Meet Jupiter- a Homebrew thread

[wadewaydo]

Originally Posted by evy

So how is that refrigerator installation holding out?

I'm working on my first build and I was looking at the RM2454 (a bit bigger)
I'm planning on installing it even closer to the gas inlet.

Did you get the fan that they sell specially for that purpose?

Also what kind of heater are you putting in?

Once I was in compliance with all the nuances of the installation, the fridge worked like a charm. I've taken the van now on a ten day trip through Escalante. 381 miles with 160 being on dirt roads, and 25 of those were on four wheeled drive roads. The fridge even actually kept stuff frozen in the freezer the whole time. And I mean rock solid frozen. And it's quiet. You can't hear it running at all. I did not use the fan from Dometic, I used the same fan Campingworld sells. They're the local Dometic dealer.

Now for the propane furnace. I liked the Heatsource 2000 from Propex ( an English company ). Go Westy sells them. What I liked about it, you can vent it through the floor, and not have to cut a hole in the side. You have more flexibility where you can install it. They have even newer models that you don't have to orient it in any special way.





With all the insulation I installed, I barely had to use it on the trip. In Bryce I turned it on one morning to cut the chill. By the time the coffee was ready, I was back down to my t-shirt. I usually shut it off by the time I go to bed, and sleep in a sleeping bag. I already had experience with the unit because I installed another one in our 76 VW Bus. One time in Bryce we had to have it on all night long because it was like Zero degrees outside that night.

[evy]

Wow I had never seen those kind of heaters, I have to admit I am tempted with the floor intake/discharge concept.

what are you using to heat your water?

[evy]

And how is that 5gal propane tank doing the job? How long does it last?

I had planned getting the 11gal from PPL as well but it's 12"diam x 32"L
our vans accept 10"diam only, I've seen 11gal tanks 10"diam x 42"L somewhere? Can't remember.

[BroncoHauler]

Propex heaters are also available at Adventure Trailers.

http://store.adventuretrailers.com/categories/HEATER/


Herb

[twogone]

[wadewaydo]

Keeping with the VW design consideration, I decided to store the water tank inside the cabinet enclosure. We always carried a spare water jug plus the water in the holding tank.

I had ordered the water tank based on the dimensions of the enclosure. The tank was from plastic-mart.com and I could order a myriad of sizes. The one that fit the enclosure happens to be 8 gallons. I suppose I could have kept the tank outside of the cabinet, and had more capacity, but I wanted to have more storage underneath, and thought a water jug would be just as easy. Besides as it sits, the bed partly covers the access door, and could never be hinged. I devised a hook system that slides down on to the cabinet frame. Nothing special, just a couple of "L" brackets. So rather than hinge, the door slides up and out.


In the next photo you can see the drain tube. I had to drill into the floor, and it actually comes out in the lt rear wheelhouse. Also installed here is the used bar sink, a kitchen faucet from Home Depot, and a SureFlow water pump. I'm also working on an "Integrity Tank Monitor System" found at RVWholesalers.com. You can see the sensor strips being installed in the photo above.

[wadewaydo]

Originally Posted by evy

And how is that 5gal propane tank doing the job? How long does it last?

I had planned getting the 11gal from PPL as well but it's 12"diam x 32"L
our vans accept 10"diam only, I've seen 11gal tanks 10"diam x 42"L somewhere? Can't remember.

Having gone on a 10 day trip now, using the fridge LP in camp at night, and 12v during the day (while driving) using the gas stove to cook and the furnace one morning in Bryce I've only used 1/3 of the tank of LP. At least that's what the gauge says. I figure at that rate we could get nearly a month of camping before I have to fill it. We shall see...

[wadewaydo]

Now's the final push: hooking up all the electrical to the service box (110v)




and the Blue Sea fuse block (12v), and the battery monitor above it.



Hooking up the power inverter, and the Go Power shore power/ inverter safety switcher. These were installed under the floor of the closet



I got these cool LED lights from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o03_s00 They are water resistant, and rotate 90 degrees. I got two 12 bulb and one 6 bulb. Love them, they create a great ambiance.





Sink, check, stove, check, fridge, check, lights, check, power inverter, check, furnace, check. Houston we are ready for lift off!



Here's a candid shot showing Kristi making morning coffee... Time for a trip!

I don't have a picture of installing the flooring, that was one of Kristi's jobs, but you can see it in the photo above. We decided to use a vinyl resilient plank flooring. It's adhesive along the edges, but floats like a click lock Pergo would. We chose it because it was cheap and would hold up to spills and sand and abuse. The only drawback is the adhesive softens up in high heat and won't stay stuck. My solution was to air staple the flooring to the plywood floor in a couple of those areas.

Up next... the inaugural first expedition.... to the Rainbow Rim of the Grand Canyon.

[wadewaydo]

I was literally hooking up the final wires and testing the ops while packing for the this trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We drove there and got to Jacob Lake around nine o'clock at night, then camped at the trail head to the Arizona Trail, just outside of town. There are some bathrooms there, and it made a nice place to sleep. The next morning we headed out to the Rainbow Rim via the Forest Service roads behind the Kaibab Lodge. We started tooling around and driving some of the four wheel drive roads between points.




We found a good spot a couple of dozen feet from the rim. We had access to a nice large rock just shy of the point where we could set up our folding chairs and watch sunrise and drink coffee, and sunset and watch the monsoon clouds play their magic with the light.





After our morning coffee, we rode our bikes out to the other various points. The trail is terrific, and gorgeous. It weaves in and out from point to point through pine and aspen forests.







Time well spent lazing in hammocks, sitting around campfires, playing with the dog, and drinking copious amounts of adult beverage.

On the way out it happened. Sputter, spurt. Going up a steep washboard hill. Choke. Gag. Dead. I coasted down to the bottom of the hill, and tried restarting. For an hour. I surmised it was the fuel pump, since that was practically the only thing I hadn't changed through out the process. We were about 15 miles away from the North Rim Country store, still in the sticks. There was no cell coverage, anywhere close. We hadn't hardly seen anybody in the three days out there, but suddenly a small two door Hyundai came by and I flagged them down. They were lost, and I was stranded. I offered to get them back to the main road if they could get me to the North Rim Country store, the closest land line to call a wrecker.



It was Sunday afternoon before we were towed into Kanab, UT. So we decided to make the most of it. We found a nice restaurant (with beer ) and went to a movie in their small movie theater. The only movie that was playing was a kid's movie, The Box Trolls. We loved it. The next morning the repair shop opened up, found us a fuel pump at the local NAPA, and were back on the road by early afternoon. Everything kinda worked out, we didn't let the mishap ruin our trip, and we have a story to tell.

[shenrie]

really great pix, but you left out the part about the van on the wrecker....