Buying & Building a Medium Ambulance into an RV – The FAM-BULANCE

[patoz]

All of my halogen lights, both inside and out, are yellowed, dull, and/or cracking. Too much heat for too many years.

I also have a halon extinguisher that I had since they were phased out. I had it mounted in my heavy rescue/hazmat vehicle, and when we removed all of them, the halon was reclaimed and they cylinders were sent to salvage, so I hung onto it.

I plan on mounting two extinguishers (it's a Firefighter thing) so I will probably use the Halon and purchase a Dry Powder one to go with it. If the Halon doesn't do the trick, then fall back on the Dry Powder.

 

[rlrenz]

I also like two extinguishers - I have the 2.5# halon for the interior (only 2.5# since I don't have an oxygen system any more), and I'll install a 5# BC in the old oxygen compartment. Since that will be next to the generator compartment, it's probably a logical place.

I hadn't realized until now, but the LED ceiling lights are flush, while the old halogen fixtures hung down about 3/4", so I got rid of seven more head knockers.

I took one last look at the old fixtures, then they went into the trash.

I"n other news, I have now identified the mystery radio antenna leads. one goes to the cab-top antenna, one goes to the rear-of-module antenna, and two go to the same antenna base, but both are disconnected. When I feel the mood (?), I'll replace the one mount, then probably add two on the module right side(front and back). I have copy paper boxes full of Larson & Motorola antennas, bases, and installation equipment (mounts, speakers, etc) - all the way from CB through VHF to UHF. Radio installation is future, but I'll probably go with something like individual table-top mounts versus building them in. The antenna leads will probably terminate at a patch panel with either 259 or BNC jacks.

 

[patoz]

I hadn't realized until now, but the LED ceiling lights are flush, while the old halogen fixtures hung down about 3/4", so I got rid of seven more head knockers.

It looks like the lights still put out a pretty good horizontal spread though.

I only have about 69" of interior height (and I'm 6'1"), so I have removed anything that's not flush mounted, including the long overhead handrail. I don't need it because being a trailer, no one will be in it when it's moving. That recessed area where it was mounted is almost 3" deep, so that gives me a front-to-back and back-to-front path with 3" more head room.

Mine has two antenna mounts on the module and had four more on the cab. I will probably use mobile radios and just mount them from the overhead in the 'Action' area. Running all of the leads to a patch panel is a good idea though. That would make it easy for future remodeling or upgrades to the equipment.

 

[rlrenz]

I haven't written much lately - too much happening all around me, which meant that not a lot happened to the buggy. A friend asked me when it was going to be done - I told him that my ambulance was presently a hobby instead of a project (it consists of many small projects...).

At any rate, I've been working on installing my 120 volt system. I decided to install outdoor electrical boxes for anything passing from the radio / electrical cabinet into the oxygen cabinet since they had threaded hubs, and were reasonably priced compared to buying industrial boxes. I used stainless covers from Home Depot since the cabinet is definitely in a dry location. Right now, I have one box dedicated to 120 shore power and to the generator, and another box that will be for 12 volts. The oxygen cabinet will wind up with two water tanks, a water pump, and my deep cycle 12 volt battery. It looks like I can fit water tanks that are somewhere between 15-20 gallons in with no problem, with each being on a shelf. A future water heater will probably go on the wall of the cabinet as well.



I added receptacles for my Iota battery charger and the Vanner inverter - the Vanner isn't used as a charger anymore since it is only a 3 stage charger, while the Iota is a 4 stage charger and easier on my $500 worth of batteries. The Iota wound up on a 20 amp circuit to allow for a future battery charger upgrade, which probably won't happen since the LED lighting I have been going to really reduces my load.



I've also been running the Sealtite conduit for the new shore power connector. The existing uses convoluted tubing to run from the shore inlet to the GFCI breaker that's mounted on the bottom of a cabinet over the action station, then back to a receptacle that the Vanner was plugged into. I changed the routing so the shore power was connected to the new panel as directly as possible - it worked out that I needed 9" of Sealtite and two LB fittings. The photo also shows the Carling / Blue Sea ELCI breaker.



Ambulances like mine have the internal panels fastened with self-tapping 10-32 screws (by the bucket full!). The screws do fine, unless you remove them and reinstall them - then they tend to strip out the threads in the aluminum. That had happened to my ambulance, so I replaced the threads for securing the panels with RivNuts. AllI had I to do was drill out the existing threads with a 19/64" bit, then pop in the RivNuts. If a nut matched up with a rib on the aluminum deck plate, the rib was ground off. The photos tell the story pretty well (the side shot of a RivNut was a trial run in a chunk of scrap to verify my adjustments)





I wanted 12 volts to run the back lighting on the 120 panel, and I wanted it to be independent of the vehicle's 12 volt system, so I stuck a receptacle in the radio cabinet that was connected across the 120 buss bar (with a 5 amp in-line fuse), then plugged a 12 volt, 2 amp, regulated power supply (Amazon) into the receptacle. The receptacle box was shimmed about 1/8" off the panel so a tie wrap could be used to secure the power supply in place.



The wiring is proceeding, so tie wraps will be clipped and replaced as it is added to.

 

[patoz]

:26_7_2: Won't be long and you'll be ready for a :campfire: and a :beer:!

 

[rlrenz]

Despite a series of very hot & humid days, I managed to get a few things done between rainstorms. Reading through my copy of NFPA 1917 (the replacement to the GSA KKK-1822 standard), I saw that with an onboard generator, I needed a voltmeter and frequency meter to comply with the 1917 standard. Complying with the new standard for ambulances is not in my plans by a far sight, but I use the requirements as guidelines, and not requirements. I have some analog 0-150 VAC meters, and some vibrating reed frequency meters, but these honkers are each about 4 1/2" square, and seemed like a lot of overkill for my needs. Just for the heck of it, I checked on my standard source of supply (Amazon), and found that they offered a digital combined voltage and frequency meter (Datakom DVF 0101) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00820OGX2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00) that is specifically geared for generators. Even better was a price of $33, so I ordered one. It turns out to be made in eastern Europe (the instruction sheet has a very long phone number for help), but the instructions were as clear as a bell. I connected it to power, and it powered up perfectly. One tap on the button switched it from voltage to frequency. I installed it this morning, and connected it across my AC circuit breaker supply buss so I can use it to monitor both generator and shore power. It's on a switch so I can limit its ON time to when I want it, and a 2 amp fuse for short circuit protection.



I've also been attacking the old rescue equipment cabinet with a tape measure to plan the Onan generator installation. In addition to the generator, the cabinet will hold a fuel tank, a starting battery (in a marine battery holder, with a battery disconnect switch), an Onan starting panel, and probably a 15 amp 120 volt receptacle. Key to this installation is ventilation. Onan states that the generator requires about 50 square inches of intake air opening (it vents cooling air out the bottom on the right side), but I never go along with a minimum requirement. I have been looking at heavy duty louvered vents, and it looks like I'll use a pair of 8x8" or 8x10" vents - anything larger and I'll run into problems with the door's internal structure.



Finding the right vent has been a challenge - I need a louver designed for exterior use to handle rain and road slop, I need aluminum construction (stainless was ruled out almost instantly when all the sites said Price-On-Application), I need heavy duty construction, and I need an interior screen to keep out insects (probably about 60 mesh). The search continues!

When I had the interior panel off the rescue equipment cabinet door, I found positive proof for any doubters out there that don't believe that the self tapping 10-32 screws used to assemble an ambulance are always applied with Loctite - a screw that was probably dropped during assembly - note the red Loctite:



I stopped off at a surplus store a while ago to see what was new and wonderful. Every once in a while, I find something priced way above new, and then again, I sometimes find things priced way below value - this time, I found a Whelen LED beacon that can be adjusted to more than a dozen flash patterns for $ 9.95. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with it, but it may wind up on a forklift or a lawn tractor.



If the decent weather holds, my next project is to finish the 30 amp shore power installation, then its on to the Onan generator!

 

[patoz]

Bob, that meter came out looking good, but then I knew it would.

Have you thought about any kind of temperature monitoring and warning device for the generator compartment? I'm thinking about installing one in mine, but haven't looked to see what's available yet.

As for the red LED warning light, just mount it on a pole somewhere in your yard, and turn it on at random times to give your neighbors something to worry about!

 

[rlrenz]

Amazon being Amazon, you have to search sometimes. When I dug through the Bud website, I figured out which aluminum enclosure would work for me, then I searched Amazon for that Bud part number. They had the painted version for $2 less than the unpainted version, so I went with painted.

Re: temperature limit. Check out Waytek (http://www.waytekwire.com/products). They sell thermal switches/thermostats for a lot less than Grainger, etc. It would be simple to pick up a couple of switches (maybe 130 & 150F?) and couple them to an amber and a red LED indicator light (Amazon), and maybe an audible alarm at 150. A kill switch on the alarm might make sense. Check out (http://www.amazon.com/Alpinetech-Am...3DG1NYRQ&dpSrc=sims&dpST=_AC_UL320_SR320,320_) for amber, and (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HU06PIY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00) for red. The Amazon price is $5.95 per each, with free shipping. A 6-28 VDC Sonalert (http://www.amazon.com/Indicators-Al...=UTF8&qid=1441674752&sr=1-8&keywords=sonalert) would supply the audio, unless you wanted a bell or siren. It would probably make sense for the LED indicators to be installed on the outside of the module, with a duplicate set installed on the inside. Now if your trailer still had the ambulance's siren, an audio alarm would be very simple.....

With a generator like my Onan, it would be easy to also rig up an auto shutdown at high temperature since it closes a 12 volt circuit for shutdown.

And yet one more way to spend a few bucks surfaces...

Regarding the Whelen LED strobe, it might be useful incorporated into a burglar alarm - it would certainly get folk's attention.

 

[rlrenz]

Followup to my temperature alarm thoughts - check Amazon's listings for digital temperature controllers with alarms. The challenge will be finding one with the ability to warn and then alarm, but the "turn on cooling" setpoint could be for the warning, and the alarm setpoint could be for the alarm. Remember that 12 volts will be a lot more useful for a vehicular application than 120 volts....

All the Amazon controllers look to be imported (what else could they be for $16?), but at that price, they become a throw-away unit if they poop out.

The LEDs and the Sonalert can all be connected to one of these controllers. The prices all seem to be about $16-20 or so, so the cost would be about the same as a couple of thermal switches. The advantage is that they would provide temperature readout, and temperature adjustment.

 

[rlrenz]

Sound the Bells and Ring the Trumpets!

A goal has been reached!

Way back when my buggy was created, it came with a then-standard 15 amp power inlet, with a neon pilot light to tell the nearby world that power was being supplied to the battery charging system (the Vanner inverter-charger). One of my goals, and in fact a step on the road to adding a 120 volt air conditioning system, was the installation of a 30 amp 120 volt power inlet. As those of us who are skilled in the craft know, a neon pilot light has a relatively short life, and it was also scheduled for upgrade, particularly since it had used up its life, and was now just a hole plug.

This project was the final step in the entire 120 volt system installation -- it began with the design, construction, and installation of a 120 volt circuit breaker panel that also would accommodate the addition of an on-board 120 volt Onan generator, then moved on to the installation of a new Iota 55 amp battery charger (4 stage to maximize battery life), then finally moved on to the installation of a new 120 volt inlet.

The selection of 120 volt inlets on the market is very limited - most emergency vehicles with a 30 amp inlet use a Marinco inlet, either their plastic or the 316 stainless steel version. I believe that the internals are the same, just the housing differs. Both inlet designs seem to be equally common on ambulances and emergency vehicles, and a friend who repairs boats told me that he uses both. I decided to use the stainless steel version.

After I removed the old 15 amp inlet, I tried moving the new inlet up and down to cover the existing holes - I could pick up most of them, so I decided to install the new inlet and the new indicator light through a new 12 gauge, brushed stainless steel panel. When it was time to cut the 2 1/2" hole for the inlet in the stainless panel and in the aluminum ambulance body, I cut a same-sized piece of 3/4" plywood, punched a 2 1/2" hole through the plywood, and then bored through the plywood and the stainless steel. Using a 2 1/2" guide hole, I wasn't worried about the hole saw wobbling all over the place. My old Milwaukee 1/2" drill and some cutting oil let me punch a 2 1/2" hole through the stainless in a few minutes.





I then taped the plywood guide to the ambulance body and drilled the mounting holes. Once the panel had been bolted in place, it was used as a guide for the 2 1/2" hole saw.



I used 3M 5200 caulking compound to seal the stainless plate when I installed it on the body. I don't know why, but marine caulks are about as user un-friendly as they can be - my clothes, tools, hands, and anything within about 2 ft of the work area were also caulked.

I had pre-wired the inlet to simplify the final installation, and even been smart enough to verify that I could slide the inlet with the power cable through the hole. Since standard GXL automotive wire is designed for 50 volts, I used marine triplex 10 gauge cable between the inlet and the 120 volt system. Triplex cable looks like household Romex, and the outer sheath, combined with being run through convoluted tubing, will give me the maximum protection I can get.

Installing the inlet was a standard stand-on-your-head project. I drafted a neighbor to turn the screws while I started nuts on the inside. The rubber gasket for the inlet fought us a bit until I gave the screw holes a squirt of isopropyl alcohol, then the screws cooperated (I didn't want to have any residue which is why I didn't use WD40 or something similar). Once installed, I slid some convoluted tubing on, finished the connections, and plugged it in.

Everything worked like it was supposed to - I had checked out the individual segments as I went along, so I wasn't surprised. Still happy, though. Even better, I now have a LED indicator light that can be easily seen. It is wired to the circuit breaker that feeds the charger, so as long as the LED is on, I know that power to the charger is on.



Next, the Onan generator will be installed - it isn't needed right now, but it takes up a bit of space in my garage, and I want to stuff the buggy in for the winter. I'm also going to start the refrigerator installation as well.

 

[rlrenz]

I am in the slow process of installing a Hoseline 120 volt add-on air conditioner to the buggy. The regular Hoseline air conditioner is set up to be usable while the vehicle is running, but I need a separate 120 volt package so I can use it while I'm stopped, either from ground power or from the on-board 120 volt generator. The most common way to do this for an ambulance is with a rooftop RV air conditioner, but this would cause me clearance problems - right now, it will clear my garage door by 4 inches (9'-6" high with a 10-0 door), but if I add a rooftop AC to it, I'll be over height by about 6-8". The Hoseline system adds a 120 volt AC compressor, a dual condenser (both truck-driven AV & 120 volt AC), an 80 amp 12 volt supply (to run the 12 volt equipment from a 120 volt supply), a digital temperature controller, and a control box to interface the whole thing.

It took me a lot of digging, but I finally found all the parts I need for the digital thermostat - the Hoseline CM-3000. Right now, the thermostat is purely mechanical, and uses relays to activate heating valves, a booster pump, the AC compressor, the condenser, etc. The CM-3000 uses a relay panel to do the same, and I was planning to gut the existing and install new connections.





This would involve running a 50 amp supply to the CM-3000, and then pulling new connecting cables to the vehicle's relay panel. I suddenly realized that I was planning a "new vehicle" installation - for a retrofit, I could keep the existing interconnecting wiring and relays, and just replace the mechanical thermostat with the CM-3000 --- kind of like replacing a home thermostat - you replace the 'stat, and nothing downstream.

My only excuse was that I've been reading the Hoseline manuals and following their schematic instead of remembering that this is a RETROFIT!

And the whole project just got a whole lot easier. That actually happens sometimes....

 

[patoz]

Sometimes you get lucky like that. It's a good thing you realized it, before you got into pulling wire that you didn't really need. :agree:

 

[rlrenz]

Sometimes you get lucky like that. It's a good thing you realized it, before you got into pulling wire that you didn't really need. :agree:

Yup! I'll be pulling 14-16 gauge wire instead of 12-10 gauge, plus most of my connections can be done in the same location as the existing thermostat, so I'll only need a few feet of wire instead of the 15-20 ft or so I'd need to replace the entire harness -- times 6 lines or so.

 

[rlrenz]

As they say -- read them and weep. I just found this for sale listing from the same dealer who sold me my buggy. I wonder what it's selling for?


1999
Stock #: 1921
Sub-category: Medium Duty
Model: FreightLiner FL60
Builder: MedicMaster
Status: Available
94275 miles

- Westerbeke Generator
- Lots of Space and Storage
- Cruise Air System

This 1999 Freightliner FL60 MedicMaster Medium Duty Ambulance is a unique vehicle with lots of great features. This vehicle includes a box that is 182" in length and a full 73" of headroom. With a unique layout there are 16 storage compartments inside the vehicle. Comes with a working sink and has an entertainment package that includes a TV/VCR and stereo system. The vehicle has a Westerbeke 3 Cyl Generator to ensure your power supply stays strong. Equipped with a separate Cruise Air System you will have a comfortable ride in even the hottest conditions. This vehicle came from Florida so it did not have to deal with the salt and corrosion often associated with ice and snow. Call today to make this yours!

Vehicle Features

- 8.3L Duramax Diesel Engine
- Smooth Transmission
- Strong Suspension
- Body is in Very Good Condition
- Rear Wheel Drive with Rear Dually Wheels
- LT 245/70 R19.5 Tires
- Air Conditioning
- Power Steering
- Tilt Steering
- Running Boards

Emergency Features

- Whelen AdvantEdge Front Lightbar
- Wheln Siren
- Bumper Mounted Siren Speakers
- Small Animated Halogen Turn Signals

Patient Compartment Features

- Meets KKK-A-1822 Standards
- Box Length: 182"
- Headroom; 73"
- Window Cab Access
- Shoreline Hookup
- Dedicated Shoreline for Cruise Air System
- Cruise Air System
- Westerbeke 3 Cyl Diesel Generator
- Exhaust Fans
- CPR Seat
- Five Oxygen Ports
- Natural Air and O2
- Six Exterior Compartments
- Sixteen Interior Compartments
- Three Outside Compartments
- Six 120V AC outlets
- Rear Flip-Up Step
- Built in Sink
- Iota Battery Charger
- TV/VCR and Stereo System
- Electric Side Step

 

[patoz]

Yep, it seems like no matter what you buy, there is always something better right around the corner! I see this one has a sink and TV/VCR/Stereo System, so are they offering it as an ambulance or RV? And just out of curiousity, what are they asking for it?

I got a very good deal on mine and it will do what I want it to do, however I wish I would have waited and looked for a newer one with more headroom. 68" when I'm 73" just doesn't cut it for very long!