College Student & Full Time"RV" Living
I'm a full time college student as the thread title says, but I'm looking to purchase and convert a Ford Econoline style cargo van into a mini-RV. I live in Pierce county Washington but I'm going to b...
Forum Discussion
It's a good thing that you have some time before purchase to iron out the details of your van work. Hopefully, you will also have some time, tools, and materials at hand when you are doing the retrofitting of the van.
One large detail that you're overlooking is how you're going to get everything stable and roadworthy in the van. You can't just throw 150 lbs of batteries in a milk crate and take off down the road. Forget about bungees making this happen. At highway speeds, when the van would have to stop suddenly or (God forbid) there is an accident, everything loose inside becomes a cannonball. To insure against this means everything inside needs to be secured to the van chassis.
Also, because of the number and kind of things you wish to have in the van to support livability, instant conversion back to a cargo van isn't a viable plan.
Since you're interested in the electrical side of van-living, here's a few things to think about: That open frame generator is going to be a bothersome noise maker. This will be especially true when you have to use it every day. It's also big and bulky. Do you want to lift it in and out repeatedly? I'd recommend a Honda 1000 for your purpose.
The electric heater you wish to run uses 25 amps. Assuming you buy two 100AH batteries, your typical usable capacity will be 100AH. You will be able to run the heater for 4 hrs. and after that, damage to your new batteries will be happening. If you use all of the capacity of the batteries more than a few times, you'll have two dead batteries and will need replacement.
The inverter-charger you've selected is of very low quality and may be injurious to your other electric devices and your batteries. Not all inverters or chargers are built the same. You should be shopping for a pure sine inverter and a charger that has three stage charging ability.
You will need wiring, circuit protection, and switching with your electrical system. I don't see it mentioned and cost/installation is not insignificant. When you start using wire sizes of 4 AWG and above costs will be above $1/ft..
The start of any electrical installation should be based on projected use. Here is a downloadable calculator that will help you define that use.
With current solar charging costing close to generator initial costs, the use of solar becomes more viable as a friendly way to charge batteries. You also won't need to transport gas, maintain a generator, or listen to it run for hours. You should investigate this.
You should want the van's house electrical system to be charged by the van's alternator. This will allow some charging while in transport mode. It involves a battery isolator and wiring.
Since your life is going to be dependent on the electrical system, you should do a lot of planning on how this is all going to work and work without hindrance. You should have a "Plan B" or even a "Plan C" so your CPAP is always working and your other devices have power.
You can check out the link in my signature line (Cowboy/Hilton) to see how some of these installations are done. I rebuilt my travel trailer from the ground up.
Good luck with your van work.
One large detail that you're overlooking is how you're going to get everything stable and roadworthy in the van. You can't just throw 150 lbs of batteries in a milk crate and take off down the road. Forget about bungees making this happen. At highway speeds, when the van would have to stop suddenly or (God forbid) there is an accident, everything loose inside becomes a cannonball. To insure against this means everything inside needs to be secured to the van chassis.
Also, because of the number and kind of things you wish to have in the van to support livability, instant conversion back to a cargo van isn't a viable plan.
Since you're interested in the electrical side of van-living, here's a few things to think about: That open frame generator is going to be a bothersome noise maker. This will be especially true when you have to use it every day. It's also big and bulky. Do you want to lift it in and out repeatedly? I'd recommend a Honda 1000 for your purpose.
The electric heater you wish to run uses 25 amps. Assuming you buy two 100AH batteries, your typical usable capacity will be 100AH. You will be able to run the heater for 4 hrs. and after that, damage to your new batteries will be happening. If you use all of the capacity of the batteries more than a few times, you'll have two dead batteries and will need replacement.
The inverter-charger you've selected is of very low quality and may be injurious to your other electric devices and your batteries. Not all inverters or chargers are built the same. You should be shopping for a pure sine inverter and a charger that has three stage charging ability.
You will need wiring, circuit protection, and switching with your electrical system. I don't see it mentioned and cost/installation is not insignificant. When you start using wire sizes of 4 AWG and above costs will be above $1/ft..
The start of any electrical installation should be based on projected use. Here is a downloadable calculator that will help you define that use.
With current solar charging costing close to generator initial costs, the use of solar becomes more viable as a friendly way to charge batteries. You also won't need to transport gas, maintain a generator, or listen to it run for hours. You should investigate this.
You should want the van's house electrical system to be charged by the van's alternator. This will allow some charging while in transport mode. It involves a battery isolator and wiring.
Since your life is going to be dependent on the electrical system, you should do a lot of planning on how this is all going to work and work without hindrance. You should have a "Plan B" or even a "Plan C" so your CPAP is always working and your other devices have power.
You can check out the link in my signature line (Cowboy/Hilton) to see how some of these installations are done. I rebuilt my travel trailer from the ground up.
Good luck with your van work.
