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.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Wireless Temperature Sensors
There are some additional challenges of living in an RV in a cold climate than elsewhere. One thing I have to be very mindful of is the potential for freezing pipes. The compartments of concern are the sewer drain compartment, the water inlet and junction area (under the bed), and perhaps a few of the inaccessible drain areas, such as under the shower. Other important temperatures to keep in mind are inside the cabin and what the actual outdoor temperature is.
I found a weather station that has three channels and three wireless temperature sending units. The cost was $40 and the unit itself tells the indoor temperature and relative humidity. The system is by ‘Ambient Weather’ and I picked it up on Amazon.com.
I plan to place one sending unit in the sewer compartment, another under the bed near the outer wall, and the last on the back of the vehicle, so that I know the outdoor temperature. The point is to know what my freezing danger is in each of these areas and what the potential is based on the indoor and outdoor temperatures.
This particular system has some oddities. For instance, the unit has to be reset by taking a battery out when a sender’s batteries die, then the whole system seems to have to be reinitiated. That means resetting the clock, time zone, etc, which isn’t difficult, but is a pain. However, for $40, it seems like a reasonable compromise and an irritant that should only occur once a year or so.
I found a weather station that has three channels and three wireless temperature sending units. The cost was $40 and the unit itself tells the indoor temperature and relative humidity. The system is by ‘Ambient Weather’ and I picked it up on Amazon.com.
I plan to place one sending unit in the sewer compartment, another under the bed near the outer wall, and the last on the back of the vehicle, so that I know the outdoor temperature. The point is to know what my freezing danger is in each of these areas and what the potential is based on the indoor and outdoor temperatures.
This particular system has some oddities. For instance, the unit has to be reset by taking a battery out when a sender’s batteries die, then the whole system seems to have to be reinitiated. That means resetting the clock, time zone, etc, which isn’t difficult, but is a pain. However, for $40, it seems like a reasonable compromise and an irritant that should only occur once a year or so.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Checkpoint: How's living in the RV?
It has become apparent that I'm living on some fringe as a student living in a motor home full time. So far, one of the most frequent questions is, "What's it like?!" I think the answer is actually super simple.
Considering that RV's are made for those who don't want to exit the hard-shell home space of a home, motor homes are made as tiny houses on wheels. "Tiny" has some wiggle room to it, since some of the boats out there are gigantic.
What I have learned is that it's simple, easy to clean, and has all of the comforts of home, just on a smaller scale. Since my rolling home has a stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator/freezer, shower, toilet, two sinks, a kitchen table, a full-sized queen bed, and two TV's, I have everything that was important in my stick house, but on a scale fit for one person.
The only oddities that I'm consciously aware of are the need to drain the sewer once a week (opening two valves, no mess), and that showers have to basically be less than 8 minutes since the hot water heater is only 6 gallons.
So, the answer is simple -- it's just like living in a house, but on a small scale. So far, I really like it. One problem I anticipate is winter -- the walls are insulated with styrofoam, but the temperature changes appear to be quite severe. I'm going to have to find a way to conserve energy during winter, but not freeze pipes. Lots of new insulation will be needed in strategic places. Otherwise, still having a great time with it!
Considering that RV's are made for those who don't want to exit the hard-shell home space of a home, motor homes are made as tiny houses on wheels. "Tiny" has some wiggle room to it, since some of the boats out there are gigantic.
What I have learned is that it's simple, easy to clean, and has all of the comforts of home, just on a smaller scale. Since my rolling home has a stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator/freezer, shower, toilet, two sinks, a kitchen table, a full-sized queen bed, and two TV's, I have everything that was important in my stick house, but on a scale fit for one person.
The only oddities that I'm consciously aware of are the need to drain the sewer once a week (opening two valves, no mess), and that showers have to basically be less than 8 minutes since the hot water heater is only 6 gallons.
So, the answer is simple -- it's just like living in a house, but on a small scale. So far, I really like it. One problem I anticipate is winter -- the walls are insulated with styrofoam, but the temperature changes appear to be quite severe. I'm going to have to find a way to conserve energy during winter, but not freeze pipes. Lots of new insulation will be needed in strategic places. Otherwise, still having a great time with it!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Holy Grad School, Batman!
Grad school so far has been great. It's a lot of work, though. Of course I knew that when I signed up, but I can't emphasize how different it is to have to read an entire book between Tuesday and Thursday and understand the material well enough to have meaningful discussion about it. It seems that the reading load for three courses is between 300-600 pages of reading per week.
I have talked to many who have done grad school and it seems that the consensus is "learn what you need to read." The reason behind this is that the reading load, in addition to assistantship duties and life, is just always too much. At the moment, I'm torn whether I like this advice, because it seems that one might miss a lot by not reading --everything--, but it also seems like quantity is the theme, while I think quality is a better method.
As I continue, I'm sure I'll come up with a better understanding of what the best method is. Right now, I'm erring on the side of caution and reading everything, mostly to get a beat for how much is being assigned and what I'm getting value out of and what I'm not. It's just not leaving much time for much else!
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