dudedogvan
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2022
- Messages
- 95
So I finally found the time to make this post which will detail my journey converting a passenger van into a campervan. I can attribute most of the solar setup and electrical system to spending time on this forum and largely the help of @John Frum, who really designed the system and answered all sorts of questions. I greatly appreciate his assistance, thank you so much.
I learned a lot throughout the building process, most notably about Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and how important it is to consider when building out a van or any situation involving adding weight to a vehicle. After I finished the build, I had maxed out the van's GVWR (which I knew I was approaching because I weighed the van) and even after upgrading the tires, leaf springs, and shocks the van's transmission failed 10 miles down the road the very day I left to begin living in it full time. I turned around and threw another $4000 at a remanufactured transmission and installation so I could actually use what I had spent about 6 months building. It was a nightmare. The lesson here is vehicle's are weight rated for a reason, the engine, transmission, suspension, axles, and tons more are all part of that rating. If one exceeds the GVWR not only could a valuable, essential part fail, but in many cases it could be dangerous. Vehicles are engineered for certain weight ratings and I found out the hard way. After I replaced the transmission, logically I shed weight from the build as not to overload the van any further. So I painstakingly removed 2 cabinets that were quite heavy and my beautiful kitchenette, equipped with a custom sink, 12v fridge drawer, and a 12v water pump. It really sucked removing items I spent time planning, building, and installing, but life went on. Also living in a low top van is not something I would recommend. Thus my 2 most valuable pieces of advice in regards to campervan conversions are: 1) Buy a 250, 2500, 350, 3500 (3/4 ton or 1 ton vehicle) or bigger. You will want the payload capacity for all that stuff you're gonna build in there! Unless you're doing a light build, but I just wouldn't even consider it after what I went through. 2) Buy a high top van you can stand up in. Living in a low top van sucks, it's worth it to pay more for the comfort, unless you're doing a cheap build for weekends and roadtrips. If you're short enough, you might even be able to get away with an old school van with the fiberglass conversion topper.
I lived in the van full time for about 4 months in Asheville, NC doing tree work as being a tree climbing arborist is my trade. My power audit before building the system was overestimated, as my loads really only included charging my phone, powering LED lights strips, and keeping a 12v ICECO VL45 fridge at 34F. I haven't had a chance to use the fan much since I only lived in the van during fall and winter so far. Once the 206ah SOK battery was fully charged (set at 13.8v), I could turn PV off and it would take over a week for the battery to discharge to 25-30% SOC where I would turn the PV back on. If I didn't do this the battery would always be topped off, and I understand it's better for the LFP battery to cycle more. I have 600w of solar which I may have been able to get away with 400w in reality. Victron components are badass, totally worth the $$$.
Thank you so much:
@John Frum
@time2roll
@jbird526
@rmaddy
@HRTKD
@camelCase
@MisterSandals
@mikefitz
@sunshine_eggo
and anyone else who helped me out that I'm forgetting!
I learned a lot throughout the building process, most notably about Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and how important it is to consider when building out a van or any situation involving adding weight to a vehicle. After I finished the build, I had maxed out the van's GVWR (which I knew I was approaching because I weighed the van) and even after upgrading the tires, leaf springs, and shocks the van's transmission failed 10 miles down the road the very day I left to begin living in it full time. I turned around and threw another $4000 at a remanufactured transmission and installation so I could actually use what I had spent about 6 months building. It was a nightmare. The lesson here is vehicle's are weight rated for a reason, the engine, transmission, suspension, axles, and tons more are all part of that rating. If one exceeds the GVWR not only could a valuable, essential part fail, but in many cases it could be dangerous. Vehicles are engineered for certain weight ratings and I found out the hard way. After I replaced the transmission, logically I shed weight from the build as not to overload the van any further. So I painstakingly removed 2 cabinets that were quite heavy and my beautiful kitchenette, equipped with a custom sink, 12v fridge drawer, and a 12v water pump. It really sucked removing items I spent time planning, building, and installing, but life went on. Also living in a low top van is not something I would recommend. Thus my 2 most valuable pieces of advice in regards to campervan conversions are: 1) Buy a 250, 2500, 350, 3500 (3/4 ton or 1 ton vehicle) or bigger. You will want the payload capacity for all that stuff you're gonna build in there! Unless you're doing a light build, but I just wouldn't even consider it after what I went through. 2) Buy a high top van you can stand up in. Living in a low top van sucks, it's worth it to pay more for the comfort, unless you're doing a cheap build for weekends and roadtrips. If you're short enough, you might even be able to get away with an old school van with the fiberglass conversion topper.
I lived in the van full time for about 4 months in Asheville, NC doing tree work as being a tree climbing arborist is my trade. My power audit before building the system was overestimated, as my loads really only included charging my phone, powering LED lights strips, and keeping a 12v ICECO VL45 fridge at 34F. I haven't had a chance to use the fan much since I only lived in the van during fall and winter so far. Once the 206ah SOK battery was fully charged (set at 13.8v), I could turn PV off and it would take over a week for the battery to discharge to 25-30% SOC where I would turn the PV back on. If I didn't do this the battery would always be topped off, and I understand it's better for the LFP battery to cycle more. I have 600w of solar which I may have been able to get away with 400w in reality. Victron components are badass, totally worth the $$$.
Thank you so much:
@John Frum
@time2roll
@jbird526
@rmaddy
@HRTKD
@camelCase
@MisterSandals
@mikefitz
@sunshine_eggo
and anyone else who helped me out that I'm forgetting!
