Pre-building electric system

[Zythophile]

While I'm still a ways away from seriously starting a project, I intend to plan out as much of the whole thing as I can, without knowing exactly which vehicle I'll end up with as a base.

The electrical system is, best I can tell, one of those things where the design of the system is independent of the vehicle - i.e. the vehicle being used has no real bearing on what you can do.

So I've been pondering, if/when I get to the point soon where I decide "Yes I'm going to do this" but before really pulling the trigger on it, why not come up with a good plan on the electrical system, begin sourcing the equipment needed, and build it out... in my garage?

I figure since folks tend to attach all their equipment onto plywood boards anyway, why not do that on a large flat piece, freestanding in my garage, batteries set up on the floor right there, and make sure everything is working? If I sourced the solar panels I wanted, I could just set them outside in the sun to ensure proper function, pull them back in when done for security.

The trick would be testing the loads; part of this plan would be to source as much of the appliances/etc. I'd be planning to use. The refrigerator would be the prime candidate here, as it's the main constant draw in these systems, when present, as best I can tell. (If I'm wrong on that, please correct me!) I doubt I would end up accumulating every item that would be part of my desired electrical system, but I expect I could acquire inexpensive suitable substitutes, power-draw-wise, to throw in as surrogates to simulate the expected power usage.

I'd do up the wiring so that the wires that would be the longest - going from front to rear of the vehicle - I'd just cut those with some extra out of caution, coil them up, and attach them as I would in an actual install, so as not to waste materials on such a test install. Idea is to plan it all out well enough that everything used in the test install would be used in the real install (barring miscalculation on necessary wire lengths).

I know that doing it this way would not be a 100% (or even near 100%) accurate simulation of what the real-world performance would be; I figure I'd design things where whatever performance I'm seeing in a test install, I would plan on that being half what I would expect in the final product and in use - i.e. expect to use twice as much power in actual usage than in testing. Naturally I'd try and test for the best estimate of actual end use, but there's no way to know what that will be 'til it's all done and in use.

Please, by all means, shoot holes in my strategy; now's the time

 

[Qxxx]

This is just an alternative way to go. Depends on whether you are looking at a very large solar system with 500-1000W, or something more modest.

3 years ago, I spent a week wiring up the solar business in my van. But since then I bought a Yeti 1000 and have been tearing out the previous DIY build. For my modest needs, I wish I had gone this way from the start. YMMV.

 

[user 423]

It wouldn't hurt to do that. The controllers and fuse blocks are pretty much plug and play and specs should be available for everything you plan to power, so I'm not sure how useful it would be.

The main hassle for me was figuring where best to put things in the limited space available in my van. You have to work around the placement of other features like tanks, plumbing,storage,appliances,etc. You'd also want to keep in mind where the weight of batteries is best located. Then there's how to run the wires. Panel placement or the type you use comes into play. The type of roof on my van allowed me to just have one panel up there, so to meet my needs I had to add a portable.

Lots of variables depending on the type of vehicle you'll be putting the system in.

 

[Zythophile]

The primary reason I have in my head for doing this is for testing purposes. Making sure everything's working, that the system is pulling in the desired amount of juice, that the gear being powered is drawing the desired levels of juice and not something wildly unsustainable. It would be far easier to make changes/adjustments this way prior to doing a final install, especially if it came down to needing to use bigger gauge wiring in spots where, were you to figure this out mid-install or post-install, would be a PITA to deal with.

I would expect having everything out and in front of you would also aid in puzzling out the layout in the vehicle. Once could easily just mark off boxes on a big piece of ply to mount stuff, the boxes being the planned dimensions of the final mounting surfaces, to ensure things will fit with enough space. That would be a good time to find that no, your design really needs another two inches across, and that two inches will require pulling that space from something else, before you start cutting wood or 80/20s.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Make sure to incorporate voltage drop calculations into all of your wiring runs. Voltage drop is much more of a factor in DC systems than AC systems. You don't want to find out later that you didn't run a big enough wire for something.

 

[Zythophile]

Make sure to incorporate voltage drop calculations into all of your wiring runs. Voltage drop is much more of a factor in DC systems than AC systems. You don't want to find out later that you didn't run a big enough wire for something.

Like I said above, I'd ensure all the wiring used is as long as it would need to be installed in the cabin - or rather, a little longer than that in case of bad calculations, to avoid coming up short. I would expect to have specced out the correct gauge wiring at that point as well.

 

[highdesertranger]

that would be my concern. wasting wire. I don't like to cut things. once cut, it's cut there is no going back. same with rope. of course you can always splice it but a splice is never as good as no splice. highdesertranger

 

[maki2]

I can see that you are excited and just want to get started on your build so you can get it done faster. But you are trying to put the cart before the horse and in the long run it might cost you more money to try to build up an electrical system now before you have really studied what vehicle you are getting and how the space will best work. Right now doing deep research and identifying where you can purchase materials and creating generalized material list will save you time and money later on. Do stuff like decide which insulation you will get and from what supplier, what flooring you are going to use, What method of construction you will use for your cabinetry.

 

[Matlock]

I can appreciate wanting to acquire and assemble components for your system prior to the install. I did the same having time and space for doing just that.

My concern then, 5 years ago and still today is which system do I use. Which battery, how many panels, which charge controller at what amp and which 120V on-board charger. And, knowing that whatever I purchased would allow for component upgrade for increase capacity down the road (going from 2 GC 6V batteries to 4 as an example). It's a crapshoot unless your positive the power you buy today will meet tomorrows needs. In my case it did not.

I bought what I thought might work for a beginner setup. Later expansion be damned. I'll deal with it later if need be.

So, after 5 years I guessed right, mostly. What did I learn? I wanted a more compact simple system than the one I built. And I wanted more juice and charging options.

It would have been much easier, less stressful, if something like a Yeti 1000 lithium was being widely marketed. The accessory list includes solar/truck alternator and AC charging. All are available and, and... plug and play.

So last year I added to my rolling power plant a Yeti along with the accessories and am using my solar panels for charging both systems.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy making my own power but the learning curve sucked. If I were to do it all over again I'd buy a Battleborn and related components and skip lead acid.

 

[Matlock]

I wanted to add something about cooking and power. I have space for a microwave in my box truck and have added an induction cooktop too. Both are a welcome change from propane.
I do not rely on batteries to power these. I also carry a Honda 2200 generator. Beyond cooking, roughly every 4-5 days the honda is used to charge batteries if I've been parked and not charging with the alternator and or not much sunshine. I also use the honda to power a 900 watt space heater every so often to suck the moisture out of the interior that was produced by my Wave propane heater. It's nice to dry everything out once in a while.

just my 2¢

 

[ridgeway]

IMO you are over thinking the job and going at it from the wrong direction.

Tens of thousands of people have built mobile solar charging systems. No need try to “reinvent the wheel” in the end you will end up with the same wheel.
With a van you only have so much space for panels and batteries,this will be your limitation.

If you collect an assortment of appliances and try to run them you will be limited to your system size.

 

[abnorm]

I once built a Battery Box with an attached "wall" at the rear doors...............The Nomad had a window van and this allowed her to assemble the primary solar components in a single location without someone IN her van/stuff

and the distribution wires were routed to the board and wired to a fuseblock..........


I use a lot of 120 volt equipment............I used a Kil-A-Watt to determine the actual usage .......

 

[Weight]

It is a great way to teach yourself about RV (van) electricity. It will cost money. But if I count all the changes I have made in my van after first building it. Well, that cost more money. And I didn't always make the right choice building it into the van. Get as much 12 volt appliances as you can. Thinking of the fridge. 12 volt Danflos compressor.

 

[Zythophile]

I can see that you are excited and just want to get started on your build so you can get it done faster. But you are trying to put the cart before the horse and in the long run it might cost you more money to try to build up an electrical system now before you have really studied what vehicle you are getting and how the space will best work. Right now doing deep research and identifying where you can purchase materials and creating generalized material list will save you time and money later on. Do stuff like decide which insulation you will get and from what supplier, what flooring you are going to use, What method of construction you will use for your cabinetry.

Oh, I'm not planning to do this immediately, or even in the near future. I'm not taking any steps until I know I'm going to follow through. This whole idea is not so much a "do it months in advance" thing, more maybe days/weeks ahead of that phase of a buildout, and as a precautionary strategy, to find/solve problems prior to doing the actual install.

I'm doing exactly what you suggest, though - lots of research, making lists, saving URLs. I intend to be very methodical. There's always going to be aspects where one has to change tack unexpectedly; I'm hoping to keep these adjustments to a minimum.

 

[Zythophile]

If you collect an assortment of appliances and try to run them you will be limited to your system size.

My thoughts are to have the electric system all planned out in advance; all the devices I intend to install, all the voltages/amps calculated out, all the necessary wire gauges etc. All this topic is about is basically doing a test setup, outside of the vehicle in an environment where its far easier to deal with, to ensure everything functions correctly before installing it all in the vehicle, so that any problems that crop up can be solved ahead of the final install.

This isn't about "oh let's try this and let's try that" experimentation, like buying three fridges and trying them out one at a time