Monday, August 19, 2013

Weight of the Camper after it was all said and done.

I had a recent inquiry to the overall dry weight of the camper.  From my calculations and experience in loading the camper I would say somewhere in the ballpark of 600-700 pounds.  I did not keep tabs on the weights of all inputs during the build.  That would have been nice but there was enough detail to have to worry about in other realms so the calculations simply fell through the cracks.

I do know that the entire collection of sheetgoods (Nida-Core) weigh in at 32 pounds per and I had 10, minus the small segments leftover that were thrown away.  Would have been 11 but ended up settling for a piece of 3/4" plywood- epoxied saturated and painted- for the backwall. 
  1) So the weight of 10 sheets of Nida Core = 320 pounds
  2) one piece of 3/4" plywood = 30-45 pounds
  3) must have at least 7 gallons of resin = 80-100 pounds
  4) must have at least 40-50 pounds of cloth

(320) + (37.5) + (90) + (45) = 492

and my guess would have been around 600-700...so somewhere in the ballpark between 500-700 pounds

just right for the 1/2 ton with air bag helper springs...no issues in transit

I have never had a chance just yet, to actually obtain my truck total weight on a set of scales since the camper has been added so that's the best I have to offer currently.

-chris

Sunday, August 18, 2013

The shower water heater and choices

When it came time to choose what water heater system to use in the camper I quickly realized the shortage of choices.  I would have loved to have installed an in-demand unit remotely but simply did not have the remaining monies at this point in the build.  Plus, I really did not have the space to mount one anyway, after making appropriate arrangements for a larger water tank.  I guess I could have mounted one on the exterior wall adjacent to the sink I suppose but the cost was the limiting factor.

I had seen an 'in-use water heater shower head' years ago and began a search for a reputable supplier.  I ended up landing on the Marey Heater Corporation site, this firm is located in Peurto Rico and offers the 120 VAC in-use water heater, shower head.  I was a bit concerned having such an arrangement- wet environment, powered unit in the shower- but there appears to be safeguards (insulated housing).  I plan on installing a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) on this circuit.  One should never have any type of electrical install that serves a wet area (sink, countertop, exterior app) without one.  Matter of factly it is a National Electrical Code mandate across US....well yeah- 'national- US..duh!'--lol.  A 30A GFCI circuit breaker will suffice.  

I understand these units are commonly used all throughout Peurto Rico, various parts of Mexico and perhaps other portions of Central America within their dwellings and commercial buildings. 

My plumbing was certainly not the neatest install, but functional.  I have a switch for the shower head and another switch for the water pump. I can turn the power off to the shower head before I disengage the pump, thus preventing a dry element incident.

The piece of angle the shower head is mounted to is for rigidity while in transit because the shower head is forward heavy.  The surface mounted plumbing allows me to remove the unit should it ever need replacing.  Was not enough room in my wall studs for the fitting arrangement and it was O'dark-30 when I was working on this, no stores open and I needed this baby in. Anyway it's not a photo booth, just an area to wash after a day of field research.

 


Interior camper snapshots...still a work in progress

I have been gone from the blog world for quite sometime.  Had some extra time and thought I'd provide a walk through of the camper interior.  Mind you- it is a work in progress, still needing a water tank.  I had a water tank purchased already but it is a long story as to why it is not in use. 



after plumbing and electrical is complete will complete cabinetry underneath sink


As you can see in the picture below there is an electrical junction box mounted between the wall studs.  This box is for the 120 volt service supplying the instantaneous hot water showerhead.  Above that is an 'out of the box' low voltage application (switch) which runs the 12 VDC waterpump.  This allows me to turn off the waterheater electrical supply just prior to turning off the pump to ensure I do not have a dry element and ruin the showerhead.

  
Options are very limited in North America when it comes to 'hot water heaters for campers' unless you want to take up a lot of space, spend a boat load of money and then whine about how much you just spent.  This particular unit -  Marey Tankless point-of-use, water heater showerhead- is not even offered on the home range, these come from Peurto Rico.  It will be served by a 30A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter breaker in the panel.

 
 
I know, not the most aesthetically pleasing setup, I'll be the first to shake my head in agreement with you... it's called running out of money at this point in the build.  But, the contraption will serve to wash the stink off and prepare the old boy for the sack.  The different colored switch covers will serve to distinguish between pump and shower element when I'm exhausted.  

A peek underneath the sink shows where the incoming water line will be connected and the sink drain/vent.   

if you missed the shower rough-in, check that out here