After lots of searching, and lots of questions asked and answered by you wonderful people, I am heading out tomorrow to pick up my 4104. I was worried about driving home but out of nowhere came the guy that converted the last bus I lived in and he just happened to want to go, so I will have a sidekick in the bus and a vehicle chasing. I am super excited and yet super apprehensive. Please put out good energy for me, and keep me in your thoughts! I will update as I can during the trip. (Should be short, Hemet Ca, to Phoenix Az_)
Happy Travels! ;D
Have fun!!!
Jordan, it is always great to see all of the learning threads come to fruition. It is better yet to be able to follow the new bus nut as he brings his treasure home.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Jim
Thanks guys. Gearing up to go. I have my checklists etc. But I saw somewhere on here and now can't find a list of the very essential items/tools/etc. to have any time on the road. Any help would be appreciated. Thx.
I don't know about a list but if it was me going to get an unknown vehicle the most common problem I'd be prepared to deal with is electrical gremlins. So test light, VOM, black tape would be high on my list. After that it's pretty well up to your imagination and how much weight you can carry. It's probably harder to come up with a list of tools that you absolutely would never need.
For sure a tire gauge and I'm a big fan of grease guns, particularly for stuff that has been sitting for a while.
Probably the most important tool you can carry is a credit card with a high limit.
I like to have about 15 gallons of fuel (no fuel guage on my coach yet), some bungie cords, some electrical tape and a splicer, a battery operated drill...... a friend told me on my first voyage to have plenty of oil, water and an infared gun. Take a cell phone (for calling road side assistance) and internet access to get help from the people here. Oh and something else, pick up a highway orange cone......... never know when it might come in handy!
I would also carry a set of jumper cables some wire and duct tape. A small assortment of tools, rags and coveralls. Plan for the worst and expect the best!
Paul
Me at work. I'm currently busless
You are going to have to change your signature!! Congratulations, Jack
I guess i lucked out when i went to pick up our bus 1100 miles from home. All i took was a couple of changes of clothes, money for fuel and food, and a road atlas....of course at that time i was not yet aware of the bus boards so was not properly paranoid about about driving it anywhere without a full set of tools and parts on hand. Didn't even have a cell phone at the time, makes me wonder that i ever got it home. ;D
We did too Ed. We bought ours sight unseen off the internet, paid for it in full before we ever saw it. Then we flew out to pick it up so I didn't take any tools with me. I did have a good friend in the city where the bus was located so I was counting on him for emergency tools. And I had a good piece of plastic in my pocket. (which I didn't need as it turned out - that came later)
We knew absolutely nothing about busses when we picked ours up in W. Texas. We just knew that an RV was not working for us, didnt hold up to the miles we do. It was the best thing we could have done. She has been a good ol girl for us tho, still a lot of spunk left in her. I will be sad when she drives off tho, even tho I am excited to get into the new one. Have fun with the new bus, I know it is exciting, even tho you cant help bus worry a little. ::)
This would make a good article in BCM. if we can keep the thread on topic ::) we can all learn, this is getting interesting. Lots of good stories!
I was one of the lucky ones too, I bought mine before i knew about the board here, my first time behind the wheel I had to drive it thru the heart of Oshkosh during the largest air show in the country, it seemed that the bus was wider than the narrow streets of oshkosh but I got it home the 350 miles or so with only one minor incident, one of the steer tires picked up a rock and whipped it past my shoulder and made a chip on the inside of the windshield, yep no floor or bay floors at that time lol.
For me it is Coachnet,plastic,cell phone and very few tools 98% of the time you are going to shop anyway just the nature of the beast
For me it is always a laugh when you go into a shop and the owner of the bus has his big Snap on Tool box in the bay on rollers setting in a shop paying the shop 100 bucks a hour to do work and he wants to show you his tools lol.
I never carried much in the way of tools do your pre trip and keep up the maintenance and all is well
good luck
I started looking for buses 2 years ago and capture a picture of one I liked, but it was a little fuzzy but kept it in computer anyway. Bid on one on e-bay, but it fell through, which I was bummed out about but my wife said as always, there's a Reason for everything eh. After I had 100's of pic's of other uses that we liked, I had from wherever on the computer bus sites. The next day I thought I will go to local bus company to see if they had any Buses for a decent price. I was looking at an RTS bus and asked if they had any conversions. The guy said no and then said oh wait the Chief mechanic has his personal bus for sale and he pointed it out in a sea of 400 school buses etc.
I turned around and looked and it was the first one that I had downloaded from the internet picture that was fuzzy. We came back 2 weeks later and bought it and a week later the owner brought it to our house. We still owed him a 1000.00 which we paid him. Worked on it because the inside was converted in 1989 and had a lot of stuff torn out or needed to be torn out. Finally drove it the second month and it was great.
Good Luck and everything always works out, an you will have a great adventure.
Dave
well I've only had mine since June of this year, but have done a lot in that short time. I am an evangelist so we (myself, wife and 2 girls) live in it full time. I sold my fifth wheel the day I brought the bus home. (I needed the money from the fifth wheel to do the conversion) We moved into my wifes uncles spare bedroom and I went to work on the bus. In 2 months it went from a fully seated bus to a fully converted home on wheels. So 2 months of 16 hour days 7 days a week and we are back on the road, and loving every minute of it. Had I known a year and a half ago what I know now, I would never have bought that fifth wheel, and it would have saved me some money.
Made it home ;D Too tired to go through the details, will do tomorrow. Suffice to say I think she is a sound girl, but she does have a worrisome oil leak (more than the "usual" DD drips in my opinion) will have pics video and the story hopefully by tomorrow. Just glad I got her home accident free ( I didn't say incident) ::)
Atta Boy Jordan!
Eagerly awaiting all the colorful details. And pics. And video!
Congrats again,
Kev
I would rather have two incidents rather than one accident any day. ;D
Congratz Jordan.. Looking forward to the photos and hearing your drive back home story...
Good For YOU!!! Now you gotta get those photos uploaded and fix your sig!!
Ok, so here goes ;D
A friend and I left my house near Phoenix at 6 am on Tuesday for a 5 and a half hour drive to Hemet California to meet the 4104's owner. He is a very nice guy who did the conversion with his dad starting in the 80's and continuing into the 90's, and then added things here and there. I had my checklist of things to check, and we got started in the engine compartment....Which filters are which, and when were they changed etc? All the filters are new, and all fluids have been changed within the last month. Sweet. That's when I see the leak on the pavement. (I'll show where it is in the pictures I will get up asap). I knew that I had read that these DD's leak etc. but this seemed a little bigger than it should be. He wasn't sure where it was coming from, and said it had not leaked there much previously, but that he also hadn't driven the bus much in the last year :o Well, we went on with the walkaround. Where's the generator, how do I use it, so and and so forth. Everything from there on went well, and I got a VERY basic understanding of the buses systems. (I have A LOT to learn about this thing, and how they did the conversion. No wiring diagrams etc.)
Time for a test drive. We hop in, him in the pilot's seat, showing me what gauges do what etc. This is where an interesting feature of the bus came in. Rather than having the airbags automatically level the bus when you start, each bag is set up on a separate valve, and you manually (with the help of a gauge) lift each bag up to the desired level. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this ;) So down the road we go, with me eagerly looking over his shoulder and trying to take in as much of what he is doing as I can. He drove for about 15 min. then we stopped, and I got in the driver's seat. LOOK OUT!! I may fly airplanes way bigger than a bus, but apparently that is WAY easier! I struggled to say the least. I had a very hard time shifting, and went over a couple of curbs with the rear tires. But after about 15 min. I had a general idea of how to drive the damn thing, so back we go to his house. (Sidenote, I was disappointed to find that the Jake breaks are not working, but I got a firm commitment from him that he will be through phoenix multiple times this fall and that he will fix the problem)
At this point came the question....do I give this guy the $$ and inherit either the ride of my dreams or a total nightmare? I decided to go for it :-\ We went inside and filled out the bill of sale, got me insured, etc. etc. And now it's time to driver her home :o I was super worried about making it up the canyon outside of Hemet due to my poor downshifting skills, so I had him get me to the interstate before I took over. A big handshake and hug from Kellyray (the now previous owner) and off I go with my friend behind me in my car. Mistake #1 I didn't lock the door all the way, so when I took off in 1st it swung open, and I used my pilot training to first drive the bus, and second get the door closed without running off the road or some stupid thing. Whew! Now I'm on I-10 headed east. She is just purring along on the rev-limiter doing 65. Temp and pressures are stable, and I'm just learning how to fit in my lane, and how to handle this thing at speed. And then I begin to sweat. About an hour outside of Hemet, just past all the windmills is a 4% grade that lasts about 5 miles, and I knew that if I missed the shift from 4th to 3rd that I'd be dead in the water. As this vertical wall of road loomed ahead of me, I girded up my loins only to end up stuck between to semis at the foot of the hill. We start climbing and the RPMs start dropping off....time to shift, I push in the clutch, pull it out of 4th and push it to where 3rd should be.....grind grind grind grind. Sh&* Fu#@ Damn it, etc. the semi behind me is blaring his horn, and the one in front of me is slowing enough that I have to hit the brakes while trying to shift and........ahhhh at the last possible second she moves into 3rd and I floor it, and I'm moving up the hill. Semis are passing me left and right, and I'm sure they were pissed, but at that point I didn't give a flying F....because I was in third, the temps weren't budging a bit, and I was speeding along that grade at 35 ;D I made it to the top and knew that as long as I didn't blow a tire, motor, etc. I was going to get this thing home in one piece :D From there on it was easy cruising until I took an exit so that my chase car could get some gas and use the toilet. I make my stop at the stop sign, put it in 'first' and try to go. I kill it. I was in third :( Oh well, let's try again and get out of the intersection. I put her in neutral, push in the clutch, turn the key and waaaw, waaaw, waaaw, waaaw, she is barely trying to turn over. CRAP!!!!!!! Panic sets in and I am ready to call my chase car and tell him to push me out of the intersection, but I decide to try to crank it one more time. This time I gave her some gas and thank God she started up. Man were my nerves fried then!!!! So i pull into the gas station, and get out to have a look around and make sure things look good (keeping it running of course cuz I don't dare try another start on those batteries) We are there for about 15 minutes, and I go around back to look at my leak...there is about a tablespoon of oil under the engine in one spot >:( :( :o ??? And here comes the question, do I shut it off to check the oil, risking not being able to start again, or do I keep bussin' with a careful eye on my temp and pressure? I picked the latter. It may have been foolish, but that's what kids my age do, make foolish uneducated choices. I get back on the road, and after a few more hours of tortured driving, passing through Phoenix where the insane small car drivers try desperately to kill bus drivers, and I get the old girl home. ;D ;D She is now in the backyard of the house I am renting through the end of the month, and I am currently cleaning her out and studying the manuals for the generator, inverter, etc. etc. She leaked about another tablespoon of oil in the same spot, but stopped there. I plan on having her looked at as soon as I can afford to, but I'm not TOO worried about it for now. I'm busy worrying about the way these guys wired this coach...It's a 30 amp coach, with very interesting 12v wiring and strange distributor boxes etc. and I'm curious why I get power to everything when the inverter and generator are both off, and I'm not plugged in??? Oh well, all things I will bug you all about later. I'll try and get some pics etc. up today, and am awaiting all of your congratulations and chastising with baited breath.
Sounds like a normal, if not better than average first trip home by a newbie... ;D
Oil is probably just the slobber tubes, if they are not connected to a catch-can they are supposed to make a puddle on the floor, particularly when idling. Shifting is just an acquired skill, read RJ's article and practice. Couple hints - 1 - 2 is wait a full second in neutral, 2 - 3 is wait 2/3 of a second, 3 - 4 is wait not much at all, rush it. Downshift - start just a little faster than governor speed in 3rd, come out of 4th, neutral, floor the pedal to get the engine on the governor, then shift into third. Again rush it, it wants to shift 4 - 3 fairly smartly.
Power to everything when everything is turned off - that would be free power, go with it!
Brian
The air bags are great! For my conversion I plan on having them do it individually because you get to level it on unleveled ground which helps for sleeping comfortably, drinks, rv refers and probably some other things. As for the oil...... I cant say cuz I am one of the lucky ones who doesnt have oil leaks.
It IS a real trip driving these things!!! You are sooooo hooked!!! I bet you cant wait to get her on the road for a long trip soon ;D ;D ;D And as far as Im concerned you did the right thing by ignoring the people wizzing by you and going at your own pace. YOU know better then anyone what is safe for your skills and your bus when in each situation, do NOT ever go faster then what is comfortable. On one of my first trips with my bus I had my teenage son with me and he was complaining about the semis passing us and said that I would be a better driver if I went fast like them ::) ??? :-\ Short of killing him, I gave him time to grow up!! The last long trip we were on there were times I had several of the faster semis passing and I just cruised at a speed of about 30mph, even my son was relaxed and okay with that and enjoyed the trip without complaining about being passed.
The best advice I ever got about shifting a 2-stroke is to always drive it right to the governor. Hold your foot flat on the floor until the tach/speedo stops climbing, then shift. That way you'll pretty soon get used to what it is supposed to feel and sound like on both sides of the shift, which will make the downshifts easier too. If you don't have a tach, get one - it will make learning to shift much easier.
Sounds like the only real problems were with you (nerves)and not the bus which is a good thing. I completly understand since you were in a huge bus where you just sank huge dollars into it and were hundreds of miles from home. The nerve problems get better with each drive and as you get more comfortable in the drivers seat. Glad you made it home without any major troubles. When I picked up my last bus, I had the same problem with the door flying open too.. Luckily there was a manual latch on the inside that I could lock it closed. First thing I did after I got home was to fix the air lock on the door and so far I have had no more problems with it coming open.
Hey Jordan,
Good job! Re: "Mistake #1"; I hate it when that happens! Mine has the original dash-mounted door handle, and thank goodness for that considering how many times in the past 11 years I've turned sharply to the left only to hear/see the door yaw open. Wifey has remarked more than once from the co-pilot's chair, "nice try, Hon', but I'm wearing my seatbelt you SOB!" ;D
Shifting. Yes, it seems impossible at first. I even used to get angry at times! >:( Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I'd grind it hopelessly (usually when downshifting at a critical uphill shift-juncture) and have to listen to Wife and Daughter snicker in unison... why those wicked little.... :-X
Now, forgive me, but you do understand that (at least until you begin to shift w/o the clutch) you must "double-clutch" these beasts, right? As Bob says, "drive it to the governor" then clutch in - shift to neutral - clutch out - apply a blip of throttle - clutch back in - upshift to next gear.
Downshifting is a bit trickier (for me) but can be done very smoothly w/practice. As she labors down and it becomes obvious that it's time for a lower gear, in with the clutch - shift to neutral - on the throttle to the gov - in with the clutch - downshift to lower gear and continue to pour the coal to 'er!
Hmmm, just just read Brian's post below and he pretty much covered that much more succinctly than I. You'll get it!
Only a tablespoon of oil? Lucky! :D Seriously, that doesn't seem too bad. I'll bet the majority of DD owners would admit to theirs leaking that much or more under similar cirumstances. Do a search on "catch cans" and fab something up.
Enjoy your new home on wheels. You're hooked, Baby!!!
Kev
I have a control valve and gauge for each of my 4 air bags on my 5A and like them. As far as shutting down and checking your oil level,.....if you don't give it about 10-15 minutes to drain down, you will find that it reads low every time. And if you just go ahead and fill it up without waiting you will find that it will just blow it out within a very short time. ;D
The first couple months I had my 4104 I kept the oil all the way up to the full mark and I was adding about 2 quarts every 50 miles or so...It was coming out the slobber tube, you could see a streak of oil on the highway on the return trip that I was scared to death was from me..... I was about ready to take it to Springfield Mo. to a DD shop. When I would idle for a few minutes there would be a small puddle under the tube.
I finally figured out if I run the bus with the oil level about 1/4" below the full mark on the dip stick it does not do this. I have driven it about 300 miles since I stopped filling it up to the full mark and have not added any oil to it.
Has this been anyone's experience??
Rick
Mine will drop down to the fill mark and sit there for about 1500 miles. If i add to the 3/4 full area i will lose it in about 150-200 miles.
When I first got ours I always topped it off. Now that I know it a little better it likes to stay about 1/2 gallon low, it leaks more than is burned or consumed! ::)
Congrats. Reminds me of my first trip home. I have read lots of threads on here about the oil leaking down because of overfull. The small spot you seen sounds normal for a 15 min idle. Take an eye dropper and put 2 drops of oil on the ground from about 2ft high. Wait 15 min and see how big it seems to get. A little goes a long way. I have ran about 3000 miles on my bus and have yet to add 1 quart. I keep seeing how people go 1000 miles and add a gallon. The wiring is really fun. I have the origanal schematic in my electrical compartment. I have found my self up until 4am just tracking wires to understand it. First thing I would do is get wire labels. As you start looking start labeling and taking notes for your bus binder. Start getting numbers off everything thing like belts, filters, headlights and lightbulbs. For some reason when something breaks or is totally gone the numbers are gone with them. Nothing worse than standing at the counter trying to tell someone your looking for a fan belt for your bus. They won't know what you need. I hope you have a volt meter. I know mine is half 12v and half 24v with more relays than a pinball machine. just remember you won't hurt it with 12v but you can fry it instantly with 24 so always start testing with 12v if you are unsure what it should be. Good luck and we are waiting to see more pics.
Here's a quick walkaround video I put up on youtube
my pd4104 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCuFOMUItY4#)
I have some pics I'll try and get up, but they are pretty much the same as the pics I posted before.
Hi Jordan, nice looking coach, you did good :)
Frank
I agree... a very nice looking Coach...
Looks real nice! Can you give us an audio tour also? I'd love to hear it run.
Fred
Glad you mentioned that Fred. I get the feeling the idle is set low because it sounds like the engine lopes at idle, wahhh wahhhh wahhhh wahhh. I'll get that audio right up.
Hey Jordan,
I know that bus! My wife and I visited with the converters.... man... I forget the spelling of their name... Lamouerx or something... Gary and wife (?) We had just purchased our '04 recently. They invited us into their coach when we attended a Western GM Coach rally at Ventura, California's Buena (ms?) Ventura Beach day-use area prob'ly ten years ago or so.
The Western GM Coach Chapter of the FMCA (w/whom we had only just joined) rented the the day-use area and we were able to camp overnight in what is normally a day-use-only area. It was sooo cool!
Gary (if I'm not mistaken regarding his name) and his wife were very gracious and informative to a newbie couple such as we were. We had a very pleasant visit aboard your sweet home on wheels, and I can assure you that your coach was well cared for while in their hands! They were extremely proud of her and had done many nice upgrades.
They had a couple of Mini Dobies! A mom and daughter. Mom guarded daughter very jealously! Didn't get too near daughter (who was very friendly and so wanted our attention) 'less you didn't value your fingers much at all!
My wife Kathryn, daughter Sarah and her friend Monica took a nice late-night walk on the beach to enjoy a smoke and almost stumbled over a couple making "whoopee" on the beach! Yee-Haaaa! It was an unexpected hilarity!
Nice coach! You will "make friends" with her before you know it and the two of you will become "one". It's a love affair. Trust me! ;)
Cheers,
Kev
Yup looks good.
Great story Kev! And a wonderful coach Jordan!
Thanks Kevin. Your story brings up a question. The dogs you mentioned have left behind their dander and I am allergic and have been having issues sleeping in the bus due to that. Not a good situation when my job takes me to 15,000 feet and down rapidly 20+ times a day. My sinuses just can't hang. Anybody have a good way to get pet dander out of something like this?
big shop vac with a hepa filter
Followed by a carpet shampooer if you have carpet.
I have tried to rid my trucks of the smell of smoke, and no matter how hard I tried, a commercial cleaning company was always better than anything I tried to do. It wasn't all that pricey either.
Chuckd
First bus, a 1970 GM4108, was in Macon, GA. Early March 1994, worked that day, 12 hour shift, and then drove the rental car from Maine to Southbury, CT. Snow changed to ice around the southern Maine border. Instead of 1030 PM meet I didn't get there until after 1 AM. We stopped for coffee and muffin outside Danbury. And we hustled. My friend, since 1963, said "The golden passport was good for max speed." I went to sleep and woke up hungry about 6 AM and we were in Martinsville, WV. We were in northern Alabama by 4 PM. Stayed with mutual friends there. Left early the next morning for Macon. In Macon by noon. By God, Atlanta traffic was miserable. Transferred money. Turned in rental. About 3PM left with a full tank of fuel, thanks George and 5 gallons of oil for the trip back to Maine. Stopped for fuel twice, no gauge. Added oil each time. Pulled in the door yard about 2 PM the next afternoon. We had some tools with us. Pliers, tape, VOM, test light, adjustable wrenches etc. Never needed anything. We bought a cheap radio in Alabama and it stayed on the dashboard the entire trip. Only needed batteries twice. I was back at work that evening for another 12 hours. Two weeks later we pulled the engine. Couldn't even save the block due to cracks. As the driver said when we left Macon "Hate to see the ol' girl go. She'll still do over ninety loaded." He was right about the speed, bad engine and all.
Remember this was the days of bag cell phones and no boards to help with problems. The Lord does look out for fools.
Second bus was a lot shorter trip,just from Luke's in NJ to Maine.
That first trip will probably never leave your memory bank.
Bill
Hey Jordan,
My wife Kathryn's advice is "ditch the carpet". She was raised in Canada and, to hear her tell, there ain't no such thing as carpet. Her contention is that it is nothing more (especially when aged) than a trap for dust and all other forms of evil air-bound particles (doggie dander too, I guess!).
Sounds like good advice from our fellow busnuts regarding a professional shampooing. If that doesn't work, maybe consider an alternate floor covering.
If you can live without carpet (I like the "warmth" of carpet, personally) then perhaps tear it out and go with some sort of flooring such as the newly available faux (or real) hardwood, tile or even linoleum. You must be comfortable and healthy after all!
Also, great story Bill B - What a ride!
Kev
Jordan:
Nice Coach. I agree with taking out the carpet, If you steam clean it, use the dry method, wet type can start molds in Plywood under it if you have that and then that is awful to get out. I would say take it out and use wood floor or similar and if you have to have carpet, put in throw rugs and they can be changed from time to time.
Dave ;D
Imagine cleaning your blankets and sheets once every year or so with a carpet shampooer while they lay on your bed. Imagine throwing your dirty clothes on the floor and washing them with a carpet shampooer, and leaving them lay there until dry, then wearing them. I hate carpet. Its nasty dirty stuff, and they tell us that it comes right out of the factory filthy. Hard surfaced floors might show dirt faster, but once you sweep it or wash it, you know its clean. I would rather see the dirt and know I can clean it spotless, than have carpet that "looks" clean, but know its truly filthy, and which will remain so as long as its on the floor. At least throw rugs can be washed or dry cleaned. Every time I walk into a new camper or house with new carpet, I think "I love the smell of Formaldehyde and petrochemicals in the morning".
art, its obvious you have been mislead about dirt in carpet and have no clue what your talking about when it comes to carpet!
I've designed machines to make carpet & I've been in the mills making carpet.
There are different qualities in carpet.
Sometimes, it is really nasty, sometimes, it isn't so bad.
I don't like walking barefoot on new carpet due to some of the chemistry that is sometimes used (& some of the rashes I've gotten from such).
I know some aren't as sensitive to that - if we all were, there wouldn't be any experienced carpet installers out there.
I've helped remove old carpet from a house that had been regularly cleaned by a service with the van & hoses.
The room was ~22' x 24'. Once the carpet was up, we swept the floor. We got almost half of a 5 gal bucket of sand, dust, & etc. When we started removing the carpet, we had to stop & get dust masks.
My son has bad allergies to animal dander. We use bath mats with the rubber bottom in the places where a cold floor is objectionable & simply run 'em thru the wash when needed.
Textiles will hold dust & dander, so your best bet is to remove them for cleaning - or replacement if they can't be cleaned.
Wow, what a response. Remember, I'm a 24 year old skydive pilot. Dirty carpet doesn't bother me. Just the dander. I plan on getting it professionally cleaned. Thanks for the advice tho lol. ::)
Quote from: artvonne on November 04, 2010, 03:44:20 AM
Imagine cleaning your blankets and sheets once every year or so with a carpet shampooer while they lay on your bed. Imagine throwing your dirty clothes on the floor and washing them with a carpet shampooer, and leaving them lay there until dry, then wearing them. I hate carpet. Its nasty dirty stuff
Hardly a fair comparison - unless you habitually walk about on your clothes or bed sheets.
I don't have any particular feelings for-or-against carpets - I wouldn't want a carpet in my kitchen, but then again I wouldn't want a hard floor in my bedroom.
I've always had dogs but had never heard the term 'dander' before - I had to google it to find out what it meant.
Jeremy
The term dander has haunted me my whole life. I love animals, but can't spend any real time around them or touch them :-[ People always think it's the hair that is the problem, and try to convince me to stay at their house because their cat is a short hair. It just doesn't work that way :'( :'(
Jeremy,
A carpet shampooer cleans only one side of the carpet. There is stuff left on the back & it can make problems for those with allergies. We have an old house with hardwood floors everywhere & like it. We use bath mats at bedside for a little comfort on those cold mornings ;D & they are easy to launder. Seth's allergies are no problem at home, but at any house with carpet, he can tell a big difference.
Jordan,
My son has dander allergies, so I know first hand how ill it can make you. Seth can't spend much time in a house with inside pets.
Good luck getting the dander & etc under control so you can really enjoy your new coach!
After removing or replacing the carpet and cleaning the whole bus real well, run a Ozone type air purifier for about 5 days. The powerful commercial ones work best. I have a Flair air purifier. It has even removed dead rat odor out of a truck.
For all you carpet haters out there, please keep in mind that ALL carpets are not created equal! It could be that the carpet (probable cause) that is/was used in your conversion was the wrong type. Sure it's warm and fuzzy and the color you or your better half likes but it still could be the WRONG type!
I used a patterned commercial grade and going on 6 years "with a dog" it still looks brand new and it's on the upper set of steps as well. Granted we vacuum before and after each trip but to this day has never been cleaned. I agree I have been in many many homes and taken out carpet that just amazed me at how people could live on it but it comes down to HOW you take care of it and how often! Also don't blame the dog or cat for having an accident when it's your fault fr not training them or letting them out! As for dander? I guess I have THE worst dog (sorry Bud) for shedding but you wouldn't know it in our coach especially on the carpet. The commercial carpet just doesn't show it or the wear from traffic!
So again, although carpet CAN be and IS a dust/dirt magnet, don't knock it for what could be helped by your own maintenance and correct choice for the area!
Good quality will make a huge difference for sure & I don't mean to bad mouth all carpet, but after 2 cases of pneumonia with Seth that required hospital intervention & some really expensive monthly meds to manage his allergies, well, I hope you understand my reservations.
My hard wood floors look too good to want to cover them anyways. ;D
BTW, it is easier to train your dust bunnies when you can see them. ;)
Quote from: Ace on November 04, 2010, 04:42:40 AM
art, its obvious you have been mislead about dirt in carpet and have no clue what your talking about when it comes to carpet!
Ive cleaned carpet proffesionally, ive installed it, and ive torn out a lot of it. Obviously the amount of traffic it recieves, and what kind of traffic it carries plays a big part in how dirty it will get. An elderly couple who take off their shoes at the door will have fairly clean carpet for years. A younger couple, a few kids and/or a dog, no one removing shoes, and it will get nasty in no time. Once its dirty, ikts pretty much going to stay dirty. If you shampoo it, you really just wash the filth deeper into the carpet. The top surface looks better, but the yuck goes to the bottom. Same for vacuums. For every bag of dirt you pull up, some gets beaten down into the nap. Not uncommon to sweep up half a trash can of dirt from an average room after you pull out the carpet. And yes, masks are somethng I have learned to wear the hard way. You really dont want to be breathing that stuff. .
"An elderly couple who take off their shoes at the door will have fairly clean carpet for years. A younger couple, a few kids and/or a dog, no one removing shoes, and it will get nasty in no time."
With this quote you are partially correct. Bare feet and dogs will make the carpet appear dirtier since every person and including animals, skin has oil in it. If you walk bare foot your simply wiping the oil from your feet onto the yarn of the carpet. An animal coat has oil and if they lay in a particular spot, it too will rub off onto the yarn. Now is it the oil from your feet and their coat that makes the carpet dirty? Partially! Oil is a magnet to dirt. It holds what YOU don't remove when vacuming. Example, If your bus leaks oil on the driveway, what do you see if you cut the grass? The grass goes right to that oil spot and stays there. Once the carpet gets oil in the yarn,the same thing happens. It attracts everything, then it slowly gets darker and darker but, what do you do? You go to the store and buy a cleaner.
"Once its dirty, ikts pretty much going to stay dirty. If you shampoo it, you really just wash the filth deeper into the carpet. The top surface looks better, but the yuck goes to the bottom."
MOST ALL over the counter carpet cleaners are you guessed it, OIL based. What does OIL do? It takes the stain and or dirt to the bottom. Looks pretty good for a while but, the carpet yarn is like a candle wick. As you walk on it, it wicks right back to the top and then what do you do? You clean it again, and again and again until it never comes clean. Water based cleaners are the best. It breaks particles loose and brings them to the top for easy removal. Most all commercial cleaners are water based, not oil based. Women especially get caught up in the over the counter junk. It smells pretty, it foams up nice, and it's packaged in a flowery looking can or box. You might as well hand your wife or better half a quart of 40wt and have her pour it on. She is just adding oil and more oil to TRY and get rid of the dirt and or stain/s. That's why people don't like carpet, mainly because they don't know the proper way to care for it.
"Same for vacuums. For every bag of dirt you pull up, some gets beaten down into the nap. Not uncommon to sweep up half a trash can of dirt from an average room after you pull out the carpet."
As for vacuum's? There are good ones and cheap ones. You get what you pay for and with the cheap ones, you don't maintain your carpet very well. Most people, just like you think you have to BEAT the carpet. WRONG! Just because it has what people refer to as a BEATER BRUSH doesn't mean you have to set your vacuum to the lowest possible setting. You set it to just lightly brush the top edge of the yarn. The SUCKING of the vacuum brings out the particles that are trapped below the yarn.
Now keep in mind that we are referring in THIS thread to using carpet in a bus/motorhome where it's not usually used everyday although these procedures SHOULD be used no matter what. As for taking up carpet in a house that has been down 12-15 years? Yes, I too have had to shovel the dirt out but usually in rental homes where the tenants don't own a vacuum but they owned 2-3 dogs. It IS very possible to find this kind of buildup under the carpet but again, NO maintenance! What it boils down to is YOU the owner, being knowledgeable enough to care for what you walk on. It's no different than knowing what to do to your bus to get it road worthy before your next trip. It's simply called maintenance! Don't expect your carpet to care for itself. Just like your dog. You don't expect your dog to let himself out when your not at home. He depends on you for care and your carpet is no different!
Kyle there are certain circumstances where people just CANNOT tolerate dust, dirt or anything related but they do make carpets hyperalergenic (sp) for such people. Not as many to choose from and they aren't cheap but they have been known to work well. I have installed a lot of them with great results and feedback!
Also I am not trying to sound like an authority here but I have been in this trade for going on 40 years, day in and day out!
Hopefully a good cleaning will do the trick for you Jordan.
As I mentioned, I like the warmth of carpet under my bare footsies, particularly during winter months. Kathryn's answer to that is strategically placed throw rugs. I also think carpet helps to "quiet" the home... as in less echo-ey, etc.
I am somewhat amused but not at all surprised to hear of the radically differing viewpoints posted here regarding the subject because wifey and I have been arguing back and forth about it for the past 26 years! :P
In our case, since we have lived in basically fully-carpeted homes for the course of our partnership, I have recently agreed to try the (in her opinion) "proper" method of flooring a home. Hardwood for sitting (living), den and dining rooms and tile for kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. Believe me, there will be plenty of throw rugs for Kev! :D
At any rate, please keep us all posted on your bus adventure! Keep practicing your shifting and, I'm guessing there's plenty o' room at the airport to set-up some cones for practicing your sharp turns and back-up exercises, right? Enjoy, that's the main thing! You are somewhat of a unique Bus Nut due to your youth. I was about 37 when we bought ours. You will learn to love it. Trust me!
Cheers,
Kev
Kevin, thank you! The whole carpet thing is getting a little out of hand if you ask me. Maybe all these carpet people should start a new thread. I honestly think a pro cleaning and the use of a decent vacuum and an air filter will keep me just fine. I really don't want to replace the carpet unless I ABSOLUTELY have to, because I just don't see getting all the furniture out without removing the windshield. I will have more updates on the bus as soon as I can, but am working insane hours right now. Thanks for all your help folks. Happy bussin' 8)
Hey busnuts, sorry I haven't been keeping yall updated, but life is extremely busy down here. My status is that I am moved into the bus with electrical and water hooked up. My propane is currently off because it leaks and I need to find time to track the leak down and replace/seal the fittings. All appliances are running good so far. I did find a significant leak under the bathroom sink, and will just have to avoid use for now until I get it fixed. Lot's of little things that need fixing, and I'm trying to not get stressed/freaked out by prioritizing. I am planning a trip to a Cardinals game as soon as I get some time off. I have a couple questions though:
1. What is the best/cheapest (not usually the same thing) to keep the tires on as I am going to be parked the majority of the time? Do you recommend putting the bus on jacks and deflating/covering the tires to save them and the airbags?
2. The entrance door on the bus lets in LOTS of cold desert air at night. It seems to have a nice newish seal on the door, but the door doesn't sit up against it. I'll try and get pics/video.
3,4,5,6,7, and on to infinity coming soon!
I found that window air conditioner foam from most hardware stores worked in the bottom of my mci 7. It is about a 2 inch square foam. Collapses nicely. I used double sided tape to keep it in place. For the sides, I just picked up some smaller household door seal that had adhesive on one side. It worked great.
Glenn
Good question about the tires. I asked something like that awhile back and was told that it is best to keep them on the bus (covered to protect them from uvs) and use them. Apparently the chemicals in them dont do well sitting in storage. In my 6v92 manual it says a million things that I would have to do to the engine in order to get it ready for storage, so many that I just said What the Heck! Im instead using my bus and putting some mileage on it at least once a month.
Yeah, I plan on putting 50-100 miles on the bus in order to not have to store the engine/tires. I was thinking of parking it on some 2x6's to keep the tires out of the dirt, but I want to make sure this is ok. I have seen products for this, but seeing how i'm making <20k a year, I'm trying to be frugal... 8)
My personal scheme for parking the bus is to stop it, turn it off, and walk away... Probably I should do more, but that's what I do. If you are in the south, covering the tires and making sure they are aired up properly is probably all I would do, if you are going to run it from time to time.
Brian
This is what I do. Cover the tires and park the bus on 2x6's to keep them off the ground, gravel is OK, dirt is not. I only did the back to level the coach. I bought my tire covers on eBay, bought and installed some grommets at the bottom corners using bungee cords to keep the wind from blowing them off. It gets windy here in West Texas. ::)
Depending on your incoming water pressure, you might want to get a 35# water pressure regulator. Install that at the source to your hose. You can get this at WM even.
Have fun and find the time to fix the leaks! ;D
2x6's it is, and I beat ya to the regulator issue. Leak fix time tonight, got me my squirt bottle and some soapy water.
Found the/a leak. Luckily it is right at the connector from the flexible hose to the tank itself. See pics. Gonna try and get to town to get one tomorrow and hopefully will have hot water tomorrow night. Still haven't showered in the bus yet.
As to question 2, I always thought an inflatable door seal would be kind of kool. Some aircraft have these.
I have a new, serious problem. It has to do with the inverter, but I'll start with the problem that I am electrically handicapped, and have almost no understanding of how this bus is set up. I have a trace 2500 inverter that has the controller inside and is hooked to my bank of four 6v batteries (making 2 12 volt?). When I am not plugged into shore power, and have the generator off, I get power to the outlets in the coach. Does this mean that these are just hard wired to the batteries? Now when I plug in shore power, my trace controller shows 'ac present' and I can run everything with the inverter off or on. I figured I would run things with it off, keep track of my voltage, and just turn it on as needed to keep the batteries up. ( I am full timing remember). Wellllll, yesterday morning I woke up to a red error light. I went and looked at the inverter itself, and it said overload. So I turned everything off in the bus, and checked. It still said overload. I turned the inverter off and went to work. I get home, and it simply won't turn on now. The manual says to press the power button twice to reset, but this doesn't work. I still show 12 V. coming from my batteries, and AC power coming from shore, but the inverter won't turn on, and therefore I'm not getting power to anything. Is there a way to skip the inverter and just have shore power run everything? I am totally lost here and could use help. I'm really hoping I don't need a new inverter, because I am low on $$. If I do, what are some to look at? I have a 30 amp coach with basically 2 12V house batteries. Thanks for reading.
Hey Jordan,
I too am about as clueless as can be regarding electrical stuff, but also have a Trace 2500 watt inverter and four 6 v (house) batteries in my GM '04.
When you say, "when I'm not plugged into shore power/generator off, I get power to the outlets in coach" I assume that you have manually switched on your inverter, yes? That is what I must do in order to get 110 v to electrical outlets.
Far as I know, when plugged into shore power, 110 v outlets are powered directly from shore power and the inverter simply functions as a battery charger for your (4) house batteries.
Someone who actually knows about this stuff will chime in soon enough... Sorry I can't be of more help, but I am curious and interested.
Kev
Jordan, I would start a new topic on this. You have a good question that is going to get lost in this subject line. You may also get more people to read it that can help.
A old guy once told to always park on pieces of wood to electrically isolate your tires from the ground.
He also liked the stuff from camping world that you coat your tires with. He would put 10 years on his without blowout or checking. He would get knew ones if they checked.