When you are doing a bus conversion there are a million jobs to be done. You really want to do the exciting ones, like putting in skylights or building walls, but some of the less exciting jobs still need to happen. It was time to tackle the demolition of the buses original AC unit as we will be putting in a mini-split instead.
HVAC Removal
Now we couldn’t do this part of the demo earlier, as the aircon contains R22 which if vented is very harmful to the environment and ozone layer. It is important to find a certified professional to remove and dispose of the refrigerant according to the requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
We found an air conditioning company who came and removed the R22, so now we could get to work removing all the air conditioning components. This took out some considerable weight from the bus, plus it offers us more space to store things under the bus. This bay is closed off with a grate, providing the venting needed for storage of our propane tanks. In tiny living every space must be considered!
Planning our Lighting
Inside the bus, we began planning out our 12 Volt Electrical wiring and how to run conduit piping across the ceiling and where we can hide wiring in cabinets or behind decor. We have decided to go with a different variety of LED lights: dimmable flush mount lights overhead throughout the bus, touch lights under the overhead kitchen counters, string lights to run down the side of our bus for mood lighting and 2 light fixtures over the couch area for reading.
Simple Wiring Diagram
This allows us to plan out how many lights we will run per circuit and plan out which groups of lights are on the same circuits.
Will We Ever Complete our Bus Parking Pad?
If you’ve been following our journey from the beginning you will remember that we dug a big hole in the ground and framed out a pad for a level parking space. However with the rain and icy weather we have not been able to pour the concrete and it has just been a muddy swimming pool or ice rink for the squirrels! Well, it finally dried up enough for us to fill the pad with gravel in preparation for the concrete. We also used some of this gravel to fill in the muddy hole left in the garden from where we recently pulled the bus out the mud.
Thinking we were about to complete this project, things took a turn as we found out that our State would be going into a Safe at Home Order due to the coronavirus and our concrete contractor would not be able to come over. So once again the parking pad will be put on hold but in the meantime there is still plenty of work we can do on the bus while staying safe at home.
Up Next
We rethink our bathroom design and install a Maxxfan Deluxe Roof Vent and a skylight over the shower.
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Dimmable Flush Mount Lights
These 12V LED lights offer super slim space saving recessed design for a camper/motorhome/boat. Durable, delicate and easy to install.
Touch Lights
We chose these RV 12V LED lights to place under the kitchen cabinets to provide a little extra light when cooking that can be controlled by their simple touch switch. They are dimmable so you can control how much light you need.
Fact Check
What is R22? - Happy Hiller
