TOYOTA MOTORHOME RE-BUILD: Questions about wiring, propane, water pump, and awning!!!

[magentawave]

I have some questions about propane tank storage, water tanks, running wires, etc. in a 1982 18' Toyota Sunrader motorhome that I'm totally rebuilding and when done I'll travel extensively through the US, Mexico and Central America in it. I gutted the interior so I can build it the way I want because I didn't want all the silly complicated BS the manufacturer put in there. Sunraders have fiberglass bodies so I can fiberglass whatever I want wherever its needed. For example, all the vents and holes seen in the Sunrader photo below I'll be glassing in solid next week (That Sunrader isn't mine but its the same model).

I'm a newb when it comes to a lot of this stuff so some of my questions might seem ridiculous so please have mercy on me!:drool: However, I used to be a cabinetmaker/carpenter and I made my own surfboards so I know how to use tools and can follow directions.

My goal is to make things as SIMPLE as possible so here are my questions please...

1) ELECTRICAL WIRES: I want to make the few things I'll have that require being wired to the house or starter battery as simple as possible so they can be easily accessed in the event of a short without having to tear everything apart. Would you run the wires down the walls behind a removable panel and then underneath the motorhome attached to the frame in some conduit to protect the wires from getting snagged?

2) PROPANE: I only need propane for my two burner Coleman propane camp stove (so I can cook outside when I want to) and a Mr Heater Portable Buddy propane heater. Instead of running a pipe or hose from the propane tank to the stove and heater I'll use those little Coleman 1 pound disposable tanks but I'll refill them myself from the bigger tank like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q2Jhbbmnos. In the US I can swap my empty 20 pound propane tank for a full one and I read thats common in Mexico and Central America now too so I'll get a 20 pound tank to replace the current setup that has two smaller horizontally placed tanks (see photo). QUESTIONS: Would you store the 20 pound propane tank in an exterior compartment thats sealed to the inside or does it matter? Do you see any downside for using 1 pound disposable propane tanks and filling them myself from the big tank?

3) BATHROOM and SHOWER: I'm going to build a simple "compost" type toilet (about $30). I'll take showers with a black oil recycle container (see photo) http://tinyurl.com/mcc6r4t ($5 at Walmart) but my container will be installed with this shower head http://tinyurl.com/kt283tl because its supposed to be the highest pressure shower head made that uses very little water. This shower avoids plumbing, pumps, and a dedicated water heater. With the black oil recycle container I can heat it in the sun or fill it with water heated on my stove and I can take showers outside if I want to. What do you think and here's a question: What waterproof materials would you use to construct the walls, ceiling and floor of the bathroom with?

4) PUMP WATER TO SINK: To avoid the need for an electric pump I was thinking of using a galley foot pump like this http://tinyurl.com/k7zg9nj unless someone has a better idea?

5) AWNING: Has anyone figured out a simple cheap way to have an awning that isn't a hassle to setup and take down and won't require a ton of space to store? If not then I'll have to go with a conventional expensive awning.

5) INTERIOR LIGHTS: I was thinking of using LED lights inside that are battery operated so there would be no wiring. I would use rechargeable batteries in them. Any downside to using them over LED's that are wired to the 12 volt system?

 

[1leglance]

the best awning I have used/owned has been a Hannibal
it has no legs so nothing to hassle with when setting up
also you can get side walls and create another room or extra area to keep bugs out,
Of course you will have to either wall mount it or create some kind of brackets.

I also had a Fiama awning that cranked out from the side of the vehicle and worked well

 

[seanz0rz]

1, If you do it right, you should never have to access your wiring once it's done. If you think you'll need to access it, split loom is your friend. If you don't, then I would put it in EMT, plastic, or the blue corrugated flex stuff. Anything exposed to the elements outside the box would be put into liquidtite. For me, I would use a Blue Sea fuse block to dristribute circuits, and also put a fuse at each device. It would go something like this: A device would have a draw of say 4 amps. Put a 5 amp fuse at the device. run wire to the fuse block, where there is a 7.5A fuse. This way if the device draws more, it should blow the 5A fuse first. If the wire shorts, It should blow the 7.5A fuse.

The rest I don't know much about.

Bottom line, keep everything simple and light weight.

 

[madmax718]

solve part of problem 3 and 4 together- get a nemo helio. Small, compact, 11L capacity (almost 3 gallons) , you can do the same, heat in sun or add hot water from your stove, pressurized to wash your dishes, or yourself, can use it outside, and instant on/off action (just like a sink sprayer- part of me says it actually is a direct fit, havent tried though)
#5 gets a little tiresome. I'd only do this if wiring to the location is difficult.

As far as your other power needs- I'd run at least 1 deep cycle battery as the "house" batteries- add an isolator-

I'd ditch the whole propane thing, and just go butane for Cooking. As for heating.. if you intend to be living in very cold areas, I'd take the time and money to put in a real heating system. Esbacher (I can't spell)sells quite a few of these things; they were used in a lot of army vehicles for heating the vehicle without the need for the engine to be running.

 

[magentawave]

For full-time stuff like I'll be doing instead of occasional trips I'd be concerned about the durability of the Nemo as compared to the rigid 3 gallon black oil recycle container. Thanks for suggesting the Nemo because if my system doesn't work the way I want then I will definetely consider it, plus, the foot pump for pressurizing the Nemo is an excellent idea that I might incorporate into the oil recycle container if I need more pressure, or I might put a tire valve on it and pump it up with bike pump.

Why butane over propane? The farther south you get below the more butane is mixed with the propane anyway and apparently the Coleman propane stove will still work great.

I don't plan on spending a lot of time in cold weather but according to the reviews on Amazon those Mr Heater My Buddy heaters are supposed to be really good. This Camco catalytic heater is supposed to be good but a lot more expensive. http://tinyurl.com/oobbw7r

solve part of problem 3 and 4 together- get a nemo helio. Small, compact, 11L capacity (almost 3 gallons) , you can do the same, heat in sun or add hot water from your stove, pressurized to wash your dishes, or yourself, can use it outside, and instant on/off action (just like a sink sprayer- part of me says it actually is a direct fit, havent tried though)
#5 gets a little tiresome. I'd only do this if wiring to the location is difficult.

As far as your other power needs- I'd run at least 1 deep cycle battery as the "house" batteries- add an isolator-

I'd ditch the whole propane thing, and just go butane for Cooking. As for heating.. if you intend to be living in very cold areas, I'd take the time and money to put in a real heating system. Esbacher (I can't spell)sells quite a few of these things; they were used in a lot of army vehicles for heating the vehicle without the need for the engine to be running.

I've been looking at a bunch of different awnings but they are all very pricey. I have a search setup on Craigslist for something used too. No problem with brackets because everything can be easily glassed on to the fiberglass shell with epoxy and some kind of backing where serious strength is needed (like an awning).

the best awning I have used/owned has been a Hannibal
it has no legs so nothing to hassle with when setting up
also you can get side walls and create another room or extra area to keep bugs out,
Of course you will have to either wall mount it or create some kind of brackets.

I also had a Fiama awning that cranked out from the side of the vehicle and worked well

Thanks! I've looking this stuff up on Amazon. What is EMT?

1, If you do it right, you should never have to access your wiring once it's done. If you think you'll need to access it, split loom is your friend. If you don't, then I would put it in EMT, plastic, or the blue corrugated flex stuff. Anything exposed to the elements outside the box would be put into liquidtite. For me, I would use a Blue Sea fuse block to dristribute circuits, and also put a fuse at each device. It would go something like this: A device would have a draw of say 4 amps. Put a 5 amp fuse at the device. run wire to the fuse block, where there is a 7.5A fuse. This way if the device draws more, it should blow the 5A fuse first. If the wire shorts, It should blow the 7.5A fuse.

The rest I don't know much about.

Bottom line, keep everything simple and light weight.

I've been researching the heck out of this stuff for the last year but now I'm getting into all the millions of little technical details. I'm very clear on how I'll be camping and it will include boondocking and city dwelling at times. Thanks!

If it were me... I'd research extensively for 2 or 3 months on this site and others before I made any firm decisions. Scourer the threads of people that have built or remodeled campers and learn from thier mistakes and defiantly avoid the advice of people that presume they know what they are talking about... but have no experience.

Also think about how you are going to be camping. like long term "boonkocking" on remote Mexican beaches where supply replenishment can be a MAJOR PITA, or necessary bivouces on city streets or at mechanic garages.

Don't do things on the cheap! It will only come back to bite you HARD at the worst time (like on that remote beach).

 

[seanz0rz]

Electrical Metallic Tubing. It's a thin wall metal electrical conduit. Can be bent with a hand bender and is very strong for what you would use it for. Personally, there are a few places I might use it on a motor home, but I prefer standard split loom.

I use www.delcity.net for my wiring needs. They have always been good to me.

 

[magentawave]

If I run metal conduit (EMT) under the motorhome along the frame (instead of plastic conduit) shouldn't I be concerned about corrosion?

 

[seanz0rz]

The tubing is galvanized, but if you are in a salty area, you can always paint it with an appropriate coating.

 

[magentawave]

If the conduit is going to be nestled up high against the frame of the vehicle then is there any advantage to using EMT over thick plastic conduit?

 

[seanz0rz]

It may be a little bit more robust for rock hits, etc. Bending instead of shattering. EMT may be lighter than grey PVC conduit (rigid nonmetallic), but you would have to look that up. After thinking about it, split loom should be fine unless you really want to put it in a solid conduit.

 

[magentawave]

I haven't gotten to the point of running electrical wires because I'm still rebuilding the interior of my Toyota Sunrader motorhome but thanks for all of your suggestions.

 

[java]

On the propane, you can't just turn a 20lb tank on its side like the built in ones, they have a pick up tube thats different. But yes store in a compartment thats sealed from the inside of the RV.

 

[magentawave]

Yes, you are right that you should never store vertical propane tanks on their side.

I read about too many people having problems filling propane tanks south of Mexico because there are so many different adapters so I got rid of all the propane stuff. I decided to go with an alcohol Trianga stove for using inside and I'll use a little pressurized kerosene stove when cooking outside.