The Bus and the cats go on. Currently I am trying to get a Self-Containment Cert for my bus. This will open up a lot more places I can park up for the night. Basically it requires that I can carry enough fresh water and hold enough grey water, sewage and refuse for three days multiplied by the number of occupants. The bus did have a cert in 2001 so I took it to the local guy to have it inspected. No big problem, all the main features were there but a few minor things to sort out.
The inspector could not find the vent for the grey water tank, nor the fresh water tank. There was no ‘’P’’ trap on the shower and no cap on the grey water drain. Easy Peasy one would think. As life has taught me, its never that straight forward. First the grey water drain, not the standard issue so cannot just buy a new cap, I have to buy a complete system. Anyway that is done and dusted. I ordered it on line and it was delivered the next day. Had to go to Mitre 10 for a couple of fittings but all in all a much neater job than the original and all back to ‘’Industry Standard’’
Job 2, the grey water vent. This proved to be more of a challenge. I could not get access to the top of the tank, not sure how the previous owner had fitted the tanks but would think he did it while all the body panels where off. Removing the panels, or some of them would be the best option but that was major surgery.so I opted for the key hole approach. 6-inch hole saw to the rescue. Unfortunately due to internal chassis and body frame structures, my access was down to about 4 inches. I found the vent just under the bend for the pipe that comes from the sink and the shower. As I was going to have to re think them due to the lack of a ‘’P’’ trap on the shower they came off out of the way. The original vent consisted of a 25mm male adaptor screwed in to the top of the tank and cut off just under the elbow of the drain pipe. Whether the regs in 2001 allowed this or the bloke couldn’t be bothered to do a proper job, I am not sure. However todays regs say the vent has to be higher than the flood line. In my case the kitchen sink. Another trip to Mitre 10 and more pipe and fittings and a smaller hole saw. Hay presto a vent that comes off at right angles to the tank back through the body and up to the roofline of the bus. Magic!
Now for the dreaded ‘’P’’ trap. This was a challenge. The base of the shower came through the bus floor about 75mm above the top of the tank but aft of the tank by about 500mm. The original plastic pipe work went from some unknown size on the shower base to 40mm then through an adaptor to 32mm and in tee’s in to the sink drain before turning 90 deg and in to the tank. The pipe run went over the new vent line and a right angle bend down it to the tank. A standard “P’’ trap or even a ‘’S’’ trap would be to big as it would put the trap part of it below the level of the liquid in the tank, rendering it useless. Solution. A HepVo waterless trap. This fits in line and is not much bigger in diameter then the actual pipe. To cut a long story short, that’s the way we went. Changed out a few fittings for lower profile bends and got a fairly flat run out of it.
Fingers crossed when we take it back that we pass with flying colours.
The cats meanwhile have discovered the great outdoors and come and go as they please not sure how they will take to the life on the road or whether I can risk letting them out when I park up for the night. Time will tell. The down side to all this is they have both done thorough inspection of the underside of the bus and are now no longer whit fluffy kittens but look more like scrap yard dogs. Engine oil and Diesel does not wash out of cat fur easily. Be warned.
Dunk
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