Is it safe to drill a damn great hole?

acropolis22

acropolis22

Joined
Dec 30, 2015
Posts
1,473
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Location
Bury
Funster No
40,920
MH
Pilote G650L
Exp
Three years
I want to fit a Victron BMV 712 either below the window or to the left of the curtain in the photo. Not having done anything like this before I have no idea whether there is enough clearance in the wall of the van. The Victron specs say it needs 31mm depth. I know people cannot answer definitively, but in general terms would you expect there to be enough clearance? It's a Pilote A class. I've no idea how they build these things or what I will find. TIA.

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The problem with double sided tape can be if the item needs to be removed later on. I had items stuck on my walls by the previous owner. When removing these items it took the finish off where it was stuck, and on other places ripped the wall paper. A couple of screw holes would have been much easier to repair.
 
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Scotch mist said:
I use double sided tape for all things like that as I hate even putting screw holes in any wall / surface
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acropolis22 said:
Yeah, that's a thought. For something like this, where I'll be pressing buttons regularly, will it not work loose eventually?
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It's a while since I looked at the back of a surface mount box but I don't think they are flat, ie they have indentations etc, so tape wouldn't work.
 
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Landy Andy said:
The problem with double sided tape can be if the item needs to be removed later on. I had items stuck on my walls by the previous owner. When removing these items it took the finish off where it was stuck, and on other places ripped the wall paper. A couple of screw holes would have been much easier to repair.
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Agreed, unless it's going to be left permanently in the MH, ie not moved to another one, then tape will more than likely cause damage, screw holes can be easily hidden.
 
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Buy the Victron Smart shunt and there is no display it works as an app on your phone

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Minxy said:
It's a while since I looked at the back of a surface mount box but I don't think they are flat, ie they have indentations etc, so tape wouldn't work.
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Not seen it yet, but you may well be right.
 
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acropolis22 said:
Bl**dy latecomers........ :giggle: Already bought the 712.
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Sell it!

Or, buy the Bluetooth "dongle" so you can use the app and then you can mount the display in a potting box, coil up the cable in the box and leave adjacent to the shunt in the locker

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eddievanbitz said:
Sell it!

Or, buy the Bluetooth "dongle" so you can use the app and then you can mount the display in a potting box, coil up the cable in the box and leave adjacent to the shunt in the locker

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I'm not spending any more money on this!! Besides I need the display to soothe my paranoia about flat batteries. :giggle:
 
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acropolis22 said:
Yeah, that's a thought. For something like this, where I'll be pressing buttons regularly, will it not work loose eventually?
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You should be good with 3m products and not cheap copies 👍

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I would as others have already said put it in a box and mount the box to the wall.

I don't like plastic boxes on display so would make one out of wood. However, if your joinery skills are not up to it. Search on Amazon for small wooden boxes. There are loads of them and you should be able to find one that is small enough and suitable for this purpose.

A couple of examples. These only cost £2 or so. They are designed for jewellery. You can varnish or paint etc. If the lid is deep enough you could always just use the lid and dispose of the lower half.

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If you are happy with plastic or metal. Then search for "electronics enclosure" as that is the name commonly used in the industry.
 
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Gromett said:
I would as others have already said put it in a box and mount the box to the wall.

I don't like plastic boxes on display so would make one out of wood. However, if your joinery skills are not up to it. Search on Amazon for small wooden boxes. There are loads of them and you should be able to find one that is small enough and suitable for this purpose.

A couple of examples. These only cost £2 or so. They are designed for jewellery. You can varnish or paint etc. If the lid is deep enough you could always just use the lid and dispose of the lower half.

View attachment 577017

If you are happy with plastic or metal. Then search for "electronics enclosure" as that is the name commonly used in the industry.
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Already ordered plastic one. But thanks for the idea. Maybe another time.

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Once you find out how good the info is via Bluetooth you won't be pressing any silly little buttons.
 
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Lenny HB said:
Once you find out how good the info is via Bluetooth you won't be pressing any silly little buttons.
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But with the 712 I get best of both worlds? The app for detailed info, and the display as a comfort blanket every30 seconds....
 
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Landy Andy said:
The problem with double sided tape can be if the item needs to be removed later on. I had items stuck on my walls by the previous owner. When removing these items it took the finish off where it was stuck, and on other places ripped the wall paper. A couple of screw holes would have been much easier to repair.
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3m do removable fixings without damaging the surface
 
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acropolis22 said:
I'm not spending any more money on this!! Besides I need the display to soothe my paranoia about flat batteries. :giggle:
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Thats the problem with gizmos and gadgets,they need to be fiddled with and watched.I have a simple plug in volt display meter on the end of a cigar lighter type plug,cost me about£3 years ago and I check it more times than I watch TV :rofl:
 
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Now that you got the keep it , youve got the best of both worlds and the ability to control a relay that you may not appreciate now.
The box is to add aswitch to the tv power supply, the original is high and innaccessable.
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eurajohn said:
That is the sidewall of the vehicle, it is a composite panel which is a number of components bonded together to make a sheet, commonly an aluminium or polyester outer with an insulating rigid foam inner and an inner panel that is faced with various decorative coverings. Don't know the actual thickness of the finished panel on your Pilote but I'd guess it won't be much more than 30 or 40mm.
Be careful.
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They might also carry electrical cabling?
 
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Silver-Fox said:
You should be good with 3m products and not cheap copies 👍
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I use the cheap copies, not so aggressive & easier to remove when needed but strong enough
I use a thin wire like a cheese cutter , they have come off without damage on my MoHo’s
 
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