First van build on a budget

[rbirch333]

Hello my name is Bob Birch and i get to build my first van after my other van didnt work out for me last year.  Anyway I'm a wildland firefighter in California so my summer is pretty much booked up, but in the winter my wife and I rock climb and mountain bike and get out for 3 day weekends about every other weekend.  So now I have the van and the skills to build it, just confused on what I should do about electrical as I dont have a lot of funds to put into it right now, and want to go a little cheap while I learn what I really want.  

So the end goal is it have a nice solar setup and with some nice batteries.  But for now just to get the ball rolling I will only be running and Maxxair and  some  LED lights, those are the only mandatory things I need to get power to, I would also like to charge my laptop for a movie at night, so maybe 1 charge on the laptop.  the Maxxair runs about 2.2 amps on full power and I would run it maybe a couple hours a day at most.

So to get this done on the cheap I was thinking this universal battery from amazon Universal AGM and was thinking I can just charge it at home with a smart battery tender, can anyone recommend a good tender Im a bit lost on which one i should be looking at.  I would also like to get an inverter for the laptop, again can someone recommend a decent inverter to get the job done.  I would also like to run the fan and LED lights to a fuse box, and again not sure which one I should be looking at.

Thank you very much for looking at my post, and your input.

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

I haven't had time to do electrical in my van either. My power requirements have been pretty low last. Few times I've taken it out. Used the dome lights for lighting. I used a cheap $29 Harbor frieght 400 watt inverter for the laptop and small fan.

To power it I used two junkyard car batteries ($30 each) that I charged up at home before I left. 

This is very basic and cheap. About $100 to be fairly comfortable on some weekend trips.

 

[tx2sturgis]

For the very minimal system you need right now:

A small solar panel (around 50 to 100 watts) and inexpensive PWM controller, charging your van's starter battery, should make all the power you currently need.

I would not buy a large deep cycle battery unless you plan to provide a solar or generator system (or both) to charge it in the field. If you deplete that battery out there camping and then its gonna be 2 or 3 days or more before you can get it home and re-charge it, that battery might end up having a very short service life.

On the other hand, the standard battery you already have can do double duty for your very minimal usage as you have described it. My van is setup similar, for week-end to week-long getaways, two starter batteries, a 45 watt panel to balance parasitic loads, and an additional 120 watt panel and RV/marine battery to run ham radio when camped. But the fantastic fan and laptop/smartphone charging is from the two starter batteries and 45 watt panel.

For your laptop, try to find a 'car charger' for it on ebay, they are usually around $20 or so, and you might not even need that inverter. Charge it during times of full sunlight and your van battery will still get some surplus charge from your panel.

I don't have powered refrigeration in the van so my solar needs are also fairly modest.

And thanks for your service out there...stay safe!

 

[Trebor English]

I dont have a lot of funds to put into it right now, and want to go a little cheap while I learn what I really want.  

Snip . . .

I can just charge it at home with a smart battery tender, can anyone recommend a good tender Im a bit lost on which one i should be looking at. 

It has been suggested here in the past to get a "learning battery" that is less expensive.  You can make a battery killing mistake and it will cost less.  If you can't make it last over a year you still need a learning battery.  The one you have linked is almost the price of a 200 amp hour pair of 6 volt golf cart batteries.  

For a 100 amp hour battery you want a charger that can put out at least 10 amps.  Most battery maintainers and tenders only put out a fraction of an amp and are designed to keep up an already charged battery.

 

[John61CT]

2x Duracell 6V GCs from Sam's or Batteries+, best value by far, very robust stand up to noobie abuse.

Get a proper 30A+ charger.

 

[UmpquaTim]

I'll throw this option out there just for consideration. I purchased two used 12v 210aH Lifeline batteries for $250 from a guy just north of me that does this for a living. Included is a 1 yr warranty. If you know anything about these batteries, the retail is about $540 each. I'm sure there are plenty of horror stories about used batteries, but in my case, it's been great. 420ah for $250 is a steal and I'd imagine $125 for 210 ah would be a great place to start too.

-T

 

[sometimesido]

https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sligc110

this one correct?

 

[frater secessus]

For the very minimal system you need right now:
A small solar panel (around 50 to 100 watts) and inexpensive PWM controller, charging your van's starter battery, should make all the power you currently need.

Agreed. 

I think we will get nay-sayed for it but it's probably the kind of minimal system that gets power in peoples' vehicles now, and for cheap. I've been running an experiment on it for a couple of months, using a starter battery, $10 controller, and some crappy nearly dead HF panels. 

The battery stays fully charged and I am running loads for several hours a day.

 

[John61CT]

> this one correct?

That's fine, also there are slightly higher AH ones, maybe at Sam's.

If you're OCD, check a higher AH one weighs more, get the one higher weight per AH.

Long as Duracell, golf car 6V and flooded you're fine.

Don't get their sealed or AGM.

 

[John61CT]

> small solar panel (around 50 to 100 watts) and inexpensive PWM controller, charging your van's starter battery

Fine, as long as you ensure not discharging below ability to crank out in the boonies (jumpstart powerpak)

And realize you'll likely consume your Starter batt, reduce its capacity, pretty quickly

At which point IMO best minimal setup is then fitting a "split bank" of matching true deep cycle, splitting off one 12V block of it with an adjustable LVD( low-voltage cutout) to preserve its ability to crank. Plus a jump-starter powerpak for belt and suspenders if remote boondocking.

Rather than going back to dedicated Starter batt.

Some vehicles could fit everything under the hood.

 

[akrvbob]

Will you diligently keep a flooded wet cell battery full of water? If not, it's already doomed no matter how you charge it. I'd suggest buying the cheapest AGM you can find with the best warranty as a starter battery. Probably a Duracell from Sams Club or Batteries Plus.

Actually, if you will keep it full of water, with your basic needs I'd get a 100-watt Renogy kit and a Walmart group 29 marine.

 

[DLTooley]

I've had a good experience with a 50-100 watt panel and a Walmart Marine. I am now attempting to run a 12v freezer but that is tricky. Charging your laptop in the afternoon after your battery is mostly charged will reduce the demand on it.

 

[rbirch333]

Thanks for all the advice.  The van I bought has a second area for a gas pump that they used to fill there carpet cleaning equipment on the inside, so Im thinking i can remove the gas cap on it and use that as a vent for a marine battery.  

So Im thinking of this marine battery https://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Maxx-24DC-Marine-RV-Deep-Cycle-Battery/139801236

And this solar setup.  https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts...UTF8&qid=1508074193&sr=8-3&keywords=solar+kit

Thanks again for this help

 

[tx2sturgis]

Fine, as long as you ensure not discharging below ability to crank out in the boonies (jumpstart powerpak)

And realize you'll likely consume your Starter batt, reduce its capacity, pretty quickly

[snip]

Some vehicles could fit everything under the hood.

Yes, a backup plan is always a good idea. Jumpstart pack, generator, something.

But, re-capping the conditions the OP is operating under: About 2 weekends a month, for 2 or 3 days, some light usage of a roof fan, some LED lighting, charging a laptop probably once a day.

This will not shorten the life of a good starter battery, as long as there is a solar panel able to replenish the battery daily. Mine has been operating in a similar fashion for years.

5 years is more or less the life of a starter battery anyway.

And again, most modern vans have almost zero extra room under the hood for mounting anything more than a solenoid or relay...extra batteries? Forget about it.

I mounted my parallel battery on a simple battery tray that I sketched out and had built, and it mounts under the van body, attached to the frame.

 

[John61CT]

Yes I agree such minor loads, and such infrequent usage allows for sticking with one good battery only.

If remote still say bring a jumper pack just in case.

A very rare case for me to concede a "dual use" not true deep cycling will do.

But if I was getting only one (after current Starter died) I'd save up for if AGM Odyssey 34R-PC1500T, maybe XS Power D3400, or if flooded Trojan Trojan T1275

Rather than settling for something like Optima.

But that's me, I find it hard imagining sticking to such low usage, I go nowhere without laptop and tunes, and nearly always have to run a fan.

 

[tx2sturgis]

So Im thinking of this marine battery...

And this solar setup...

Yep...for around $300 and change that system will do what you want, and it can be added to later on with no loss of money invested to this point.

You will need cables and fuses to the battery, some kind of mount or bracket for the battery, possibly a battery box, maybe a fuse panel for accessories...misc supplies like zip ties and tape, connectors, etc.

So for around $400 total that will be a nice setup and do what you want it to do. My portable system is similar, and it can run my ham radios all day long during sunlight and deep into the night. Plus the RV/marine battery I have in a box with controller can also jump start other vehicles...I've done that three times already!

Of course my van has its own solar charging system, but its nice to know I have a backup if needed...actually I keep a small generator and battery charger on board all the time so I have two backup plans.

 

[tx2sturgis]

You will need cables and fuses to the battery

Correction:

I read further and that listing shows 8 ft of 10AWG cable included for controller to battery. I believe you will still need an inline fuse holder, unless that is also included with the cable.

 

[rbirch333]

Well Walmart doest have the group 29 in stock and they couldn't tell me when it would be in they only had a group 24.

So I think I'm going with this battery

I'm looking ffor a fuse panel for thelights fan and probably Inverter For the Laptop.  anyone recommend one

 

[highdesertranger]

for fuse panels go with Blue Sea,

https://www.bluesea.com/products/category/16/Fuse_Blocks

find the one you want a do a search for that part number. you will find it considerably cheaper then on the Blue Sea website. highdesertranger

 

[HumbleBeginnings]

If you are only running LEDs and a fan, and only for three-day weekends, you don't need solar at all. I would get a cheap AGM (for simplicity/peace of mind) and connect it to a Blue Sea fuse block as mentioned above (I prefer the blocks with grounds, and definitely get one with a cover). I'm guessing even a 50Ah battery might work for your situation, but 100Ah would for sure. 

If you get a charger for home you'll be good to go. Or, you could add a battery isolator and charge while you're driving. But really for your current power needs I would say don't even spend the money on that. Leave your systems totally separate/isolated until your power needs (draw or duration) change.