Prepping the Bug-Out Vehicle

Nothing like a death from Ebola and another potential patient being reported in the general area to give you a kick in the butt to get the Revcon ready to live off the grid and to get out of the Dallas area.

Over the last 2 months I've been doing some pretty substantial upgrades to some of the systems.  Primarily upgrading to an Air conditioner that can run on Solar power, Batteries, and/or 110 v of AC power.
The only one I could find after extensive searching was made by Kingtec.  After exchanging emails with the company, it seemed the best solution to my dilemmas. The dilemmas you ask?  Well: a) staying cool anywhere in the RV without the generator burning diesel or requiring an electrical hookup, and b) to keep the dogs alive and cool when we leave them in the Beast for extended periods of time.
So within a week after ordering, my Kingtec Solar K25DZ arrived.

After getting the local RV place to install it, we discovered it wasn't cooling and was showing an error on the thermostat.  A week later a replacement unit arrived, which worked like a charm.  So maybe the first got damaged in shipping or something, who knows.  But Kingtec quickly resolved the issue by sending a replacement.

Though I did take the precaution of hooking this one up and testing it before installing it just to be sure.

Next on the list of must haves was to have a battery bank large enough to run the a/c all night long if necessary.  So after hunting around a bit I found these batteries that seemed to be up to the task:
VMAX 6V AGM Battery, 225ah.  Which was conveniently sold in an 8 pack on Amazon.  Exactly what I needed.
Another few days later after ordering them, I had 8 batteries that I needed to find a home for in the Beast. After a bit of thought, I cleaned out the 2 cabinets that are under the seats of the dinette and discovered that the batteries fit almost perfectly in them. Plus all the weight of them on that side of the Beast would probably balance out the 100 gallon tank of water that's always on the other.  Maybe I won't be as lopsided going down the highway as in the past.

2 on the right, I thought I had more space here
until I realized that the gas tank fill-up goes
through this area

6 on the left, even a little space left
over for some pantry supplies

The final placement before I started creating wires and putting it all together

After I did the wiring, I had that moment of doubt wondering if the batteries would power the Air Conditioner.  I was feeling like Clark Griswold in that moment when he was trying to get his Christmas lights to come on after checking all 10,000 bulbs.  But it powered on just fine.  The thermostat itself pulls about 0.1 amp.  With just the fan running it pulls about 2 amps, and when the compressor kicks in, it takes about 16 amps.  With 225 amp hours of battery power, could theoretically get 15 hours or so continuous cooling without any other sources of electricity.

Step 3, the Solar.  I'm told the a/c will run off 1000 watts of power.  After a bit of research I ordered from Renogy.    They are 100 watt each, flexible and only weigh about 3 lbs each. The issue now is finding space for all 10 on top of the roof.  I am pretty sure I will have to yank the huge satellite for room.  I'm going to consult with my cousins and uncle and see if we can use some backwood's engineering and create some space for them.  I have a few ideas on the matter, but I lack the welding or metalworking skills to accomplish them.  One of the casualties of the install so far is the carpeting on the ceiling.  It was stained and in already drooping in many places(Thank you Texas heat):  So I made the decision to just start ripping it down and to later replace it. With the added wiring of the A/C and solar panels, the destruction was necessary in order to access the nooks and crannies where the wires can be run.

The current solar that keeps my 12v battery
charged, I believe it's around 80 watts

This is the area above the King size bed that I hope I can fit 4-6 of the panels

A partial picture of the satellite dish that I will
most likely have to take down, room
for 2-4 panels

Manufacturer's picture of the panel

Months of Silence and a lot of Noise to come

Sorry folks for the months of Silence, but we've been crazy busy.  We renovated the house for a few months and then put it on sale Mid-December.  We had an offer within a week and we are now officially closing on the house the end of this January.  We are now 1 step closer to being mobile.  Our possessions are still being pared down and things sold off!

With all of the above going on, our money has been tight, so the upgrades on The Beast that I want to do had to go on the back-burner.   The Beast did manage to get a brand new set of 6 tires somewhere in all that craziness.  Little issue with my old tires:  the metal caps were fused to the stems so I had no way to put air in them and they were over 10 years old so nobody would work on them.  Now we have brand spanking new 35 inch off road tires with a nice Discount Tire warranty for years to come.  So hopefully in the next few weeks I'll get the Solar array and batteries ordered and start rewiring the heck out of it to support long term living better.  Any electricians want to help?

On another front, I may have a source of income for this new lifestyle lined up, more info to come once I secure it.  It's not a lot of money, but I think it will more than pay for all the expenses of living on the road for a couple years.

One other thing we did a few months ago in preparation for the new lifestyle was invest in a New Hobby. So on my 40th Birthday we decided that we would learn how to play guitar.  I bought a resonator guitar and my wife got a guitar-stringed Banjo.  So maybe in a decade we'll be able to create music.

For Christmas we got each other some Learn Guitar books, so we will be trying to teach ourselves wherever we make camp.  We apologize in advance if you happen to be within earshot of what will most likely be a lot of Noise.


Things are falling into place.

Out with the Gold, In with the New!

First off, I'd like to apologize to our followers for our really slow posting as of late. Doesn't make for interesting reading when all you can do is reread old posts.  When the only people making comments on a blog are ANONYMOUS spam comments, it's not a good sign.

Though we've been idle on the blog, we have actually been making strides baby-steps towards getting the Revcon ready.

I believe we hinted at the replacement faucets we were putting in and after quite a bit of work I did finally get those installed.

Bear Witness: The New Kitchen and Restroom Faucets

This is what the old stuff looked like in case you needed a refresher:

Or if you look at our youtube video from when we first picked up the Revcon, you can see them in all their Golden Age Glory.
Revcon

I also finally got around to ordering some wheel covers so the tires don't melt away in the Texas Heat while it awaits our departure. I also found snap-on window covers hidden away in one of the many secret compartments.
Here it is waiting ever so patiently for us in the 100 degree weather.

The other big project I've been working on is negotiating on a battery bank of lithium-ion batteries.  I'm aiming for a bank of about 840 amps, or 6 batteries..7 if I can get them. Then I'll be upgrading the solar panel array which is currently just one panel to hopefully 500-700 watts. Also I'll be finding the heftiest inverter I can find as I hope to be able to run the A/C, washer/dryer, and future induction cooktop when needed.
Finding the space for the batteries was kinda fun, since anyone who has been in an RV knows that space is limited and usually already used. So it was behind this electronics rack/drawers that I found some space. I may have to sacrifice the bottom rack space which is currently just the BASS for the surround sound system. I think batteries take a higher priority than a bit of enhanced sound.

BTW, all the above pictures were taken by my new Samsung Galaxy S4, it has an amazing camera to my untrained eye. I thought I had some pictures of behind the rack, but apparently I forgot to take my phone spelunking with me.

We had planned to take the Beast out for a ride Memorial weekend, but that whole trip was foiled when my rear-view camera had apparently melted. Driving without rear-sight makes me feel blind, so I wasn't going to risk changing lanes on top of a motorcycle, or backing over a kid while getting filled with diesel. Ordering a replacement of the same kind has been slow. The broken one was a black and white and the replacement I ordered is color. So Fingers crossed that it works okay when I get it and hook it up. Should be arriving anyday now.
Update:  Rear Camera Arrived, I did a quick test on it, and instead of the black squiggly lines the old camera was providing, now its colorful squiggly lines.  So the problems appears to be with my in-dash lcd screen.  Did not think it was the lcd screen since it displays other things fine, just not the camera.  So..back to the drawing board there.  Might be time to get a in dash LCD with built-in Nav system.

On the home front, we had a real estate agent give us a market analysis of our home and things are looking bright on that end. Just need to do some cosmetic repairs for the most part and get it listed as soon as we can and hopefully sold quickly.

Cheers!

Struck of Luck and Some Tears Too

Today was a day that we had an engineer that is specialized on foundations come here and check on the house. We were expecting a really expensive fix, since about a year and a half ago we got an estimate for the foundation repair and that estimate was a hefty 5 digit number. As it happens, that estimate was for work that we did not need. We got a report stating that the foundation is not in a need of a repair at all. However we do have some cracked mortar that needs to be fixed but our bill will be about $10 K less than we thought. I wish you could hear the screaming and hollering from here, we are so happy! This means we can either spend longer on the road, or we have a bit more money that we can put to work. Ok, in reality it just means that we don't have to come up with non-existing $10 K.

So right now it looks like we need to kick in the purge gear and get rid of the stuff. Some will be saved for later use, once we are done with our RV'ing. I am being realistic thinking that the day will come that I will have a need to settle down somewhere where I can plant a garden and herd some critters. But I might be fine for several years to come, you never know. I think tomorrow I will start going trough my clothes (once again), pack away what I want to save but not take for the road. Rest will go to some local animal shelter. Looks like the packrat in a bathroom is gonna have to get rid of a bucketful of make up and other stuff that doesn't seem to get used. It is in need of some serious overhaul as well.

My weak spot will be kitchen. I used to work in a factory outlet for a glass factory while studying glass blowing. The company sold silver ware, pots and pans, table ware and glass and most these were high end and collectible and of course I bought bunch of it for a good employee discount. The problem came to be when we got married and we combined our kitchens, so we have lots of my modern stuff and lots of Lee's retro, hand me downs that came down from his parents and has been around the world with him and of course holds a bunch of personal value. None of that stuff is really great in the RV, but I think we are going to have to avoid buying more stuff, so we are either gonna take a risk of getting something broken on the road. I think I would like the retro stuff in the RV. Even a thought of  an old pyrex and stone ware makes me smile. The problem with that stuff is that it is quite heavy, which is a concern when the weight is a matter of an interest.

Today is not full of only happiness and good news, it is also a little bitter sweet. Our beloved cat Zubov will be spending his last night here before getting re-homed. We dearly love our big goofy cat but the relationship between the cat and the dogs has not been all rosy and we can not expect good outcomes if we all cram into the RV. We found him a home with couple other cats where he will not be tormented and where he can live a regular life in a center of attention, without having to worry about being out of the reach when the dogs come around. I am so heart broken about how lonely our cat has become in a house that is full of life. So sad that he feels like he can not take part on anything. It has gotten to a point where we allowed him to hang out on our dining table, just so that he can be closer to us a little more often.

I will be spending tonight with Zubov in a guest room behind the closed doors, so he can have all the attention he ever wants for the last time. Tomorrow he will meet his new buddies and we will sadly say good buy. I am happy for him for finally getting enough attention and a place where he doesn't need to run, but sad for having to make this hard decision of giving up on what I would consider a family member. It will be happier life for him and a little easier for us too, though I wish we never needed to make this decision. It will be weird not having a cat around. I will miss the headbutts and the talks with him, I so love talkative cats. Good luck Zubie, we will dearly miss you!

                                   

Learning Curve and Sneak Peak on Bead Spread

As I mentioned few days ago, we did some shopping and I bought couple sets of high TC sheets to our RV. Well, yesterday we decided to try how luxurious they were and I think I learned something new. In Finland where I grew up, I never heard even a word thread count, so this was kinda grade school for buying sheets for me. I should have thought of this, it kinda makes sense now that I think about it. The sheets we have used in our bed have been 700 TC and I love how soft and smooth they are, so I thought that of course the higher the thread count, the better the quality is and it will be softer and smoother. Not so much. The tighter the threads are, the thinner they have to be (instead of 700 threads on square inch that we were used to, the sheets we bought were 1600 and 1800, so to fit two to three times as many threads into the same square inch, the threads have to be thinner, a lot thinner), so this will make the sheet also at some point to thin out. I think it is safe to say that we have reached that point a little while ago. Well, the new sheets are very smooth, but yes, you guessed it; they are also very thin. While I like them, I am not expecting them to last very long. I think I will get a bit more expensive ones in the future, just to save myself from the frustration. So it wasn't as great of the deal as I thought, but I got exactly what I paid for, I paid for a cheap stuff, and that's what i got. My theory is just a theory, but I think I will stick to my 700 TC from now on. And for the winter I would love to get a set of flannel sheets too I could not care less if there is any TC involved or not. There is a proverb in Finland: The poor man can not afford the cheap stuff. I'm telling you, the old folks know sometimes!

If you remember I took on a gigantic project of crocheting a bead spread for the Beast (I prefer Monstah or Bugout). It looks pretty masculine on the outside but there is no reason it has to look like that on the inside too, which it actually does right now. I am determined to decorate it to look a little less like the Zombie Apocalypse Vehicle. So my plan is to girly it up with some fresh colors and soft materials and the bead spread is one of those things that is going to make it look a little less aggressive. I am still a long way from finishing it, mostly because of the lack of time to work on it, but I am not too worried, once we hit the road, I should be able to work on it at least for a little while every day. And it will get done pretty soon even if it is just little at a time. I have only less than one third of the length but I am not rushing it, I am sure couple months on the road will do wonders for this project.

Moving Along

As our latest progress has been slow, we are definitely still moving but the pace is almost unnoticeable. The faucets are still half installed since Lee hurt his back in a hockey game (no penalties for the assaulter either, shame on refs!). He is hopping around but sounds like me when he tries to get up from the bed. So the progress inside the RV has been MIA but we have done some shopping for the things we are going to be taking for the road.

We purchased a new Oxygenics shower head, still have to get another part for it to make using it a bit more water conservative and user friendlier. We are excited about it and we believe it will make a big difference to have a well functioning shower. We got the brushed nickel one, which is a little bit more expensive but will be more durable in the long run. I believe the price tag on it was just short of $45 and we think the shipping was free from Amazon. I also want to get a long hose for the shower head, since that will be the only place where I can wash the dogs and they generally don't care for standing in a shower, never understood why ;o)

The next thing we bought was a wire fence. We actually bought 3 sets of play pens but you can connect them together to form a fence. This is so the dogs can move around a little bit without having to be leashed all the time. The plan is to use them outside the RV like actual fence. We still need to get something to block the dogs from being able to go under the RV so we need to also buy fencing that is not as high, chicken wire would do if everything else fails. The fence is needed for the youngsters, Nelli is a good girl and stays by our side where ever we go but the two little Greyhounds can't be trusted. Louie would probably be fine and follow us but Pixie would just take off and keep going until she would end up being a dinner for a coyote. This is a Greyhound thing, they are goofy and can not be trusted with open doors or gates. Now they have room to go in an out of the RV without being leashed. Yay! I am sure it will get tiring to set it up and pull down and store while we are on the road but it definitely will be better than the alternative. The fence (that's what I call it, since that is how we are going to be using it) happened to be on 40% sale at Petco when I searched for it. I kept comparing and looking at different options but these seemed good quality and cheaper with the sale price than anywhere else. So I decided to go to see if we had them in our local store... until I realized that it was almost midnight, and it was the last day of the sale. So I had about 3 minutes to finish my order or pay about $150 more after the sale. I did not want to have to pay more, so I panicked and ordered them and ended up paying with the taxes and free shipping $188.32. It was pricey but could have been much worse. The normal price for one set was $99.99, we ordered three of them. Sale price was $57.99 per unit and the sales tax was about $15. Deal, I think! Now we just really hope they will work for us the way we visioned.

This is just one of the three play pens that we purchased, we had to get the
48" tall ones to prevent these greyhounds from hopping over it,
 now we just hope they won't.
Pixie seems to think she is held captive against her will: "Help!"

We also were able to put a check mark in front of the Zero Gravity chairs on our to buy list. I am so excited, I love those chairs, I feel like getting rid of our couches and just chill out on our chairs all day long. I was a little bit skeptic if they would be as good as reviews were or if I got the right ones since it sounded that the radius they moved was not very much. The radius is more than needed. Me happy! I received my chairs just a couple days after ordering them from the Overstock, fast, I am telling you! The chairs were around $90 for a pair, depending on color, we wanted the tan ones so they will not be absorbing too much heat in the sun and two chairs were $91.99. I also got off 10% in coupon savings for being their customer for the first time, that took away $9.20 and shipping was free. So I got my two chairs for $82.79. I thought that was a great deal.

I also purchased couple sets of king size sheets for our RV. One of the sets was 1600 TC and the other one was 1800 TC, both Egyptian cotton. The shipping was $2 and the sets themselves cost $29 a piece. I ordered them from www.nomorerack.com. I have never seen so high thread count sheets for that cheap. Can't believe my luck. I hope the quality is as good as I would assume for that kind of thread count. That's it for now for shopping.

We have tossed around the options of different flooring. We really would like to go with hardwood, but since we have these crazy critters that do all kinds of crazy stuff 24/7, we are starting to lean towards the vinyl flooring. They make really nice wood looking planks that are 100% water proof and looks like also idiot proof on installation, which will hopefully benefit us. So far we are waiting on Lee's back feeling better and his work to be over with, then we are going to switch the gear and go full speed ahead with everything.