SKarosser Copy Scratch Home build?????

[zildjian]

Actually I was wondering how that might work on mine, I wanted to use it some of the time in the shed but vented outside

I know it works in normal set up with exhaust of about 4" long

Battery and fuel OK of course Mark?

[wonkywheel]

Well, I think so. Plenty of power to the glow plug. Purged all the air out of the fuel line and I did get it to fire up this afternoon but only by removing the exhaust pipe and giving it a wiff of easy start. I fear it may be the hot air outlet pipe is too long with too many bends restricting the airflow. I know the minimum temperature for the burn chamber is 50c. At that point, it stops the fuel flow. I have a spare service kit so I might change the glow plug and foil to see if it's either of those. The foil could have moved I suppose while I was banging about. The trouble is, I'm running out of time again. I still need to cut and fit the Celotex packers under the camper so I can leave the tonneau cover rails in place and the rolled-up cover.

[wonkywheel]

Getting closer to the Easter weekend but lots (comparatively) done.

I took the Glow plug from my spares kit and fitted it in to see if that was the problem. During this process, I dropped a screw-down inside the heater case. It rolled underneath and the only way I could get it out was to remove the heater and give it a shake.
This meant I had to remove both the exhaust and inlet pipes. This showed another potential problem to the heater running correctly.
The inlet pipe is 25mm diameter and although it was fixed to the bodywork with the supplied pipe clip it was crushed constricting the air flow.



The heater was put back in, fuel rebled, pipes refitted and test run.



All good now. Working a treat. Too well in fact. With the freezing temperatures in the morning, I thought it would be ideal test conditions. Fired up, ran at full chat until the 20c temp was reached then backed off to minimum run. I left it for a couple of hours to see how it performed. Although the outside temperature had gone up quite a lot (8c-10c) the inside temp was nearly 24C. The thermostat should work on about 1C tolerance so at that setting and with a warmer ambient temperature the output still exceeded the losses. Not really a problem as there is usually a window cracked over the hob unit anyway.
I had purchased an updated controller called an "Afterburner" for the ultimate in a controll system. This displays information on its screen not available on an OEM controller. This showed that the pump operation rate at minimum was 1Hz. I had read that each time the pump operated it injects 0.022ml (a 22 pump fitted to 5Kw units) of diesel into the burn chamber. The fact that my heater was a 2Kw heater not 5Kw also means it is over fueled during operation as a 2Kw unit should only need 0.016ml for best running.
Needless to say, a 0.016ml pump is on order although it will take a couple of months to get here on the "slow boat from China"

In an effort to counter the potential over-fueling long temp on ✔ over (It could cause the burn chamber to soot up) I adjusted the Pump frequency via the "Afterburner" down from 1Hz to 0.9Hz. So far it hasn't flamed out so I am hopeful it's all good.

Next, to get the camper back on the truck
In the past I had always taken the tailgate off to save weight but having realised that it was impossible to get the spare wheel out from under the truck while the camper was on I removed the spare wheel first. With other needs, the tailgate was left on for them.
The Tonneau cover and fixing rails had also been removed in the past. In an effort to avoid this. Instead of the camper sitting on 50mm wooden packers to raise it to miss the tub sides I decided to try 100mm of Celotex sheet and leave the framework on. This worked ok but I found there was just 10mm clearance with only 50mm Celotex so that is what I went with.



Two problems emerged.
1. With only 10mm to play with, raising the camper on its legs was more time consuming being only able to go from side to side 10mm at a time until the compression in the suspension was released.
2. The 50mm packing didn't lift the camper quite enough to enable it to miss the support wires to the still connected tailgate.
It meant that the camper was sitting about 50mm further back in the tub.

It did have a benefit though. I didn't need to remove the actual tonneau cover. I was able to roll it up and it would sit snugly between the camper and the truck cab



Now just need to clear the tools out. Make the bed and stock up ready for a Thursday off to Santapod.

[zildjian]

Good, well done, an easy fix for a change.
Mine works as a car defroster on early starts and in my experience the only regulation available is turning it off,
its remote control offers the dream of heat control but essentially that seems to be the jet engine inside produces great unregulated heat
and you can choose either Low/High fan speed to dispel it!

Have a good weekend at Santa Pod Mark

[wonkywheel]

Thanks, Zildjian I will do.

My all in one 5Kw heater had a controller that basically would either run in thermostatic mode or heat setting mode. 1 to 6 but the ECU set all the parameters. It wasn't compatible with the sophistication of the "Afterburner" controller, which is what I was aiming for.
The 2Kw fitted in the camper is compatible and is controlling it now.
I now need to learn about MQTT broker and JSON to complete my project thoughts. The software running the "Afterburner" is open source and is the brainchild of a very clever and helpful man, "Ray" who lives in Australia. He actually makes/has made these units.

If I can get a grip on MQTT I should be able to control my heater from my mobile phone. With the heater reporting what its doing back to my phone.

Does that sound like fun??
You are probably already into the internet of things control or are at least more computer savvy than I,

[kernowjon]

Mark, you said you had "BLED" the fuel line - did you bleed it open at the pump and waiting for the air - or did you prime it using a syringe to fill the filter and pipe upto the pump?

Like you things have been going slowly, unlike you I had no deadline so still not finished! I think the goal is the Summer weekend as the Bank Holiday for her Maj coincides with my birthday. I think DiY - tinkering with the unit becomes addictive.

I hope you are enjoying the advantages of Celotex over wood - have you got a security handle yet?

Jon

[wonkywheel]

John, I took the fuel line off the heater, set the controller to prime and waited for it to reach the end then replaced it. It took quite a few runs as it cuts out after a preset time. I then gave it another few seconds for luck. You need to roll your sleeves up as the diesel seems to get to your elbow before you can do the jubilee clip up.

Yes got the handle sorted. Just as well really as the doot lock is playing up and I think it needs replacing as it is difficult to unlock sometimes.



Each time I go out there is always something I want to change when I get back.
This time it's to go back to working on the steps. The Celotex worked well but that little bit of extra height did mean my caravan steps were not quite tall enough to be comfortable, which is a shame as I use them to reach the velcro straps on the roof of my event shelter.
Also, not enough hooks for coats, hats, keys etc.

As you say, they are just as much a hobby as they are a camper

Just spotted I had posted more in the handle on page 47
Come on John, keep up,
Page 47 getting like war and peace

[zildjian]

Think all self-build projects homes,boats,vehicles, campers etc are pretty much work in progress as part of the fun really,
must be almost impossible to draw a line and say "that's it, finished"



as then you'd be looking at do it all over again....

[wonkywheel]

I must admit Zildjian that I had considered starting again. As much as I love the spaciousness of my camper it is a little OTT for a single guy. I have learned a lot with this build and would approach it in a different way. Having learned what I want, what I need and what is a waste of time, effort and space, I would opt for a different design and build materials. Plus, as we all have found, it is as much a hobby as it is a usable camper.

I have been driving around with the camper on as I couldn't be bothered to take it off, BUT. I was going on holiday down to Cornwall tomorrow in my daughter's Smart car but the engine management light has come on so I had to quickly take the camper off the truck ready to go in that. The light came on last week too. A trip to the garage for a new Oxygen sensor (£150) and its fitting finished up at £280. It's a shame really as the Smart does nearly 80mpg and my truck is about 28 mpg so it will take about 3 times more fuel? We could have used that £280 for the fuel

The point of this post is to say the 50mm Celotex that the camper was sitting on has hardly deformed at all. Just where the screw heads and aluminium angle edging were left a slight depression. A great lightweight solution to the packer problem.

[wonkywheel]

Just a couple of mads before the next outing.
To fit a dedicated USB charger plug near the cab over bed area. I am fed up with the phone running down, mainly overnight, while hunting for a signal in bad reception areas. This meant the phone was not in reach at bedtime and I do like to be lulled to sleep with a bit of soothing music.
The other is an external cigarette lighter socket to enable a set of fairy lights to be hung around the awning. Mood lighting.
Pictures when installed.