cvtripper

Hi kereru, Welcome to the group. We have the car insured with RACQ - they were far cheaper than anything else I could find, including the NRMA. RACQ didn't want to touch the van (TE) - they said it was above what they would cover, but it seems others have - go figure. I also tried AAMI who said the same thing. So we are with CIL. They are expensive compared to the car insurance (about double dollar for dollar of insured value - doesn't make a lot of sense as I would have thought the car was a higher risk) but I haven't heard of anyone having any problems making claims - haven't had cause ourselves. Enjoy the van and touring - you'll put a lot of kms on that 'cruiser! Which country are you from and what is/are your name(s)?

Thanks Kimbo. It must work then :biggrin: I gave the Sards a go in the top tank last night - mixed a tablespoon in with a 1/2 litre of warm water and topped up with the water already in the tank and let it soak 24hrs. The pump sounds much better tonight so it seems to have freed it up. Picked up a 1kg litre tub of B&G tonight for $2.79, so I'll give it a go in the bottom tank on the weekend.

Good to see everyone so interested in this crap! *pun intended* Thanks for your comments, Mick, and the feedback the "Napisan" is working. I was looking around on the Thetford site last night and they say the pink stuff is needed to stop the gunk build up. They've been ripping us all off - we should form a class action! We were using the pink stuff up until a few months ago and noticed we were getting black gunk coming out in the flush and have since stopped using it. I did drain the top tank but I suspect I didn't flush it well enough because a little more black came out yesterday when I drained it again to look at the pump. In the links I provided, some say 2 caps, others say 3. I'm not sure if a cap is the same as a tablespoon as the cap is missing off the Sards that we have in the laundry - don't ask, it's not my domain! Tony, I think your holding tank will still be about 20 litres - I've seen the one you're talking about and it appears its all the same except the top tank is not in the side door. As Mick said, I guess experiemnt until you find what works for you - I'm guessing it all depends on what you eat! :shutup: Deb, I think you're right about the non-use - our van was last used early December. If I had have known the pump was likely to muck up I would have given it a press once a week. It was pretty hard to turn and needed more than a tap unfortunately - I had to force the impellor with a small drill bit to get it moving. and it still doesn't appear to be as loose as I suspect it was originally as it sounds a bit tighter than it was. At least it should last a little longer. I'll give it the napisan treatment in the top tank and see if that doesn't loosen it up a bit more. Another tip I read was using spray can olive oil to lubricate the seal. I read someone did it in situ and a bit of overspray went in the bowl and now nothing sticks to the bowl... Don't use vegetable oil on the seal as it will eat into the rubber. I also read someone stuck their nose in the tank to verify there was no smell - I don't think I'll need to test it that thoroughly thanks! Still waiting for those at Wallumbilla who brought up this issue to comment. Anyone? Anyone want to buy some pink stuff? Also, I have 2 bottles of blue, but I'll hang onto that until I try the napisan treatment - you never know it mightn't work for us... Thanks guys.

Ok, I think I've found the answers we were after on this thread: http://www.caravanersforum.com/viewtopic.p...p;hilit=napisan Worth a read for anyone interested and also a great evening's entertainment - but not those with a weak stomach! :laugh:

Last weekend, a number of people at Wallumbilla were discussing using Napisan as the toliet treatment instead of the Thetford liquid chemicals. I've dug around in the laundry and have found some Sards OxyPlus powder which has the same active ingredient as the Napisan - Sodium Percarbonate - 26%. This one has a eucalyptus additive so it also smells nice, and I'm lead to believe it is a little cheaper than Napisan. Wikipedia lists Sodium Percarbonate dissolved in water releases H202 and soda ash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_percarbonate Isn't soda ash used to breakdown and dispose of human waste and, if I recall correctly, it can breakdown human bodies (don't ask me where I heard this as it may incriminate someone in this group!). I don't know how true this is. So, it sounds like it should work if I'm correct with the above. So, we're thinking of giving this stuff a go in the bottom tank. My question is to those that are already using Napisan - how much are you putting in your bottom tank? I seem to recall 2 tablespoons but this doesn't sound enough? Does anyone have an opinion as to this stuff being safe in septic systems? Is anyone putting any in the top tank? Our pump stopped working last week and I've pulled it apart today and managed to get it going again - that little thing is listed at $150 on the caravansplus site, so I hope it stays working.... :pray: I suspect it has a little of the sludge that has built up in the tank in the impeller and a little of this mixture might break it up and clean it right up. Has anyone else come across this problem or had cause to access their pump?

Yeh, you know what I think! Hope you're enjoying the fishing in Mackay!

Pete, Sorry to say but that cable doesn't look anywhere near big enough to adequately cope with the full load of that inverter (assuming it's the 1500W you mentioned earlier) - 125A + I'll take a pic of mine later and put it up for comparison.

Good stuff, Darryl. I guess that's why it's called a Cross Country? Gee, I thought more people would jump in on this....

Excellent, Chris. I love a Kedron that can swim! Is that a porta-bote on your roof? Have you taken the TE for a swim yet?

I was just over at the BT site and noticed a thread started there with a few pics in "off road" conditions. I thought I'd start a thread and see what we can come up with. I have a few tame ones below - hopefully the rest of you can do better and add to this thread. The first is on the Savannah Way, the second on Noosa Northshore Beach.

Hi Kereru, Further to Grahame's comments, an inductive load such as a 240V motor as may be in your sewing machine you would best be sure to install a PURE sine wave inverter - they are more expensive than modified sine but there are good reasons. As Graham said, consider your future needs, not just immediate. If you only want to run an 80W load a 300W inverter would more than suffice - most inverters are rated to at least double their capacity for short durations. That same 300W inverter will also run the small Lemair top load washing machine. We have a 1800W inverter to run the microwave and hairdryer - not for me though ;-)

Hi Greg & Judy, We moved the TV to hang off the end of the top cupboard rather than the wall (which blocked the bench space). The pic below might help to explain better. The tank plumbing is redundant in that the tanks aren't plumbed together - a pipe from each goes to the pump so if one tank leaks the other won't drain into it and be lost also.

Hi Bruce & Sue, We picked up a high density camping mat ($6) like Webby has detailed when we hit the gulf last year. This was advice from Dazza - thanks, mate. It worked extremely well but I did make the mistake of sticking the gaffa tape to the paint work and while it was dirty - hmmm, I won't do that again. I did eventually get it all off but did have to give it a good polish afterwards. And yes, I couldn't see out the back but that didn't matter - the back was full of crap anyway. It WAS nice and pretty like Webby's pic to start with but you wouldn't know it was blue after too long!

Chris, much better!

With the recent flloods in the top end, and watching the news tonight they are saying Karumba could be isolated for another 3 months, I was wondering what those of you who were planning your gulf trips for March are doing? Are you delaying or still going? Maybe by August, the floods will be gone and that will be prime fishing seasoin this year! :thumbsup:

Oh and Chris, I'm still waiting for your avatar to change - where's the bush setting; car and van attached, of course? :biggrin:

We have a workbench across the back of the van - we're never looking for something to put on it. You'll use it..

Thanks Chris - I think! Pete & Tracey, best time to get it right is while it's being built. If you intend to use the 1800W I recommend you get it done properly. Have you thought about how you use the microwave or washing machine etc if you just ad a couple of power points specific to the inverter? You'd have to run an extension lead? Also you'll need to unplug your TV gear and swap power points when switching between mains power and inverter. There is a simple solution and Kedron can do this right, as long as you give them a diagram. You won't regret it.

Chris & Val, Congratulations and we're pleased everything went well. Happy and safe travels and we look forward to catching you out there.

Hi Chris & Val, We hope pick up day went smoothly and you managed to get some sleep last night in your new palace amid all the excitement! David & Jane

Russ, Natruarlly you have to be sensible with your power use and you're not going to run the microwave for an hour - 2- 5 minutes is normally all that we do and the 1800W suits the job fantastically. The hot wash on the front loader is another story and I've measure we use about 70-80Ah for a hot wash, so it's quite within tolerance, especially when you have plenty of solar panels to recover quickly - at 45A we can theoritically recover in a couple of hours, or effectively don't drop much at all if used through the day.

Pete & Tracey We have an Xantrex 1800W. We supplied and Kedron installed but to our wiring specifications & diagrams. The Xantrex has a remote control, that we mounted inside the van, which gets over Grahame & Wendy's issue. Also, if done right, you can have all your power points supplied without worrying about separate circuits - the trick is to isolate the battery charger so you don't have a feedback loop and to also allow a generator to run to supply the AC without everything else which would overload a 2kVA genny. We use the inverter to run the dometic front load washer (and on hot wash), microwave and everything else 240V.

Very smick, Chris. Love the colour!

I'll take a vote on the Kent (awning) clothes line. We used it on our trip last year, was fantastic and plenty of room for sheets and towels - even had our friends sharing it. Easy to clip on (outside or inside of awning) and easy to pack away. Clothes are kept well off the side of the dirty van and well off the ground. :thumbsup:

Whoo hoo! Where are the photos, Chris?