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chuffer

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2004
1,807
1,158
McMinnville, OR
We'd be staying at camp sites of some kind. There's practically nothing in the way of dispersed camping in the northeast. All of the fun overland setups would be a waste. Still doesn't stop me from lusting for FWC or GFC, but I don't know how long my daughter would be okay sleeping in the same bed as mom and dad.

Big ass tent + cots might be the way.

Instead of the forklift, I should just convince my wife we'd be better served building a 30' x 40' shop that I can drive the truck into to offload the RTT. She'd definitely be supportive of that. :nope:
Yurt!

Also, 30’ x 40’? Why bother? Your wife and kid’ll fill that before you know it.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
I saw what looked to be the same water filter I use on the ground by the truck. I looked and it seemed like my filter was fine. I turned on the water pump and I just hear water hitting the deck. Took another look and damn. Seems my filter housing shat the bed. :rofl:

Screenshot_20240421-115310.png


Seems it might have gotten a bit cold.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,735
1,247
NORCAL is the hizzle
With any sort of trailer, including pop-ups, don't underestimate the hours you will need to expend on maintenance and upkeep.
This is true for any sort of trailer, yes, but also a Sprinter or other camper van, RV, slide-in camper, whatever. Pretty much every option includes a bunch of equipment and systems that will wear out, need maintenance, etc. Like many I find it generally worth it for the convenience and comfort, but it's a side of #vanlife people tend to gloss over. The initial investment is usually only the beginning...
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
It seems I failed to properly winterize my brand new water heater and now it's broken. I am really disappointed in myself, but it was a rush job that obviously shouldn't be rushed. Not sure if I can fix it, if someone else can fix it, or if I get to spend another $425 on a new one.


I was hoping it was just a busted water filter housing, but nope. All my pipes survived, just not the filter and heater.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
67,947
14,229
In a van.... down by the river
It seems I failed to properly winterize my brand new water heater and now it's broken. I am really disappointed in myself, but it was a rush job that obviously shouldn't be rushed. Not sure if I can fix it, if someone else can fix it, or if I get to spend another $425 on a new one.


I was hoping it was just a busted water filter housing, but nope. All my pipes survived, just not the filter and heater.
"Buy a camper van," they said. :D
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,735
1,247
NORCAL is the hizzle
It really does. I've spent less building than buying, but the headache and effort are greater.
That's always true. But (1) you will know that vehicle inside out, which most buyers can't say (making DIY improvements and field repairs a bigger challenge) and (2) particularly in your case, you've got a truly unique vehicle, which counts for something. Which reminds me, it's been a bit seen we've seen pics of that glorious beast... :wait:
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
That's always true. But (1) you will know that vehicle inside out, which most buyers can't say (making DIY improvements and field repairs a bigger challenge) and (2) particularly in your case, you've got a truly unique vehicle, which counts for something. Which reminds me, it's been a bit seen we've seen pics of that glorious beast... :wait:
I keep the build folder mostly up to date and Google keeps it chronologically ordered so you can see my mistakes. :rofl:

 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
Banged them closed, rough sand for texture, JB Weld to the rescue?

PXL_20240510_234014844.jpg


PXL_20240511_001316974.jpg



Of course there could be stuff busted inside, this is just what I see. I will hook it up tomorrow and see if anything else leaks.
 
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jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
I wouldn't trust that for three heating cycles.
Yeah, I'm looking at the replacement part now. Seems good to 500, fails at 560, but that might be too close to call.

My Deutsch connector should be here today, I will fire it up and see how epic it fails either tonight or tomorrow morning. I won't hear about the replacement part until Tuesday, I'm sure.
 
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jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
Hey Brother,If I may be so Humble. That is a temp fix correct?

Avy
It's not a fix at all, there are way too many breaks you can't see inside. The new one should be here in 2 weeks and I will price a replacement part and possibly fix this one to either resell or keep for when I manage to blow up the new one.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
So I am almost done designing my security setup. I found a 4 channel dvr setup that I can tie into an alarm. I will have the alarm trigger off entry sensors to sound the siren and record all 4 cameras while the siren is on. I found a cool solar battery tender so I shouldn't have to worry about the battery getting drained.

I've wanted to do some security, but after someone switched my battery, now I have to.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
Take 2 done. What a pain in the ass. The outlet is on the other side from where the old one was, so I had to get a longer line. The mounting holes were different, the hardware that mounts the door to the heater are different, so adjustments were made. The door didn't come with hardware and nothing at Ace fit, so I tapped the door out to 6-32 and called it good.

PXL_20240526_230325655.jpg
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
Dammit. It fires up, the water goes from 65 to about 90, then it throws an E1 error code and shuts down. E1 is ignition failure, but the water seemed to be warming. If I don't get an email response by tomorrow, I will call them.

I did get the radiator hoses swapped out, still need a test drive.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,175
15,273
Portland, OR
The shop called and said the truck was aligned. He said I had it done 2 years ago, so he was going to charge me for it. I told him I hadn't used it since then and when he looked at the mileage, it was less than 30 miles ago, so it was free this time. :rofl:

Not sure what I paid for last time, but it's all square now he says.