Connecting external power

For the first time I connect the mains power to the vehicle. Unfortunately something is wrong with the current display...

Charging one of the batteries:

In Germany: south of Stuttgart.

Visiting my brother:

Unloading

Unloading of stuff at the storage site in Stuttgart.

Driving to Germany

First trip abroad. This is probably the first time that this bus leaves the UK.

Loading the bus

For a trip to Germany I began loading the bus with some of my stuff from storage.

Constructing some more inside flooring

I put a shelf over the heater.

Gas supply

I added two gas supply bottles and connected them to the heater with valves.

The gas bottles need to be enclosed, so I built walls around them. I also drilled a few holes in the bottom of the vehicle, so that in case of a gas leak the gas can escape.

Mains Power Circuit Breaker

Safety is important, and connecting the mains power to devices in the vehicle needs to be done with great care. I got two circuit breakers: a 2 Pole Miniature Circuit Breaker for 16A, and a Crabtree 2 Pole Residual Current Circuit Breaker 80A 30mA. Important is that these circuit breakers cover both poles, because when connecting power to a European power outlet, it is not identified which pole has the "load". In UK the power plugs are polarized, which means one clearly knows which of the two poles is the "load" line. But most European plugs are not polarized, so the load could be on any of the two poles. Therefore, both must be protected with a 2 pole circuit breaker.

I also got a volt and ampermeter, which measures the current and the power. This is very useful for campsites with limited power supply.

External power plug

In order to connect external power to the vehicle, I need to install a plug. For this I have to cut a hole in the side of the vehicle. I do this on the right-hand side, because there, where the two batteries are located, will be the electric power control centre.

Second Leisure Battery

As planned, I now installed a 2nd leisure battery. Exactly the same type as the previous one, a Tayna XV190MF with 85 Ah capacity. Since there will be two, I have a total of 170 Ah, which seems sufficient to me.

The price of this battery was very reasonable: £53 including shipping. This battery will be put behind the right-hand-side wall.

LED exterior lights

It is not possible to replace the standard front headlights with LEDs, because they do not create the same beam pattern as regular bulbs and may cause glare.

But I can replace some other bulbs with LEDs, for example the rear registration plate illumination.

First picture shows the regular illumination:

The 2nd pictures shows the LED illumination:

Redoing the wheels paint

I painted the wheels once more,  with a better result.

Bumpers and wheels painted

I decided to do some cosmetic work to freshen up the look of the LDV camera: painted the grille and the bumper panels with black color.

I then also painted the wheels. I might have to redo this job, because the paint does not quite fit.

Looks quite classy now!

Lots of rust

When I removed the plastic panels of the rear bumper, I saw that a lot of rust has developed there.

I did try to remove some rust: used a grinding stone mounted on the electric drill, and tried to scrape the rust off with it. Then I used rust remover. And finally I painted it over with white primer.