Once the gnome was on, we were able to do some clear coat spray all around. Hopefully, this will help with paint retention as this 33 year old camper bounds down the roadways of America. This was a much larger undertaken than originally thought but at a cost of about $50 in spray paint, the outcome was worth it. It renewed the campers appeal and made us happy to be that much closer to living in a beautiful mobile abode.
Other accomplishments that have been achieved in the past few weeks include the following.
-- Liz learned the fine art of sewing via an older Pfaff machine. She set up camp in the dining room with trimmings on the kitchen floor. She made short work of putting the foam cushions back together. They are a fun amber pattern with nice thick naugahyde fabric on the bottom to take the brunt of our rumps. She continues the laborious task of getting the canvas in better shape. Three of five panels are completed but unfortunately, the hardest are saved for last. Once, completed, they can be remounted on the camper.
-- The propane systems were installed which had to be established on a newly constructed tray at the frame tongue. The location for the dual 20lb tank setup was determined by the size of the exterior protective shell. The poles for the beds clear the shell by a hair. Each 20lb tank has been hosed to a regulator with auto change over of supply once empty. Additionally, each tank has a basic meter at the neck to keep track of consumption (the meter glows in the dark too!). The hose lines were reassessed and certain problem areas were tightened up using propane specific thread tape to prevent leaks. A safe system is a great system.
One thing learned is the trick of the quick connect which were previously installed in the "kitchen" and exterior hose of the camper near the entrance. The quick connect on these models were used to quickly connect and disconnect the original grill to the propane system. Unfortunately, we did not acquire the grill with the purchase of the camper. We picked up a Coleman dual burner for $5 last season at a garage sale and also bought a Mr. Heater buddy for chilly nights on the trail. These two propane items were harder to connect than anticipated.
Going back to the original installed hardware, the quick connect required a small male adapter to fit the connector. You can purchase these online so I decided to replace both quick connect hardware items which came with both pieces of the puzzle. Unfortunately the end of this connector is now way too small to attached to either item. I went to the local RV shop which had every bit and bob one could want. In the propane section, I managed to find just the right coupler to get it all pieced together. Both the grill and the heater have been tested and work just as they should. Unfortunately, with this system feeding through a regulator, the flame on the grills is very small but will get the job done.
-- The 33YO Norcold two-tier 3-way refrigerator with ice compartment was investigated. The interior had some black funk growing in it and was scrubbed with Totally Awesome Cleaner and a melamine (Mr. Clean) sponge. It buffed right up on the inside. The door was taken off and a sheet of tin metal was glued to the front after a fun pattern was painted on. This was done with intent for a magnet collection in the near future!
Now for the fun stuff. The fridge wiring, albeit only two wires, hot and ground, were giving me issues and not providing any measurable power from the converter sourcing inside the camper. The prior owner had wired the fridge power to a battery-out line on the converter which also ran to the wire harness? This really made no sense since this wire was then rewired to hook up the converter with the battery bank. Back to the fridge, a new wire with juice was rerouted from the converter back to the fridge to provide a power source. It worked when everything was set up and the fridge actually showed signs of a chilly life after a night of being powered on. Prior to this success, we were fearful that the purchase of a new or used (hard to find) $600+ fridge would be in our future. Now you say, "Chris, why would you purchase a fridge that expense instead of buying a $100 dorm fridge from Target?" Well, the specialty fridges in RVs are set to receive power from three sources, AC (shore/plug in power) / DC (battery) & Propane.
And speaking of propane, since the gas system had recently been installed and inspected, I was able to give this part of the fridge a go. I read the dusty placard which was barely legible on the rear of the fridge.The short list of instructions told me to prime the system with gas via a "trigger" and then to set a spark with the built in igniter. Well, the first time was a near miss with a small fireball poofing out of the system and quickly dissipating in the garage. Phew. I brought the fire extinguisher closer to my chair. The next go around, I primed it just right but the igniter was failing to spark. The good ol grill lighter was found and used to provide flame to the gas coming out of the port in the view-hole. The flame caught and kept for a good five minutes. Enough to tell me that both systems were up and running. Lastly was to secure the third connection of battery.
-- Another Chris project was to construct and wire a "simple" camper system. When all was said and done, dozens of connections had to be traced and rewired in frustrating and confusing explorations below the framework of the camper. I decided to install a battery bank consisting of two inline 6V golf cart batteries to provide 12volt DC power to the camper lights and fridge in addition to a 400W power inverter. The inverter takes the DC power form the battery bank and inverts it to an AC source for two built in outlets and four USB ports. This should be more than enough to keep us charged up when we are off the grid. The batteries were installed in a leak proof marine battery box which literally just clears the seat height. It is a snug fit vertically.
In the battery compartment, we also hard installed the power converter for the solar panels which were recently purchased from Harbor Freight tools during a recent sale. The three panel system is mounted on a PVC framework and is relatively light to transport. In direct sunlight, the panels provide up to 45Watts of power to the battery system and will keep us charging in the sunshine. The array is movable up to about 50 feet from the camper so we can rest in the shade while the light powers the panels. Liz anticipates sewing a basic canvas sheath for the whole array so we done have to fully deconstruct each time we pack camp.
-- A new spare tire is to be installed since the old one is dry rotted on the side walls and the steel was well rusted within the hub. Doesn't seem logical to have a spare which might require a spare. I managed to get a steal on a tire and wheel combo from an online distributor. Woo.
-- A new deadbolt was installed which required surgical style dremeling on the door and wall panels in the camper. The task was completed in a few hours of stumbling around and double checking before drilling giant holes in the door. Attention to details provided a great result and provides extra safety with a lock and key compared to when the gnome was acquired.
-- Roof latches were installed to hold the lid to the body while in transit. Prior to this install, we rode it with a ratchet strap keeping everything together.
-- Plastic trim was reinstalled around the lid and lip of the camper. At first, it was a mega struggle but once the hairdryer was used to heat up the plastic for a bit, it became more pliable and was a much easier task to tackle.
-- The storage under the seat has begun stocking phase.
-- Materials have been purchased and blueprints are in place for the outdoor solar shower set up which will include a roof mounted PVC box framework which will hang a lite privacy cloth. Additionally, the temporary structure will hold the 5 gallon water bladder in place on the roof while it showers us with sun-warmed water.
-- The on board water holding system was reevaluated and numerous small fixes were noted and performed to include the gravity feed apparatus, the fold down (and up) foot pump and a direct feed line with check valve to prevent backflow into the other systems. The whole thing is yet to be field tested but in theory, should work. I'm sure more minor tweaks are to come.
-- Materials have been purchase and blueprints are in place for the outdoor . . .awning (its ok if you thought I was going to say solar shower). The awning will stretch the length of the camper and reach out about 7' out from the body using a series of painters poles, two 90 degree metal rails and some grommets. Stay tuned for that debacle.
-- Blueprints have been drafted for a composting toilet and a vermiculture composting bin for food scraps. More to come on these projects.
-- And the most import mod - Stickers have been installed on the Roamin Gnome! Huzzah!
Lastly, we reached out to our first WWOOFing farm in Hot Springs NC. At first, I assumed the user profile was no longer active since a few days went by without correspondence. Then, they emailed back apologizing for a slow return and that things were busy on their end; sounds like they need a helping hand or two to come on down. We hope to get there by late April with undetermined stops in Virginia, Maryland and NC enroute. After that, we will be sticking around the central east coast so we can attend this springs SHAREFEST in May. Very excited to get on the road and gnome around this country.
