http://ozibus.com.au/rssfeed.xml Complete RSS feed for OziBus http://ozibus.com.au/images/logo.png http://ozibus.com.au/ en-us Copyright (C) 2010 by OziBus Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Important considerations for DIY motorhome builders. Trade Skills. Building your own DIY motorhome can be a daunting task. You will need to be a handyperson with good basic carpentry, sheetmetal, welding, cabinet making, mechanical, electrical, painting, tiling, and general engineering skills to be able to successfully tackle and complete a large DIY motorhome conversion. If you are not confident in your abilities to tackle the tasks listed above, then I would strongly recommend that you seriously consider purchasing a bus that has already been converted into a motorhome. It may also be much more viable to spend a little extra money and purchase someone elses incomplete project, as the hard yards have already been done. Parking and Storage. If you intend to http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Initial Concepts and Planning. The most important part of building a motorhome is carefully selecting between your wants and needs. While it would be nice to afford the most expensive motorhome on the market, the chances are that it would not fulfil all your needs and requirements. I spent several years investigating thoroughly for the best all round compromise to best suit my budget and needs. Motorhomers generally fall into several categories. Holiday Seasonal Travellers Wunsa Rounda Stralia Permanent Onsites Casual Nomads Fulltime Nomads Holiday Seasonal Travellers. These folk tend to pack up every Easter or Summ http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/concepts-planning.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/concepts-planning.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Designing a Motorhome. Vehicle usage = vehicle type. You must select the most suitable vehicle for your upcoming adventure before considering the type of fit out you will require. It would be pointless attempting extended bush camping if you only had a 20 litre water supply, marginal battery power, no storage space, 2 single beds, and 7 young children. It is equally pointless expecting to travel the highways at 100 kph, and to traverse the timbered back tracks in a double decker bus. It is important to decide on several key factors before beginning your dream. Routes and destinations = Seaside Outback Mountains Hot Cold Wet Dry Duration of the journey = 3 http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/designing.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/designing.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Travel, Roads and Terrain. Suitable vehicles for your destinations. It is pointless trying to travel the outback bush tracks in a 12 metre long 2WD vehicle, that is also 4.3 metres high and only has 100mm of ground clearance. You will be stuck on the first causeway or bend in the road, not to mention tearing the roof off by hitting low tree branches. While it may be fine to putter along at a top speed of 75 k s an hour on the back roads, admiring the scenery in your ex council bus, you are not going to make any friends while on the highways or freeways at that speed. Nearly everyone that I have ever met, who owned a slow poke bus or a truck has cursed the day they bought the damned thing. The expense to retro fit a highway diff or an overdrive gearbox usuall http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/travel-criteria.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/travel-criteria.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Vehicle Selection. Selecting the correct vehicle and motorhome Class. Motorhome Classes. Class A Fully self contained converted buses Class B Motorhome built on a truck or van cab chassis Class C Motorhome built on a truck or van cab chassis with a bed over the cab We have decided back on the Travel Criteria page what type of travel and the destinations we have in mind. Now we can tune this information up further and begin to select the vehicle type that is best suited to our needs. The main points to consider being The type of Motorhome Travel and destinations Number of people to accomodate The type of camping we will be doing The duration of the trip Lastly The budget Examples You intend travelling around Australia for 12 months or so, mostly adhering to s http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/vehicle-selection.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/before-you-begin/vehicle-selection.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 DIY Bus to Motorhome Construction. A step by step look at building your own motorhome. After taking the plunge and buying your bus or coach, it is time to park it where you will begin the construction. Remember to allow plenty of clearance for the doorways from side fences and walls, otherwise you will be forever moving it to install fixtures and large items. Watch out for overhead power lines, for when you work on the roof. The first and absolute first thing that needs to be done is to preserve your engine start batteries. There is nothing more disappointing nor foolish, than spending many months and thousands of dollars building your own dream motorhome conversion, only to find that the main batteries have failed due to sitting so long, so let s preserve http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 DIY Aims and Goals. Motorhome construction. Before you begin stripping out the interior of the bus, just remember the old carpenter s adage of Measure twice, cut once . So lets consider the basic steps required to achieve our goals. Basic plans and concepts Initial preparation Layout Design Major modifications Motorhome fitout Outside features Plumbing Wiring Rego Certifying Basic plans and concepts. Based on the size of the bus purchased, we should now have an idea of exactly what we want to build, we just need to know how. This is the time for many cups of coffee, and a lot of sitting and pondering, Measure twice, cut once before we start ripping out the fixtures willy nilly. Look at your drawings or sketches you made before you bought the bus. Ask yoursel http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 DIY Interior fitout. The aims and goals. The primary aim of owning a motorhome is to be able to travel and live anywhere in a secure, self contained and comfortable environment. The interior is often scaled on a minaturized version of our own homes, with sufficient sleeping, cooking, dining, bathroom and recreation areas to suit the number of occupants. To this we add tiny infrastructures of water, gas, power, sewerage, communication, and emergency services, to build our own minute mobile civilization. Sizing for comfort. Your motorhome will require enough beds and seating for each member travelling. Your kitchen will need to be large enough and suitably outfitted to cater for each person, and they will all need somewhere to sit and dine. A few rainy days w http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals/inside.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals/inside.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome mechanicals. Bus Maintenance and repairs. There is not much point is spending a fortune building a nice comfortable motorhome if you cannot drive the thing. While it is easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of owning your own motorhome, the shine can quickly disappear when mechanical things start to go wrong. Generally, most buses are sold when they reach the 30 year mark, and often the engine has been rebuilt several times over, and may already have 400,000klms on it. Bearing in mind that this is not always a problem as it s only 20,000 or so odd kilometers to drive around Australia, and most older buses will handle this well. However, you can be unlucky as we were, and 600 klms later the engine blew to smithereenies. Not a problem if yo http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals/mechanical.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals/mechanical.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 DIY motorhome exteriors. Motorhome outer roof and wall modifications. A lot of initial planning must be given to what s outside the home as well. It is important to look at whats on top so that you can mount solar panels, roof racks, or even a satellite TV antenna. The roof will vary in design and construction, and is usually constructed from either aluminium or fibreglass. Take not of the pop rivet lines to determine exactly where the structural support beams are below. Most buses have a channel down the centre of the roof line. Examine the quality of the guttering, as you can plumb the water drainage from the gutters into your water tanks as well. Most guttering on buses is not suitable for attaching roof rack brackets, and these would do better bolted di http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals/outside.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/aims-goals/outside.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Construction. The initial preparation of the bus. Usually the first thing one does when they get possession of their bus or coach is to remove all the seats and rails. This can prove to be an arduous task in itself, as this often requires 2 people, one inside and one lucky one underneath the bus with a spanner. The next challenge is finding somewhere to store all those damn seats, and hopefully someone on eBay to buy them. In the majority of cases, school bus or council seats are harder to get rid of than a bad case of acne, so they usually end up finding their way to the local tip or rubbish dump. The next job on the agenda is removing old floor coverings, followed by a good clean out, and in some cases this could involve the use of a good high p http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/initial-preparation.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/initial-preparation.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Construction. The layout and design. Never forget the old carpenter s adage of Measure it twice Cut it once , to avoid disappointments and wastage. After the bus is empty, clean, and sealed from the rain, we began measuring, sketching, drawing, and finally laying out our design with masking tape direct to the floor and walls. Our bus has large windows with smaller sliding windows on top. We had decided that natural lighting and the ability to see outdoors was a must for us, yet we still wanted some privacy from prying eyes. All the original windows were to remain, to help preserve the originality of the bus, as we still wanted it to appear as a Swift from the outside. The large bottom sections of the windows were cleaned, masked up, and sprayed bl http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/layout-design.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/layout-design.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 DIY Major Structural Modifications. Raising the roof, removing windows, changing the access door, fitting seats. Any of these modifications will require certification by an authorized engineer, and must be complianced in accordance with current Australian Design Rules ADR . Raising the roof. Older coaches often had a lowered corridor, with the seats mounted on a higher platform to accomodate wheel arches and under floor storage bins. This gave a 1.9m headroom when walking the corridor, but only around 1.6m at the sides with the curvature of the roof. This does not present a problem for DIY builds with the fixtures mounted to the left and right, while retaining the corridor as a hallway. However, designs with flat floors using staggered or offset fixtures an http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Compliance Plates. Getting a compliance plate affixed to your new motorhome. Firstly, you ll need to find an automotive engineer who is qualified to re certify your bus. You can either browse the Yellow pages, or even ring the transport department, and they will refer you on to a choice of inspectors. The good news is, the inspector will come to you. We simply called an referred inspector and established an appointment with him, and he came out to where our bus was garaged, inspected the vehicle, and affixed the compliance plate and provided the certificate. At the time, it cost us around 200 for the compliance inspection. This inspection is mostly about seatbelts, any re engineering like raising the roof or other structural changes or modifications you hav http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications/compliance-plates.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications/compliance-plates.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Raising the roof. Gaining headroom and a flat floor. Raising the roof or fitting caravan windows is a major project and should not be tackled by anyone not confident in what they are doing. These modifications are best left to the professionals, and many motorhome or bus builders will perform this work for you, but be prepared to spend big money. You will need a level concrete and preferably indoors area to perform this task. Some DIY motorhomers have even leased an industrial shed for 6 months just to tackle this task alone. After stripping out the interior of the bus, including removing the interior sheeting from the ceiling and walls by drilling out 6 million pop rivets, we are ready to start the exterior. You will need to remove all the windows and frame http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications/raising-the-roof.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications/raising-the-roof.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Seating and berths. The number of approved seats must be greater or equal to the number of beds. Lets get those seats approved, including the comfy leather lounge and the dinette. The best way to achieve compliance with extra seating, is to purchase new ADR approved seating. If you need to persevere with re cycled car or bus seats, then you will find that there are several criteria that need to be met. These criteria will include the way in which the new seating is affixed to the vehicle, plus the correct seatbelt anchorage points. Next they will look for any structural changes, whether the door opens outwards etc. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications/seating-berths.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/major-modifications/seating-berths.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 The Kitchen. Do it yourself motorhome kitchen construction. In this section we cover designing your kitchen and then the DIY kitchen construction. Construction information is spread across different sections including cupboards and materials, refurbishing a rangehood, power and plumbing etc. we recommend you consider the points raised on kitchen layouts and design before jumping to the other sections. Rough and ready may well win the race, but if your kitchen does not come up to expectations, then you won t be watching the race let alone competing in it. Leave the racing to the V8 SuperCars and measure twice then cut once when you build your own kitchen. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/motorhome-fitout.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/motorhome-fitout.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Building the Kitchen. DIY kitchen construction in a motorhome. We will assume that you have already decided on the design and color scheme for your new kitchen. Before you cut the first piece of timber, make sure that you have a clear means of affixing your cupboards to the bus. This may mean pre marking out the steel frame or studs within the side walls and marking out the floor bearers first. One of the simplest ways to set out your new design is to mark out with masking tape. This way it s very easy just to move a piece of tape for any adjustments in your measurements and design. Armed with all the measurements for your stove, fridge, and sink etc, begin accurately marking out both the floor and walls with masking tape, and then drawing your accurate mea http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/motorhome-fitout/building-the-kitchen.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/motorhome-fitout/building-the-kitchen.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Design a Kitchen. DIY kitchen layout for a motorhome. Building your kitchen requires a lot of initial planning. Trying to cram a lot of kitchen storage and bench tops into a small work area takes skill and imagination. Let s not forget that we also need room for refridgeration, a stove, and a kitchen sink to wash the dishes in. Categorizing the main kitchen design criteria. Accessibility and location Cupboards and drawers Benchtops and workspace Stove and rangehood Fridge freezer Sink and plumbing Microwave and appliances Electrical lighting and power Design and construction methods Many DIY motorhome builders end up building their kitchen after they have laid out the bedrooms and bathrooms, and then find that the kitchen has to double as the lounge living http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/motorhome-fitout/design-a-kitchen.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/motorhome-fitout/design-a-kitchen.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Construction. The Storage Bins. The below decks or underfloor area is accessible through 4 hinged doors, 2 on each side. These locker doors provide access to a large storage area beneath the motorhome. Now space is limited, and the thru bin area in the center is lower and smaller than at the sides, so it is important to optimize the space by planning in advance. The front center section is filled with water tanks, and eventually the rear section will be as well. The rear center is currently the storage space for the spare tyre, but we intend moving it onto a sturdy bracket above the front bumperbar eventually. This leaves the sides clear. now there are 3 areas in the side bins, 2 on the right, and 1 on the left that are round the corner and do not http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/outside-features.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/outside-features.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Plumbing Wiring. DIY Water supplies and electrical power. In this section we will cover the installation of your water tanks, showers, sinks, and the associated plumbing etc. We also cover all the low voltage electrical installation, and remind you that the 240v electrical and gas system will need to be certified by a licensed installer. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 LPG gas. Gas hotwater or stoves and heating. Firstly, we are actually unable to comment upon LPG installations as our motorhome is 100 electric. We do know that the installation of any gas appliances including stoves, hotwater, or LPG bottles must be carried out by a licensed installer. You will require a current Gas Certificate from a licensed installer inspector prior to vehicle registration. Please check with your local authorities before proceeding with the installation of any gas equipment. The inspector will check for micro leaks, poor joints, defective equipment, incorrectly specified gas plumbing, and currently certified LPG gas cylinders before considering approval. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/Gas-LPG.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/Gas-LPG.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Low voltage power. Battery and Solar power. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/low-voltage.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/low-voltage.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Mains power. 240 volt mains power. 240v electrical work must be carried out by a licensed electrician. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/mains-voltage.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/mains-voltage.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Plumbing water. DIY water supplies, showers, kitchen sinks, water heaters, greywater tanks etc. Self contained water supplies. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/plumbing-water.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/plumbing-wiring-gas/plumbing-water.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Compliance. DIY motorhome compliance inspection. OK, so you bought a bus and have built a motor home. Now you need to have it written off as a bus, and re complianced as a motorhome. In essence, you can re register it as a bus providing it is still within it s certified operational time frame for thousands of dollars, or have it re complianced as a motorhome and register it for road use for a whole lot less money. To register your newly converted 40 bus as motorhome, you will need the minimum following certifications. Queensland . Certification of conversion as a motorhome LPG Gas Certificate Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness Safety Inspection The certificate of conversion is supplied by a certified engineer, who will certify your seating in accordance with the http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 LPG gas. Gas hotwater or stoves and heating. Firstly, we are actually unable to comment upon LPG installations as our motorhome is 100 electric. We do know that the installation of any gas appliances including stoves, hotwater, or LPG bottles must be carried out by a licensed installer. You will require a current Gas Certificate from a licensed installer inspector prior to vehicle registration. Please check with your local authorities before proceeding with the installation of any gas equipment. The inspector will check for micro leaks, poor joints, defective equipment, incorrectly specified gas plumbing, and currently certified LPG gas cylinders before considering approval. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying/LPG-Gas.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying/LPG-Gas.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Compliance Plates. Getting a compliance plate affixed to your new motorhome. Firstly, you ll need to find an automotive engineer who is qualified to re certify your bus. You can either browse the Yellow pages, or even ring the transport department, and they will refer you on to a choice of inspectors. The good news is, the inspector will come to you. We simply called an referred inspector and established an appointment with him, and he came out to where our bus was garaged, inspected the vehicle, and affixed the compliance plate and provided the certificate. At the time, it cost us around 200 for the compliance inspection. This inspection is mostly about seatbelts, any re engineering like raising the roof or other structural changes or modifications you hav http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying/compliance-plates.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying/compliance-plates.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Seating and berths. The number of approved seats must be greater or equal to the number of beds. Lets get those seats approved, including the comfy leather lounge and the dinette. The best way to achieve compliance with extra seating, is to purchase new ADR approved seating. If you need to persevere with re cycled car or bus seats, then you will find that there are several criteria that need to be met. These criteria will include the way in which the new seating is affixed to the vehicle, plus the correct seatbelt anchorage points. Next they will look for any structural changes, whether the door opens outwards etc. http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying/seating-berths.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/construction/rego-certifying/seating-berths.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Our Motorhome. The DIY Motorhome build. This section outlines our progress during our coach to motorhome conversion. The gallery contains photographs of our step by step DIY build, along with other illustrative photographs. Watch this section as we are currently upgrading this entire site and will be including a new section on repowering our motorhome. This also includes replacing both the gearbox with an Allison auto, and replacing the engine with a turbocharged Volvo. http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Early history. The previous life of our motorhome as a Leyland Swift bus. Our Motorhome is based on a Leyland Swift bus chassis, powered by an AEC AH760 rearmount engine, with a semi automatic 5 speed box. This particular chassis is what is known in the bus world as a Durban Swift , built in England for shipment to South Africa during the apartheid days, it was stamped and paperworked for delivery to SA , but somehow was delivered to South Australia instead. The body was built by Domino Industries in Brisbane, and plated as a 1979 build. Domino Swift Domino Swift http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/early-history.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/early-history.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Design Features. DIY Solar Power, Internet Phones, Water Supplies, Decorating for Effect, Heating and Cooling, Concealed Lighting, Outback Camping. Learn about dual battery systems, shower bases, ventilation, caravan airconditioning, extra seating, flushing toilets, voltage inverters, pressure pumps, building bunks, waste water storage, next G broadband, or outback survival. Apart from the everyday options common to most motorhomes, each DIY motorhome builder tends to add their own unique features based on preference, personality, ability and choice. We have included many sub pages here to categorize the list of features that we have in our design, along with an explanation of what we wanted to achieve. As a Bus in General. An indepth look at the m http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Features. The Bus in General. The bus is a Domino bodied Leyland Swift with an AEC AH760 engine and a 5 speed pre select box, all coupled up to a highway diff. This old girl apparently is good for just over the 100 kph, so it shouldn t be holding up too much traffic as we travel the Australian highways. The 5 speed pre selector box has a low 1st gear, so climbing up Mt. Everest should also be a snap. Here are the main essentials that we wanted before buying our bus. FRONT ACCESS LOW ROOF PROFILE STORAGE BINS GROUND CLEARANCE REAR ENGINE. The Swift Bus in the original Mt. Gravatt Bus Services livery We particularly looked for a front access doorway, as this would maximize the amount of Build room ava http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/as-a-bus.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/as-a-bus.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Features. Underfloor Storage Bins. Below deck storage bins will avoid the nightmare of creating brackets and boxes to hold all your water tanks, gas bottles, and solar batteries, and then trying to load all your junk inside. Ah I could imagine nothing finer than having a couple of jerry cans of fuel next to my side of the bed, or a bicycle behind the lounge, and I reckon a couple of 300ah house batteries beside the dunny would make a great conversation piece too. Not to mention the generator, the out board motor beside the tele, and all that other handy stuff you need in the living room. Basically, we have planned on mounting our water tanks in the center and right hand side, with a micro workshop in the right rear bin. VIEW INSIDE FRONT LEFT BIN. http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/below-decks.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/below-decks.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Features. Electrical System and Power. Our motorhome is 100 electric. Thats right there is no LP gas Hotwater service, we have solar instead. The same applies to the kitchen stove, it s not Gas, it s electric. Complete with oven and grill, this appliance guzzles the power, but we well provisioned for it in our solar array. Solar Panels. We have 1 kilowatt of solar panels to supply our Free electricity needs, and to charge the house batteries. Our panels are mounted flat on the roof, however we have taken advantage of the slight curvature of the roof to ensure that 50 of our panels will attract the early morning or late afternoon sun. In addition, we have 2 smaller regulated 20 watt panels connected in series, providing 24 volts, just to make sure t http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/electrical-power.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/electrical-power.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Mains Power. Remote 240 volt power sources. There are 3 ways you can get 240 volt mains power into your motorhome. Electric Generators, RV Power Inverters, and Mains Power cord. 1 Voltage Inverters. A voltage inverter converts a low DC voltage battery supply to a mains voltage AC line supply. Inverters either produce an AC voltage waveform as a square wave or preferably as a sine wave. These are the 2 types of voltage inverter that we shall be concerned with here. A square wave or what is now more commonly called a modified sine wave or quasi is the cheaper of the 2, and is best suited to appliances without electronic controls or induction motors. The pure sine wave inverter produces a waveform the same as your home mains supply and will run all el http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/electrical-power/mains-power.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/electrical-power/mains-power.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Solar Power. Free power from the sun. A mains 240 volt producing solar system basically consists of 4 main components, namely solar power production, power regulation, energy storage, and the 240 volt inverter. 1 Solar Panels. These are the energy producing part of the system. Solar panels come in 2 silicon flavours, mono crystaline and poly crystaline. We prefer to run a 50 50 mix of poly and mono panels to both preserve the dollars and to gain optimum power production in the southern and northern areas of Australia . Mono Panels. Mono panels are cheaper to buy as they contain manufactured silicon cells. Mono panels produce less power at higher temperatures and lower sunlight levels. Poly Panels. Poly panels are dearer to buy as they contain cells http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/electrical-power/solar-system.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/electrical-power/solar-system.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Floor Plan. Layout and design. The corner stone and foundations. After trying several different designs, we decided that we wanted a very large lounge dining kitchen area, yet we were still having 2 bedrooms, a shower toilet and a laundry room. All this is easy to squeeze into 36 foot if you like caravan style , but we wanted open plan living instead. http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/floor-plan.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/floor-plan.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Features. The Main Bedroom. The master bedroom has an island bed that is king in length, but double in width. ie 2000mm long but 1400mm wide This longer bed provides comfort, yet still allows for a 500mm wide walk way each side. There is nothing more frustrating than the bed setups in caravans where the only real way to access the rear cupboards is by sitting on the bed and shuffling up the side. The other big downside is trying to make the damn bed. Our bedroom make over allows us to easily walk up the side to the head of the bed and access the bedside cupboards with ease. This also permits better access to the under bed storage areas. There are 2 full length builtin ward robes, one each side, with both hanging and drawer shelf space. In addition http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/main-bedroom.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/main-bedroom.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Motorhome Features. The Water and Plumbing. Roof mounted Solar Hotwater Service. This little gem really saves the day. Even during the colder months, just a few hours of good sun heats the water to 70 deg C. Mixed with cold, this provides more than enough for a few hot showers. It s only 70cm x 50cm and stands proud of the roof by 25cm, holds a good 10 litres in the insulated header tank, and is all stainless steel. Instead of water circulating through tubes, this mini solar heater has 5 evacuated tubes that soak up the suns rays and transfer the heat to the water tank, similar to having 5 individual heating elements. This works great, and we backed the system up with a Duoetto 12v 240v Electric hotwater service just in case of raining weather. The header ta http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/plumbing-water.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/plumbing-water.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 Drinking Water. The potable isolated water reticulation system. Our drinking water system is totally seperate from the bathroom shower and kitchen washing up supply. The system comprises 4x60 litre interconnected water tanks. Each tank can be isolated from the others by seperate stop cocks. The 4 tanks can be filled at the same time from a garden hose supply. There is no filler cap access to prevent louts from urinating in the water supply, it can only be filled by a hose with snaplock fittings. Didn t you know that the hoons love to piss in caravan water tanks. Think about the height of that plastic filler cap on your van. Sheesh, I was a kid once and even topped up a few myself at various holiday caravan parks. You ll think twice about that nice cup of tea http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/plumbing-water/drinking-water.html http://ozibus.com.au/content/our-bus-motorhome/features/plumbing-water/drinking-water.html Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000 This RSS 2.0 site feed was created by magic http://www.codeaustralia.com http://www.codeaustralia.com Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:17:27 +1000