I need help!!!

[bandaidqueen]

Hello friends. So, I've been working on my van (a basic 2000 Ford Econoline E250) but haven't gotten very far. I have two jobs, on full-time and one on weekends, but even with both of them together I don't make enough to get my own place here in the Atlanta area (hence, #vanlife for me). I've managed the past 4 years by renting rooms, usually from friends, but each time the situation has dried up and I'm forced to move at the last minute with nowhere to go and desperately trying to find a new place. I'm sick of that so I got a (cheap!) van to build into a tiny home but now the same situation has reared its ugly head YET AGAIN!!! I have to move out of my current place ASAP and I have done VERY little work to prepare my van to be my home. My van has a floor and a fraction of the insulation work done. Currently I have 10 sheets of polyiso stacked in the van, and 6 sheets of lauan plywood (which will eventually become the walls and ceiling), and a handful of other building materials. I need to find a place to store the building materials - maybe I can find an unused closet at work??? That will be difficult though. I can toss a cheap cot from Wal-Mart into the back, or even sleep on the wood floor, but I am most concerned because my van has NOOOOO windows, no air circulation. It's a super-basic panel van, I don't even have rear windows (and no rearview mirror!). I will literally COOK in this van with no air circulation. This is Hot-lanta after all! Both my jobs are low-paying, they're not terrible but if I had a better job (or jobs) I wouldn't have needed a van in the first place. How can I get my van bearable to live in during hot-lanta summer with almost no money???
Here's the most recent picture of my van (yes, that's my fat ass laying there exhausted after putting in the floor): 

 

[bandaidqueen]

I'm planning to put a fantastic fan in somewhere towards the rear where I'll have the bed, and a vent towards the front but behind the seats, so air will circulate in the main cabin. The van came with a bulkhead (door included! yay!) which I'll eventually put back in. But the fan requires POWER, which requires putting a whole solar/battery system in place, and I have NO CLUE about any of that, and it's also a bit expensive so it will take a little bit of time to gather the money to do this. I DO have a small car (2002 Honda Civic with a lot of miles and busted radiator) that I'm trying to fix up and sell, so I'm trying to get money together to fix/sell the car AND make the van survivable over the summer all at the same time --- ugh too much stress! Anyway, ANY input whatsoever is appreciated. Thanks you guys for your help.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums bandaidqueen! No matter what Atlanta in the summer is going to be hot. Is there any possibility of parking overnight where you work and running an extension cord for a fan? Do you have any friends with driveway space that will allow you to use some electricity? A fantastic fan and a vent will make it much more comfortable. Save as much as possible and make that your priority. You won't need a large solar system to run a fan so start small with what you can afford now.

There are a ton of Walmarts in the Atlanta area and some of them allow overnight stays. Stay in the air-conditioned stores until you go to bed. Move from location to location so that you don't attract attention. https://www.allstays.com/c/walmart-georgia-locations-map.htm

Good luck! let us know how it all works out for you.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[user 423]

Get a pair of window vent visors. Let's you crack your windows an 1" or more without letting rain in:

https://www.amazon.com/Auto-Ventsha...=B000JKOS68&psc=1&refRID=GB40AMV1C48DKCG5E5EE

Since you have a bare ceiling, it would be pretty easy to install a roof vent with a $15 jigsaw.  Not as good as a powered fan but it would help a lot with ventilation. That will help you for now:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PRMRX...&colid=9KCQ008LIXN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

The ones with a metal lid will last longer than the plastic versions but are more expensive. Check at  RV supply in your area:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0751YK8N5/ref=dp_cerb_3

Also:

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Univer...EMVT59S446KP7EH7&pd_rd_w=LamZa&pd_rd_wg=KL7v0

Walmart has small USB powered fans that will keep you cool and wouldn't use much battery:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/QVS-Port...hguid=c3c08268-40b-16c00b12047c4f&athena=true

I just bought one of these to help stay cool:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/O2cool-8...d-Water-misting-Fan-Colors-May-Vary/364933650

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

Maxxair fan's are better than fantastic fans because they can be left open even when it is raining due to their design.  After getting caught in a muggy rainy night with my old camper and couldn't get any air flow when I got home I ranted on a forum and someone sent me a link about the Maxxair fan's.  I installed mine in Dobby last month and it is open all the time and we have had a ton of rain...not a drop inside.

 

[B and C]

My van came with a fantastic vent so I just got a cheap camco rain cover for it. I don't leave the vent open for storage. The dirt still gets in (not rain) if the fan is not on blowing out.

 

[maki2]

My van came with a fantastic vent so I just got a cheap camco rain cover for it.  I don't leave the vent open for storage.  The dirt still gets in (not rain) if the fan is not on blowing out.

Dirt getting in is why it is nice to have a vent cover combined with a filter.

 

[B and C]

What vent fan has a filter? All I have ever seen have just a screen.

 

[bullfrog]

Try finding a private garage or driveway with a power outlet to rent and mount a small window unit in the rollup window. Some storage places may let you rent a space with a power outlet or even hire you for night security. Staying cool in the humid south is almost impossible without AC. Maybe take a class at a college that offers a dorm room and work on the van in the parking lot with a parking permit.

 

[jonyjoe303]

You at least got your rear windows insulated, that is a big help in keeping the heat out. Now start installing your foam insulation on your walls. The fastest way is to use a hot gluegun. Cut your foam into small sections 1 foot by 1 foot and install, like a jigsaw puzzle doesnt have to be perfect, I eyeball the dimensions and cut them. The important thing is don't leave any gaps. The reason you want to cut small sections is hotglue drys quickly(minutes). You be surprise how quickly you can get done with hotglue. 

Instead of roof vent, do side vents, its all I use. Cordless jigsaw with battery cost 30 dollar at harbor freight to cut the hole. On the roof just install the foam insulation temporary, you need to remove later to drill 4 holes for solar panel. 

Build a sliding door to isolate front of van from the back. Its the only way to keep all that heat out. Your van is perfect to work on, no seats, baremetal on the walls. Hotglue sticks perfect to metal. You just got to figure out where you going to put your vents in and cut the holes. 

Where I'm at the humidity has been in the 70's lately, very hot days, but my small 3 amp swampcooler has been doing a good job keeping me cool. That might be something to consider, regular fans just won't cut it on a hot day, and AC requires too much power. With my 240 watt panel I can run 4 of my swampcoolers at the same time. But you need the back of your van to be very well insulated. I got 3 inches of foam on my roof. With hotglue you can stack the foam, I started with 1/2 inch, then added another layer, I kept hotglueing more foam until i stop feeling heat coming in. Use an IR thermometer to look for hotspots and add more foam.

This is the hotglue gun I use, its not too hot to melt the foam. You can buy 5 pounds of glue sticks on ebay for 20 dollars.
surebonder dt-360f cost about 20 dollars


This is the back of my van totally isolated from the front. Front of the van can be 145 degrees, the back will be 90 degrees. Its still hot but I can stay in my van all day long park in the sun with only my swampcooler running. The swampcooler blows out air in the 80's which isn't AC but its cool enough.

 

[Kaylee]

Try finding a private garage or driveway with a power outlet to rent and mount a small window unit in the rollup window. Some storage places may let you rent a space with a power outlet or even hire you for night security. Staying cool in the humid south is almost impossible without AC.

^^This.

I'm a thousand miles north of you, have a roof fan & side vents, and I'm baking during the worst heat & humidity.

If you find something like what Bullfrog suggested, or other temporary housing, just for the summer, then you can focus on your build during the fall & winter.
You'll be much happier, and enjoy the build if you're not fighting against the elements.
Extreme heat kills hundreds each year.
High heat & humidity are just miserable.
Please be kind to yourself.

P.S. Great pic of your van! You've done a great job, and it's already starting to look like a Home.
You'll get there.

 

[bandaidqueen]

Thanks for all the input! I work during the day, so don't have to worry about keeping the van cool during the day. It's just the nights which I think will be okay. I can survive heat, it's the cold that gets me. The room where I'm sleeping now is really hot, the AC isn't working properly, and I'm okay although uncomfortable. I honestly think my van will be cooler than the room I'm leaving once I get the fan and vent installed. I have a week and a half to get moved out of my room. And my sister is coming all the way from Charleston just to help me with the van over the weekend (in a week and a half), she's bringing all kinds of tools. I work every day until then but I'll try to do what I can in the evening, and whatever my sister and I can't finish during the weekend I can leave those supplies with family. Pretty sure I can get someone at work to help with the vent/fan when I get enough money to purchase one, there is a fab shop back there and they're cutting through metal all day long. It was just stressful going from having a month and a half to get into the van to a week and a half. But I think it's for the best! Excited to start the next adventure!

 

[RoamerRV428]

as stressful as it seems right now on ya and it is , you do have wonderful new adventures in life coming your way...options will open up for you I hope and all falls into a great place!! Keep looking forward, not what you are leaving behind....

 

[Kaylee]

Just took a look at your forecast for the next month and a half, and yes, it may be doable.
Just be aware that it's typically 10 to 20 degrees hotter in a van, even with ventilation.
You're probably a lot more heat tolerant than I am.
I still recommend having some potential backups, even if it's just a friend to crash at for a night or two.

Your sister rocks.
Bravo for working some place where you can probably get conversion help, too.

Please post pics when the work is done, I really enjoyed your one above.

My sympathies on your housing hell!
I went thru more than a decade of terrible housing (with some truly evil landlords), before taking the vehicle dweller plunge. It's often challenging, but I (mostly) feel more in control than I did during the previous decade, and I'm getting more done on average.

 

[Graceful585]

Love your floor and makes it easier for you to move in a cot and some totes with your belongings. You got some great suggestions above which should help you tremendously and remember the library is a great place to get out if the heat and off you a bit of a respite Keep up the great work! You will prevail!!