I got the front windshield and the driver and passenger windows insulated this weekend. It turns out that the super cheap comforters at Wal-Mart are the perfect size for the 'Bago. I ended up using two King-sized comforters in black to get 'er done.
What makes this job trick is that the comforters get folded fully in half, doubling their potential insulation. I'm sure it sounds really ghetto-riggy, but from inside and out, it looks like something I bought.
I ended up using safety pins to hold it all together. None of the safety pins are visible from the outside of the vehicle and from the inside, only along the top hem of the curtain that the vehicle already had.
The difference already is tremendous. The bare glass was just bleeding heat. Now, there is a major difference in how frequently the furnace runs and the temperature gradient in the beast. Most noticeably, the temperature on either side of the comforter is dramatic, indicating that the insulation job was quite successful.
It's all coming along.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Pounding snaps in canvas
I spent most of last weekend pounding 5/8" stainless-steel snap heads into the 16 oz. canvas tarp that I'm using to create the skirt on the RV. It's a faster process than I anticipated, but shaping the canvas around the sewer compartment door and the door into the vehicle are going to be difficult. For this, I have rivets intended for denim, since I don't have the sewing machinery to actually create hems.
One problem I have also run into is that the tarp company sent me a 9 foot tarp that is only 8 foot 3 inches. I was planning for something closer to 9, so they're now sending me a 10-footer. Waiting on that to arrive has slowed down the process, because it is the tarp material for both front and rear.
Spending my time pounding snaps and working on midterms has been such great fun (sarcasm). But really, it's all coming along, and I hope to have it all ready in the coming weeks, just in time for Winter.
One problem I have also run into is that the tarp company sent me a 9 foot tarp that is only 8 foot 3 inches. I was planning for something closer to 9, so they're now sending me a 10-footer. Waiting on that to arrive has slowed down the process, because it is the tarp material for both front and rear.
Spending my time pounding snaps and working on midterms has been such great fun (sarcasm). But really, it's all coming along, and I hope to have it all ready in the coming weeks, just in time for Winter.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Enduring the first freezes
Temperatures are falling on the high plains early this October. The temperatures at night have been in the high teens, which has helped me to gauge what the coming months are going to be like.
So far, it looks like my water hose is going to do well, though in a conversation with EasyHeat, my heat wire wraps will only be tight enough on the hose for -15 degrees even with the insulation. Eek.
I'm also now running to complete the skirt, so the floor doesn't get so cold. Hopefully the plan works as expected.
All of the water lines are pretty well protected by the furnace running, except the one running under the floor to the kitchen sink. I am hoping that between the skirt and the heat in the cabin that the frost gradient will protect the pipe. A frozen water line under the floor would be disastrous. Luckily, it's PEX tubing, so it should be pretty resilient.
Regrettably, since I wasn't able to complete all these projects before school started, my life has basically centered on keeping up with school, working on winterizing the RV for arctic temps, eating food, and trying to socialize in the time in between.
So far, it looks like my water hose is going to do well, though in a conversation with EasyHeat, my heat wire wraps will only be tight enough on the hose for -15 degrees even with the insulation. Eek.
I'm also now running to complete the skirt, so the floor doesn't get so cold. Hopefully the plan works as expected.
All of the water lines are pretty well protected by the furnace running, except the one running under the floor to the kitchen sink. I am hoping that between the skirt and the heat in the cabin that the frost gradient will protect the pipe. A frozen water line under the floor would be disastrous. Luckily, it's PEX tubing, so it should be pretty resilient.
Regrettably, since I wasn't able to complete all these projects before school started, my life has basically centered on keeping up with school, working on winterizing the RV for arctic temps, eating food, and trying to socialize in the time in between.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Get 'er Done! The tale of the heated water hose
I finally have my heated water hose made. I ended up using a 10' water hose from Camping World, wrapped with EasyHeat 'self-regulating cable' (the heater wire), then insulated with foil-covered 1" fiberglass, surrounded by foam pipe insulation.
The heater element was bound to the hose using EasyHeat-brand tape for the application; the fiberglass was secured with black electrical tape (belts to keep it in place); and the exterior was sealed along the seam with black duct tape, then belted for additional strength and to keep the tape seam from splitting.
Right now, I'm in testing phase, but I'm concerned that the heating element isn't actually self-regulating as I would expect it to be. In my view, it should come on only when it's cold (say below 45 degrees), though it comes on any time it is plugged in. Since EasyHeat provides no specs for what "self-regulating" means (that I have found), it could be working as planned.
However, even though the cable is only 3 Watts/foot, I don't really want it on all the time. I'm likely to use an EasyHeat thermostat electrical plug to make sure that it only powers on at 38 deg F. The cable heats fast and efficiently enough that 38 deg F should be sufficient time before freezing.
I also protected the water inlet on the RV with a spigot protector, modified to accommodate the insulated hose. It looks like it's ready for an arctic expedition, which at temps of -20 deg F in the Winter here, I'm sure I'll appreciate.
The heater element was bound to the hose using EasyHeat-brand tape for the application; the fiberglass was secured with black electrical tape (belts to keep it in place); and the exterior was sealed along the seam with black duct tape, then belted for additional strength and to keep the tape seam from splitting.
Right now, I'm in testing phase, but I'm concerned that the heating element isn't actually self-regulating as I would expect it to be. In my view, it should come on only when it's cold (say below 45 degrees), though it comes on any time it is plugged in. Since EasyHeat provides no specs for what "self-regulating" means (that I have found), it could be working as planned.
However, even though the cable is only 3 Watts/foot, I don't really want it on all the time. I'm likely to use an EasyHeat thermostat electrical plug to make sure that it only powers on at 38 deg F. The cable heats fast and efficiently enough that 38 deg F should be sufficient time before freezing.
I also protected the water inlet on the RV with a spigot protector, modified to accommodate the insulated hose. It looks like it's ready for an arctic expedition, which at temps of -20 deg F in the Winter here, I'm sure I'll appreciate.
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