Curiouser and curiouser

I tried the lawnmower batter and while it did work, it didn’t give me much power. In fact by the time it hit 12v I had maybe 2 minutes out of my extraction fans. Thus I abandoned the lawnmower battery and went to the store for a Duracell battery. This is a 12v AGM battery and when installed it read 12.7v. I was expecting it to be fully charged and at 13.8v so after connecting it I plugged in both my extra 30w solar panels. That should boost the charge fairly swiftly though it might take a few days if the weather is not great.

I’m a little concerned about the 12.7v rating which invoked the cry of curiouser and curiouser. This battery should have a float voltage of 13.8v. There’s a year’s warranty on it so if it fails to perform then I can have a word with Batteries Plus about it. The Harbor Freight thing just didn’t have any capacity whatsoever.

For giggles when I went to get my battery I took the Harbor Freight battery. Batteries Plus put it on their big test meter and it tested just fine. The capacity however was not tested. Reading around, the only way to test capacity is to use it and see what happens. I know darned well that even using only half of 35AH I would be able to run my 3.92A draw for about 4 hours and 20 minutes. I shall test that next weekend having left the battery to charge for the entire week.

I decided to bite the bullet and take my bus for a service. The oil has been in the sump for almost 4 years. I am going to get the differential oil inspected, the transmission oil inspected, the axel and hub lubricants checked, grease applied to all the grease points and the brake line connectors checked. I don’t think much of the rusty clips that hold the brake lines together. They’ll also put the tyres on the right pressures and check them. I have checked everything and it all seems OK but the oil definitely needs to be changed. While that is being done I’ll get the sump gasket changed. The bus leaked oil when I was going to buy it and I told the guy I wanted the rotten tyres replaced and the oil leak fixed. He did replace the tyres but put coagulant in the oil rather than replacing the sump gasket. It works but it’s not what I’d call an approved method.

Immediately following the service which will be done in the morning I shall drive down to a beach location for a few days holiday. This will be my first ever overnight stay and first ever overnight trip in the bus. I’m looking forward to it but am apprehensive until I get a paid mechanic to check it out and change the suspect oil. They say oil should be changed every 3 months when its in use in small engines. In big engines once a year is fine. Kept sealed in the can oil will keep for 5 years and more as it’s really stable. Once it’s exposed to air, water begins to creep in with condensation. That dilutes the oil a little and reduces its efficacy.

I have a ton of work to do tomorrow and next weekend in order to make the bus ready for the trip the weekend after. Basically the bus is ready. It just needs construction supplies removed and a good cleaning. It also needs me to put things in drawers where they should be and put other things away safely. It’s a lot of work!