Van build progress

[Dawnking]

Started the build out on van and wanted to post some pix.
First up is the hole I cut for the fantastic fan.

 

[Dawnking]

Next is pix of fan in place, this was a huge accomplishment for me, as I am not much of a handyman/craftsman.

 

[Dawnking]

I then insulated the walls and ceiling with 1 inch pink poly iso and then moved on to sub floor.  Used 3/4 inch plywood.
Then got some engineered vinyl flooring and have started laying this in.
When floor is done i will get the house electric system squared away.  The electric part is the hardest for me and may enlist the help of local RV place to help me.

 

[BradKW]

Moving right along and looking good!

Unless you know someone at that RV shop personally, you should at least spend the time learning what you want, what components you want used, and what it should look like done right...

 

[Dawnking]

Moving right along and looking good!

Unless you know someone at that RV shop personally, you should at least spend the time learning what you want, what components you want used, and what it should look like done right...

Thanks Brad, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the electric.
Would like AGM batteries, at least 200 AH.
Would like to power the following:
Have a Whynter 45Q fridge.
Coffee maker
Blender
The Fantastic Fan
DVD player
Be able to charge laptop, phone
Also want to have a continuous duty solenoid for on the road charging.
No plans for solar at this time.

The whole fuse box thing and how to wire it all in is beyond me, even though I have spent a lot of time trying to figure it all out.

 

[masterplumber]

Use a Nutri bullet for the blender. They work well, draw less power then the regular blenders, and can be pulsed a few times instead of running steady. By doing that the don't really draw much of anything off your battery bank and still chop up and blend everything you can put in there.

 

[user 37446]

If you dont already know, the little (Walmart) 4 or 5 cup coffee makers draw the least if you want drip.   Oh, your build is looking nice by the way.

Get a modified sine wave inverter if you aren't going to use a laptop on ac, the MSW is a lot less $ than pure sine wave and I dont think the coffeemaker will care too much.  Go for a well rated 1,000 watt to handle the small coffeemaker draw.

You can always go to a car stereo shop and have them do the electrical, they are used to wiring up giant speaker setups in the backs or trunks of vehicles so they should understand the alternator wiring, fusing, solenoid and battery needs.
Do yourself a favor and read on the electrical subforum to be knowledgeable as far as wiring sizes, return grounds, fuse size, etc...

I think your vehicle choice is great, many would love something brand new...
Nice that a google search doesnt bring anything up on "Chevy battery management system". Fords have that pain in the @ss system in their vehicles since 2011. 

All in all you are doing just fine... 

 

[Dawnking]

If you dont already know, the little (Walmart) 4 or 5 cup coffee makers draw the least if you want drip.   Oh, your build is looking nice by the way.

Get a modified sine wave inverter if you aren't going to use a laptop on ac, the MSW is a lot less $ than pure sine wave and I dont think the coffeemaker will care too much.  Go for a well rated 1,000 watt to handle the small coffeemaker draw.

You can always go to a car stereo shop and have them do the electrical, they are used to wiring up giant speaker setups in the backs or trunks of vehicles so they should understand the alternator wiring, fusing, solenoid and battery needs.
Do yourself a favor and read on the electrical subforum to be knowledgeable as far as wiring sizes, return grounds, fuse size, etc...

I think your vehicle choice is great, many would love something brand new...
Nice that a google search doesnt bring anything up on "Chevy battery management system". Fords have that pain in the @ss system in their vehicles since 2011. 

All in all you are doing just fine... 

This World, 
Thanks so much for your post, this is why I am so hopeful about the future and being apart of this forum is truly wonderful!
Got the floor pretty much done today.
Next up is the electrical system and then the walls and ceiling.  Lowes has some beadboard 8x5 that is 1/4 inch and I really like it.

 

[rvpopeye]

Lookin' good so far!
Ask all your electrical questions on here and you will have to learn to swim there will be so many responses.

 

[DannyB1954]

May not be many books about RV electrics, but there are tons of them about marine electrics. About the same except you can skip the chapter on bonding.
Here is a good start for under 4 bucks. http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-12-Volt-Bible-for-Boats-/142090728041

 

[Dawnking]

If you dont already know, the little (Walmart) 4 or 5 cup coffee makers draw the least if you want drip.   Oh, your build is looking nice by the way.

Get a modified sine wave inverter if you aren't going to use a laptop on ac, the MSW is a lot less $ than pure sine wave and I dont think the coffeemaker will care too much.  Go for a well rated 1,000 watt to handle the small coffeemaker draw.

You can always go to a car stereo shop and have them do the electrical, they are used to wiring up giant speaker setups in the backs or trunks of vehicles so they should understand the alternator wiring, fusing, solenoid and battery needs.
Do yourself a favor and read on the electrical subforum to be knowledgeable as far as wiring sizes, return grounds, fuse size, etc...

I think your vehicle choice is great, many would love something brand new...
Nice that a google search doesnt bring anything up on "Chevy battery management system". Fords have that pain in the @ss system in their vehicles since 2011. 

All in all you are doing just fine... 

So I went to Kar Tunes here in town today and talked to them about what i need in the van for electrical.  They totally understood and can do what i need in less than a day!  YAY!  I am so happy.  I will buy the agm batteries, inverter, solenoid and they will wire everything up and do the fuse panel too!
Big load taken off my shoulders as the electrical system is truly not my thing.
After that is done I will get the walls, ceiling and bed frame done.

 

[rvpopeye]

Awwwww that's too easy !
Skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh
Glad you found a place to help.

 

[Almost There]

Put together your shopping list and post it here so that you can have it double checked for ALL the parts...nothing worse than getting in to it and finding you're missing one @#$% small part.

Also, make sure that you specify what gauge of wire you want them to use....better to tell them than to let them decide and have them use too light a wire...wouldn't be the first time!

 

[lenny flank]

Big load taken off my shoulders as the electrical system is truly not my thing.

Always a good idea to let the pros do it. If not done right, electrical wiring can be REALLY bad ju-ju.   :angel:

 

[highdesertranger]

I wish I would have spoke up when this tip was first posted. I wouldn't let a car stereo shop touch the wiring in my vehicle. from the work I have seen them do they are a bunch of hackers. I don't know how many of their hack jobs I have had to clean up but it's well over a hundred plus a lot of the stuff they use is subpar. do what you want but you have been warned. highdesertranger

 

[Dawnking]

Put together your shopping list and post it here so that you can have it double checked for ALL the parts...nothing worse than getting in to it and finding you're missing one @#$% small part.

Also, make sure that you specify what gauge of wire you want them to use....better to tell them than to let them decide and have them use too light a wire...wouldn't be the first time!

Here is what i have ordered, i can return/make changes if needed.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FQL444/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P6FTHC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JT7B3A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S1RT58C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DNL05GW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Dawnking]

I wish I would have spoke up when this tip was first posted.  I wouldn't let a car stereo shop touch the wiring in my vehicle.  from the work I have seen them do they are a bunch of hackers.  I don't know how many of their hack jobs I have had to clean up but it's well over a hundred plus a lot of the stuff they use is subpar.  do what you want but you have been warned.  highdesertranger

highdesertstranger,
I dont think they will be bigger hacks at it than i would be  but the warning is duly noted and thanks much!

 

[Almost There]

Looks good 

Couple of suggestions - the 12V outlet you have isn't particularly meant to be mounted easily. Suggest switching it for a Blue Sea one. That Road Pro one also comes prewired with only 16 gauge wire...definitely undersized.

You'll need several of them in the van. I put in 8 and probably could have gotten away with only 6. I have 2 accessible to the swivel seat, 2 where the tv will eventually go, one for the fridge and two in the kitchen area. Some days, I'm using 3 or 4 of them at a time. You have a 12 fuse block panel going in so you might as well wire all the outlets now.

Also, the inverter is a modified sine wave type. If you ever want to run some electronics (like your laptop) off of the inverter you might be wiser to invest right off the bat in a pure sine wave one. IMO no sense in paying good money for something that won't work everything and then having to change it out later.

You'll also need a couple of fuse blocks (like the one that comes with that inverter) for wiring in the solenoid and the fuses to go with them.

The inverter you have shown comes with the fuse block but not the fuse...sigh! If you change inverters and the PSW doesn't come with install kit you're going to need both the fuse block and the fuse.

I also added extra fuses to the order so I had spares on hand. Napa/Carquest etc. doesn't usually carry the larger fuses and you don't want the whole system down for the sake of a fuse.

I'd also check with the auto stereo shop to make sure that they have the correct gauges of wire in stock (which will depend on the length of the run) as well as good lugs and the right crimping tools. It might sound counter intuitive to have to verify that but a stereo car install place is used to running stereos and speakers, neither of which require heavy duty wiring which you'll need for the solenoid to battery wiring.

 

[climbing coastie]

Almost There,

Does your seats have airbags in them? If so what swivels did you use? The ones I's seeing online don't appear to have holes in them for the wires.