I've moved the Banksy Bad Badger decal from the doors of the van to further aft, under the writing. Having them on the doors makes it look like it's a badger roadkill tally.
I've also taken delivery of the bespoke, branded hoodie to go with it....
Hay thinks I've reverted to being a teenager - she's right. She's taking the van on Monday for a 3 day jaunt to the south coast to meet up with some friends of ours, but unfortunately I have to stay home and work so I can't join her. I will, however, have to ensure she's familiar with all the checklist steps before she goes.
What with water being the key resource in a motorhome, I've been doing some experimentation over the last 3 days. I wanted to see how short I could make my morning shower and still be clean - we do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time wallowing in water unnecessarily. On day one I started a count as soon as the shower faucet was opened - 46 seconds. On day two I manged to reduce this to 39 seconds. Yesterday I set the record of 30 seconds.
Hay thinks I've reverted to being a teenager - she's right. She's taking the van on Monday for a 3 day jaunt to the south coast to meet up with some friends of ours, but unfortunately I have to stay home and work so I can't join her. I will, however, have to ensure she's familiar with all the checklist steps before she goes.
What with water being the key resource in a motorhome, I've been doing some experimentation over the last 3 days. I wanted to see how short I could make my morning shower and still be clean - we do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time wallowing in water unnecessarily. On day one I started a count as soon as the shower faucet was opened - 46 seconds. On day two I manged to reduce this to 39 seconds. Yesterday I set the record of 30 seconds.
The secret is to have your shower gel or shampoo mixed with water to thin it out, as most of the time under a shower is spent trying to wash off the soap. Water the soap down and it flows quicker, enabling a faster lathering, and also uses less water to get it off you. Thick shampoo isn't actually more concentrated - it's just loaded with thickening agents. The other secret is to get under the flow immediately, rather than waiting for the water to go warm - that saved about 3 or 4 seconds.
Kitchen taps have a flow rate of between 4 and 6 litres per minute. Thus my 30 second shower uses no more than 2 or 3 litres, but the flow rate of a domestic tap is far higher than the trickle the van's water pump generates. I'll have to repeat the experiment in the van itself and accurately measure the water used per minute.
One annoying thing about the van's water supply is that the water flow is not controlled by micro-switches in the taps, as it is in most caravans and motorhomes. You have to switch on the water pump manually and then open the tap. Nor does closing the taps doesn't switch off the pump. That's something I need to change, but will involve a lot of fiddling with wires if micro-switches on taps are used, so they won't. There's a simpler way to achieve the same result by merely having an in-line pressure sensor at the pump end, which switches on the pump when there's a drop in pressure as a tap is opened. A more powerful pump wouldn't go amiss either, but without the risk of blowing the water lines. Also, perhaps, a small, diaphragm pressure tank to buffer the supply and ensure no lag in water delivery - something around the size of a rugby ball.
One annoying thing about the van's water supply is that the water flow is not controlled by micro-switches in the taps, as it is in most caravans and motorhomes. You have to switch on the water pump manually and then open the tap. Nor does closing the taps doesn't switch off the pump. That's something I need to change, but will involve a lot of fiddling with wires if micro-switches on taps are used, so they won't. There's a simpler way to achieve the same result by merely having an in-line pressure sensor at the pump end, which switches on the pump when there's a drop in pressure as a tap is opened. A more powerful pump wouldn't go amiss either, but without the risk of blowing the water lines. Also, perhaps, a small, diaphragm pressure tank to buffer the supply and ensure no lag in water delivery - something around the size of a rugby ball.
I note Trump is complaining about the limits set on American shower heads, which limit the flow so as to aid the conservation of water. He wants the current limit of 9.5 litres of water per minute increased to 9.5 litres per nozzle, rather than the entire fixture, so he can do his hair. The man is a total tosser.
I've also been rethinking the diesel heater. Self-installing it can apparently lead to the habitation certificate becoming invalid, with knock-on consequences for the insurance; getting it professionally installed by a certified installer is prohibitively expensive. So I'm considering installing it in a small, separate box that sits outside the van, with the insulated, heated air outlet being connected to the van through a vent that can be closed when not in use. The box would be stowed in the bathroom when not being used. The controller isn't thermostatically controlled, so that also would be in, or on, the external box.
Power might be a problem - these things take 100W on the start cycle and then settle down to 22-90W, depending on setting. Let's say an average of 50W, then that means 4.16Ah, which would require a 100Ah battery for 24 hours of operation. I'm obviously going to have to fabricate an external, 12V power socket on the van next to where the heater would be sited, or have a lead entering the cab to a cigar lighter type supply connected to the leisure batteries. Needs a bit of thinking so as to make it elegant and not a bodge.
Power might be a problem - these things take 100W on the start cycle and then settle down to 22-90W, depending on setting. Let's say an average of 50W, then that means 4.16Ah, which would require a 100Ah battery for 24 hours of operation. I'm obviously going to have to fabricate an external, 12V power socket on the van next to where the heater would be sited, or have a lead entering the cab to a cigar lighter type supply connected to the leisure batteries. Needs a bit of thinking so as to make it elegant and not a bodge.
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