Adding pipes to the outside of the vehicle

[Timmi1234]

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read a newbies post. I am currently doing up a Volvo Olympian (double decker bus) in to a living space with my partner and we are working out the plumbing and gas fittings (along with a lot of other things).

The chap we bought the bus off of hadn't planned for her to drive and so made fittings on the outside of the bus for drainage and gas and I believe water. The garage have said that there are some 'unsafe modifications' that they need to remove prior to her passing the MOT, however I am now thinking, how do we plumb and pipe the gas if we cannot have pipes on the outside?

We are planning to have the bathroom on the second level. I think having pipes inside and then waste going from the sink and bath will be fine as the pipes are thin. However, when it comes to a plumbed toilet we might be stuck as the wastage pipe is huge...

Do the pipes need to go UNDER the vehicle? What are the regulations for modifications to the sides of the vehicle? We were planning, when we are stopped, to keep the gas bottles outside of the bus. The bus is all ready hooked up for two bottles of gas but I assume this is what the garage mean when they say it is unsafe.... Perhaps we make a little cubby hole with a lockable door for the outage pipes to sit in while driving along that they can then be pulled out of?

Any thoughts? What about the collection of rain water? We will need a guttering system on the outside!

Thanks so much,
Hannah

 

[SquirrellCook]

OMG, your dafter than I am. If you don't want to see any plumbing, just box it in.
I'm guessing your using a domestic toilet, where are you going to find a mobile sewer?
I've thought about collecting rain water in the past. You can buy small aluminium gutter sections with ease. My worry was the quality of water collected. Rain water is anything but pure. More so depending on your location when collecting it. Also the rubbish and debris that collect on a roof.
It's not impossible to solve all your issues, but some solutions will conflict with others. You really need to think about what your planning on doing with it.
BTW, where on earth did you find an MOT station with a big enough door and pit? Mines much smaller and only just fits where I go.

 

[Timmi1234]

Haha, it's been a dream - everyone thinks we're nuts but we are going to make it work.

Currently the plan for the loo is a grey wastage tank that we empty. So connected to a conventional toilet yes. The pipes have been boxed in originally by the previous owner on the outside of the bus (he had already plumbed a shower and sink upstairs) all the wastage went out down a drainage pipe on the outside I believe. We are planning to keep the original pipes for hot and cold water and just move them along for where we want the bathroom.

Still unsure if we can keep these pipes on the outside (for wastage and water collection) or whether we need to box them in on the inside in order to drive it? Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Timmi1234]

Oh also we looked for garages that take HGVs and they take buses and coaches too... Not cheap mind but we bought the bus for near enough nothing as the guy just wanted it gone so all the repairs bring it up to what we would have spent! Already had a Combi-boiler, insulation and electrics fitted so bargain for us...

 

[Nabsim]

The vehicle still needs to comply with construction and use regs, I presume this is the problem with external pipes, all pipes inside or underneath, underneath may need to be fixed at set intervals. Its a long time since I have had to read construction and use so can't say more.

I think you mean a black tank for toilet waste, grey can be emptied in grids in the floor on lots of sites but not necessarily black, you may need a macerator to make a slurry to pump out like RV's have then have facility for the grey waste to go through the black tank to flush it out. Not certain on layout for this its normally more RV;s that have it but some motorhomes do.

If it has been built to be used as a static you may need to make a lot of changes to get it mobile