Van Camper build - Sequence

[GoingMobile]

Hi, I'm just starting a Camper Van build in a Transit Cargo Van. I'm starting with insulating the floor and installing flooring. Start with a good foundation I figure. I'm a little lost with insulating, wiring, roof vent fan, lights, and ceiling and wall covering. I know what materials and products I want to use, I'm just not sure of the order, and how to get everything to work together. I'd like to start with insulation and wall covering but then the wiring has to go underneath that. It seems like I need wires in place for every conceivable thing that uses electricity before installing anything else. But some of the electrical components need to be attached to structure I'll need to build. It seems more like weaving layers together than installing one thing and then another. I wish I could install some conduits for the wiring that would allow some flexibility in adding or subtracting as I go. Do I need to have a precision electrical layout before I do any of these other things? Install roof vent fan before insulation or after? Any suggestions for the sequence of building once I finish the floor?

 

[Sofisintown]

I started with insulating the walls, then ceiling, then put in the floor, without insulation.
I put wiring in before the insulation, and later I took them out because I changed my plan.
I have a bunch of pictures here left and right, during the build phases.
I added the wiring and lights last , so they are more accessible, and I hid the wires under the trim.
Some of them still show, but hey, I will have to look at them, till I come up with a better solution.
Cheers!

 

[crofter]

If your van has a wiring channel, you can use that at any time to install, remove, or make changes to the wiring. My van has a wiring channel down both sides of the roof edge (Promaster). 

Planning and materials orders, Floor, Bulkhead, insulation, walls, bed, saddle bags storage, garage was the order I used. Some builders have the steps of Pre wiring and Wiring also.   -crofter

 

[highdesertranger]

the only place I preinstalled the wire was in the ceiling. the rest of the wire will be hidden in cabinets and/or soffits. that way any adding/subtracting or servicing is easy peasy. highdesertranger

 

[wayne49]

@Sofisintown

You may be able to learn to ignore details such as out of the way visible wires.

Think of it as "Somebody Else's Problem", that can create a large cloak of invisibility.

 

[GoingMobile]

Thanks for the ideas. The ceiling will have the vent fan, lights, insulation, and ship lap. I'm wondering would I regret using battery powered lights?

I have a feeling I might change my mind about light placement after using the van for awhile.

I don't necessarily need the 17 sets of lights all on dimmers that the 200k millenial vans have. I have a headlamp I currently use for reading and carry a flashlight. It's a medium roof van so I'm trying to [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]have adequate insulation but [/font]keep the floor and ceiling as thin as possible so I can stand up. There may be some things that need electricity on the opposite side from the batteries. I'm thinking wires will need to go under the ceiling for that.

 

[GoingMobile]

I'm definitely taking advantage of the "cloak of invisibility."

 

[tx2sturgis]

If you install all of the wiring you think you will need before the insulation and paneling, you will almost always need to add to or change things later, so for my builds I added wiring looms and channels after the insulation, carpet, paneling, etc. 

It's a LOT easier to add to or change (or repair) if you can easily access it without pulling down panels and carpet and glue later on. 

You can fabricate a cable tray, split looms, wiring shelf, hooks, pvc tubing, etc, to conceal the wiring but now you can still access it after the build, if needed.

 

[bullfrog]

I was able for a while to eliminate running wiring almost completely by using Ryobi 18 volt lighting, fans and power stations. Now I have a 305 watt panel with a charging station in the corner closest to where my panel wires come inside. Keeping the few wiring runs short increases the efficiency. By having one small cabinet for all my electrical needs (charger, inverter, 12 fuse block and batteries in a separate vented compartment below on the floor) I can simply plug in and put away. I have my refrigerator setting next to the cabinet ( should I need to work on or trouble shoot I can access the whole system by opening the cabinet door) so I can just plug it in with no need to run wire. I have baskets that hold my battery powered lights securely and fan mounts where I might need a fan. It is still a work in progress but a very simple and versatile system that I can use inside or out.

 

[Sofisintown]

Thanks for the ideas. The ceiling will have the vent fan, lights, insulation, and ship lap. I'm wondering would I regret using battery powered lights?

I have a feeling I might change my mind about light placement after using the van for awhile.

I don't necessarily need the 17 sets of lights all on dimmers that the 200k millenial vans have. I have a headlamp I currently use for reading and carry a flashlight. It's a medium roof van so I'm trying to [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]have adequate insulation but [/font]keep the floor and ceiling as thin as possible so I can stand up. There may be some things that need electricity on the opposite side from the batteries. I'm thinking wires will need to go under the ceiling for that.

I have 4 lights +a dome light at the front, and a strip of LEDs.

I put them all up just because I had them - I bought 5 for $20.00, it was a set. They use 7 watts/hour each, but they light separately each, left or right or both. If I turn them all on, the van looks like a carnival. I usually turn on half here, and half there and that's A LOT of light.
I put them on the rib .. see picture. I didn't want to run wire on the ceiling, because it is covered with headliner.

They are daisy chained as far as wiring goes, and fused with a 7.5  amp fuse. They all work.

I glued and stapled the LED strip on the trim.
The strip in on a separate circuit/fuse.

 

[crofter]

Thanks for the ideas. The ceiling will have the vent fan, lights, insulation, and ship lap. I'm wondering would I regret using battery powered lights?

I have a feeling I might change my mind about light placement after using the van for awhile....

I did not install lighting because I use direct solar lights (luci lights) so no need for wiring.

I ran an AC power strip in later for when I have shore power and want to run the second air conditioner. My van has those wiring channels, so I just used those and the wiring is all in there and protected. At the bottom of the wiring channel by the taillights, there is a perfect spot for the cord end all protected from the weather when not in use. 

You should check around on your van and see if you already have a wiring channel. I have also found them on the floor in cars running from front to back.   ~crofter

 

[AeroNautiCal]

It's good to see someone insulating the floor as so many don't do this which always surprises me because cold floors aren't nice in one's Travel Cabin.

 

[WayOutWest]

I decided not to use insulation, except that I added some reflectix to the ceiling, since I noticed that part of the van was what was most hot to the touch in the summer months. I'd seen a video where someone who lived in his van full time claimed that you don't really need insulation. Since my intention was just to use the van for camping, and to avoid overly hot or cold times of the year, I decided no insulation was the best decision...and as you can read (if you're interested to) in my blog about my van conversion, https://dragunfire.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/van-conversion-diaries/ not using insulation meant I had quite a lot of inside-the-wall storage, and/or more space in cabinets, than I would have otherwise had. About 4 inches deep in several rather large sections, gives a significant amount of space if you use it for storage rather than for insulation.

For electrical wiring, my approach was to do surface wiring, not to put wiring behind walls. The main reason for this, based on over two decades of construction/repair experience (which does NOT include fine woodworking! You'll see that my "attention to detail" is not that developed...), is that I have learned that I prefer to build things in a way that makes them easy to take apart or modify. And the other, is that I really didn't know how and where I would want to put all my lights, or whether I'd end up wanting to move them. Also, I did not view my electric needs as as extensive as some people's. I mainly needed lighting when in the van at night, and perhaps the ability to plug in a laptop at times. I did not intend to have a refrigerator, or a roof fan, or an electric cooktop, or any other appliances. Even my "faucet" was simple and didn't require power (eg not the 12v type faucet). Also, I planned to obtain power from a lithium battery, solar chargeable type, and this battery would not be fixed in place, but portable. Given my minimal electrical needs, I also did not need solar panels on the van roof. Just recently I took a 9 day trip with my Goal Zero YETI 1500 battery, and starting with a 100% charge, I ended at 54% charge, thus had plenty of power even for a trip twice as long, especially given that I could bring a small solar panel with me to recharge the battery in camp if desired, or recharge it from the van battery while driving.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I am also working on a Ford Transit van. If I decide to fully equip it, it will have dual electrical systems so some things would be powered by 12V and some things would be shore power.