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  1. C

    1/2" plywood vs 3/4" plywood

    Hi everyone, I'm putting in a floor and some cabinets in my minivan. I'm wondering what thickness is best to use 1/2" plywood or 3/4"? In the back where I'm doing the build, I took out the carpet. In that area, the back 1/2 of the floor is pretty flat but the other half (where the middle seats...
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    12 or 24 volt?

    I'm considering a 24v battery and I found two 24v panels that I plan on putting in parallel on the roof rack. I was going to go with two 12v in series but think it'll be more efficient to go with the 24v panels in parallel. I also want to keep some folding panels in the van so when I'm parked...
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    12 or 24 volt?

    Ok, thanks for the explanation. I checked and my panel says 100watts, 21.6v and 6.10a. It is a Renogy and yes, it is prewired. It's two panels connected by a hinge allowing it to fold. There is a black box on the back of both panels and wire connecting the two black boxes together. Then one wire...
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    12 or 24 volt?

    I only have one 100w foldable solar panel at the moment but plan on getting more solar to add to the system. I saw a 400w foldable panel at an affordable price that I may buy. If I do end up going 24v, I was planning on wiring them together so the 100w has the necessary voltage to charge a 24v...
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    12 or 24 volt?

    I forgot to mention the companies having a battery sale are: https://ipowerqueen.com/, https://www.litime.com/, https://www.weizeus.com/, and https://www.redodopower.com/
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    12 or 24 volt?

    Hi, I wasn't aware that it's possible to wire the solar panels at 24v and use those to charge the 12v battery bank! If that's the case, then going with a 12v system seems like a good bet in my case. If I do expand it to have more solar (say for example I want to add 2000watts someday), I could...
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    12 or 24 volt?

    Hi, I'm looking to build a system this week, but I'm torn between a 400ah 12v or 200ah 24v battery. Because of the holiday, a few companies have a sale ending tonight, so I feel like I need to purchase today. I did a small 12v lead acid build a few years ago (batteries dead) so I should have...
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    12v electric stove OR Rice Cooker in a Minivan with a 12v freezer & 12v fridge for a healthy diet power requirements?

    I was planning on getting a 12v, 200ah or 400ah lithium battery and charging it from my van using a 60a dc-to-dc charger, as well as solar (100watts at the moment but would like to add more). I was thinking about cooking with my slow cooker. Its 120v and uses 250w of power (that's what it says...
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    Keeping solar panels inside of Van

    That's an awesome set up Happy Camper! I love seeing all the innovation in van builds! I'm still planning my build and at the moment and I don't think I'll have solar on the outside of my van. I have a Renogy folding panel (with a 30a charge controller) like WanderingRose and plan on getting...
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    Keeping solar panels inside of Van

    I would like to have more solar than I can fit on the outside my van. I was thinking about keeping some panels inside and bringing them out when I'm parked somewhere that has enough space for me to put them outside on the ground. I was thinking about having 5- 100watt solar panels on a rack of...
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    Parking in a "commercial" vehicle or RV

    That's an awesome idea! Could give you the ability to stand in a lot of vans. Unfortunately, my minivan is only 5'8" tall on the outside, so even if I cut out the floor, I wouldn't be able to stand. I did a quick google search and looks like a standard non-high-top cargo van is about 7' tall...
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    Parking in a "commercial" vehicle or RV

    Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Seems like there's a lot to consider when purchasing a commercial vehicle or RV. Initially I wanted to purchase a larger vehicle this week and begin working on it. But after thinking about over the weekend, I'm going to continue my research and just use my...
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    Parking in a "commercial" vehicle or RV

    I'm concerned about parking during the day as well as overnight. I'm hoping to purchase a vehicle over the next couple weeks. When I get it, I intend to insure it for personal use and maybe register it as a RV if that's possible where I live. I'm not looking for a huge vehicle, I'd like one...
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    Amp Hour Battery capacity in your van?

    Thanks for the recommendation John61CT, those look perfect for the job. Let me see if I understand this correctly, with the AbsorbV set at 13.8V maximum and FloatV around 13.2V it will do a bulk charge up to about 91% of the batteries capacity, then a slower charge up to about 95%, never fully...
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    Amp Hour Battery capacity in your van?

    I checked out the manual for the LFP1225 / LFP1240.. Under specifications it says: LFP1225(LV*) / LFP1240(LV) *LV stands for low voltage: Continuous current rating (LFP1225- 25A, LFP1240- 40A) Input / Output Fuse Rating (LFP1225- 40A, LFP1240- 60A) Output Power (LFP1225- 375W, LFP1240- 600w) DC...
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    Amp Hour Battery capacity in your van?

    Does anyone have any experience with the REDARC LFP1225 or LFP1240? It says you can charge a Lifepo4 by wiring it to your cars battery as well as utilizing it as a charge controller with solar. Seems like a pretty good set up geared towards the adventurer/rver Would this be an ideal plug and...
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    Lifepo4, need list of components!

    For the past few months I've been researching solar and was planning on putting together a set up using AGM batteries. Planed on using a 100watt flexible solar panel with a cheap amazon PWV charge controller to charge 2, 100ah AGM batteries. Figured on 10 awg wire with 20amp inline fuse for...
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    Lifepo4, need list of components!

    I'm also considering going with a lithium battery to save on weight and size. I came across a LifePo4 12V 50Ah on amazon, made by a company called Waterblade, for around $400 that looked to be a pretty good deal. Not sure it is ideal for using in the back of a campervan though. I read in the...
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    Need help connecting a deep cycle battery to Minivan with isolator or a "kill switch"

    bardo Sorry for the confusion, I have not bought the Coleman fridge. I haven't bought anything yet, I'm just in the information gathering stage at the moment. I'm trying to create a list of everything I'll need including supplies for the trip, as well as components in the electrical system. ...
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    Need help connecting a deep cycle battery to Minivan with isolator or a "kill switch"

    highdesertranger I guess I was over estimating how quickly the alternator would recharge the battery. On the amazon page I read that the stinger isolator said 200 amps. I thought that meant if it would charge up a 100ah battery fully in a half hour. So if that was the case, if I was charging a...
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