bracket to screw to the floor and then to mount the manifold to
3) connect propex and truma water heater to gas supply
4) connect the manifold to bottle pipe
5) connect gas pipe
6) connect thermostat to porpex
7) fit fuse to 12v dc propex and then to battery
8) switch gas on to propex
9) test propex is working
10) tighten up water connections to truma
11) fit water inlet to water tank
12) fit two ½ inch bolts to the end of the kitchen water pipes and tighten with jubilee clamps
13) .
14) fit a fuse and switch to the water pump and fit to battery
15) put some water into the tank
16) fit fuse to 12v supply to truma
17) fit thermostat to truma
18) 18 turn on and test truma and test 15 minutes later by unscrewing hot water bolt and seeing if water is warm
19) If all is well remove battery and leave for connection to power control system
20) prepare panel for front seating area in 6mm ply
21) prepare two maple panels for the front seating
22) drill hole for propex outlet in maple
23) fit propex pipe
24) prepare and fit ply tops for the front seating areas
25) prepare end panel for the kitchen. One idea I have for this is to router it to 45 degrees upto 4inches above the height of the kitchen work top so this mitres with the side panel. Above the side panel to put a semi circle curved edge to it all the way to the ceiling.
26) Prepare two maple panels for the kitchen. The one to go onto the end one taper one edge to 0. However the bit to the height of the side panel will need to be slightly wider. When fitting slide this to the ) edge upto perfection and then router the other edge.
27) Put the maple panels to one side until after the weekend electrical fit
28) measure the seating area for foam
29) LUNCH ………………………………………
Afternoon
30) Decide on drain hole for bathroom and drill
31) remove bathroom, clean and refit
32) start to prepare the outer panels
Day 2 Saturday
33) Continue and fit outer panels to bathroom
34) Fit maple to the outside of the batroom
35) Fit door to bathroom including lock
36) fit lighting to bathroom
37) fit door catch to bathroom door
38) bathroom is now complete for Newark
39) Fit 240v cable to the front for socket and to the back for socket
40) route the 240 volt cable from truma
Day 3 Sunday
41) connect 240 inlet cable to spur and then to power management control board
42) connect socket cable
43) connect 240v truma cable
44) earth the power management unit
45) fit battery to the power management unit
46) test
47) fit the battery to battery relay
Day 4 Monday
48) Prepare and fit the rear bed / seating area
49) 12v Wire up the lighting and sockets
50) connect the propex and truma to the power control unit
51) secure the power control unit
Day 5 Tuesday
49) continue with the bed
50) gas locker
50) strap down the battery and the water tank
there are more days and items to enter, this is just to get us going lol
Its all starting to come together. Norm’s framework for the shower room is done and looking superb, really sturdy. For the Newark show we will probably clad the outside and hang the door but not get the inside done. This was always our plan so we are on target.
I had a frustrating day to begin with. I went to see the upholsterers I was planning to use but the women who is staff there is leaving in two weeks time and refusing to accept any work. But when she leaves she is setting up her own company and could do it then, she gave me her number. I would rather learn how to do it myself than use someone so dishonourable!
If she is starting her business in such a way that great thing called “karma” will get her, the karmic effects of all deeds are viewed as actively shaping past, present, and future experiences. The results or ‘fruits’ of actions are called karma-phala.I see people starting out businesses by conning their employers or some try to go out on an injury so they can sue their employer. These same people run around after customers they think are going to spend lots of money but those they class as time wasters get little. These budding entreprenours should learn very quickly that the harvest you reap is the harvest you sow. I see them flounder in relationships, in their business and ultimately in life.
Sorry to rant but it really irritates me. That women could have done the work now, she could have mentioned to me in passing that she was leaving to set her own business up and she would possibly have got a lot of work from me.
In the same vein but getting back to van conversions I popped into a little shop that sells foam. I really liked the shop owner. He came from the back workshop with a big grin on his face welcoming me to his business. He totally ignored me at one time to take a call from his daughter who is going in to give birth today, I respected him for putting family before business. I liked his advice, his foam and his price. I decided to buy carpet from him even though his price was higher than carpet price around the corner and I bought carpet spray from him. I shall return to buy the foam once I have the exact measurements, probably on Friday.
Back at build HQ I spent the day carpeting the sliding door. I knew Norm was worried as each time he came to check his stud work for the bathroom he offered to help. I would have loved to have accepted his help but I really wanted to let him complete the studwork and not distract him. The scary thing about doing this van is its all new to us. I have never stuck carpet to a van wall!! There was a point where I knew I had to spray the high impact, very sticky carpet glue to the van. This was the point of no return. If I messed up the fitting then I would have one messy door.
However as I put back the blind to complete the job I was very pleased. Norm praised me for the work and even Norm’s wife sandra who the previous day had said no to the idea of carpet to the door liked it. Once completed I can visualise the carpet will make the maple wood we are ultimately using really stand out.
Probably the thing that takes the most time with a self build is working it all out. The day started with a quick call to Propex, the manufacturers of out blow air heating system. When I was installing the wiring loom for it there were no instructions. The termostat cable was straight forward as it was 5 pin and there was only one 5 pin socket but the 3 pin 12v dc socket had a choice of two locations, cn18 which was next to the themostat socket or cn24 which was the other end of the board. I opted for cn18 but made a written note to call and check. I was informed that the less obvious cn24 was the location. It will work from both but apparently create problems in the future. We forgot to include wiring instructions in the manual, they said lol.
Norm got on with the shower room and completed the “wing”. This is a work of art and sadly will never be seen again once installed. It is his own creation, designed to equal out the curve of the van so the shower room wall will be straighter, I am looking forward to seeing how it performs
Clamps are an important part of the self builders tool kit. Here Norm is bonding the wing to a piece of ply. We used a different form of clamp – a spreader for the ceiling boards and when we took a few holding screws out this last weekend the ceiling did not move (or drop lol). The bonding we used, which was Gun and Nails had dried and bonded superbly having been pressured in place.
Meanwhile I kept busy fitting the truma water heater. Again the instructions were a little bit slack in place. I was working on the outlet. A hole was cut in the side of the van, the truma, complete with extension offered through, and all the way through so it connected with a metal plate I had screwed to the outside of the wall. Bedding mastic was used to seal it all, wood battons on the inside to screw into and then finally the unit itself screwed to the floor inside. Sounds easy and quick but in reality it took all day to check and recheck I was doing it correctly. This is gas we are talking about and fumes etc
It was alovely day yesterday and whilst I played at being a plumber Shona and Jessica made a fantastic job of polishing the van and it now shines like a new one. We also fitted some wheel trims. Meanwhile I took out the gas pipes and redid them. Tom at Magnum advised me that I had done the piping incorrectly. Initially I was taking the feed pipe from the cylinder to the kitchen, teeing off for the hob and then continuing this pipe across the van for the truma and propex. but Tom recommended having the on/off terminals at the kitchen and then taking two seperate pipes over. I could see the sense in this so thats what I have now done. I used some plastic P clips to hold the pipe in place. The P clips came from Maplins.
Today its electrical day and I am going to install the lights
