Fulltiming in a motorhome - a blog
Discussion
I promised to blog on full timing in a Motorhome; as much for the benefit of an insight into the trials and tribulations as well as a way of me coming to terms with my current situation. I don't have any photos right now, but I will pad out with photos in due course.
The lead up to moving into the van has been challenging, but as it happens, far less challenging than actually doing it. The preparation involved not just packing with clothes and personal belongings, but working out what was actually needed for a protracted period of time in the van but also the "life support" systems and how these would cope with the additional strain of me being in full-time and what other requirements I'd have with living "off grid".
After all of that, most of which is covered in the Hymer ownership thread, I finally left the marital home yesterday and moved the van down to the local campsite, which shall be my base, more or less, for the foreseeable future. At this stage, most likely for around a year.
Unfortunately, not all the plans came together - the idea of bringing the pushbike didn't materialise since I've somehow mislaid all my D-locks, so I've had to buy another one which I'll use to secure the bike to the rack. But by and large, everything has come with me - even the generator which I was concerned about how I'd bring along.
So yesterday I officially moved out. In a lot of ways it went very well. My wife took the little'un out for the day so although we had a goodbye of sorts, it wasn't a protracted goodbye with tears. It was horrible looking around the house and checking I had everything, but I left with a full van and the dog. Only 5mins down the road, but I pitched up before walking the half an hour across the fields back to the house to drop off the dog and pick up the Yeti.
What is involved in "pitching"? Well, very little in all reality. Particularly at this site given there is no electricity. I merely levelled the van up using one chock on the offside rear wheel (sadly now sunk a little into the ground, so the van's not as level as I'd like!
). I then added the thermal "blanket" which wraps around the whole of the cab windows. Glass is a great conductor of heat, so to keep the van warm (or cool in the summer) the reflective mini-duvet is very effective at insulating. Lastly, although I have a built-in 120l "grey" water tank (shower, basin, kitchen waste water), I don't want to be storing it, since I will have to empty it at some point. Doing that every other day when you're touring isn't an issue since it's part of a normal routine, but if you're pitched for a long time in a static position, you don't want to be moving the van to empty. So I have a 40l "Wastemaster" tank which I have left under the grey waste valve with the valve left open, so the water directly runs in and I can just wheel it around the site to empty it as and when. My pitch is right next to the drinking water tap, so filling up will be a doddle. But given there's just me in the van - it'll take a while to get through 120l of fresh water.
As far as electricity is concerned, I have 2 x 120aH batteries which provide all the necessary power for the (LED) lights, fan for the blown air heating and the water pump as well as charging 12v devices. Once the batteries deplete to around 11.5v (currently around 13v) I will deploy the generator. This is currently stored under the sofa inside the van, but I will obviously run this a reasonable way from the van (the length of my armoured cable which it will be locked to the chassis with) (y). But I don't plan on using this for anything other than charging and when I need a microwave meal (my parents bought me a compact 600w microwave).
In spite of moving out of the house yesterday, tonight is my first night in the van (I stayed with my parents yesterday evening). The reality of the situation is now hitting home. What I have learnt just today is that it's very easy to talk about doing things, but when you actually have to do them - that's a whole different kettle of fish. My daughter was missing me a lot today (as I was her, obviously) and so I went around to the house for a couple of hours this afternoon. In a lot of ways, the worst possible thing I could have done. We had lovely cuddles, giggles, games and fun - she told me how much she missed me and I did the same. She told me she loved me, and I said the same. 
And then I had to go. Heartbreaking. She was crying and I was stifling back the tears until I got in the car and my whole being just cracked and wailed like some kind of grieving widow. 
I'm back in the van now. I've had dinner, washed up, read some emails, sent some texts and just said goodnight to the little'un on FaceTime. Now it's just me and the van. I have a healthy library of books to read (but can't be bothered), a couple of movies on the iPad (but can't be bothered) and steering clear of the copious amounts of Stella Artois in the fridge. I reckon, given I've got an early start for work tomorrow, I'll save some battery power and head to bed for an early night. What I've never noticed before is that although the heating works well, it's not the cosiest of environments. The heating is set to 20degs C. But it almost feels like there's a bit of a draught when the heating' not on - unlike central heating where there's a constant warmth, blown air heating is quite binary. So I'm sitting here with a light blanket over my legs like an old lady. I guess all these little things I will adapt to and become second nature.
At the moment it's just me and my thoughts. I am adamant the future is bright. I will be holding on to that thought through what is likely to be a dark period over the next few weeks as I get used to the new norm.
It could be worse, however. There's a chap who's just pulled into the site in his Peugeot 307SW. In itself unremarkable, but the Farmer tells me he split with his wife 3.5yrs ago and has been living in the car ever since.
He drives to the local gym in the morning for a shower and then goes to work. It's true what they say - there's always someone worse off than you. I have a toilet, shower, fully stocked fridge, drinks cabinet, bed, sofa and armchair. Life's really not bad.
But I do miss my little girl something dreadful.
The lead up to moving into the van has been challenging, but as it happens, far less challenging than actually doing it. The preparation involved not just packing with clothes and personal belongings, but working out what was actually needed for a protracted period of time in the van but also the "life support" systems and how these would cope with the additional strain of me being in full-time and what other requirements I'd have with living "off grid".
After all of that, most of which is covered in the Hymer ownership thread, I finally left the marital home yesterday and moved the van down to the local campsite, which shall be my base, more or less, for the foreseeable future. At this stage, most likely for around a year.
Unfortunately, not all the plans came together - the idea of bringing the pushbike didn't materialise since I've somehow mislaid all my D-locks, so I've had to buy another one which I'll use to secure the bike to the rack. But by and large, everything has come with me - even the generator which I was concerned about how I'd bring along.
So yesterday I officially moved out. In a lot of ways it went very well. My wife took the little'un out for the day so although we had a goodbye of sorts, it wasn't a protracted goodbye with tears. It was horrible looking around the house and checking I had everything, but I left with a full van and the dog. Only 5mins down the road, but I pitched up before walking the half an hour across the fields back to the house to drop off the dog and pick up the Yeti.
What is involved in "pitching"? Well, very little in all reality. Particularly at this site given there is no electricity. I merely levelled the van up using one chock on the offside rear wheel (sadly now sunk a little into the ground, so the van's not as level as I'd like!
). I then added the thermal "blanket" which wraps around the whole of the cab windows. Glass is a great conductor of heat, so to keep the van warm (or cool in the summer) the reflective mini-duvet is very effective at insulating. Lastly, although I have a built-in 120l "grey" water tank (shower, basin, kitchen waste water), I don't want to be storing it, since I will have to empty it at some point. Doing that every other day when you're touring isn't an issue since it's part of a normal routine, but if you're pitched for a long time in a static position, you don't want to be moving the van to empty. So I have a 40l "Wastemaster" tank which I have left under the grey waste valve with the valve left open, so the water directly runs in and I can just wheel it around the site to empty it as and when. My pitch is right next to the drinking water tap, so filling up will be a doddle. But given there's just me in the van - it'll take a while to get through 120l of fresh water.As far as electricity is concerned, I have 2 x 120aH batteries which provide all the necessary power for the (LED) lights, fan for the blown air heating and the water pump as well as charging 12v devices. Once the batteries deplete to around 11.5v (currently around 13v) I will deploy the generator. This is currently stored under the sofa inside the van, but I will obviously run this a reasonable way from the van (the length of my armoured cable which it will be locked to the chassis with) (y). But I don't plan on using this for anything other than charging and when I need a microwave meal (my parents bought me a compact 600w microwave).
In spite of moving out of the house yesterday, tonight is my first night in the van (I stayed with my parents yesterday evening). The reality of the situation is now hitting home. What I have learnt just today is that it's very easy to talk about doing things, but when you actually have to do them - that's a whole different kettle of fish.
My daughter was missing me a lot today (as I was her, obviously) and so I went around to the house for a couple of hours this afternoon. In a lot of ways, the worst possible thing I could have done. We had lovely cuddles, giggles, games and fun - she told me how much she missed me and I did the same. She told me she loved me, and I said the same. And then I had to go. Heartbreaking. She was crying and I was stifling back the tears until I got in the car and my whole being just cracked and wailed like some kind of grieving widow. I'm back in the van now. I've had dinner, washed up, read some emails, sent some texts and just said goodnight to the little'un on FaceTime. Now it's just me and the van. I have a healthy library of books to read (but can't be bothered), a couple of movies on the iPad (but can't be bothered) and steering clear of the copious amounts of Stella Artois in the fridge. I reckon, given I've got an early start for work tomorrow, I'll save some battery power and head to bed for an early night. What I've never noticed before is that although the heating works well, it's not the cosiest of environments. The heating is set to 20degs C. But it almost feels like there's a bit of a draught when the heating' not on - unlike central heating where there's a constant warmth, blown air heating is quite binary. So I'm sitting here with a light blanket over my legs like an old lady. I guess all these little things I will adapt to and become second nature.
At the moment it's just me and my thoughts. I am adamant the future is bright. I will be holding on to that thought through what is likely to be a dark period over the next few weeks as I get used to the new norm.
It could be worse, however. There's a chap who's just pulled into the site in his Peugeot 307SW. In itself unremarkable, but the Farmer tells me he split with his wife 3.5yrs ago and has been living in the car ever since.
He drives to the local gym in the morning for a shower and then goes to work. It's true what they say - there's always someone worse off than you. I have a toilet, shower, fully stocked fridge, drinks cabinet, bed, sofa and armchair. Life's really not bad.But I do miss my little girl something dreadful.
Thanks for all the words of support and wisdom fellas. It really is much appreciated. I didn't actually set out to pour out my heart & soul but blog a fulltimers experiences; but clearly the reason I am fulltiming is because of what's going on at home, which I guess means the two are inextricably linked. It probably was helpful writing it though as last night was not the heart-wrenching misery that I expected upon going to bed.....
As I already knew, the van is a comfortable home away from home. It can't replace home, but it's by far the best solution - a place with which I am familiar, has creature comforts (well, some) and affords a comfy bed and ability to perform necessary ablutions.
After starting the thread last night, I made up the pull-down bed - only have a relatively lightweight duvet but with the addition of a dark duvet cover, makes it feel warmer (I hate anything other than white normally) and a heavy wool blanket and it was toasty and very comfy. I left the skylight over the bed uncovered so I could see the stars and because it gets light so late that I would have to wake up to the alarm clock rather than be awoken prematurely by the sunrise. I'll have to pull the blind come Spring, but nice to look up at the stars during the night.
Before going to bed, I set the thermostat at 15degs. I think I heard the heating turn on once during the night, but it wasn't too cold when I woke up at 05:30. Hopped out of bed, whacked it up to 20degs, popped the kettle and little expresso-maker on the stove and 5mins later poured myself a coffee and took it back off to bed. By the time I had finished my coffee, the van was a toasty 20degs C and I was ready to brush my teeth, shave and get dressed for work. Left the van at 06:30 for the Station and it was only when I got on the road that I realised that 1) I was 5mins earlier than normal & 2) I was 5 mins closer to the station than normal. So I actually arrived a good bit ahead of time. So now I know i've got an extra 10mins in bed!
FT'd daughter this morning and she's looking forward to me looking after her tonight (as am I, obviously). I'll pop her to bed and then wait for the wife to get back before I head to the van.
I'm guessing the next few nights and weeks will also give me a view on what to do to the van to make it more comfortable. So far what I've noticed:
- probably need a throw for the sofa as although the leather is lovely and supple, it can feel a little chilly of an evening;
- by the pull-down bed, there's nowhere to pop items like books or glasses. A simple solution will be to screw some netting to the end of the overhead cabinets - this would be fairly invisible given there's a curtain in the way which pulls across to separate bed from living space. I will order one and pop it up one evening. A shelf would be good too, for cups of tea or water, but there's nowhere I can see at the moment I could obviously fashion something;
- need a bathmat for the portion of floor in front of the basin for when I step out of the shower;
- need to look into van wifi properly. I added a huge bolt-on of 12GB to my iPhone and tethered that to my iPad but the tethering kept dropping off.
I'm sure more will follow!
As I already knew, the van is a comfortable home away from home. It can't replace home, but it's by far the best solution - a place with which I am familiar, has creature comforts (well, some) and affords a comfy bed and ability to perform necessary ablutions.
After starting the thread last night, I made up the pull-down bed - only have a relatively lightweight duvet but with the addition of a dark duvet cover, makes it feel warmer (I hate anything other than white normally) and a heavy wool blanket and it was toasty and very comfy. I left the skylight over the bed uncovered so I could see the stars and because it gets light so late that I would have to wake up to the alarm clock rather than be awoken prematurely by the sunrise. I'll have to pull the blind come Spring, but nice to look up at the stars during the night.
Before going to bed, I set the thermostat at 15degs. I think I heard the heating turn on once during the night, but it wasn't too cold when I woke up at 05:30. Hopped out of bed, whacked it up to 20degs, popped the kettle and little expresso-maker on the stove and 5mins later poured myself a coffee and took it back off to bed. By the time I had finished my coffee, the van was a toasty 20degs C and I was ready to brush my teeth, shave and get dressed for work. Left the van at 06:30 for the Station and it was only when I got on the road that I realised that 1) I was 5mins earlier than normal & 2) I was 5 mins closer to the station than normal. So I actually arrived a good bit ahead of time. So now I know i've got an extra 10mins in bed!
FT'd daughter this morning and she's looking forward to me looking after her tonight (as am I, obviously). I'll pop her to bed and then wait for the wife to get back before I head to the van.
I'm guessing the next few nights and weeks will also give me a view on what to do to the van to make it more comfortable. So far what I've noticed:
- probably need a throw for the sofa as although the leather is lovely and supple, it can feel a little chilly of an evening;
- by the pull-down bed, there's nowhere to pop items like books or glasses. A simple solution will be to screw some netting to the end of the overhead cabinets - this would be fairly invisible given there's a curtain in the way which pulls across to separate bed from living space. I will order one and pop it up one evening. A shelf would be good too, for cups of tea or water, but there's nowhere I can see at the moment I could obviously fashion something;
- need a bathmat for the portion of floor in front of the basin for when I step out of the shower;
- need to look into van wifi properly. I added a huge bolt-on of 12GB to my iPhone and tethered that to my iPad but the tethering kept dropping off.
I'm sure more will follow!
Edited by Spuffington on Monday 20th February 10:43
Thanks TP - I'm a bit of a stranger to redit but I'll give it a go.
In some ways there is something appealing about it. The Family home is located down a half a mile track and away from the rest of the world, but it struck me again last night whilst being in the van, that in spite of being used to quietness, there is a connection to the outside world which you don't get even in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. You hear the owls calling to eachother, the animals in the hedgerow near the van and the gentle whisping of the wind. Obviously it's Camping, but with the Level of comfort I have, it's Camping one step removed. But not like living at home.
I like that connection with nature.
Then there's resource management. I'm thinking about how much I turn the lights on - do I need the big light on or just the little ones? Do I need to run the water as much? How much is the battery going to be hit by the heating / water pumps? How much gas am I using?
It's probably a good thing thinking about these things in a world where resources are finite. I have a feeling I will be learning a lot from this experience.
In some ways there is something appealing about it. The Family home is located down a half a mile track and away from the rest of the world, but it struck me again last night whilst being in the van, that in spite of being used to quietness, there is a connection to the outside world which you don't get even in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. You hear the owls calling to eachother, the animals in the hedgerow near the van and the gentle whisping of the wind. Obviously it's Camping, but with the Level of comfort I have, it's Camping one step removed. But not like living at home.
I like that connection with nature.
Then there's resource management. I'm thinking about how much I turn the lights on - do I need the big light on or just the little ones? Do I need to run the water as much? How much is the battery going to be hit by the heating / water pumps? How much gas am I using?
It's probably a good thing thinking about these things in a world where resources are finite. I have a feeling I will be learning a lot from this experience.
@TP - I'm sure you're right. And you're certainly right about washing line. I need to get myself one or two of them!!
@chasingracingcars - unfortunately I don't have EHU. Only when genny is being run, which I won't do first thing in the morning. But a good idea for the future when I am on EHU. As it happens, I have to jump out of bed to pop the stove on to boil the kettle, so no great shakes to flick the dial up to 20degs when I do so. Conscious, however, that it has been relatively mild the last few nights. Will be interesting to see how things go later this week and into next as the frost starts reappearing.
@gavin - 95% of the bulbs were changed to LEDs when I bought the van. There are only a couple (one in the bathroom and one by the door) which are still halogen as I couldn't get the covers off without fear of breaking them!
@chickenchaser - that's the way I'm trying to look at things. I've got a trip up to Scotland for a family Birthday on 15th March. I'm taking my little girl with me and will be stopping off in the Lake District (Quiet Site) and Loch Lomond before getting to Port Appin. I've then got a business trip so I'll be flying back with the little'un before heading off to Berlin for a week. Then straight back up to Scotland to spend a week doing the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). That will just be me and the Labrador. Then in June I've got 4 days free which are shoe-horned around other Events, but taking the Dover-Calais Ferry, hot-footing it down to Honfleur and then spending 3.5 days doing the Normandy beaches before taking the overnight ferry back from Cherbourg to Poole and then off to a Stag Do in Somerset!
Trying to make it work for me, whilst balancing Family life. I've got little'un on Thurs night, taking her to school Fri morning, working from the van, picking her up in the evening and having her until Saturday night. Will be really nice to spend time together and she is really excited too.
Other than that, got back late last night. Had a shower (really may need to think about uprating the water pump), cup of camomile tea (ooo - living on the edge!) and off to bed. Didn't sleep brilliantly in spite of the bed being super-cosy. Think I have too much on my mind.
Batteries holding up well - showing 12.8v when I left this morning. I've realistically got another couple of days before they'll need charging, but I may run the genny tonight as I'm out tomorrow night and won't be back until late (and drunk) so don't want to get a surprise if they start going off suddenely on Thurs.
Oh and levelling chock hasn't sunk anymore so won't do anything about that. I may put a couple of skid mats down first next time around, to help spread a bit of the load. Wastemaster is completely full - that will need emptying tonight. But so grateful for having got that and not needing to drive the van somewhere to discharge the grey water.
Other than that, business as usual!
@chasingracingcars - unfortunately I don't have EHU. Only when genny is being run, which I won't do first thing in the morning. But a good idea for the future when I am on EHU. As it happens, I have to jump out of bed to pop the stove on to boil the kettle, so no great shakes to flick the dial up to 20degs when I do so. Conscious, however, that it has been relatively mild the last few nights. Will be interesting to see how things go later this week and into next as the frost starts reappearing.
@gavin - 95% of the bulbs were changed to LEDs when I bought the van. There are only a couple (one in the bathroom and one by the door) which are still halogen as I couldn't get the covers off without fear of breaking them!
@chickenchaser - that's the way I'm trying to look at things. I've got a trip up to Scotland for a family Birthday on 15th March. I'm taking my little girl with me and will be stopping off in the Lake District (Quiet Site) and Loch Lomond before getting to Port Appin. I've then got a business trip so I'll be flying back with the little'un before heading off to Berlin for a week. Then straight back up to Scotland to spend a week doing the North Coast 500 (aka NC500). That will just be me and the Labrador.
Then in June I've got 4 days free which are shoe-horned around other Events, but taking the Dover-Calais Ferry, hot-footing it down to Honfleur and then spending 3.5 days doing the Normandy beaches before taking the overnight ferry back from Cherbourg to Poole and then off to a Stag Do in Somerset!Trying to make it work for me, whilst balancing Family life. I've got little'un on Thurs night, taking her to school Fri morning, working from the van, picking her up in the evening and having her until Saturday night. Will be really nice to spend time together and she is really excited too.
Other than that, got back late last night. Had a shower (really may need to think about uprating the water pump), cup of camomile tea (ooo - living on the edge!) and off to bed. Didn't sleep brilliantly in spite of the bed being super-cosy. Think I have too much on my mind.
Batteries holding up well - showing 12.8v when I left this morning. I've realistically got another couple of days before they'll need charging, but I may run the genny tonight as I'm out tomorrow night and won't be back until late (and drunk) so don't want to get a surprise if they start going off suddenely on Thurs.
Oh and levelling chock hasn't sunk anymore so won't do anything about that. I may put a couple of skid mats down first next time around, to help spread a bit of the load. Wastemaster is completely full - that will need emptying tonight. But so grateful for having got that and not needing to drive the van somewhere to discharge the grey water.
Other than that, business as usual!
So, a bit more of a motorhoming update today since I'd finally reached the point where the thing needs "servicing". And some promised photos too! (y)
I've got the day off work today - lord knows what I'll end up doing. But unlike living in a house, the utilities are a little more scarce and sometimes require some work. Today was that day.
First up - toilet! :sick:
TBH, it's not actually that bad..........normally. Problem here is that at this site, all there is for emptying is a cesspit. Normally you empty into a waistmounted toilet bowl and try and direct your toilet cassette as close to the u-bend as possible so that you avoid seeing what comes out. In all honesty, most of the time it's just chemical stained water, but every now and again you get a clue as to what's in there. Today was worse, however - today I had to lift the lid on a tank full of human waste :sick:, stand over it whilst needing to get close enough to pour my cassette into there that it went in and didn't splash, but not so close that I got wafts of fumes. :sick: Frankly my worst experience in emptying and to think I'm going to be doing this twice weekly for the next 12 months is a pretty grim thought and genuinely makes the whole situation more grim. If I dwell on it, which I won't.
Anyway, that over - time for other utilities.
Water - well, considering I've been showering in the van 5-6 times now, hand washing, brushing teeth, drinking water and making cups of tea and a bit of washing up. I only used 60litres (roughly half a tank). The van has been purposely parked next to the drinking water tap, so I ran the hose and within 5mins the tank was full and the hose was put away.
Next up - electricity.
Technically, as far as the batteries were concerned, I didn't need to run the generator. But I've been coming home so late of an evening that I have no desire (nor would it be polite to do so) to run the thing late at night. Given the little'un is staying for the next couple of days, I'm working on the basis the lights will be more intensively used, plus charging iPads etc so I figured now was the time.
Manoeuvred the generator out from under the sofa, turned on the fuel, set the choke, turned on the switch, 2 x pulls and she purred into life beautifully. Backed off the choke relatively quickly and the green AC light went on so I connected the van to the lead, ran the lead to the genny and plugged in. 10aH showing on the charging meter. Happy days.
Within an hour the batteries were showing 14.5v and fully charged. I've continued to run the genny in order to charge my electric toothbrush (only have as mains adapter for it), charge the iPad and phones (might as well) and switched the fridge and hot water to AC for a while to save me some gas. Probably inconsequential, but makes me feel like I'm getting some use out of the genny.
So - that's it.
Harry continues to be comfy home away from home. Given how well he's coped with being off grid for the last 5-6days, it's given me even more confidence about my trip to Scotland next month and the fact I will be able to head to some pretty remote places without the need for servicing the van for a good few days at a time - especially given the batteries will be topped up by the alternator during the trip.
Other than that - a few more pics of the living space to give you an idea of where I find myself.
Clearly some washing up to be done.....:unsure:
And one of the most important devices on board - an espresso maker!
I've got the day off work today - lord knows what I'll end up doing. But unlike living in a house, the utilities are a little more scarce and sometimes require some work. Today was that day.
First up - toilet! :sick:
TBH, it's not actually that bad..........normally. Problem here is that at this site, all there is for emptying is a cesspit. Normally you empty into a waistmounted toilet bowl and try and direct your toilet cassette as close to the u-bend as possible so that you avoid seeing what comes out. In all honesty, most of the time it's just chemical stained water, but every now and again you get a clue as to what's in there. Today was worse, however - today I had to lift the lid on a tank full of human waste :sick:, stand over it whilst needing to get close enough to pour my cassette into there that it went in and didn't splash, but not so close that I got wafts of fumes. :sick: Frankly my worst experience in emptying and to think I'm going to be doing this twice weekly for the next 12 months is a pretty grim thought and genuinely makes the whole situation more grim. If I dwell on it, which I won't.
Anyway, that over - time for other utilities.
Water - well, considering I've been showering in the van 5-6 times now, hand washing, brushing teeth, drinking water and making cups of tea and a bit of washing up. I only used 60litres (roughly half a tank). The van has been purposely parked next to the drinking water tap, so I ran the hose and within 5mins the tank was full and the hose was put away.
Next up - electricity.
Technically, as far as the batteries were concerned, I didn't need to run the generator. But I've been coming home so late of an evening that I have no desire (nor would it be polite to do so) to run the thing late at night. Given the little'un is staying for the next couple of days, I'm working on the basis the lights will be more intensively used, plus charging iPads etc so I figured now was the time.
Manoeuvred the generator out from under the sofa, turned on the fuel, set the choke, turned on the switch, 2 x pulls and she purred into life beautifully. Backed off the choke relatively quickly and the green AC light went on so I connected the van to the lead, ran the lead to the genny and plugged in. 10aH showing on the charging meter. Happy days.
Within an hour the batteries were showing 14.5v and fully charged. I've continued to run the genny in order to charge my electric toothbrush (only have as mains adapter for it), charge the iPad and phones (might as well) and switched the fridge and hot water to AC for a while to save me some gas. Probably inconsequential, but makes me feel like I'm getting some use out of the genny.
So - that's it.
Harry continues to be comfy home away from home. Given how well he's coped with being off grid for the last 5-6days, it's given me even more confidence about my trip to Scotland next month and the fact I will be able to head to some pretty remote places without the need for servicing the van for a good few days at a time - especially given the batteries will be topped up by the alternator during the trip.
Other than that - a few more pics of the living space to give you an idea of where I find myself.
Clearly some washing up to be done.....:unsure:
And one of the most important devices on board - an espresso maker!
Thanks for the ongoing support guys, and also the tip on the grey waste, Oblio. I'm still finding my feet with the farmer who owns the campsite - once i've got to know him a bit better, I'll broach the subject of piping into a ditch.
The first week (8 nights) ended on Sunday with me packing the van up and moving it back to the family home before I headed off to Germany for a weeks Business trip. How was it?
Well, a mixture of hard and easy. The hardest bits were arguably the emotional side of things. Not being there at home to cuddle my daugther every night after work. Having her with me and making sure she was well catered for and happy - easy, but difficult knowing that she is still somewhat confused about the whole thing. On the other hand, she still views the van as an adventure, so I have been playing on that and letting her enjoy it. Just really difficult dropping her back to the house on Saturday and having to say goodbye again that night and again on Sunday when I went off to Germany. That said, Germany has been such a long-running fixture, we're sort of both used to it, but it doesn't get any easier.
The van? Well, he's holding up ok. For constant use, the shower-room with the aged tray is going well. May need to get it fixed in future, but I'll do that when it either starts cracking properly or when I have an extended time in Germany and can afford to leave it with them for a week or so. It is, however, going back to MG Caravans on Friday as there is a reasonably strong smell of gas emanating from the fridge area. Question whether a pipe has got damaged or something when the fridge was put back in after the Service. At the very least, where gas is concerned, I want it sorted before using it again.
All that said, he's proving a comfy home-from-home - albeit a bit small and requiring time spent on logistics like taking backwards and forwards from site when not in use. The batteries hold up well - four nights is more than do-able with heating on most of the time. Still on the same gas cylinder, which is great considering I've been cooking, using heating, heating water and running the fridge off it. Before I head back to site, I'll swing by the "local" (15miles away) LPG Station and fill it up to find out how much I've used over the week. That will be a good check to see how much it's costing me and utilisation rates. And pleased to have the Generator too.
As of next week when I'm back in, I'm going to try and cycle to the Station both for Fitness reasons and due to the fact I've swapped the Yeti for a leggy (75k miles) F11 530d Touring, which I'm loathed to do too many short journeys in and don't want to ruin on site. Might seem like a strange move, getting rid of the Yeti when it's perfect for pulling up on a campsite, but the new reality is such that I'm spending far more time at Weekends driving to see friends on long journeys and the Yeti with its low gearing, lack of refinement and road noise is, quite frankly, tiring. Perfect for the Job for which it was bought - a second Family run-around alongside the X3. But given I don't drive the X3 anymore - it's just too unrefined. Anyhoo - a new "purchase" (well, swap) will be good for the soul. I'm a BMW-fanboy at heart and feel like a deserve a treat given what I'm currently enduring.
So for this week I'm going to enjoy the luxury of freely running water, power-shower and 15m2 living space! And Saturday the joy of 6-cylinder motoring and comfort seats!
Got to keep looking on the positive side.
The first week (8 nights) ended on Sunday with me packing the van up and moving it back to the family home before I headed off to Germany for a weeks Business trip. How was it?
Well, a mixture of hard and easy. The hardest bits were arguably the emotional side of things. Not being there at home to cuddle my daugther every night after work. Having her with me and making sure she was well catered for and happy - easy, but difficult knowing that she is still somewhat confused about the whole thing. On the other hand, she still views the van as an adventure, so I have been playing on that and letting her enjoy it. Just really difficult dropping her back to the house on Saturday and having to say goodbye again that night and again on Sunday when I went off to Germany. That said, Germany has been such a long-running fixture, we're sort of both used to it, but it doesn't get any easier.
The van? Well, he's holding up ok. For constant use, the shower-room with the aged tray is going well. May need to get it fixed in future, but I'll do that when it either starts cracking properly or when I have an extended time in Germany and can afford to leave it with them for a week or so. It is, however, going back to MG Caravans on Friday as there is a reasonably strong smell of gas emanating from the fridge area. Question whether a pipe has got damaged or something when the fridge was put back in after the Service. At the very least, where gas is concerned, I want it sorted before using it again.
All that said, he's proving a comfy home-from-home - albeit a bit small and requiring time spent on logistics like taking backwards and forwards from site when not in use. The batteries hold up well - four nights is more than do-able with heating on most of the time. Still on the same gas cylinder, which is great considering I've been cooking, using heating, heating water and running the fridge off it. Before I head back to site, I'll swing by the "local" (15miles away) LPG Station and fill it up to find out how much I've used over the week. That will be a good check to see how much it's costing me and utilisation rates. And pleased to have the Generator too.
As of next week when I'm back in, I'm going to try and cycle to the Station both for Fitness reasons and due to the fact I've swapped the Yeti for a leggy (75k miles) F11 530d Touring, which I'm loathed to do too many short journeys in and don't want to ruin on site. Might seem like a strange move, getting rid of the Yeti when it's perfect for pulling up on a campsite, but the new reality is such that I'm spending far more time at Weekends driving to see friends on long journeys and the Yeti with its low gearing, lack of refinement and road noise is, quite frankly, tiring. Perfect for the Job for which it was bought - a second Family run-around alongside the X3. But given I don't drive the X3 anymore - it's just too unrefined. Anyhoo - a new "purchase" (well, swap) will be good for the soul. I'm a BMW-fanboy at heart and feel like a deserve a treat given what I'm currently enduring.
So for this week I'm going to enjoy the luxury of freely running water, power-shower and 15m2 living space!
And Saturday the joy of 6-cylinder motoring and comfort seats! Got to keep looking on the positive side.
Edited by Spuffington on Tuesday 28th February 11:26
I suppose for me it's a little different. Although in practice I'm separated from my wife, it's not formal (i.e. we've not gone down the route of a legal separation yet). I am also not spending more than a couple of weeks away from home and I'm still registered at my home address. We're on good enough terms, and I see the little'un enough, that I pick up my mail when I go back.
My insurance has no exclusions as to the amount of time I can spend in the van. The only thing is that I can spend a maximum of 6 months in any given period in Euroland. The clock restarts once back on English soil.
@Bellini - I have considered the Camping & Caravanning sites for longer-term pitches but they're firstly hugely expensive - either for a seasonal pitch (which itself is time limited) or for a normal pitch, which is only available for up to 4wks at a time.
I looked at Cambridge C&CC site, which is close to friends and actually quite convenient for the commute too but that was coming in at >400quid per month just for a normal pitch with EHU. Then I'd have to pack everything up and move on.
Where I am at the moment, I can stay there for up to 28nights. If ever I did this, the maximum I'd be out for would be just under 200quid. In practice I'm never going to be around that long since I'll either be travelling with work (normally every 2-3wks in Germany but sometimes more frequent) or travelling for holiday. So the van will never be sat around for too long. In terms of costs, I'd never recoup the extra either. So far I reckon I've spent 2-3quid on generating my own electricity last week (couple of litres of fuel for c. 5hrs running time) and I'm sure no more than c. 12quid on gas. The Generator will pay for itself within 5months, quite easily. And that's if I don't sell the thing afterwards - in which case I'll be massively quids in.
Furthermore, once I leave the site for a few days, the clock resets. In all honesty, given I'm commuting 3hrs a day then a good 8+hrs a day at work, the time I'm actually in the van is limited.
I could of course always do with more space, but the way I feel at the moment, I'd rather have another 1m on the van and a slightly different layout (one of the large 8m "S-class" Hymers would do the trick nicely - perhaps with a fixed bed at the rear, than an awning. A Garage would certainly also be useful for the Generator and lots of other bits and bobs which are difficult to squeeze into the outside lockers, or that you might just want out of the hab area.
In practice though, Harry is just fine and the longer I have him and the more money I pour into maintenance and keeping him tip-top, the less argument there is for getting rid of him. The idea of starting again on another van - getting to know all its foibles and spending money on bits wearing out - the less interesting it is.
My insurance has no exclusions as to the amount of time I can spend in the van. The only thing is that I can spend a maximum of 6 months in any given period in Euroland. The clock restarts once back on English soil.
@Bellini - I have considered the Camping & Caravanning sites for longer-term pitches but they're firstly hugely expensive - either for a seasonal pitch (which itself is time limited) or for a normal pitch, which is only available for up to 4wks at a time.
I looked at Cambridge C&CC site, which is close to friends and actually quite convenient for the commute too but that was coming in at >400quid per month just for a normal pitch with EHU. Then I'd have to pack everything up and move on.
Where I am at the moment, I can stay there for up to 28nights. If ever I did this, the maximum I'd be out for would be just under 200quid. In practice I'm never going to be around that long since I'll either be travelling with work (normally every 2-3wks in Germany but sometimes more frequent) or travelling for holiday. So the van will never be sat around for too long. In terms of costs, I'd never recoup the extra either. So far I reckon I've spent 2-3quid on generating my own electricity last week (couple of litres of fuel for c. 5hrs running time) and I'm sure no more than c. 12quid on gas. The Generator will pay for itself within 5months, quite easily. And that's if I don't sell the thing afterwards - in which case I'll be massively quids in.
Furthermore, once I leave the site for a few days, the clock resets. In all honesty, given I'm commuting 3hrs a day then a good 8+hrs a day at work, the time I'm actually in the van is limited.
I could of course always do with more space, but the way I feel at the moment, I'd rather have another 1m on the van and a slightly different layout (one of the large 8m "S-class" Hymers would do the trick nicely - perhaps with a fixed bed at the rear, than an awning. A Garage would certainly also be useful for the Generator and lots of other bits and bobs which are difficult to squeeze into the outside lockers, or that you might just want out of the hab area.
In practice though, Harry is just fine and the longer I have him and the more money I pour into maintenance and keeping him tip-top, the less argument there is for getting rid of him. The idea of starting again on another van - getting to know all its foibles and spending money on bits wearing out - the less interesting it is.
Edited by Spuffington on Tuesday 28th February 15:58
Edited by Spuffington on Tuesday 28th February 15:58
Edited by Spuffington on Tuesday 28th February 16:03
Thanks guys - continued support much appreciated. I'm trying to keep my chin up - some days are easier than others. But I am genuinely convinced that I have it easy compared to a lot of people. Perhaps I'm just generally a more positive person, but I'm trying to view this all as a life lesson as well as getting something out of it.
@chicken chaser - I'm doing washing back at the family home or dropping it off with my Mum when I see her.
@KT - my Uncle with the Hymer bought from Travelworld is very similar. He's spent years sailing and living on yachts, so Motorhome are just an extension of that. I sometimes wonder if he wouldn't prefer to live full time in his rather than a house.
@77 racing - really good idea, thanks for that. We've used the van to go up to Thetford Forest and used it as a day van before. But the seaside is always a winning idea.
@s2sol - that is truly brilliant. Thank you so much for point those out. I was trying to find those the other day as I've already got one which Hymer fitted at factory for the passenger side of the cab. I wanted one to match, so that it looked "factory". I will be ordering one (or maybe even two!).
@mini95 - I'll check out Bourne, thanks. At the moment, I'm settled but we'll see how it goes.
So not too much of an update here. Harry came back to the house on Sunday as I flew off to Germany. I then took him off to MG Caravans on Friday to investigate the gas leak. As it happens, there wasn't one! They pressure tested the system and it wasn't loosing pressure anywhere, so was given a clean bill of health. They were great, didn't charge for it and everyone on the same page in terms of being on the safe side with gas. Yet another A1 experience from the guys and girls there. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone in the area near Royston.
Given I was off to my parents on Sat with the little''in, it didn't make sense to pitch up Friday night, so I stayed in the marital home. That was a mistake and not one I'll be making again. Harry is back on site this evening. A bit of a rush, but all sorted. It seems I used a full bottle of LPG during the previous week and although I searched high and low locally for LPG Autogas this afternoon, it seems few stations do it anymore. I have a second bottle left for this week, but on Saturday I'll be driving down to Birchanger Services on the M11 to fill up as I know they have it there.
Only other issue which has raised its head - Harry seems to be pulling to the left when driving. I had hoped it was wind or camber, but it's there pretty much all the time. I've checked the tyre pressures and they're fine. So I rang around on Friday to get wheel alignment done. It seems Harry is too big for most tyre places, even some of the light commercials places. As luck would have it, there's a lorry/commercials mechanic shop opposite side of the farm from where we live. I popped over there on Friday and they have a fella who comes out to their site to do the alignment on the lorries. He will do mine for £90 cash in hand. Seems like a good deal. I just hope it is the alignment and not something more sinister, ahead of my forthcoming trip to Scotland.
That said, I am the proud new owner of a BMW 530d Touring. Both a bit of a treat to myself for the stuff I'm going through at the moment and because my Yeti was neither big enough nor refined enough for the longer mileages I'm now doing. But having jut done 200miles in it this weekend, I'm sorely tempted to take the 5er up to the Highlands. But that would be missing the point of the trip!!
Anyway, I'm pitched up. Did some "housework" - vacuumed the floor of the Hab area and bathroom and then washed down the floor with those disposable antibacterial floor wipes you can get in the supermarket and then sprayed the bathroom down with Thetford bathroom cleaner and wiped it all down. Harry is now as clean as a whistle and feeling like home again.
A few things which I have changed now. I have decided that rather than keep packing the generator away under the settee when not in use, I've popped it on the transmission tunnel between the front seats. I have the bed down all the time when I'm pitched, so don't use the cab area. Seems a sensible use of space and easily reachable whenever I need it. I've also pulled the bed down without folding the seats forward. It's fine for a night or two, but I noticed the side bolsters / squabs to the chairs were getting damaged by the constant compression, so I've managed to set the seats in a position where they can stay up but the bed comes down in front of them.
I ran the generator up this evening to run my microwave for the first time. Got myself a "meal deal" from M&S and blitzed some Spag Bol in my 600W microwave my parents bought me. Was really nice having a "proper" meal. The generator worked hard for the 5mins I was cooking, but settled back down just above idle to run the fridge and hot water for another hour or so afterwards.
Other than that, back to work as normal tomorrow. Shirts are all ironed, hanging up in the wardrobe. I pressed my suit trousers when at home yesterday. They're hanging up too. Off for a shower now and then early to bed.
Just hope with the rain that's coming down now, that the car doesn't get stuck in the mud. Damn - should never have sold the Yeti!
@chicken chaser - I'm doing washing back at the family home or dropping it off with my Mum when I see her.
@KT - my Uncle with the Hymer bought from Travelworld is very similar. He's spent years sailing and living on yachts, so Motorhome are just an extension of that. I sometimes wonder if he wouldn't prefer to live full time in his rather than a house.
@77 racing - really good idea, thanks for that. We've used the van to go up to Thetford Forest and used it as a day van before. But the seaside is always a winning idea.
@s2sol - that is truly brilliant. Thank you so much for point those out. I was trying to find those the other day as I've already got one which Hymer fitted at factory for the passenger side of the cab. I wanted one to match, so that it looked "factory". I will be ordering one (or maybe even two!).
@mini95 - I'll check out Bourne, thanks. At the moment, I'm settled but we'll see how it goes.
So not too much of an update here. Harry came back to the house on Sunday as I flew off to Germany. I then took him off to MG Caravans on Friday to investigate the gas leak. As it happens, there wasn't one! They pressure tested the system and it wasn't loosing pressure anywhere, so was given a clean bill of health. They were great, didn't charge for it and everyone on the same page in terms of being on the safe side with gas. Yet another A1 experience from the guys and girls there. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone in the area near Royston.
Given I was off to my parents on Sat with the little''in, it didn't make sense to pitch up Friday night, so I stayed in the marital home. That was a mistake and not one I'll be making again. Harry is back on site this evening. A bit of a rush, but all sorted. It seems I used a full bottle of LPG during the previous week and although I searched high and low locally for LPG Autogas this afternoon, it seems few stations do it anymore. I have a second bottle left for this week, but on Saturday I'll be driving down to Birchanger Services on the M11 to fill up as I know they have it there.
Only other issue which has raised its head - Harry seems to be pulling to the left when driving. I had hoped it was wind or camber, but it's there pretty much all the time. I've checked the tyre pressures and they're fine. So I rang around on Friday to get wheel alignment done. It seems Harry is too big for most tyre places, even some of the light commercials places. As luck would have it, there's a lorry/commercials mechanic shop opposite side of the farm from where we live. I popped over there on Friday and they have a fella who comes out to their site to do the alignment on the lorries. He will do mine for £90 cash in hand. Seems like a good deal. I just hope it is the alignment and not something more sinister, ahead of my forthcoming trip to Scotland.
That said, I am the proud new owner of a BMW 530d Touring. Both a bit of a treat to myself for the stuff I'm going through at the moment and because my Yeti was neither big enough nor refined enough for the longer mileages I'm now doing. But having jut done 200miles in it this weekend, I'm sorely tempted to take the 5er up to the Highlands. But that would be missing the point of the trip!!
Anyway, I'm pitched up. Did some "housework" - vacuumed the floor of the Hab area and bathroom and then washed down the floor with those disposable antibacterial floor wipes you can get in the supermarket and then sprayed the bathroom down with Thetford bathroom cleaner and wiped it all down. Harry is now as clean as a whistle and feeling like home again.
A few things which I have changed now. I have decided that rather than keep packing the generator away under the settee when not in use, I've popped it on the transmission tunnel between the front seats. I have the bed down all the time when I'm pitched, so don't use the cab area. Seems a sensible use of space and easily reachable whenever I need it. I've also pulled the bed down without folding the seats forward. It's fine for a night or two, but I noticed the side bolsters / squabs to the chairs were getting damaged by the constant compression, so I've managed to set the seats in a position where they can stay up but the bed comes down in front of them.
I ran the generator up this evening to run my microwave for the first time. Got myself a "meal deal" from M&S and blitzed some Spag Bol in my 600W microwave my parents bought me. Was really nice having a "proper" meal. The generator worked hard for the 5mins I was cooking, but settled back down just above idle to run the fridge and hot water for another hour or so afterwards.
Other than that, back to work as normal tomorrow. Shirts are all ironed, hanging up in the wardrobe. I pressed my suit trousers when at home yesterday. They're hanging up too. Off for a shower now and then early to bed.
Just hope with the rain that's coming down now, that the car doesn't get stuck in the mud. Damn - should never have sold the Yeti!
Edited by Spuffington on Sunday 5th March 20:28
@marvtec - re: washing & ironing, there are other ways of managing this. The original plan was to be at a C&CC site, where I would have done my laundry on site. And shirt laundering and ironing would've been done at a dry cleaner in the City. Both of these cost money and although I'd have been prepared to do them (and certainly the shirt solution will come into Play when I start riding the bike to the station etc.), I'm not in any kind of competition with myself in terms of making life more complicated to prove independence in the motorhome. Life is already complicated enough right now so I settle for whatever solution makes things more straightforward or is good value. C&CC site is not good value IMO, nor longterm enough for me.
As for food - cooking up on three hob rings is challenging but fine and was done often enough on Holiday and will be in the future. But coming "home" after a long day somewhere; either at work or elsewhere, the last thing you want to do is to cook and that's where having a microwave is convenient. Again, for me, all about making my life simpler rather than adding more stress or complexity. I have a Remoska slow cooker thing which I will use on the weekend to cook healthy and tasty Food when I have more time. But at other times, time is a premium commodity.
@KT - hope everything goes well with living back at the house. I can imagine it's strange after so long travelling. Dogs love routines and somewhere familiar and although Tilly is very flexible, you can see it in her when she's back in familiar surroundings.
I'm already adjusting to motorhome living to the extent that I really appreciate the creature comforts of being in a house or hotel. Little things like not having to worry about how much water you use in the shower; running it really hot and enjoying just standing under it rather than conserving water just to get wet and rinse with. I do find I'm more aware of resources generally. When warming up the hot water bottles the other night, I emptied the water back into the kettle because I wanted to save energy heating it (i.e. better to be heating warmish water rather than cold) and also not pouring away 2-3litres of water which could be reused. I can imagine after a longer period, I'll be even more concious of doing things back at home.
I don't mind being in the motorhome. But I still yearn to be back in my house. Life's just easier in a house than a van.
But I do like the connection to wildlife - so much more aware of your surroundings.
As for food - cooking up on three hob rings is challenging but fine and was done often enough on Holiday and will be in the future. But coming "home" after a long day somewhere; either at work or elsewhere, the last thing you want to do is to cook and that's where having a microwave is convenient. Again, for me, all about making my life simpler rather than adding more stress or complexity. I have a Remoska slow cooker thing which I will use on the weekend to cook healthy and tasty Food when I have more time. But at other times, time is a premium commodity.
@KT - hope everything goes well with living back at the house. I can imagine it's strange after so long travelling. Dogs love routines and somewhere familiar and although Tilly is very flexible, you can see it in her when she's back in familiar surroundings.
I'm already adjusting to motorhome living to the extent that I really appreciate the creature comforts of being in a house or hotel. Little things like not having to worry about how much water you use in the shower; running it really hot and enjoying just standing under it rather than conserving water just to get wet and rinse with. I do find I'm more aware of resources generally. When warming up the hot water bottles the other night, I emptied the water back into the kettle because I wanted to save energy heating it (i.e. better to be heating warmish water rather than cold) and also not pouring away 2-3litres of water which could be reused. I can imagine after a longer period, I'll be even more concious of doing things back at home.
I don't mind being in the motorhome. But I still yearn to be back in my house. Life's just easier in a house than a van.
But I do like the connection to wildlife - so much more aware of your surroundings.
chasingracecars said:
Spuff, what size leisure battery do you have on board. I am set to be off in the caravan for work for three weeks. Job rate will not cut a hotel and don't really want pay £27 for night!! Looking at CL's and curious how long my battery will last for. Obviously don't have the engine to charge it if needed. Might need to upgrade soon. Would love a generator but funds will not permit right now.
I believe I have 2 x 100aH leisure batteries. I'm not totally sure since Travelworld replaced both of them on the day I collected it. It had an Inverter fitted by the original owner and it wasn't working properly so Travelworld popped two new batteries in, thinking that the problem lay with those. As it happened, it didn't and it was the inverter itself. But I got to keep 400quids worth of batteries. I'll have a check tonight if I get the chance (they're buried under the sofa so not the easiest things to look for).
I charged them last night but probably didn't need to; it was mainly just to ensure they didn't get too low. But I reckon I can go for 5 nights running just lights, charging the odd bits of iPad/iPhone etc, running the heating fan and water pump for a shower and anything else requiring water.
Edited by Spuffington on Thursday 9th March 09:28
oblio said:
Spuff
Have you thought about one of these for your washing? There's a chap who sells these cheaply from time to time on a MH forum I am on...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Washing-Caravans...
Thanks oblio - No, I hadn't really considered one. I might've done had I got a Garage. But I'm now pretty pushed for space. Got a few overhead lockers free, which I'm keeping free for little'uns stuff when we go away together, but other than that, most of the storage space is now used up, what with generator, microwave, silver screen, hose and spare blanket living under the sofa. Outside lockers full of spare toilet cassette, chemicals and pitching gear and rear lockers filled with camping furniture, bike locks spare wheel and 5l jerry can for generator petrol. If I had a garage, a lot of that stuff could go in there. I'm sort of tempted to get a bigger van, particularly given I'm living in it, but in reality Harry does just what I need and after all the money I've invested in getting him "right", it'd be silly to do anything.Have you thought about one of these for your washing? There's a chap who sells these cheaply from time to time on a MH forum I am on...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Washing-Caravans...
chasingracecars said:
Would love to come and see you but the job is in Surrey, I get the odd job up your way so it might work sometime soon. Right now looks like job means I have to join Caravan Club or Camping Club to stay on a CL.
Anyone ever find if CL's don't let you on if you aren't a member? Looking for something around Farnborough, obviously with electric now!
I'll have a look in my books and see what I can dig out.Anyone ever find if CL's don't let you on if you aren't a member? Looking for something around Farnborough, obviously with electric now!
Although it's on my doorstep, I found this CL through the C&CC site but didn't book through there and approached the farmer directly. He's never asked about C&CC Membership but there are C&CC signs up.
Hadn't quite planned on doing another update quite so soon......
However, last night everything that could go wrong did....!
After a lot of ringing around last week looking for someone to do alignment on the motorhome and all of them saying that their ramps weren't big enough, i struck on the idea of the sign of a business doing Commercial Vehicle servicing over the other side of the farm from me. They duly booked me in with their mobile chap who does all their trucks and then asked me to turn up at 9am today. Fine, apart from the fact my daughter was supposed to be staying with me last night. So in order to avoid messing that up, I went back to the site with the intention of moving Harry up to the house so that that was one less thing to do in the morning and I could take her to nursery and then nip back to take the van over.
Well, best laid plans and all that.......
Firstly, whilst packing up the van into "transit mode", I must've put the generator down on the wrong side as within 5mins I had the overwhelming smell of petrol come into the cabin and had to mop up under the sofa, then clean off with a cleaning spray and locate the generator in the car boot (upright) for fear of it happening again. So far, so bad. Didn't realise it was about to get worse....
Fired up the van, wanting to get it warmed up whilst I took the silver screen off and decided to roll it back off its levelling ramp so I could pack all that away. Duly did this, although felt like the van was skidding gone the mud, so went to reverse it back a little further and heard a big thump and the van lurched.
ops: Turns out I had reversed UP onto the Wastemaster external grey water tank, which unfortunately had then rammed itself into the valve housing for the fixed internal grey water tank and ripped this housing off the underside of the habitation floor. 
So cue then half an hour spent under the bloody van trying to work out how best to attach this. The screws which originally held it had either bent under the pressure of the force or were so rusty that it was impossible to do anything with them. With no hacksaw on board, the best I could do was lever out what I could and leave the rest in situ. By this time it was dark, I had laid some matting out on the muddy field and was laying under the van with a head torch! In the end, I managed to connect together several zipties and wrap these around the leaf suspension arm to hold the waste tank pipes up. Bad photo, but you get the idea.....!
So, tomorrow's job will be removing the old screws, reform the bend metal housing, some ease and adjustment on the valve actuator arm (seems a little bent and there is some tiny leakage from the pipe), drill some new holes, apply Silkflex adhesive/sealant to the housing and then secure it all with some new screws. I think I should be able to manage it all on my own, but put the farmer on notice who's a bit of a dab hand mechanic.
In the meantime, the zipties held on the journey back to the house and again to the mechanics this morning. Was visited by the superb mobile alignment chap who was really pleasant and did a great job; particularly given Harry requires a bit more effort in hanging the various alignment devices due to its different body pan vs. the standard Sprinter. He was done in an hour. Result - right wheel out by 10mm and left wheel out by 30mm!!! He reckons that just a 5-6mm differential will give noticeable characteristics and a busy time at the wheel!!
Anyway, what he also spotted was that the front discs are warped and when I mentioned it pulls noticeably to the left under braking, he suggested the calipers might need looking at. Thankfully, the chap running the Commercials garage promised to take a look today, so I've left Harry over there. If nothing can be done until beyond Weds then I'm going to be forced to take the 530d. No hardship but I've been looking forward to the trip in Harry.
Looking back on the two years we've had him, it's always the same. Just before a long trip is planned, something always crops up which needs attention. You'd think that I'd get so fed up of it, that I'd have chucked it in by now. But whether he's my home now or not, he's got under my skin and I really love driving him. I'm just hoping this is something which can be fixed cheaply and effectively and in good time before Weds. In the meantime, I'm back in the marital home and spare bedroom.
However, last night everything that could go wrong did....!
After a lot of ringing around last week looking for someone to do alignment on the motorhome and all of them saying that their ramps weren't big enough, i struck on the idea of the sign of a business doing Commercial Vehicle servicing over the other side of the farm from me. They duly booked me in with their mobile chap who does all their trucks and then asked me to turn up at 9am today. Fine, apart from the fact my daughter was supposed to be staying with me last night. So in order to avoid messing that up, I went back to the site with the intention of moving Harry up to the house so that that was one less thing to do in the morning and I could take her to nursery and then nip back to take the van over.
Well, best laid plans and all that.......
Firstly, whilst packing up the van into "transit mode", I must've put the generator down on the wrong side as within 5mins I had the overwhelming smell of petrol come into the cabin and had to mop up under the sofa, then clean off with a cleaning spray and locate the generator in the car boot (upright) for fear of it happening again. So far, so bad. Didn't realise it was about to get worse....
Fired up the van, wanting to get it warmed up whilst I took the silver screen off and decided to roll it back off its levelling ramp so I could pack all that away. Duly did this, although felt like the van was skidding gone the mud, so went to reverse it back a little further and heard a big thump and the van lurched.
ops: Turns out I had reversed UP onto the Wastemaster external grey water tank, which unfortunately had then rammed itself into the valve housing for the fixed internal grey water tank and ripped this housing off the underside of the habitation floor. So cue then half an hour spent under the bloody van trying to work out how best to attach this. The screws which originally held it had either bent under the pressure of the force or were so rusty that it was impossible to do anything with them. With no hacksaw on board, the best I could do was lever out what I could and leave the rest in situ. By this time it was dark, I had laid some matting out on the muddy field and was laying under the van with a head torch!
In the end, I managed to connect together several zipties and wrap these around the leaf suspension arm to hold the waste tank pipes up. Bad photo, but you get the idea.....!
So, tomorrow's job will be removing the old screws, reform the bend metal housing, some ease and adjustment on the valve actuator arm (seems a little bent and there is some tiny leakage from the pipe), drill some new holes, apply Silkflex adhesive/sealant to the housing and then secure it all with some new screws. I think I should be able to manage it all on my own, but put the farmer on notice who's a bit of a dab hand mechanic.
In the meantime, the zipties held on the journey back to the house and again to the mechanics this morning. Was visited by the superb mobile alignment chap who was really pleasant and did a great job; particularly given Harry requires a bit more effort in hanging the various alignment devices due to its different body pan vs. the standard Sprinter. He was done in an hour. Result - right wheel out by 10mm and left wheel out by 30mm!!! He reckons that just a 5-6mm differential will give noticeable characteristics and a busy time at the wheel!!
Anyway, what he also spotted was that the front discs are warped and when I mentioned it pulls noticeably to the left under braking, he suggested the calipers might need looking at. Thankfully, the chap running the Commercials garage promised to take a look today, so I've left Harry over there. If nothing can be done until beyond Weds then I'm going to be forced to take the 530d. No hardship but I've been looking forward to the trip in Harry.
Looking back on the two years we've had him, it's always the same. Just before a long trip is planned, something always crops up which needs attention. You'd think that I'd get so fed up of it, that I'd have chucked it in by now. But whether he's my home now or not, he's got under my skin and I really love driving him. I'm just hoping this is something which can be fixed cheaply and effectively and in good time before Weds. In the meantime, I'm back in the marital home
and spare bedroom. Thanks for the support, chaps. 
Thursday's event was a classic case of less haste, more speed. Also taking the time to check that everything is stowed etc. @custardkid - you're right, I'll get a checklist drawn up and stick to it.
As far as luck is concerned, you make your own. Things are looking better today. I'm back at the house, which is difficult, but best place for getting stuff sorted (also do at least get cuddles with my little one who lets herself into my bedroom in the morning and slips into bed).
Today has been a good one. First thing in the morning I headed out with Tilly for a long walk. Helps get that "chore" out of the way, but also a good head-clearer, time for reflection, get the old body moving and just generally enjoy the simple things in life like 1hr walk around the farm. Got back and took at trip to Homebase to pick up some appropriately sized screws to replace the ones I'd ripped out of Harry's underside , went back the long way home in the 530d - only to keep the DPF warm you understand(!) 
, and then set about sorting Harry out.
First job was to make sure I at least had somewhere to lie down, get all the tools ordered out around me and get down to work....
Then I realised I'd forgotten a few tools from the toolshed. Only way to get to those was to pull out the other "toy"...........reminded me of what I'd been missing, so left it out and mowed the lawn late afternoon!
Back to the van and the reinforcement arrived..... :ROFLMAO:
Once under the van, the first job was to remove the old screws. Some of which could be removed with a pair of long-nose pliers. Others needed to be sawn off with a junior hacksaw and pieces removed with pliers. The old sealant from around where the metal housing had been fixed was then removed. Perfect tool for the job - an old wallpaper scraper...
Once I'd got rid of the sealant, I used some large pliers to gently bend the metal back into shape. Particularly around the 90deg bend at the point to which the metal was mated up to the van. This took the worst of the force on Thursday and took some gentle easing back into shape. Once I'd done this, I sanded back the wood floor underneath to give me a good surface to work with. I cleaned off all the road crap from the metal housing and painted the underside with creosote I had lying around. Once touch-dry, I added a bead of Silkaflex 512 sealant & adhesive to the fixing surface and mated the housing up to the underside of the van with a hydraulic jack, having moved the housing about 5mm towards the front of the van to ensure I had good wood to tap into, given the previous screws had been pulled out and left quite big holes.
It was at this point that Quality Control appeared to check that everything was in order.....!
But once the housing was mated up and held tight against the bottom of the van, I was able to use an electric screwdriver to drive in 4 x N5x25mm zinc-coated woodscrews to hold it all tight in place. Once finished, I then applied a bead of Silkaflex to both bond and seal the outside and then smoothed it (not terribly prettily) with my fingers around the fixing.
Once the jack was removed, the whole thing was bearing its own weight and felt very solid indeed. Just as solid as the previous one.......before it was torn off by yours truly!!!
All in all, a good job done. I was pleased to be able to fix it myself (job satisfaction) as well as money saved. (y) Just as well as Harry is going back to the Commercial Vehicle mechanic on Monday to have new sliding caliper pins fitted. They seem to have seized on the front callipers which is causing a mix of pulling to the left and strange pad & disc wear. I'm presuming the discs & pads will be changed a the same time.
Anyway, once that's all done, he'll hopefully be as right as rain for Weds big trip to Scotland.
Thursday's event was a classic case of less haste, more speed. Also taking the time to check that everything is stowed etc. @custardkid - you're right, I'll get a checklist drawn up and stick to it.
As far as luck is concerned, you make your own. Things are looking better today. I'm back at the house, which is difficult, but best place for getting stuff sorted (also do at least get cuddles with my little one who lets herself into my bedroom in the morning and slips into bed
).Today has been a good one. First thing in the morning I headed out with Tilly for a long walk. Helps get that "chore" out of the way, but also a good head-clearer, time for reflection, get the old body moving and just generally enjoy the simple things in life like 1hr walk around the farm.
Got back and took at trip to Homebase to pick up some appropriately sized screws to replace the ones I'd ripped out of Harry's underside , went back the long way home in the 530d - only to keep the DPF warm you understand(!) , and then set about sorting Harry out.First job was to make sure I at least had somewhere to lie down, get all the tools ordered out around me and get down to work....
Then I realised I'd forgotten a few tools from the toolshed. Only way to get to those was to pull out the other "toy"...........reminded me of what I'd been missing, so left it out and mowed the lawn late afternoon!
Back to the van and the reinforcement arrived..... :ROFLMAO:
Once under the van, the first job was to remove the old screws. Some of which could be removed with a pair of long-nose pliers. Others needed to be sawn off with a junior hacksaw and pieces removed with pliers. The old sealant from around where the metal housing had been fixed was then removed. Perfect tool for the job - an old wallpaper scraper...
Once I'd got rid of the sealant, I used some large pliers to gently bend the metal back into shape. Particularly around the 90deg bend at the point to which the metal was mated up to the van. This took the worst of the force on Thursday and took some gentle easing back into shape. Once I'd done this, I sanded back the wood floor underneath to give me a good surface to work with. I cleaned off all the road crap from the metal housing and painted the underside with creosote I had lying around. Once touch-dry, I added a bead of Silkaflex 512 sealant & adhesive to the fixing surface and mated the housing up to the underside of the van with a hydraulic jack, having moved the housing about 5mm towards the front of the van to ensure I had good wood to tap into, given the previous screws had been pulled out and left quite big holes.
It was at this point that Quality Control appeared to check that everything was in order.....!
But once the housing was mated up and held tight against the bottom of the van, I was able to use an electric screwdriver to drive in 4 x N5x25mm zinc-coated woodscrews to hold it all tight in place. Once finished, I then applied a bead of Silkaflex to both bond and seal the outside and then smoothed it (not terribly prettily) with my fingers around the fixing.
Once the jack was removed, the whole thing was bearing its own weight and felt very solid indeed. Just as solid as the previous one.......before it was torn off by yours truly!!!
All in all, a good job done. I was pleased to be able to fix it myself (job satisfaction) as well as money saved. (y) Just as well as Harry is going back to the Commercial Vehicle mechanic on Monday to have new sliding caliper pins fitted. They seem to have seized on the front callipers which is causing a mix of pulling to the left and strange pad & disc wear. I'm presuming the discs & pads will be changed a the same time.
Anyway, once that's all done, he'll hopefully be as right as rain for Weds big trip to Scotland.
Thanks KT - just back from the mechanics. What should've been a simple job, typically turned out to be more involved. The slider pins on the calipers (all four) were seized and seized so badly that the brake pads were also seized into the carriers!
Anyway, 9hrs(!) later, the fellas had everything stripped down, copper greased up and calliper sliding pins replaced with genuine Merc bits. The callipers now grip the discs evenly and although the discs are a little warped (I perhaps would've replaced them had I have been recommended), the brakes are at least working as they should. Didn't have much time or distance to test them out but if it's anything like the night & day difference the tracking has made, it'll be a lovely drive up north.
Given I'm a "neighbour", the chap did me a discount (I think he knows he'll get all my service work from now on) which helped soften the blow. But I've still spent £500 in total this last week and over £1k in the last month or so. Hopefully, except servicing, tax & insurance in April/May, I'll get a bit of an ease up in costs for a while.
I'll update with Scottish Adventures in due course.
Anyway, 9hrs(!) later, the fellas had everything stripped down, copper greased up and calliper sliding pins replaced with genuine Merc bits. The callipers now grip the discs evenly and although the discs are a little warped (I perhaps would've replaced them had I have been recommended), the brakes are at least working as they should. Didn't have much time or distance to test them out but if it's anything like the night & day difference the tracking has made, it'll be a lovely drive up north.
Given I'm a "neighbour", the chap did me a discount (I think he knows he'll get all my service work from now on) which helped soften the blow. But I've still spent £500 in total this last week and over £1k in the last month or so. Hopefully, except servicing, tax & insurance in April/May, I'll get a bit of an ease up in costs for a while.
I'll update with Scottish Adventures in due course.
Yeah, it does feel like I'm being financially rinsed at the moment. Having said that, these should be relatively seldom costs, so whilst I'm getting a lot of them at the moment, I'm trying to view it as an "Investment" in the van rather than what would've been sunk money in somebody elses buy-to-let mortgage. Even if it doesn't increase the value of the van, it will increase its saleability OR give me many more miles of enjoyment. I do, however, have to probably acknowledge that my spend on the van is probably more like a couple of grand a year rather than just a grand. Still cheaper than family holidays in the US though!
Good thing about the motorhome vs. caravan is that it's not really depreciating. In fact Hymers of my vintage are holding their value or appreciating depending on spec, mileage and model. It's a relatively rare bar layout with even more rare 4.6t chassis upgrade, paired with the Merc drivetrain, I'm onto a winner. So in some ways a bit of a trade-off between cash cost and depreciation.
But with its service history and folder of receipts, I'm more than confident that selling it at the right time of the year would recoup all, if not slightly more, of my initial capital outlay.
However, I do wish I'd kept hold of the X5. Loved that car!
Good thing about the motorhome vs. caravan is that it's not really depreciating. In fact Hymers of my vintage are holding their value or appreciating depending on spec, mileage and model. It's a relatively rare bar layout with even more rare 4.6t chassis upgrade, paired with the Merc drivetrain, I'm onto a winner. So in some ways a bit of a trade-off between cash cost and depreciation.
But with its service history and folder of receipts, I'm more than confident that selling it at the right time of the year would recoup all, if not slightly more, of my initial capital outlay.
However, I do wish I'd kept hold of the X5. Loved that car!
Rightyho chaps - I'm just back from my NW Scotland adventure and have blogged it here.....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Harry performed faultlessly. Didn't even use any oil!!
Brakes are now up to scratch following the work carried out pre-trip and probably even better for having been given a good workout over the last 1.7k miles too. Have a couple of days back in the house whilst the ex is away in Spain with our daughter and then moving back into Harry with a renewed appreciation for his talents as of Weds.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Harry performed faultlessly. Didn't even use any oil!!
Brakes are now up to scratch following the work carried out pre-trip and probably even better for having been given a good workout over the last 1.7k miles too. Have a couple of days back in the house whilst the ex is away in Spain with our daughter and then moving back into Harry with a renewed appreciation for his talents as of Weds.
Thanks KT.
Another blow last night - "wife" comes back from a holiday with the little'un and says we need to sell Harry as technically the proceeds would be hers.
Technically she's right, however, that doesn't take into account the 6k or so I've sunk into running him.
But looks like once we've sorted out the housing situation, Harry will need to be sold.
What do we reckon - advertise for 25k and accept something between that and 20k? With lots of work (both Hab & mechancial/chassis), got to be a good buy for someone? Currently on 42k miles.
Can't believe he's going to have to go.
Another blow last night - "wife" comes back from a holiday with the little'un and says we need to sell Harry as technically the proceeds would be hers.
Technically she's right, however, that doesn't take into account the 6k or so I've sunk into running him.
But looks like once we've sorted out the housing situation, Harry will need to be sold.
What do we reckon - advertise for 25k and accept something between that and 20k? With lots of work (both Hab & mechancial/chassis), got to be a good buy for someone? Currently on 42k miles.
Can't believe he's going to have to go.
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