Dale and Terry get a '66 Tradewind

[Atomic_13]

A black tank rinse post draining is a good idea Dale. I typically dump a gallon jug of water down the toilet after dumping the tank. Your trailer will have a built in system for that. How many gallons is your black tank? I was thinking we both had about 20 gallon tanks? Keep up the good work. Glad to see you continue to flex those brain muscles.

[dbj216]

Holy Cow! 37 marathons, and some in the Kansas heat I imagine. That is incredible. I've run 7 over a 7 year period; the Twin Cities Marathon. I enjoyed my daily jogs as a stress reliver from my pressure cooker job. I still enjoy exercise and my daily walks with the beagle. But like you, I have a health concern also called heart disease. A lot of good all that jogging did me. But heart disease is easier to mitigate than brain disorders. Modern medicine has developed drugs that can delay the onset of more severe symptoms.

Well, figuring out what all those water valves do is certainly mentally challenging. Make every day great.

take care,

David

[Slats]

Thanks, Brian. You're right; we both have 20 gallon tanks.

[Slats]

Been doing a lot. Not much to show for it. Did manage to get the control panel done. After mounting the monitors on aluminum I decided there might be a problem with mounting electrical components on a metal surface. So, spying a sheet of plastic I bought a couple of years ago (the kind of material that graces the ceiling lights in drop-ceiling office) sitting over in the corner looking forlorn, I thought, what the heck. The rest of the afternoon is now history.

[Slats]

whoops

[Slats]

crap

[Slats]

If at first you don't succeed ........

[Slats]

.... and continue to fail, give up. Good night.

[coloradoup]

Slats, I like it. That wood looks really good as well. Nice work. Looking forward to seeing it in person. Hopefully you guys get another meeting together in the near future.

[docflyboy]

Slats-If I missed it, can you tell me where you got the vintage looking metal panel for your control panel. Looks great. Jerry

[dbj216]

I like the way you made your new control panel. It's like a smart phone. Tilt the phone, and the photo goes from landscape to portrait.

Did you rig lights on all your valves so you know which ones are open? Kinda like a nuclear power plant.

Airstream was big on the "control center" in their trailers in the 60s and beyond. High tech sells. Here is the one in the 75 Overlander. Not near as nice as yours.

David

[Slats]

Originally Posted by docflyboy

Slats-If I missed it, can you tell me where you got the vintage looking metal panel for your control panel. Looks great. Jerry

Jerry - the backing is aluminum from my scrap heap, overlain with a piece of plastic panel like that used to diffuse the light from the florescent tubes in office ceiling fixtures. I picked a piece up at Regal Plastic on Burlington in NKC.

[dbj216]

Creative Slats. Your panel sure looks better than mine, either standing up or laying down. You have pictures of both.

David

[Atomic_13]

Dale - the control panel looks awesome. I’m really glad you’ve refinished some of that beautiful old growth wood from ‘66. It sure looks great next to your modern control panel.

[Slats]

Originally Posted by dbj216

Did you rig lights on all your valves so you know which ones are open? Kinda like a nuclear power plant.David

Dang you David. Quit putting these ideas in my head. It is taking me long enough to get to the end of this project. Now I'll be awakened at 3:00 am by the committee in my head, followed by a long discussion on the hows, whys and why nots of valve lights.

[rmkrum]

Slats,

During a real long and successful career in software and hardware engineering, I’ve found it useful to allow the “committee in my head” to hold its nightly meetings without me in attendance after I’ve preset the agenda the evening before.

I check the mental notes and replay the committee report in the morning after I’ve fully woken up, which is usually about 10:00am. Just have to get the committee to follow the rules of engagement….and let me sleep through the discussions.

Failing that, I’ve found that talking aloud among my few multiple personalities during normal working hours gets me funny looks, but solves the issues rapidly. My family and coworkers have gotten used to my mumbling wide-ranging technical debates with myself. I’m firmly convinced most creative engineering types do this very often, whether they admit to the practice or not.

Don’t feel alone…

[dbj216]

Slats: I was only kidding. Don't even spend one minute thinking about light indicators for your valves. Just label them on, off and what they are for so a dumb cluck like me would figure out why there is no water in the toilet.

I do find the SeeLevel senders handy so I don't have to stick a broom handle down the toilet to see how full the black tank is. The grey tank is easier as when I see water backing up in the bathtub drain, I know it is time to dump the tank.

David

[Slats]

I got the tank level sensors and heat pads installed on the tanks and wired to control panel. When I filled the fresh water tank (40 gal.) and flipped the fresh water pump on, I was pleased to see there were no leaks in the system. I then ran the galley sink faucet until the fresh water monitor registered ten percent remaining and the 30 gal. gray water tank monitor registered 88 percent full. I then turned my gray water pump, directed the gray water to the 20 gal. black water tank and watched the black water tank monitor dutifully record the rising percentage of the fill to 68 percent. I like the idea of being able to completely fill the black water tank with gray water before dumping it. We'll see how well theory syncs with reality once we get on the road. Now I just have to finish out the curb side of the bathroom (the shower half) and put on the belly pan and a few other odds and ends. I may finish this project in under ten years; who knows?

[Bubba L]

Glad to hear all your sensors work as designed. In our 66 Safari we had a P-trap under the shower drain. There was a plastic bowl that extended below the belly pan that allowed the space for the trap piping. We eliminated that and placed a Hepvo trap accessible in the wardrobe. Sounds like your going to beat the 10 year project completion time. Though we’re never really finished. Good luck

[dbj216]

Hi Slats: Happy to hear your water system testing was successful. No leaks found is always a relief. I've never tested my plumbing with this result. I always had something leaking, especially fittings screwed into plastic female treads.

Well, you operated all those valves like you knew what you were doing. And you are right, lots of water in the black tank certainly helps it dump clean. Your system reminds me of a flight engineer on a big airplane moving fuel around to maintain proper balance. If your tongue weight is too high, you can pump water to one of your rear tanks.

You are getting ready for your maiden voyage soon.

David