Nice van !! You will have loads of fun with it for sure T: make sure you get along to the new forest weekend !!

After 3 years of having a navigator we are parting company .....it's not big enough for our extending family ...

It's Been great fun and a top van !!

 

Hi Shaun
Nice one, always good to see another Camper arriving on the Forum, yes your right on both counts about the water tanks, give it a good flush out and then clean through.
The water waste tank is the one at the rear – its classed as Grey water which you can let go over a drain. The Main “Fresh” Water tank is in the centre of the chassis as its quite a weight when full. This has a drain tap on the passenger side about half way along.
Do keep this post going on progress, always interested to see what other ideas people have
Cheers Jimbo

 

Thanks both, well I got home late Friday night with the new bus and we spent all weekend cleaning it and finding out how everything works.

Found that the waste hose under the sink wasn't connected and was leaking water behind the bathroom units! So the whole vanity unit had to come out, that was a fun job in a tiny enclosed shower room on a hot day!

Also when I fill the fresh water tank up this happens. Not sure whether it should! The system fills up right back to the filler hose and I think the leaking is backflow from the filler hose running down on top of the tank. I think the filler hose is also split where it runs behind the toilet as when all the leaking is going on in the picture there is also a bead of water across the lino floor inside the van from the corner of the bathroom.

I'm not too concerned as I was planning to take the tank out anyway for a good clean so I'll replace all the hoses and connectors at the same time.

 

9 years later and i'm here reviving an old thread, just because this has just happened to me. It's great that these old threads are left in place. Well done to the Admin and Moderators here

 

When you drop the fresh water tank make sure the overflow cap on the top works ok, I thought mine had a split in it as water was pouring out when I filled it up - I just hadn't realised this overflow was there.

I think its mainly in case it freezes in winter if you hadn't drained it down - bit of expansion and all that

Do keep the post running, always good to see another Camper in the making

 

Thanks and will do. I had reached the same conclusion when I saw water gushing from the top of the tank!

All seems fine after a week's shakedown trip to Suffolk, we are really happy with the vast amount of space inside compared to our camper. Smooth drive but obviously a big lumbering beast compared to the T5, I'll just have to get used to taking it easy. Was chuffed to fill up with LPG at Morrisons at the knockout price of 65.9p a litre!! LOL: The engine starts on petrol and automatically switches over to LPG once warmed up. I have read up on the pros and cons of LPG in terms of valve guide wear and my plan is to run a tank of unleaded through every so often.

Half way through the holiday the fridge stopped working on gas. The iginition was fine, it was lit, the pilot light was on and there were warm fumes from the flue. The metal element inside the ice box was ever so slightly cool to the touch so the fridge was working to some extent but getting nowhere near operating temperature. I switched it off for a few hours, restarted and all is fine again! Some research on t'internet suggests that the jet may be partially blocked.

We decided that the tiddly little solar panel was completely inadequate for our needs. It is about 40cm square so I reckon 25-40 watts if that. So we are going for the overkill approach with a second 85 Ah leisure battery, two 80 watt panels and a decent MPPT controller. I'm justifying the expense based on 6 full weeks camping plus say another 20 days every year, that's 62 nights away and at around £4 per night for a leccy hookup the entire system will have paid for itself in a year.

Any opinions on these before I bite the bullet? Two of, to be bonded to the roof with marine grade Sikaflex adhesive.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370814420025?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

I looked into the semi flexible ones but they are much more expensive and I have also read a few niggles about potential overheating and faulty units so am going with solid panels.

Four burner hob, grill and full oven and I'm cooking on a barbecue. Oh and the dog was sick on the front seat...lovely!

 

I'm going to post a few pics of the solar installation as it progresses. We have been away most weekends, and have more trips planned so the job may take some time!

Here are the two 80 watt panels, with brackets made from sections of aluminium angle riveted in place, set out on the garage floor in the configuration as they will lie on the van roof, the left panel along the side of the roof, and the one on the right will be across the rear of the roof forward of where it starts to curve down. The cables are secured and cable tied in position where they will connect into a single MC4 pair, not sure whether to use a junction box or just leave them open to the elements as the connections are UV and weatherproof. Any suggestions?

The cables will then run off under the left panel into the hole where the existing solar panel cabling runs into the kitchen cupboard

And here is where they are going. I don't think bonding the panels to inch thick dirt would be such a smart move to so there is a serious cleaning task ahead LOL:

The existing panel is quite small, about 40 watts, and will be removed to make space. I think the only option will be to drill out the rivets as the brackets aren't going anywhere.

I have thought of reinstalling the 40 watt panel further forward but that would be overkill and I am not sure to what extent you can mix and match different types of panels

Cheers
Shaun

 

Looking good - let's know hw it goes T:

 

Will do

This arrived yesterday all the way from Xiamen, cost £79 including postage. I have read a few good reviews about it being solid and reliable despite being cheap Chinese junk

Somebody also published a useful video review on Youtube - linked below.

Tested, connected to the step battery and it fired up OK, menu system is straightforward enough.

Don't suppose there will be any heat related issues with installing this in a cupboard will there? The documentation says the operating range is -20 to 50 c but it could get rather hot in one of those upper cupboards on a sunny day.

We might be going camping this weekend but if not I'm going to crack on with the installation (AFTER cutting the hedge, the missus insists!)

Cheers
Shaun

 

Nice looking unit there , video very comprehensive too

 

Thanks fellas T:

Some recent progress. The solar installation is finished and I'm really happy that having gone camping at the weekend they haven't fallen off yet! The missus is also really happy having survived being sent up the ladder to crawl about on the roof like Mrs Doyle from Father Ted! My excuse is she is lighter than me so less likely to go crashing through the roof creating a convertible motorhome in the process.

I gave the area a thorough cleaning then lifted the panels up and marked out around where the brackets would sit. I then keyed both surfaces with sandpaper and cleaned with turps and then meths.

A total of three tubes of Sika 512 used to bond the panels on so they aren't coming off in a hurry. Or ever. Used the matchstick method to ensure a minimum 2mm adhesive thickness.

I am aware that the TV aerial is quite close and may throw a shadow at certain times of the day thereby impacting performance, if it does turn out to be a problem I can easily move the aerial further forward.

Still not sure what to do with the connections. Obviously they are built to withstand water ingress and are resistant to UV, but I'm not sure whether it would still be an idea to cover them with a perspex housing to offer some additional protection, or just leave them open to the elements.

In this picture you can see the brackets from the old solar panel still in place.

I decided against installing the MPPT controller inside a cupboard due to concerns about possible overheating, so it is mounted on the side of the cupboards above our side door. I intend to make some sort of cover for the bare connections as it is quite close to our key hooks and I'm concerned that being a clumsy sod I'll short out the connections with a key!

Zero readings because of the time of day, voltage shows 13.8 because the van is on hookup.

Cheers
Shaun

 

Well done - that all looks really good T:

God, this weather you would never need another hook up again LOL:

 

Thanks, that was the justification for our expenditure really, eventually the money we will save on not paying for EHU at £3-£4 per night will add up and pay for the solar equipment. Granted we will use more gas if not on hookup but as a rule 6 weeks away every year plus another ten weekends and I reckon the outlay of around £200 will be covered in 12 months.

 

Minor update, I managed to bypass the annoying habitation relay that cuts power to all the electrical equipment in the rear of the vehicle when the ignition is on.

Front of the Zig unit. The rocker switch at the top switches supply between the leisure batteries and vehicle battery.

Here is the rear of the unit with the cover removed.

The green wire at the top is the incoming supply from the vehicle battery, blue wire incoming from the leisure battery, black wire goes off to the voltmeter and red wire to the fuses.

Disconnect the blue wire and replace with a separate permanent live from the leisure battery using appropriate gauge wire and fused at 25a.

Job done!

 

The missus has done an amazing job of re-upholstering the interior. She has been working like a demon, I swear there was smoke coming out of the sewing machine! Everything done including cab seats, cab curtain and all bed upholstery. Out went the tired old fogey caravan look to be replaced with beach huts and a polka dot theme complete with warm LED lighting and a colour coded dog bed!

Some before and after pics

 

Looking good

 

Cheers Dan

Well folks we're off for two weeks touring Ireland, really excited I love preparing for a trip. I would have posted a piccy of the bus all packed up and eager to set off, but it's dark so I won't H:

I knock off work at 3 o'clock tomorrow, the plan is to drive over and see the parents on Merseyside for a few hours, wild camp somewhere in North Wales late on Friday, Saturday morning ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, then a couple of days in Dublin, a few more around Tipperary and then head down to see the ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, travelling up the West coast to Galway and then back across to Dublin getting back in time to meet up with mates at G.O.T.H 2013 https://www.facebook.com/events/194951427316514/?ref=2 Reservations made for a few of the most spectacular campsites which I was afraid might get booked up in peak season, the rest of the time we intend to be flexible

Bus is washed, water tank full, fridge full, bog doused with chemicals, all packed up and ready to go.

Any recommendations on things to see gratefully received, interested mainly in historic sites with a preference for the dog friendly variety. Tom Crean's South Pole Inn, the Burren national park and the Father Ted Parochial House already on the agenda

I may post some pics up if we have wifi access on our travels, in the meantime have fun peeps T:T:

To hell or Connaught!! T:

 

Hi. Interesting chat. Am a newbie having just bought my 1st ever van (vw comp nav 310), sadly I have discovered a broken / leaking side window..any advice on finding a replacement?

 

This thread was last posted to in 2013. I would suggest asking you question in somewhere like general van chat....

Its a smart looking van though!