Point Five Ambo Build

[rlrenz]

If you check out the www.sportsmansguide.com website, and you see something that looks like it might be useful, send me an e-mail and I'll run down to their store and see what I can find out about it - they're only about 5 miles from me.

 

[patoz]

Thanks for the offer Bob, that would be very useful.

A lot of times you see a product that looks like it would do the job, but you just can't tell from the lack of real specifications, or about the quality or craftsmanship from a picture or drawing in a catalog or on a website. Eyes on, from someone like yourself who knows the difference would be very helpful in making a decision to buy or not.

I guess I need to renew my membership now!

 

[rlrenz]

If you find something, I'll grab some photos as well. Most catalog entries are hopeless for dimensions and details

 

[patoz]

This might be a nice addition to an Ambo or camper.

The SnapRays Guidelight replaces the cover plate on an electric outlet, but adds three down-facing LEDs. It requires no batteries or wiring to install.

The Guidelight has a light sensor, so it only turns on when it's dark. It comes in two different styles to fit most outlets, though it doesn't work with outlets that have GFI buttons. Snap Power estimates that it costs less than 10 cents per year to run each Guidelight, and that the LEDs should last up to 25 years.

They're a little pricey at $15.00 apiece, but you probably won't need very many for a small camper, and the more you buy at one time, the cheaper they are.

The Guidelight by SnapPower

http://www.snappower.com/

https://www.facebook.com/snaprays


[video=youtube;5uCL79X24kA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=128&v=5uCL79X24kA[/video]

 

[flightcancled]

But it would only work while on shore power or running the inverter right?

 

[patoz]

Correct, it gets it's power from the 120 VAC line. Very little amp draw though, almost nothing.

 

[rlrenz]

That's a darn nice idea - I'm going to check into them for my home hallways.

 

[tgreening]

Alright, that's about enough lolli-gaggin around. All y'all needs to gettin busy. I'm feelin lonely.

 

[patoz]

Alright, that's about enough lolli-gaggin around. All y'all needs to gettin busy. I'm feelin lonely.

I hear ya!

My main computer crashed and I had to replace the motherboard and power supply in it. While I was there, I thought 'Upgrade Time'! So I also installed the new Samsung 850 EVO Solid State Hard Drive, and then installed a brand new copy of Win 7 Pro. After that, I painstakingly installed and transferred everything else manually. I could have cloned my old drive which would have been much easier, but I didn't want to drag all of the bad stuff with it. Since I had already increased the RAM to 8 GB, I have now gone from driving a VW bug to a Ferrari. :wings:

After if finish with the computer, I need to get my home Central A/C unit going. The 'A' coil has a leak in it, with showed up at the end of last summer. I have a friend in the A/C business who is going to help me, and I hope he comes by tomorrow night. We started on it about ten days ago, but it has been raining ever since.

After that, I hope to get back on my Ambo project and get a few things done before it gets hot again.

 

[tgreening]

Ok this is what I heard.....


Blah blah not workin on my ambo, blah blah not workin on my ambo, blah blahdi blah not workin on my ambo..

Hehe. Chops...bustin!

 

[Viking1204]

What a project Patoz, yep, finally singed up after seeing your signature too many times at the GCFC! When you get this thing done I hope I'll get to see it in person!

 

[patoz]

Ok this is what I heard.....


Blah blah not workin on my ambo, blah blah not workin on my ambo, blah blahdi blah not workin on my ambo..

Hehe. Chops...bustin!

Tom, you pretty much heard right! :ugh:

 

[patoz]

What a project Patoz, yep, finally singed up after seeing your signature too many times at the GCFC! When you get this thing done I hope I'll get to see it in person!

Hey Viking,

Good to see you here! Now, you see why I can't just post the pictures on GCFC, because without the narrative it wouldn't be the same.

If you like camping and getting off-road look around, there's lots of interesting builds and trip reports from all around the world on here.

 

[patoz]

Well, my Dell Precision Workstation (desktop) is back together with all of the upgrades except the dual video cards, and all of the system software, program software, and all files have been transferred from the old drive to the new Solid State Drive. All of this has been done manually, so not to bring over any unwanted surprises. I still have a few small things to move yet, once I decided if I really want to keep that stuff. I also moved to old drive to the secondary HDD Slot as a backup or just excess storage.

Last monday night, my buddy came by and we got the leak in my Central AC evaporator coil ('A' Coil) repaired by using a can of 'stop leak' made specifically for AC Systems. It's been a week now and it still making ice cubes, so I guess it worked. I'll probably put the little window units back in my storage build, so they'll be ready the next time I need them.

Tomorrow, I have a huge bed of Western Yellowjacket Wasps to get rid of. They tunnel down underground and make their actual nest. From what I can find out, the easiest way to do this is, wait until after dark, because they all return to the nest and don't fly again till sunrise. Then pour a gallon of gasoline down the hole and sit a brick over the opening so they can't get out. If they don't drown, the fumes from the gas will do the trick! Sometimes, they have a second tunnel or back door, so you have to be wary of that, or they just might fly out the back, come up behind you, and bite you on the butt.

After that, I should be able to get back to work on my ambo. OH wait, then after all that we have 7 days of rain coming....Oh, Snap!

 

[patoz]

Even though it was 93° with humidity in the upper 70's here today, I finally got a few things done on my Ambo project. I started by removing the remaining lettering from the front over where the cab was.

Then I cleaned the black mold from the surrounding Oak trees off of the roof, and the green mildew out of all the cracks and crevices on the sides. I pressure washed the sides when I first got it almost two years ago, but the top had never been done by me. And from the looks of it, it hadn't been done in the last ten years by anyone else either.




Working with a 2,500psi pressure washer with a 2"-3" wide pattern spray, it took all afternoon to do the top and sides. I was working off of a 6' stepladder instead of just getting on top, because I wanted to find out what was under the black gunk before I put any weight on it. I all looks OK, but I did find one fairly sharp gouge in the sheet aluminum over the area of the side walk-in door, but I don't think it will cause any problems.




The two antennas up there are broken and pretty much trash, so I made two caps to cover the bases when I remove them. I made them out of two old Motorola VHF antenna base covers, and two rubber disk I made out of some heavy gasket material. I will probably install new antennas for some of my communication gear when I get to that point, but in the meanwhile these temporary covers will protect the bases and keep them watertight.




Tomorrow, I'll wash the entire thing with brushes and a product that was recommended to me, called Jomax House Cleaner and Mildew Killer . According to the product overview...

Jomax House Cleaner and Mildew Killer is a powerful concentrate that you mix with water and bleach to eliminate mold and mildew from exterior surfaces around the home.

• Cleans exterior surfaces of dirt and stains without scrubbing, Kills and prevents mold and mildew for house maintenance
• Can be used on exterior painted, non-porous surfaces such as aluminum, vinyl and wood siding and trim, stained and painted decks and fences, stucco, brick and cement block,will not damage surfaces
• Powerful concentrate can be mixed with water and bleach to make an effective cleaner that requires no scrubbing
• EPA registered mildewcide that kills mold and mildew and prevents regrowth

Since it's mixed with bleach also, I'll just have to see how it reacts with Aluminum Diamond Deck or any other bare aluminum. Anybody else ever used it or have any experience with it?