NV200 S

[ipahme]

Hello all,

I have a brand new Nissan NV200 S, and I want to start to plan out how I'm going to convert this. I was wondering the steps. I do want to get power from portable solar panel, as well as have the van charge batteries when running. I want a refillable fresh water tank and grey water tank. I definitely want insulation and paneling. My questions is with all the wiring, plumbing, etc what order should I do things in? 

Do I do insulation, flooring and paneling, then worry about wiring and plumbing, do wiring and plumbing first, etc.

Many thanks.

 

[Yogidog]

Nice

 

[Reducto]

Nice! I have the same van, it's a bit cramped but I have enough room for everything. I don't have a gray water tank - if you find suitable tanks for underneath please let me know!

I'd recommend floor first, then major wiring (solar, alternator to cabin batteries) then ceiling/walls, then furniture/storage, then secondary wiring such as lights. I would leave secondary wiring and plumbing for last because it's what will tend to get changed around a lot in the future and you want it to be accessible. You could do it before walls and such if you build in access of some sort.

 

[Almost There]

Hello all,

I have a brand new Nissan NV200 S, and I want to start to plan out how I'm going to convert this. I was wondering the steps. I do want to get power from portable solar panel, as well as have the van charge batteries when running. I want a refillable fresh water tank and grey water tank. I definitely want insulation and paneling. My questions is with all the wiring, plumbing, etc what order should I do things in? 

Do I do insulation, flooring and paneling, then worry about wiring and plumbing, do wiring and plumbing first, etc.

Many thanks.

It's really all a matter of planning.

Definitely insulate first but if you're putting in a roof vent then it could better go in before you do the insulation. No point in putting in the floor if you're going to have to lift it to drill holes in the vans' metal floor to run plumbing to your holding tank. Roughing in the wiring probably needs to be done before you finish the walls but if your wiring is running across the van, say under the bed then you can't run the wires until the bed is built..see where I'm going with this.

It's all integrated, the best plan is to plan very carefully and understand that you will need to do parts of some components at various stages. When building houses, the carpenters, plumbers, electricians etc. all have to co-operate so that each does the appropriate stage of their installation at the right time. Since you're being all the workers rolled in to one, at least you don't have to wait on anyone but yourself....

Short of it is, you have to worry about all of it all at once...

 

[ipahme]

I could use a good guide about what batteries to get safe enough to put inside of van, how to hook it up to the van so they are charged while van is running, and also how to charge them via solar, or to charge them hooking up to a house.

Also do the water tank have to be bellow the van? I'm not really sure how I would secure those. Any guide for things of that nature. Long as I have a guide, I feel I can do about anything. 

My main concern, living in Phoenix, is taking the edge off the heat. I can have van parked under covered parking all day, only have to find a place to park and sleep at night. But night time can still reach the 100's.

 

[ipahme]

@Reducto

No need to drill a hole in the bottom of the bed, there is already one there! Right under the drivers side chair, if you look under the van, there is a rubber stopper, if you push up through that hole, you'll see the rubber mat move, so there is already a decent sized hole going right into the cab. Also near there under the body is a decent space about 1 foot wide by 2 feet long by 7-8 inches deep. Perhaps that would work as a grey water tank location?

 

[highdesertranger]

hahaha plumbers, electricians, and carpenters all cooperating hahaha. good one, not around here. the electrical and plumbing should be roughed-in first. because the paneling will cover it. you should build it so you have access to these. so if you plan right you could do the insulation and paneling first and include the access. hope that's clear as mud. highdesertranger

 

[ipahme]

Also as far as insulation I was thinking Jute against the metal walls and then Reflectix, then flooring or panelling. Does that sound right?

 

[highdesertranger]

jute hold moisture. if it was me I would avoid it. highdesertranger

 

[ipahme]

I was going based on the information here:

http://camperize.com/insulation.html

It seems I want to put something between the reflectix and the metal wall of the van.

 

[highdesertranger]

I read the camperize article on jute. I cannot agree with it dries out fast. yes it is used in cars probably because it's cheap, but I am saying it absorbs moisture. take a piece of jute, throw in a bucket of water, it will absorb water and sink. then pull it out it will fall apart. now do that with polysiro(sp), it will float, will not absorb any water. I removed the jute in my truck and replaced it with closed cell foam(Ensolite). Ensolite is a excellent insulation pad and will not absorb moisture. it will float in the bucket test. Ensolite is the closed cell foam that backpacking sleeping pads used to be made of. highdesertranger

 

[Almost There]

Also as far as insulation I was thinking Jute against the metal walls and then Reflectix, then flooring or panelling. Does that sound right?

Jute doesn't do a thing AFAIK for either insulation or sound deadening. Not sure why you would want to use it.

If you want to use reflectix for heat barrier (it has limited insulation value), then you absolutely need to provide a dead air gap between it and the van wall or it will be a waste of time and money.

I used 5/16" bubble wrap to create the dead air space.

I  cut the 48" wide reflectix to fit between the ribs, made sure I had the 'wall' side of the cut reflectix right side up (don't ask... ) then used 3M Super 77 spray to glue the bubble wrap to it. Trim the excess bubble wrap away and then installed the two layer panel with metal tape.

I detailed the build on my van, link https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Building-Arabella

 

[ipahme]

@Almost There

What is wall side, does Reflectix have two different sides? 3M Super 77 spray the bubble wrap to Reflectix, not to wall, you you'r not affixing the bubble wrap side to actual wall, just holding it in place with tape? I live in Phoenix, Arizona so I need both to prevent heat from getting in during the summer, as well as insulation during winters. Is bubble wrap and Reflectix enough, or do I need another layer of something?

PS: Loved your build thread.

 

[Almost There]

@Almost There

What is wall side, does Reflectix have two different sides?  3M Super 77 spray the bubble wrap to Reflectix, not to wall, you you'r not affixing the bubble wrap side to actual wall, just holding it in place with tape? I live in Phoenix, Arizona so I need both to prevent heat from getting in during the summer, as well as insulation during winters. Is bubble wrap and Reflectix enough, or do I need another layer of something?

PS: Loved your build thread.

The reflectix is the same on both sides but when you carefully pattern a panel to fit and then lay it out on the work table to apply the bubble wrap, it's important to keep track of which side of the panel is which. It's way too easy to end up with the bubble wrap glued to the side of the reflectix that is NOT going to be up against the wall of the van. Trust me..BTDT... :blush: 

And yes, I saw no reason to glue the bubble wrap/reflectix panel to the wall of the van, I was going to be taping it in place anyways with the metal tape.

I didn't add polyiso insulation to the van for a couple of reasons...the most important one being that I wasn't able to obtain 1/2 or even 1" thick panels of it in Ontario...no how, no way, no where! The second reason is that I move with the weather and I was more concerned about keeping heat out than keeping heat in....so far this winter, it's worked well for me but since you will need all weather protection, you might want to think about doing the reflectix for heat reduction and then a layer of polyiso for cold weather insulation.

 

[ipahme]

The reflectix is the same on both sides but when you carefully pattern a panel to fit and then lay it out on the work table to apply the bubble wrap, it's important to keep track of which side of the panel is which. It's way too easy to end up with the bubble wrap glued to the side of the reflectix that is NOT going to be up against the wall of the van. Trust me..BTDT... :blush: 

And yes, I saw no reason to glue the bubble wrap/reflectix panel to the wall of the van, I was going to be taping it in place anyways with the metal tape.

I didn't add polyiso insulation to the van for a couple of reasons...the most important one being that I wasn't able to obtain 1/2 or even 1" thick panels of it in Ontario...no how, no way, no where! The second reason is that I move with the weather and I was more concerned about keeping heat out than keeping heat in....so far this winter, it's worked well for me but since you will need all weather protection, you might want to think about doing the reflectix for heat reduction and then a layer of polyiso for cold weather insulation.

How should I sandwich that? Bubble - Reflectix - Polyiso?

 

[Almost There]

How should I sandwich that? Bubble - Reflectix - Polyiso?

Yes!

But do the bubblewrap/reflectix as one install and then polyiso as a second round of insulation.

 

[ipahme]

I don't put something else between the Polyiso and the van walls/floor/ceiling, etc?

 

[ipahme]

Think I'm going to do the floor first, then ceiling, then the walls between them.

 

[glworden]

I just bought the same van and am having some of the same considerations.  I will probably go simpler than you as far as gray tanks and integrated water.t

I am reading a lot about insulation and am pretty much deciding not to do spray foam.  I just started a thread on WHY.  Also, Reflectix is not really the best for vehicles.  There are other automotive-specific products that are better.  I might be looking for something cellulose based.

As for electric, the guy at Recon Campers puts his battery under the passenger seat.  I asked him about solar and he said unnecessary since the NV200 has a great alternator that requires infrequent running to keep an auxillary battery charged.  Will you have a fridge?  That is the big energy draw.

I want a ceiling vent and sliding RV windows on the sliding door panels.  Do you have any insight on where or how to get those two things?

Are you putting a rack on?  What are you deciding?  With the fixed attachment points, I am concerned about fitting accessories.  

I would like a bike rack on the back.  A swing-out hitch rack might work, although those are iffy and expensive.  A door-mounted rack might be better if I could be confident of the installation.

If you haven't done it already, I would suggest you look at Reconcampers.com to see the conversions he does.  Too expensive for me, but nice.  Stephen is easy to talk to and shared a lot of info.  The NV200 is a very popular conversion van in Europe and there are a lot of pages in the UK about it.

Gary

 

[glworden]

I could use a good guide about what batteries to get safe enough to put inside of van, how to hook it up to the van so they are charged while van is running, and also how to charge them via solar, or to charge them hooking up to a house.

Also do the water tank have to be bellow the van? I'm not really sure how I would secure those. Any guide for things of that nature. Long as I have a guide, I feel I can do about anything. 

My main concern, living in Phoenix, is taking the edge off the heat. I can have van parked under covered parking all day, only have to find a place to park and sleep at night. But night time can still reach the 100's.

 You want AGM deep-cycle batteries.  They are sealed.  You can tip and store on the side and they don't need to be vented.  Look for a smart battery.  There are smart controllers or solenoids you can hook up under the hood to charge your aux battery while engine is running without draining starter battery while sitting.  If you do this, you probably don't really need solar.  To charge from house, just get a smart battery charger/minder.    Lithium batteries might be another choice but they are very expensive.

Putting water tanks below the van gets complicated.  Just build a removable grey tank into cabinet.  Treat it like camping, not like a motor home.