upgrades for my RV
As I said in the main page, I selected this model because of different advantages. One of them is that I was confident to be able to build different upgrades with a bigger model and this is exactly what I did. I will try to describe all those upgrades in a single page and to put the basis for some future projects.
I hope this page could be helpful to encourage your fantasy to build something similar or to use what I've done as starting point for your projects.
The bunk stair
The original stair I found in my RV was significantly heavy.
As you surely know, to be stable and to drive safety, an RV, should not be too much heavy. Also from the legal point of view in some countries you have some limits or you need to obtain an extra driving licence.
Because of this, if there are objects that can be replaced or removed from the RV then it is strongly suggested to do it.
Starting from this assumption I decided to build something light to use just to jump in a bulk quickly.
The "object" I decided to build must not be heavy and should not occupy too much space. The idea is to build a retracting stair made of wood not impacting too much on the RV weight.
In the pictures you can see it installed, opened and closed. The panel is fixed to the wall and is covered by synthetic leather.
As you surely know, to be stable and to drive safety, an RV, should not be too much heavy. Also from the legal point of view in some countries you have some limits or you need to obtain an extra driving licence.
Because of this, if there are objects that can be replaced or removed from the RV then it is strongly suggested to do it.
Starting from this assumption I decided to build something light to use just to jump in a bulk quickly.
The "object" I decided to build must not be heavy and should not occupy too much space. The idea is to build a retracting stair made of wood not impacting too much on the RV weight.
In the pictures you can see it installed, opened and closed. The panel is fixed to the wall and is covered by synthetic leather.
The bunk door
To have some privacy I built two scrolling doors using wood and fixed two alluminium tracks, one at the top (the bottom of the upper bunk) and one at the bottom of the bed.
This configuration allows to isolate really well the environment, both to avoid noises and to maintain a good temperature ... perfect for an afternoon siesta!!
Obviously, in this case, it is really important to have a light inside the bunk. If you don't have it you should install an additional one connected to the internal power source.
A table extension for the kitchen
In any RV there is always few space in the kitchen. To increase the space available in the kitchen only when needed, I prepared a piece of wood to be perfectly aligned with the kitchen base
and to be strongly connected to the lateral dining room (the top of the seat of the dining table). Obviously in this way it is impossible to use the RV door but it can be easily removed when not used or in case of emergency.
You will find this idea really useful especially during winter when you need to cook inside the RV and need always more space to place stoves and any other kitchen stuff.
A security door locker
To stay safe and sure sleeping in an RV (especially during the night) there are different accessories available that you can buy. I decided to build something on my own.
It is a very easy door locker built using two rings connected to the wall and an iron rood who enters into a whole created into the door. This is surely not able to avoid to open the door
but can create noise and during the night could be heard by you so to wake up quickly.
A panel with a storage compartment at the entrance
When you open the door of your rv or of your caravan, you would like to change immediately your shoes to avoid to get your floor dirty. My original idea was to build something easy to store
some clean shoes or slippers. For this I built a panel made of wood covered by synthetic leather, 4 holes at the borders and a net to use as storage compartment. The result is very cool as you can see form the picture.
Rear Camera
With a 7.34 mt long RV, it becomes almost impossible to view objects, people and obstacles on the back of the vehicle. For this reason, I installed a rear camera.
The original idea was to install a wireless camera in order to not be forced to pass cables from the back. However, I saw different negative comments regarding wireless camera technology and, for this reason, at the end, decided to install a cable connected one.
unfortunately the power cannot come from the lamps on the back because FIAT ducato has an overload protected circuit so, in case your appliance absorb more than a lamp it goes in protection mode and interrupt power energy.
because of this I passed the cable on the bottom of the RV, taking care to not pass near hot surfaces nor dangerous places. To enter into the cabin I used a whole that is just at the bottom of the passenger seat and, once there, connected the camera to the power via the fuse box and to a "dummy" back mirror with a monitor instead of the glass.
The original idea was to install a wireless camera in order to not be forced to pass cables from the back. However, I saw different negative comments regarding wireless camera technology and, for this reason, at the end, decided to install a cable connected one.
unfortunately the power cannot come from the lamps on the back because FIAT ducato has an overload protected circuit so, in case your appliance absorb more than a lamp it goes in protection mode and interrupt power energy.
because of this I passed the cable on the bottom of the RV, taking care to not pass near hot surfaces nor dangerous places. To enter into the cabin I used a whole that is just at the bottom of the passenger seat and, once there, connected the camera to the power via the fuse box and to a "dummy" back mirror with a monitor instead of the glass.
Sealing the roof
You must know that I bought my camper not only because of the lack of restrictions or because of the beauty to travel. I bought it also because I am very excited with building and fixing components, mechanical parts, elettronic accessories and to do the maintenance on my own.
So, even if, sometimes, I risk to break something and to pay more for a professional fix, I accept the risk.
. This time I decided to seal all the RV from scratch on my own.
To pass the sealant is an activity that, usually, should be done every 5 years. I bought an 8 years old RV and I do not know exactly what the situation is (never trust what the seller tells you). This is the reason why it is better to do everything new from scratch.
In this brief description you will see how I sealed the roof. On the right there is a picture of the roof before to start the work. As you can see from the picture there are some spaces with a big amount of sealant. This was done to facilitate the removal of water from the roof.
Using the new approach this will no longer be needed.
So, even if, sometimes, I risk to break something and to pay more for a professional fix, I accept the risk.
. This time I decided to seal all the RV from scratch on my own.
To pass the sealant is an activity that, usually, should be done every 5 years. I bought an 8 years old RV and I do not know exactly what the situation is (never trust what the seller tells you). This is the reason why it is better to do everything new from scratch.
In this brief description you will see how I sealed the roof. On the right there is a picture of the roof before to start the work. As you can see from the picture there are some spaces with a big amount of sealant. This was done to facilitate the removal of water from the roof.
Using the new approach this will no longer be needed.
Before
I decided to try a different approach. My idea was to do something really strong able to resist for many years without any need of specific maintenance (except normal inspections that I suggest to do evry year with the right equipment).
Materials to use must be, obviously, the best ones. One of the advantages of DIY methodology is that you can be sure that the materials used to do the job is the best one available on the market. The plan was to use a good sealant (I will not mention any product in this page) to seal any junction. This sealant must be resistant to UV, high and low temperature and very flexible. This was done as first (after the removal of the old one). Once dried the idea was to pass a tape of bitumen (exactly the same tape you use on the roof of buildings). This material is flexible and resistant and can follow the normal expansion of aluminium. on the right you can see some pictures of the work once finished.
You will see some areas painted with a white colour. This is because in some very sensitive areas, I decided to pass a 3rd material that is a gum glue white. The colour of the bitumen tape is the one you see in the picture. However, it can be painted with normal paint. I decided to leave it as it is because the roof of an RV is hidden so it can stay as it is. You must know that I bought my camper not only because of the freedom sensation or because of the beauty of travel. But also because I am very excited to do the maintenance on my own
Materials to use must be, obviously, the best ones. One of the advantages of DIY methodology is that you can be sure that the materials used to do the job is the best one available on the market. The plan was to use a good sealant (I will not mention any product in this page) to seal any junction. This sealant must be resistant to UV, high and low temperature and very flexible. This was done as first (after the removal of the old one). Once dried the idea was to pass a tape of bitumen (exactly the same tape you use on the roof of buildings). This material is flexible and resistant and can follow the normal expansion of aluminium. on the right you can see some pictures of the work once finished.
You will see some areas painted with a white colour. This is because in some very sensitive areas, I decided to pass a 3rd material that is a gum glue white. The colour of the bitumen tape is the one you see in the picture. However, it can be painted with normal paint. I decided to leave it as it is because the roof of an RV is hidden so it can stay as it is. You must know that I bought my camper not only because of the freedom sensation or because of the beauty of travel. But also because I am very excited to do the maintenance on my own
After
Multi-Pocket
This is a simple multipocket installed in the bottom bunk. The upper one has different rooms available to place objects but the lower one has few space available.
For this reason I installed a curtain stick (made of wood bought from a forniture shop) to use to substain the Multi-Pocket.
Cabin obscurer
The cabin obscurer is a project I started building in summer in order to quickly isolate the cabin view of my RV.
During winter, it is, probably, better to use the standard cabin obscurers in order to better isolate the cabin from the external temperature but, during summer, this solution can be very useful
to speed up the time you need to close the cabin view. A good idea is to leave this obscurers installed also during winter so to quickly close the view during a quick stop in the morning for launch or to have some rest.
You can find all details and the project Here
The additional 3rd battery service panel
One of my main concern is to remain without enough energy during the night or in a critical situation. For this reason, on my RV I have a gasoline generator, solar panels and 2 service batteries balanced automatically by
a central computer able to charge and discharge batteries without to put them in parallel (the parallel approach is something I do not like because significantly reduces the battery life).
To have something more I decided to add a 3rd 100AMPs battery completely separated from the main circuit. This battery is charged using the main circuit and a separate battery charger but is completely independent and not connected with
the main RV circuit (except for the charger but isolating the ground).
Obviously to use the energy of this additional battery I installed an additional panel at the bottom of the seat in the small dining room. Here a picture I got during the installation.
Gas tanks splitter
One of the main Murphy laws says that very often you will realise that the gas tank is empty only during the night while sleeping. It is really frustrating to wake up and come out of the RV during cold nights to uninstall and connect the new tank to the RV. For this reason
I decided to find an easy and chip solution to minimise the impact. There are many solutions available on the market. You can find expensive equipment able to switch automatically from a tank to another. Other solutions gives you the availability to have the gas tank switched on also during
RV movement. However, I decided to build a quick and chip switch for different reasons. First because with an automatic switch the risk is to not realise that the tank has been switched to the other so to remain without gas during a trip. Secondary because I do not like to
move my RV with the gas tank opened. Even if those systems are safe, I am not 100% confident that they will work properly in case of accident. For this reason, I decided to build a manual switch with a simple valve in the middle. Opening the tank and switching the valve, will
define which tank is the one connected to the system.
Capillary Shred
Very simple system to solve the problem of the water on the roof of the RV.The idea is to use a shred with a side hanging from the border of the RV. Thanks to the capillary action, the water will gradually go down. To do it I got a piece
of lead into a shred closed with a lace. Every time I leave the RV into the park I put it on the roof as in the following picture
Wrap Technique
I am learning some wrap techniques and this is what I am doing with my dashboard
