A Million Questions About the Best Products to Buy

[Nina]

Hi
My name is Nina  & I've bought a 2002 Chrysler 1500 Conversion Van with Starcraft RV features. Photos are attached.
As I prepare it, I would so appreciate the advice of anyone who is experienced in the least expensive & non-hazardous products to use.

My biggest question is the 2nd battery idea I've heard about:
How does that work?
Where does an inverter enter into that scenario?
I have a cedar trunk. Can I use that as my battery/converter box, plus storage of other things, or does it need to be a dedicated box?
And, how in the world do I hook it up, what products do I need to buy & being a non-industrial woman, what approximately does it cost to have it installed?
Is there a way that you would recommend that is a better way to get electric into my Van? I'd like to go solar, but not until I'm sure this is the Van I want to use long-term.
I am completely lost in "Female World" regarding this, so I'd love & appreciate some advice.

Also, I'm looking to buy:

A non-electric A/C (for Florida)

A heater I can safely use in the van ( for Canada) Is kerosene safe?

Should I buy a fire & carbon monoxide detector?

A flushable portable toilet

Environmentally friendly all-purpose wipes, soaps, etc. so I don't contaminate the waters

A cooker I can safely use in the Van

Please explain to me the reason I need a vent, or do I not need one? Type & Installation advice?

Please help me figure out a sink. There are so many

Is it legal to block out some windows to use for wall space, & if so, which ones?

From looking at the inside, can you see any ways of providing storage toward the ceiling?

What's the best way to find wi-fi & still be as self-contained as possible? (I'm a student)

Are there any other observations & advice you think might be helpful to a woman stepping out into Van Dwelling for the 1st time?

I would be so appreciative for any ideas you have for any one of these questions.
I am looking forward to Vanning, & looking forward to meeting some of you at Meet-ups, etc. Where is the social life for us?
Regards,
Nina

 

[Tacojames]

Hi and welcome. I can tell you my black and Decker rice cooker is awesome. I make all kinds of meals with it. From rice to eggs or just a can of soup. Portable small and safe. No flame. Hopefully this will help. I recommend you watch YouTube cheap rv living. Lots of great information. Good luck.

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk

 

[DLTooley]

Starting out just camping out of your rig will help you sort a lot of this stuff out. Renogy makes a suitcase portable solar system that can be placed in the sun while you park in the sun. Driving to good weather is an easier strategy than either kerosene or a/c.

The newer lithium 'solar generators' such as the Suaoki brand on Amazon have a lot of built in functions and are simpler for a new user. The electrical capacity is smaller than typical solar installs, and certainly not enough for a/c.

 

[A Savage Adventure]

Welcome, Nina! Nice van!

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Nina to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. boy that is a bunch of questions. may I suggest to ask them individually in the appropriate sub forums. highdesertranger

 

[Dingfelder]

Welcome, Nina.

You can get some ideas on many of the things you talked about by looking through the specialized forums here. A lot of your questions about food and cooking are in that section, for instance. There are some very knowledgeable people in the forums here who can help you with other things like solar, too.

I'd suggest you just take your time and looking around casually so it doesn't become too overwhelming. It's a lot to take in all at once -- and even worse if you intend to actually remember some of it! Find a favorite topic, then go find some videos on it to make it a little more easy to visualize and understand. Go back and forth between the topics and videos as you find necessary.

To start you on your way, I got a HotLogic cooker, a slow cooker no bigger than the dish you'll put into it, which is I find a huge space saver. Plus it gives off almost no heat, which I like a lot. I even made pasta in it, just by adding all the ingredients, including dry pasta, and letting them cook overnight. They are mentioned in at least a couple of threads here in the food section, and they sell at Amazon and directly at the manufacturer's site, too, either with or without a cooking dish already supplied.

Don't be shy about flipping through the back pages, too. Some of the good things are buried a little further back.

 

[bpdchief]

Hello Nina,
Nice Chevrolet van... wish you much luck. Many Many people on here will give you a million answers to your questions

 

[user 15857]

I use a Thetford portable toilet, it has a battery powered flush and is easy to dump.

Be cautious about kerosene heaters, the problem is the flame is not visible to the eye and that can lead to bad things happening.  IMO any open flame type heater would not be good in a vehicle.  

Should I buy a fire & carbon monoxide detector?  YES!!!

A vent is almost a necessity for humidity reasons as well as fresh air. Ceiling vents are the usual choice, for ease of installation and it isn't blocked by things in the vehicle.

Nice van, keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Nina]

Starting out just camping out of your rig will help you sort a lot of this stuff out.  Renogy makes a suitcase portable solar system that can be placed in the sun while you park in the sun.  Driving to good weather is an easier strategy than either kerosene or a/c.

The newer lithium 'solar generators' such as the Suaoki brand on Amazon have a lot of built in functions and are simpler for a new user.  The electrical capacity is smaller than typical solar installs, and certainly not enough for a/c.

Thank you. That's the plan. Just get in it & see what I need & want as I go. Thank you <3 ~Nina

 

[DannyB1954]

I will try with your biggest question. You can install a second battery that is charged by your vehicles alternator via an electrical solenoid.
When your engine is running the solenoid closes and connects the second battery to your vehicle's electrical system and it charges that battery. When you shut off the vehicle the solenoid opens and disconnects it. You hook up all your electrical camping loads to the second battery. This way if it runs low, you will still be able to start your vehicle.

If you want to run 120 Volt AC devices, you install an inverter to that second battery. This will convert the 12 V DC to 120 AC. The inverter itself will use up some power in the process so for small systems it is sometimes better just to use 12 Volt DC appliances. If an appliance uses say 10 amps at 120 Volts, It will use 100 amps at 12 Volts. Electrical power is called Watts. Voltage times Amperage = Watts.

If the inverter is small and you are say charging your telephone it is not a big deal. If you want to run a heater or microwave, You would have to have an inverter large enough, and it would have to have heavy wires going to the battery and you would have to have a heavy duty charging system, ( like I first mentioned), and you would have to run your vehicle at the same time as the appliance so that the vehicle's alternator could supply the power.

Any heater that uses combustion will need ventilation. I don't know of a kerosene heater that would be small enough for a van. Kerosene stoves all put out a nasty odor in a small space. Most people opt for propane for heat. A smoke and Carbon Monoxide detector is definitely a good idea.

There are sections of this forum that deal with all of these issues. One of the easiest things to do would be to copy what others have already done. Youtube is a good place to get ideas. As far as I know there are no non electric air conditioners other than the one connected to your engine, and it still uses some electricity for the fan.

On batteries and where to put them. It is advised to have them in a ventilated area, but batteries don't really start giving off explosive gas, (hydrogen), until they are being over charged. Some cars like the VW Beetle used to put them under the rear seat and I never heard of the vehicle blowing up.

 

[Nina]

Hi and welcome. I can tell you my black and Decker rice cooker is awesome. I make all kinds of meals with it. From rice to eggs or just a can of soup. Portable small and safe. No flame. Hopefully this will help. I recommend you watch YouTube cheap rv living. Lots of great information. Good luck.

Sent from my LGLS775 using Tapatalk

Hi Tacojames
I've been playing with my rice cooker - thank you! Great & versatile idea. I appreciate you.

 

[Nina]

Welcome, Nina! Nice van!

Thank you so much

 

[Nina]

I use a Thetford portable toilet, it has a battery powered flush and is easy to dump.

Be cautious about kerosene heaters, the problem is the flame is not visible to the eye and that can lead to bad things happening.  IMO any open flame type heater would not be good in a vehicle.  

Should I buy a fire & carbon monoxide detector?  YES!!!

A vent is almost a necessity for humidity reasons as well as fresh air. Ceiling vents are the usual choice, for ease of installation and it isn't blocked by things in the vehicle.

Nice van, keep us posted on your progress!

 

[becida]

Go to www.cheaprvliving.com and do some reading, a lot of electricity questions are answered on the headings at the top of the page (this page too if you are on-line at the forum reading this).
Bob covered a bunch of stuff when he did his blog, you can search that there too.

Good luck!

 

[Bobflhtc]

Good luck on your new adventure. A word to the wise concerning a portable toilet. I met a lady earlier this year who had a toilet turn over in her van while she was driving. It rendered it unlivable and I'm not sure how she got it cleaned up as she left. I'm thinking you would have to pull the carpet and I'm not sure you could get the smell out all the while trying to live in it. Anyhow not a happy topic but one I thought was worth mentioning. I would keep it simple at first. Go to a Gathering/RTR and pick peoples brains. Most of us who have been on the road any length of time have figured it out (as humans we all have similar needs) and just speaking for myself I have way too much disposal time

 

[becida]

A word to the wise concerning a portable toilet. I met a lady earlier this year who had a toilet turn over in her van while she was driving.

I've used the Thetford "type" porta potty (square, with a solidly connected base/reservoir, 2 & 1/2 gallon, with the hand pump flusher) for several years with no problems.  I don't think the blackwater would leak out if it was inverted, the flusher seals really well.

Had a Coleman oval one for awhile, there was a problem. I tossed the carpet and the toilet ... went back to the square shaped old reliable one.

 

[Trebor English]

If several things line up you may have an alternative.  I have a minivan.  Space is at a premium.  I use very little electricity.    I upgraded my van starter battery to the biggest deep cycle battery that would fit in the original location.  That one step solves a bunch of issues.

It is under the hood.  Any fumes are outside.  I don't need a vented box.  

It is under the hood so I give up no space for it.

Maintenance is easy.  It is under the hood so checking the water is easy.

The alternator charges it.  There's no VSR or  solenoid or any of that.  When the engine runs the alternator charges the battery.  When the engine is off it stops charging.

If you use more electricity than you should you will reduce the battery life.  Mine's 2 years old and still works fine.  If you use more electricity than that you will need a jump start.  You shouldn't be doing that even with two batteries.  

It has been suggested to me that I should get one of those lithium jump start batteries.  I don't have one and have never neede a jump start.

This alternative is inexpensive.  You want a deep cycle battery anyway.  Just scale back to what fits easily.  

Any plan that depends on engine charging alone requires regular driving.  I like to stay in one spot for weeks at a time.  I have a 100 watt solar panel.  You could use a portable folding panel if you don't want a roof mount.  That is all the same with one battery or two.  

The only insurmountable is cold cranking amps.  I stay in Florida.  I never need zero degree cold cranking amps.  If you go to North Dakota in January you may not have enough cold cranking amps from the biggest deep cycle battery that would fit in the original location.  

I have a cell phone, netbook lap top, Maxxfan, LED lights, tiny low power fridge.  For a fridge you might want the 200 watt folding portable solar. 

This all assumes a strict electricity diet.  I cook with propane.  Nothing gets heated electrically.