richard5933

The only thing that sealed our unit to the roof was the gasket that went around the perimeter of the 14" x 14" opening, and it took a bit of tightening to get the gasket to compress to the recommended point. If there is water getting past the main 14" x 14" gasket and the unit if properly tightened, then I'd suggest getting a new gasket and resealing the thing to the roof. Like any other gasket, they can (and do) dry out, get over compressed, or fail for a number of reasons. If your gasket is not sealing, no amount of caulking will properly fix the problem, and if you put caulking on the surface of the gasket itself it will make it nearly impossible to remove the unit later on when it's time to replace it.

Was hoping to post photos of the completed job today. Apparently it takes a long time to carpet a 35-foot bus. Who knew. Between the tight quarters and the constant rain things didn't get done today. Should be wrapped up tomorrow and I'll post a few pictures then.

Out with the shag, in with the new. Our new carpet installation is finally underway. Last stage of a long project.

Bottom line is that even if I got the exact right part (which is no longer available) I still have a 44 year old fridge with all that entails. It could last another 20 years or just 20 minutes. Rather than having it crap out at the worst possible time, I'll replace it on my schedule.

44"h x 23"w x 23"d Reconstruction not an option, nor is moving the a/c condenser unit above it.

UPDATE: I was able to get a Ranco universal refrigerator control from a local parts place for $70. It is installed and working, although the temperature differential is about 10 degrees between make and break on the circuit so the temp goes down to 35 and back up to 45 before turning on the compressor again. Probably would work short term, but the swing is too wide for safely keeping raw foods in my opinion. We've decided to spring for a new Vitrifrigo 12v/120v and install it. I got a pretty good price, but with shipping it's certainly more expensive than a residential. I like the efficiency of the 12v compressor units though so residential is out. Since I really don't want to cut apart all the cabinetry and relocated a basement air blower located above the refrigerator, there is really no choice but to find one that fits the opening. This was the only option that maximized capacity in the given space. For those curious, there is no LP in this fridge. It is 12v/120v only using a 12v compressor. Power consumption is low at 31 W (2.58A) - 12Vdc / 31 W (0.44A) - 115Vac .

There are a few sealants out there designed for aluminum wheels, some have better reviews than others. Do you have a truck shop in your area with a wheel detailing service? If so, perhaps they can recommend something (or even offer to apply it?)

Problem would be with anyone in the passenger seat, on a bus, on a train, or possibly walking across an office.

DE707 I believe that it's from 1974 and original issue by Custom Coach, since its manual is in the binder from CC.

Tried to do this online, but struck out. I'm going to take the part to an appliance parts place on Monday to see if they have something generic that will replace it. After all, it's really nothing more than a temperature sensitive on/off switch.

I think that we in the US have gotten used to doing ten other things while driving and have accepted this as normal. It shouldn't be. I've read that until recently many European (German) cars didn't even have cup holders. Why would someone need a cup holder when they were fully expected to have two hands on the wheel? Generally speaking I'd prefer that people use common sense and concentrate on driving while driving. That would be preferable to having to pass laws demanding people use common sense. As we all know, however, common sense isn't so common. Seems like it's going to be necessary to have the law to tell people that it's just dangerous (and stupid) to do certain things while driving if they prevent one from concentrating on the task of driving. Call them nanny laws if you want, but until people take responsibility to drive safely on the road maybe they need to be told by society to do so. The way society tells people that we want drivers to focus on driving is by passing laws saying so. Either that or we stand on the side of the road with placards, but that would probably be more distracting than what they were doing in the first place... Using a phone without touching it is really not that difficult nowadays. Everything from Bluetooth speakerphone adapters to upgraded radios are available that make it easy. I've just installed a Kenwood in our old bus that makes it seamless to not only answer the phone, but to stream Sirius and all my other media to it while driving.

Perhaps using a mechanics stethoscope will help isolate where it's coming from. Here's one example: https://www.grainger.com/product/2ZPG5?cm_mmc=PPC:+Google+PLA&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!50916717357!!!g!82496303157!&ef_id=VnSE@wAABSlQfQtu:20180505163320:s These are useful when trying to narrow down the source of a noise, whether in an engine, body, or wind noise. One person drives while the other pokes around listening with the scope.

We have a Norcold dual voltage (120v ac & 12v dc) refrigerator in our bus. It's the original and cools nicely - it will freeze ice cubes solid in short order and keep food cold with no trouble. The problem is that the unit doesn't seem to want to stop cooling. If I set it to the lowest thermostat setting possible without turning it off the compressor will cycle, but then it doesn't keep things cold enough. Reading the manual leads me to believe that the thermostat is the cause. The manual recommends either replacement or cleaning the contacts of the thermostat. The part is no longer available and nowhere to be found online. This leaves me with the option of trying to service the thermostat myself. So, the question...Anyone have experience servicing a thermostat from an old refrigerator that can offer some advice? There is little to nothing about this online due to the age of the unit. Since it's really easy to pull the thermostat I thought I'd give it a go. Alternatively, any help locating a thermostat that can replace the one in the unit would be great. Since the only purpose of it is to cycle the compressor on/off it shouldn't be difficult to replace it if a similarly configured one can be found. The bulb end of the capillary tube mounts to the bottom of the freezer box and appears to be in good condition, but that doesn't mean that it's working properly. To preempt some of the questions...This fridge works well except for this. It is a compressor fridge and works on 120v/12v only. There is no LP and no risk of fire from LP. Yes, I considered replacing it but the only unit that fits the opening and will work on 120v/12v is a Vitrifrigo. I'll buy one if necessary, but at $1500 it seems that an attempt to repair should come first. Also, there is no circuit board in this fridge at all. The thermostat controls the on/off of the compressor. No other fans. No other modules to replace/repair other than the compressor (working fine) and power supply (also working fine.) Other models similar to mine other than size and door layout are: DE704, DE707 ,DE727, DE728. The 'DE' stands for dual electric. Thanks in advance!

We use the Winegard Roadstar over-the-air antenna and can usually get at least a few stations in every place we go, at least enough to get the morning news and such. Free and no monthly fees once the antenna is bought and installed. If we are somewhere with absolutely no reception we use either wifi or our cell service to catch up on headlines. For those places with absolutely nothing (no TV, no cell, no wifi) we count our blessings and stay blissfully ignorant of what's going on.

I have an aluminum roof (it's a bus, after all) which was painted white. Most of the paint is still solid and in place, but across the entire roof the paint had become chalky and left white streaks down the sides every time it rained. Sometimes it seemed to leave streaks if the weather just got humid. After watching a number of people use Zep High Gloss Wet-Look liquid floor wax, I decided to give it a try. After all, it was not going to do any permanent damage and might help. The Y-Tube videos all looked like it helped. I'm happy to report that after applying 3 coats (about 1-1/3 gallons for a 35-foot bus) the results are really remarkable. Nice smooth glossy finish, and after a deluge yesterday it is still there doing its job. My guess is that I'll have to reapply every year, but it was not that tough. And best of all, there is no streaking down the sides after the deluge. My one recommendation is to be sure that the roof is clean. Spotless, actually. I applied with a micro-fiber towel mostly and used a sponge mop for the places I couldn't reach from the ladder. The second coat was done after some time had passed, and dust had settled on the roof. I could see the dust suspended in the third coat as I started to work. Lesson learned, and then I wiped down the roof again before continuing and all was good. Be careful not to let the stuff drip or run where you don't want it, as it's really difficult to get off once dried.

I think having a warning for low air pressure is a good thing. But, am I the only one who thinks that some of the TPMS simply provide too much information? I check pressure in the morning before driving. If necessary, I add air using a Milton inflation gauge. I never check pressure when tires are hot since there's little use. The tire shop told me that the engineers figure the higher pressure encountered during operation when they set the inflation charts. I do, however, use a heat gun to check that the hubs/brakes/etc. are heating equally and that I don't have a problem (like a dragging brake or frozen bearing.)

I appreciate all the suggestions and information on pricing. Seems like for a truly custom tank the price I was quoted isn't outrageous. Right now I'm leaning towards getting the tank made like we want, but with the price being what it is it's going to have to wait till the end of the season. So, for now I'm going to be enrolling in an on-the-job training program and teach myself to weld the polyethylene to fix the tank that we've already got. I found a welding kit for only $75, and then I went Midland Plastics here in town to get some cut-offs from their bin to practice with. (They sell scrap by the pound to hobbyists) Apparently the technique isn't complicated, but it does take some practice to avoid ruining the tank by melting it instead of welding it. The process is pretty cool actually - a highly focused heat gun blowing into a hollow shoe, and a slot in the shoe to feed the poly 'welding rod'. The heat melts the edges of the pieces being welded, and the shoe helps to guide the welding rod into place as it melts into the works. The problem I'm dealing with is about a 6" long section of one of the top seams that looks to never have been properly bonded. There are two rows of welding rod laid down, but the two panels look like they just didn't bond properly. At first I thought I did the damage when I repaired a leaking flange seal, but there is a buildup of dirt in the open seam that looks to have been there quite a while. I'll have to carefully scrap out the dirt and then run a couple of rows of welding rod into the seam. Easy peazy. I will post photos win or lose once it's done.

Anyone else notice that the FMCA logo has moved down towards the bar code on the bottom of the page? One would have to look long and hard to realize that this was the magazine of the FMCA.

http://busconversionsstore.com/ http://www.busnut.com/home.html Here are two very popular websites for those in the bus conversion community. They both have areas for posting coaches for sale. Spend a few minutes looking at both sites to get a feel for things. They both have a forum, although the first one is probably more active right now.

Anyone know of a good source for custom holding tanks? The two tanks on our coach are rectangular (43"L x 19.75"W x 25.75"H) and are starting to have issues. So far I've been able to take care of the problems, but the long-term solution is new tanks. In order to maintain the maximum capacity and still use our current plumbing setup, I'm interested in finding a place that can make new tanks to replace our current one. Our current tanks were fabricated from 3/8" thick poly sheeting. I'm looking for a tank to be built to a custom size - not just a stock size tank with custom fitting placement. Most of what I've seen following links on the forum and online were for places selling a selection of stock tanks where they could place the fittings where ever needed. So far I've found one place in PA (we're in Wisconsin) that can fabricate the two tanks for about $730/ea plus shipping. Seems high, but I have no real point of comparison yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated finding a source. Thanks.

For us the fuel cost is important but won't keep us from much of what we have planned. Even a $1/gal increase only means an extra $150 to go over a thousand miles. Most of our trips are completed on one tank, so we're not stressing over this. Still cheaper than any other mode of travel for us right now, especially considering that the bus is already bought and paid for. We all knew a few years ago when fuel prices spiked what the potential was. The years since then with extremely cheap fuel have been an unexpected blessing. The fact that prices are rising right now shouldn't be a surprise to anyone given the events of the world. To my thinking, they go up, they go down...lather, rinse, repeat. For an interesting read, check out this site which shows the price of gasoline adjusted for inflation showing a comparison across the decades. Who knew that we had it so good in 1998? https://inflationdata.com/articles/inflation-adjusted-prices/inflation-adjusted-gasoline-prices/

Freshly ground coffee in a vintage Farberware percolator. We grind the coffee slightly course to keep it in the basket. Something about the sound of the percolator and watching it going through the little clear bubble on the lid that bring me back to my grandmother's house every time.

If you have an air suspension, it's also critical that you block the body to the chassis to be sure that the thing can't fall on you in the event there is a failure while you're under the coach. Not sure if it's necessary on your chassis or not, but it's something you should check before getting underneath.

We have a roof-mounted OTA antenna, and in most places can get enough channels to satisfy. We also carry a few DVDs in case we need. Our TV is a Samsung and has Google and other apps built in, and when we're near enough to wifi to get reception it's possible to use those features. We have a wifi extender and when we can get a good wifi signal we've use our wireless network to connect all the devices like the TV to the signal. If you are going to get a new TV, you can probably find one with many of the features found in Roku built right into the TV. Ask for a smart TV and you'll find all kinds of apps and Roku-like things ready to go.

In my experience, the only really good place to use silicon sealant is around glass. There are also a few high-temp applications where it can be helpful. While it's kind of like the Duck Tape of the sealant world, there are many other more purpose-specific sealants better suited for other jobs. One big drawback to silicon is also that it will contaminate anything it touches with regard to future painting. I've been having good success with Dicor, which comes in both self-leveling (for horizontal surfaces) and non-leveling (for vertical surfaces) compounds. You can also get the Dicor in many colors to match what you're sealing, if that matters to the project. I'd rather use half a tube of Dicor and potentially throw away the remainder than use silicon if it wasn't the best sealant for the job. As it happens though, I can usually find a few other places that are in need of re-sealing if I have anything left in the Dicor tube. For the ladder feet, I'd imagine that one problem is going to be making sure that there is sealant not just over the top of the feet but also between them and the roof. Is it possible to loosen the feet and get some sealant under them?