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There are many ways to connect wires together or to a terminal. Soldering an crimping are the most common. Crimping is easy, fast and effective. Crimping crushes the wire around the connector and ensures a solid electrical connection. When purchasing ring terminals, be sure to purchase those with heat shrink tubing. The heat shrink tubing … Read more
Solid wire (Romex) is commonly used in houses. Solid wire cannot be used in a moving vehicle. The constant vibration would break the conductor over time. All wires used in your van build should be double insulated, or routed through split loom tubing, and secured with cable ties. If placing a wire through the metal … Read more
How many watts of solar do you need? The design of this van will have room for two, 200 watt solar panels. That’s 400 watts. Some vans have 200, 400 or even 1000 watts of solar. Generating solar will vary with the season ( in winter months the “Solar day” is shorter), location and where … Read more
You need to decide how many cloudy days you want to go without moving. What I mean by this is – if it is cloudy, overcast, or winter you will not generate much solar power. If you are not moving the van you don’t generate power from the alternator. Batteries are rated in Amp Hours. … Read more
How big, and how much will this electrical system cost? To get an idea you need to find out the electricity you will consume each day. To do that gather together every item you expect to power. You will need to calculate your usage in Amp Hours (Ah). Amp Hours = Current in amperes x … Read more
Crimping terminals onto cables requires heavy duty crimping tools. The most basic, and cost effective crimper is the hammer crimper. This is what I used. You can also buy a hydraulic crimping tool. This tool may provide more consistent results, but it is more expensive. It’s also not as much fun. The hammer crimper lets … Read more
We keep a portable jerry can for filling up with water. We will fill up by hose, or at rest areas. Jerry Can We have a WATER BANDIT which will fit on almost any water tap and connect to a short garden hose for filling the jerry can. The Water Bandit is flexible and … Read more
The water tanks are right inside the sliding door, this makes them easy to fill. This also helps keep them from freezing. By locating the water tanks between the axles, helps keep centered inside the van. It is important to keep the weight evenly distributed in your van build. I use multiple small tanks instead … Read more
Grey water is what comes out of the sink drain and shower. There is no human waste or harmful chemicals in grey water. In our van design there are two greywater tanks. One collects water from the shower, the other from the sink. Each is connected to an electronic ball valve. This allows the tank … Read more
A diaphragm pump keeps the water system pressurized at all times. It’s like having running water, just like in a house. The water pump creates and maintains water pressure. Theses pumps are pressure activated, so no On/Off switch is needed. When water pressure drops the pump automatically starts, until pressure is restored. Many pumps need … Read more
This video show how to make your own battery cables. Attaching lugs, and using a crimper. Bus Bar Copper Fuse holders Fuse holder https://amzn.to/3ETqH17 Fuses https://amzn.to/3qiPmZ7 Ring Terminals with heat shrink https://amzn.to/3BULhMA Ferrule Crimping Tool Kit https://amzn.to/3EQTwLG Ancor Marine Grade Duplex Wire https://amzn.to/30bsQ9C Ancor produces … Read more
This is the main electrical panel prototype. It include the solar panel circuit breakers, the solar charge controller, the main shut off, the 12 volt fuse panel, and the A/C fuse panel. I am still deciding on the 3000W Inverter/Charger and the 300 AH of LiFePO4 batteries. Bus Bar Copper Fuse holders Fuse holder … Read more
This recirculating shower system uses only 5 gallons of water. A simple system using filtration and UV sterilization. Automatically flush are refill using electronic ball valves. Products seen in video’s: Water heater https://amzn.to/3o0EOei R.O. Filter System https://amzn.to/305Z4mQ We have a reverse osmosis water filtration system in our van. So, we can … Read more
