Tinkering & updates
Repairs and changes we make to our bus to suit the needs of our growing family.
Sep 2022
I scored an old rimu desk which was a givaway. I used the top along with some velcro straps so that it can be strapped to the steering wheel.
This gives us another space for the kids to have a space for creative activities like drawing and reading.
Untill now, the bus house batteries are purely charged via the single solar panel on the roof. The batteries have kept our fridge running for our entire summer 4-week holidays without issues, but I'm unsure if we have ever run our batteries too low causing damage to the batteries. I have an analogue battery meter that doesn't give off the exact reading, occasionally I'll take a reading off the batteries directly to double-check.
With the batteries getting older, I'd like to be more certain they are getting recharged properly when we are using them more heavily. I used to have a battery charger on board for when we are hooked up to mains power, but it was taken when the bus was robbed a few years ago.
This work is being carried out by a local autoel ectrical outfit near my house, I'm still a bit nervous about going too deep into electrical land.
I might enquire about installing something to charge the laptops when driving.
Maximising a cavity behind the back passenger seat. I've created a slide-out narrow drawer that can house 8 wine bottles. It'll probably be used for a different purpose which is fine e.g. kids toys/books.
When living in a bus with 5 people and a dog, you are going to have to put up with sand everywhere, but now with an outdoor shower, we can at least rinse off our feet or bodies, or even the dog before entering. It's also set up with hot water so it'll actually be enjoyable.
We'll need to watch out that the kids don't have too much fun with it, as they'll chew through the water.
We also have a shower inside which uses a water-saving shower head, so we should continue to use that for the mojority of the time. The outdoor shower will also help keep sand out of the drains and the indoor shower cleaner.
Jul 2022
The two front top corners got a wee tidy up from me, a sand, rust kill, prime and paint. I also tidied up under the boot of the bus with rust kill and a protective coating. The brackets of the towbar are rusty, expecting that to come up eventually with a COF.
To obtain the COF I also needed my mechanic (North City Diesel) to tighten the Drive Shaft with a new bearing and adjust the brakes.
Apr 2022
Check the oil, clutch fluid, and grease for the upcoming COF check.
Replace a few broken 12v switches.
Jan 2022
Spruce up the bathroom floor so that we can keep our feet clean and don't drag sand back through the bus. Using 2 Acacia wooden bath matts cut to fit the space.
Check battery water, check solar panel condition and give them a clean, rubber seal repair on the skylight, silicone a few rivets that have previously leaked as a precaution.
