craigify
Advanced Member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2019
- Posts
- 64
Hello everyone. Last year we purchased a 2005 Winnebago Itasca Sunrise F31W on the workhorse chassis with the 8.1L big block (Yay) from a seller outside of LA, in the desert. We previously had been travelling in a 1993 converted school bus, but we needed some more room. My wife, dog and I drove to the California from Louisiana, picked up the RV and towed the truck back home where the adventure started.
The inside was almost completely gutted. We wanted this. However, what I didn't know was that the previous owners, who I do not know since this thing was auctioned off as an insurance total loss, did some very strange things indeed. All inside electrical devices were removed and all of the wires were cut. I mean all. Not a single light, if any where even left, worked. Hah. They also cut random plumbing lines, and ran PEX to the front bumper for some reason unknown with spigots on them. Random pipes around the water heater and the compartment in the back were just cut, left open, some reworked...who knows.
I spent a few months installing new lights and wiring up the slideouts and other random things. I removed the battery bank and installed it in here in one of the compartmens next to the stairs. I installed circuit breaker panels, set up the inverter and got both AC and DC curcits working. There's plenty left to do like tank sensors and stuff like that they aren't hooked up yet. I have a solar install planned.
Electrical system has custom switches where I can switch the AC appliances to use shore/generator power, or solar power by toggling the switch in one position, or the other. I wanted to do this in the bus, so I designed it into the new system since I had to rebuilt it from scratch. The idea is that if I want, I can run the AC, microwave, or fridge in AC mode from a large battery bank and inverter system.
I replaced the AC with a roof top inverter/rectifier Furrion Chill Cube. That was interesting getting the old one off of the roof and the new one hoisted up.
I have installed computers and amateur radio equipment with dedicated antennas on the roof. I have two permanently mounted Parsec Belgian shepard antenna units with an aluminum ground plane. I cut holes in the roof to run the coax into a custom Raspberry Pi 4b multihomed router for internet and wifi access point, as well as ethernet network.
At this stage, my wife has started building furniture on the inside. We have two desks for us as we travel and work. The kitchen is mostly intact. Fridge works.
We need to redo the bedroom completely. I have a generator that I'm going to install after I just did an overhaul on it. I need to completely fix the plumbing!
So that's my story.
The inside was almost completely gutted. We wanted this. However, what I didn't know was that the previous owners, who I do not know since this thing was auctioned off as an insurance total loss, did some very strange things indeed. All inside electrical devices were removed and all of the wires were cut. I mean all. Not a single light, if any where even left, worked. Hah. They also cut random plumbing lines, and ran PEX to the front bumper for some reason unknown with spigots on them. Random pipes around the water heater and the compartment in the back were just cut, left open, some reworked...who knows.
I spent a few months installing new lights and wiring up the slideouts and other random things. I removed the battery bank and installed it in here in one of the compartmens next to the stairs. I installed circuit breaker panels, set up the inverter and got both AC and DC curcits working. There's plenty left to do like tank sensors and stuff like that they aren't hooked up yet. I have a solar install planned.
Electrical system has custom switches where I can switch the AC appliances to use shore/generator power, or solar power by toggling the switch in one position, or the other. I wanted to do this in the bus, so I designed it into the new system since I had to rebuilt it from scratch. The idea is that if I want, I can run the AC, microwave, or fridge in AC mode from a large battery bank and inverter system.
I replaced the AC with a roof top inverter/rectifier Furrion Chill Cube. That was interesting getting the old one off of the roof and the new one hoisted up.
I have installed computers and amateur radio equipment with dedicated antennas on the roof. I have two permanently mounted Parsec Belgian shepard antenna units with an aluminum ground plane. I cut holes in the roof to run the coax into a custom Raspberry Pi 4b multihomed router for internet and wifi access point, as well as ethernet network.
At this stage, my wife has started building furniture on the inside. We have two desks for us as we travel and work. The kitchen is mostly intact. Fridge works.
We need to redo the bedroom completely. I have a generator that I'm going to install after I just did an overhaul on it. I need to completely fix the plumbing!
So that's my story.
