Welding!

I recently bought a Harbor Freight flux wire welder.  Here I am fixing the snowblower:

 

 

(Insert maniacal laugh here)

Still more RV modifications

I made some modifications in anticipation of our upcoming trip.  I modified the plumbing, replacing the water tank low point drain with a fixture that allows a garden-type hose to be attached.  This allows the RV to be filled through the bottom, eliminating the need to open the RV so that the fill hole can [...]

Sorento modifications

Since our Odyssey is no more, I had to make modifications to our newly-purchaed 2007 Kia Sorento to get it ready for towing.

I installed the same transmission cooler I had installed in the van.  I hung it off the horn’s mount points:

 

This picture was taken standing on the driver’s side.  The two [...]

Bathroom break-in

 

We have an integrated laundry drawer in the bathroom:

 

Unfortunately, after Mechel left the bathroom and closed the bathroom door, the drawer slid open, which blocked the bathroom door.  We couldn’t get in to the bathroom!

Thankfully, there’s a coat closet that shares a wall with the bathroom wall:

Chillin’

We received about 12” of snow on Wednesday.  Thursday morning, I ran the snowblower in a spiral around our rear parking area, with the discharge chute facing the center of the circle.  By the time I got to the middle, I had quite a pile:

I showed the pile to Trish, and she [...]

Catalytic Heater

I installed a catalytic heater in the RV this weekend:

It’s an Olympian Wave 6.  The advantage of a catalytic heater is that it requires no electricity, so it’s perfect for boondocking. Also, it creates Carbon Dioxide as a bi-product, not Carbon Monoxide, so it’s safe to have it in an enclosed space.  The [...]

RV modifications

Before our Asseteague Island trip, I installed a solar system on the RV.  I used a Sun-130 panel when they were $1.98/watt.  The panel is bolted to aluminum L-channel, which is attached to the roof using double-sided sticky tape.

Yes, that’s right, tape.  It’s 3M 4950 VHB tape.  It’s $50 a roll.  See what it can [...]

Pool heating system

This is the third year we’ve had our pool, and it has been really great, but it’s always been a bit chilly.  Last year, we bought solar sun rings, which helped a lot, but the water was still too cool.

Poking around, I found a solution from Gull Industries that used flat coils of black tubing:

Adding a bit on to the deck

To ease entry into the pool, I added a bit on to one of the landings:

Just like that!

More van work

In early March, we did some additional refit work on the van for towing.  First, we added a transmission cooler popular with off-road enthusiasts.  The ones that drive Hummer H2s.  This cooler is rated for a gross vehicle weight of 14,500 pounds, so we have quite a bit of overkill for the van and RV: