Motorhome FullTiming

Big bigger or tiny

Gromett — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:43:45 +0000

I moved from a 8mtr Eura to a Bus who’s internal length was much longer due to better internal layout as much as to its bigger size. Unfortunately i have to plan every thing before I make a move. The Eura was really comfortable but seriously badly laid out for a single guy hence the self build direction. The bus hasn’t worked out as it is as restrictive as a house for a fulltimer.

The new van is a LWB Fiat Ducato and it only measure 3.5Mtrs in length internally for the living space.

The upside of the small van is I can go anywhere at any time including the supermarket without planning.

The downside is I really really really have to sell everything I own. I can’t carry more than a small handfull of books. The CD’s are out the window along with the DVD’s. The physical photo’s are hard but they have to go as well. The push bike is going as is a bunch of other stuff that is really handy but only gets used once a month at most. There will be no microwave, no toaster and no full power desktop computer for when I am on hookup.

My new lifestyle will be move fast move often. But it means I have my clothes, my ebook, and my laptops and not much else.

It is quite liberating once I commited to it but the process was pretty tough to be honest.

Any way, don’t expect a cuppa if you call on me, my other 3 cups have gone in a skip. I can’t cook a meal as I only have two hobs and two pans. Well I can cook a meal but you will have to share the plate and knives and forks with me, The table only seats one so you will have to sit outside. However, I did this for me… I can get on my European tour, learn some languages and see some sights. I may miss out on the very rare occasion when someone wants to visit me but my travels are going to be much smoother and easier to organise.

Brief Update on progress

Gromett — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:00:23 +0000

I got the drop down sink today and found that it won’t fit in the shower room so have had to pull it down and redo it somewhat. It is not going to be quite as nice as I planned but should still look good.

Tomorrow I should hopefully get the rest of the internal furniture finished and can prep it for moving in on Friday. I want to get all the plumbing ready for the transfer of the pump, shower head, boiler and water tank on Friday. If I can do all that and get the foam for the seats I should be able to get moved in over the weekend (I hope).

Once I am in I can start writing up the build process, format the photo’s and publish to this blog.

Just so you know.

Gromett — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:47:43 +0000

I haven’t forgotten about my blog, I am very busy building the new van and am taking copious pictures. I will post a number of blog entries covering the build as soon as I have a couple of hours free. I currently have the outside of the van painted, the insulation is all pretty much in. 3 windows have been fitted and the floor insulated and covered.

I am hoping to have it liveable by Monday coming and should be able to post more details along with pictures soon after that.

Got the new van, bad news

Gromett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:50:14 +0000

I bought the van yesterday and drove it back from Wigan. Unfortunately it turns out the suspension needs some work and the gearbox is on its last legs. Nothing that can’t be fixed but another vexation I could have done without….

New Van

Gromett — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:48:53 +0000

I have won an auction on ebay for a van. I am picking it up this weekend then the work can start again. I am hoping to keep the budget under £1500 to get it all finished and aim to complete the work within 4 weeks. I can then get on with my business and travelling.

House Sold, new van on way

Gromett — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:34:02 +0000

The house has sold and the cheque should clear on Monday. I have found a van which I will be going to look at on Tuesday. I hope the Van is good then I can crack on and start getting around a bit more. I will kind of miss the Bus with all its space and payload but not being able to move and use campsites is almost as restrictive as having a bricks and mortar house.

More news to come soon I hope.

Latest update.

Gromett — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:29:52 +0000

I am hoping the house sale will complete tomorrow and I can pick up a cheque. I will then be looking for a van to live in…..

The Bus is on borrowed time now and the relief of being homeless is suprising me.

A quick tip. I had to sell my computer as powering it while in the van would not be practical. I am now using a very cheap and cheerful netbook with a 10″ screen. It is great on batteries lasting up to 11 hours but the screen size makes working tricky at times. I have only just found out about the F11 key in FireFox which gives you full screen. I am now in the habit of hitting F11 once a webpage opens and hitting it again to close it. It’s an extra step I know but when using a small netbook it is a small price to pay.

Business has slowed right down as it usually does once the sun comes out so fitting out the van and moving stuff over from the bus will be easier than trying to do the bus was last winter. I will then be mobile and can start looking for more work.

Anyway much more news once I start building.

130W 12V power adapter, can use my big laptop off mains

Gromett — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:16:19 +0000

As part of my move to 12V I need to find a power supply that can do 12V input and 19.5v output at 6.7Amps. 19.5 X 6.7 = 130.65Watts.

A trawl of the internet found me this device. Perfect.

I think it is only my electronic toothbrush and 1 monitor left to sort out now…..

[update]

Just seen this linked to on MHF 150Watt but it doesn’t do 19.5V so will have to think about it.

Going 12V in new van

Gromett — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:48:30 +0000

In the new van I will be building I will be going 100% 12V so I don’t have to run an inefficient invertor. This busbar looks to be just the job for distributing the power.

http://www.smartmarine.co.nz/10-gang-copper-bus-bar-p-574.html

Asus Netbook powers off when usb device plugged in.

Gromett — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:12:11 +0000

This has happened to me twice now. once with an external hard drive and once with an orange 3G dongle. After a bit of research on the net it is caused by the high current drain of these devices. I have tested with a memory stick and it is fine. Also if you plug in prior to switching on it is fine.

A bit more research and it only affects the port on the left side of the asus. If you use one of the dual ports on the right hand side it handles it ok without a power shut off.

Mildly irritating and if you didn’t think to do a search on google you might think you had a faulty netbook not a bad design flaw. Got my details from here.