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(1)
the acid is in gel form, impregnated in a fibrous mat, so it can't
spill
(2)
they are sealed, forcing the normally formed hydrogen and oxygen to
recombine into water, eliminating the need to add water periodically
(3)
they can be stored in poorly ventilated areas (more flexibility on
locating the batteries) because, the dangerous production of hydrogen
and oxygen gas is essentially eliminated. Remember from high school
chemistry H+O2+ SPARK=BOOM! The downside is they are twice the cost of your common "wet" lead acid batteries, but in
our application almost essential.
After
soldering up lugs on six 12” and four 48” cables, a total of 16 lugs, I linked the
four batteries in parallel and connected them via a 400 amp fuse to the “magic box”
- a Victron MultiPlus energy management center (blue box). The MiltiPlus is a
battery charger and true sine wave inverter all in one. It charges
the house batteries in four stages to prolong battery life. It also
trickle charges the start batteries. When AC power is needed for the
refrigerator, air conditioners, etc., the MultiPlus converts DC to 60
Hz AC to power these units. It also senses the amps coming in from an
outside power source, like at a campground hookup, and automatically
switches to that power source. If there's power left over, it begins
recharging the batteries, or if there is insufficient amperage to run
all the AC appliances, it will add AC current via the inverter, in
phase, to the incoming power to meet the demand – automatically! I
love technology. It also connects to a remote LCD monitor, or my
laptop, so that I can monitor the electrical distribution and make
modifications, if needed. It is now completely operational and all its circuits are functioning perfectly.
I got
all the cabinet bulkheads cut and installed on the passenger side, then ran all the heat ducting from the furnace just in time for warm weather!
We located the mini-split air conditioners, mounted the interior units and positioned the compressors in a lower bay. We wound up placing them differently than I had planned, but they just took up too much space the way I had originally planned it. This eats up some storage space, but is much better looking and makes the "living room" more spacious. Barry at Level Park Hardware gave me the name of an HVAC guy. I gotta give him a call to hook up the lines and pressure / leak test the system.
Meanwhile Mark has been finishing the ceiling in the front and back of the bus. I tried to upholster these sections, but the compound curves are too extreme and the Naugahyde wrinkles, so we tore down some of the ceiling upholstery and underlying plywood and replaced it with aluminum sheet (no small task). The entire bedroom ceiling will be painted with a textured, flat grey paint as well as the driver / copilot area in the front. Teri will come up with some Deco Art to add some flash to our Art Deco themes.
Speaking of - check out the head.
Also started on counter-top install!
And finished the dash! (almost)
We located the mini-split air conditioners, mounted the interior units and positioned the compressors in a lower bay. We wound up placing them differently than I had planned, but they just took up too much space the way I had originally planned it. This eats up some storage space, but is much better looking and makes the "living room" more spacious. Barry at Level Park Hardware gave me the name of an HVAC guy. I gotta give him a call to hook up the lines and pressure / leak test the system.
I also got the second
alternator wired up. 300 amps for charging the house batteries while going down the road and
powering the four radiator fans. It took two days to wire it all up. Each has a temperature sensor that switches it on at a preset
temp. When all four are running, they'll suck an eight legged fly of a dead goat's eyeball at fifteen feet! I installed a separate volt meter for the second alternator and a mechanical water temp gauge at the engine to verify accurate temp readings.
Meanwhile Mark has been finishing the ceiling in the front and back of the bus. I tried to upholster these sections, but the compound curves are too extreme and the Naugahyde wrinkles, so we tore down some of the ceiling upholstery and underlying plywood and replaced it with aluminum sheet (no small task). The entire bedroom ceiling will be painted with a textured, flat grey paint as well as the driver / copilot area in the front. Teri will come up with some Deco Art to add some flash to our Art Deco themes.
Speaking of - check out the head.
Also started on counter-top install!
And finished the dash! (almost)
Would it be possible to see a close up of how you did the alternator... I have been wanting do do the same exact thing to my 4104... Thanks!!!! My email is g_siegle@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI've gotten a ton of inspiration from your blog