We’ve been buying bottled water for a while as we live in places where the water is a little less than savory. It’s fine but I get tired of all the containers carting around and the waste they generate. We used those pay water filling stations a bit with a larger bottle, but having to […]
Leaving Las Vegas- Utah Bound
We loaded up and hit the open road headed for Utah. Took awhile to leave since he had to find a truck stop and check the tire pressure. The monitor he installed indicated 80psi and it is supposed to be 100. The hand held radios were not acting right so we tried to fix it. […]
Las Vegas Adventures
Here are some highlights? from our 3 week stay in Vegas. Writing isn’t my thing but it is good have a mini journal entry. We stayed at the Oasis RV park. Friendly people but they had a huge booklet of rules. We were located further off the strip so 6 of us and no tow […]
Completed Lithium Battery Overview
25kW of total capacity. Charge and discharge limits fence this to 19kW of usable capacity with an expected lifetime of 14-18 years before replacement of cells is necessary. 3kW @240 VAC capacity, or put another way, 6kW @120VAC. Recharges via 50 AMP RV connection or 2.5kW of roof solar. Remote monitoring via cellular data with packet radio fallback. Weighs […]
Front Axle Spring Bushings
Something that had been wrong on our bus since we bought it was a funny clunk when turning corners, usually at an intersection. It was coming from the front end, and after a little investigation I determined that the spring pins and bushings were completely trashed, especially the passenger side ones. There was a large […]
Washer and Dryer
The other reason for the 230 volt power system was to select the most efficient washer and dryer combo I could stand to afford. They are made by Blomberg, which is actually a sub-brand of Arçelik A.Ş., a Turkish appliance company. The dryer is clever – it’s basically a fancy dehumidifier. The heat pump vents […]
Air Conditioner Install
This was another “big moment” for the bus. The primary reason for the enormous battery is to be able to power everything without care, but also operate the air conditioner for many hours after solar harvest has stopped for the night. The location shown here was just a big open hole in the engine bay, […]
Solar Panel Farings
I was planning on installing panel farings to keep the wind away. I’m pretty sure that strong side wind loads could behave as if entering a venturi and damage the panels with overpressure. Also it won’t look as much like a space ship.
Electrical Cabinet Commissioning
So as it sits at this point, the electrical system is fully functional. In this photo all the major components are hooked up and programmed. I had gotten a good day’s worth of solar, shore power is functional, and all the circuits in the bus are energized. I’m pleased with the arrangement of equipment. If […]