New build - Study

[jmatosp]

Hi all,

I've been looking into making a conversion. I'm just another weirdo that likes to watch

I've seen some conversions and got a good idea what I would like in it:

Big garage, I do kitesurf, surf, hiking and cycle bikepacking;
Would like some comfort, hot water & heating, I had enough of rough wild camping for now
Looking into L3H2 (maybe L4H2) Peugeot with 3-4 years old (10k?)
Storage, storage, fitting as much as possible under-slung.
12v only: fridge, lights and water pump; One solar panel, one battery and a DC-DC charger.
Layout probably raised bed;
Show with cassette toilet?

I can have a budget for van and conversion 20k-25k.

To get an idea how far I could get I did a budget spreadsheet to write down major items, done that and now adding small bits.

Anyone willing to have a look and point out major stuff missing, correcting existing. Open to suggestions, all a study at the moment.



Thanks

 

[DBK]

You would find an EHU point and a mains charger useful in the winter when solar won't keep everything topped up fully. A battery master or equivalent will keep the vehicle battery charged too.

A battery monitor, Victron, NASA or one of the Chinese copies will tell you what is happening with the electrics and warn if trouble.

Level indicators for the ranks also very useful.

Alarm and tracker depending to some extent where you live and where you go.

Don't stint on windows and rooflights, you can't have too many. Home-conversions I've seen on here frequently have too few although I can understand the reason - cost.

And welcome!

 

[David and Sally]

 

[jmatosp]

You would find an EHU point and a mains charger useful in the winter when solar won't keep everything topped up fully. A battery master or equivalent will keep the vehicle battery charged too.

A battery monitor, Victron, NASA or one of the Chinese copies will tell you what is happening with the electrics and warn if trouble.

Level indicators for the ranks also very useful.

Alarm and tracker depending to some extent where you live and where you go.

Don't stint on windows and rooflights, you can't have too many. Home-conversions I've seen on here frequently have too few although I can understand the reason - cost.

And welcome!

Electricity was thinking solar between 300w-500w, I was under the impression that the MPPT would monitor the baterry.

Level indicators for tanks, right?

Will add Alarm and tracker, any recommendations?

Windows was thinking more of thermal loss not budget, but I can add another 2 small windows on bed.

 

[jmatosp]

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[RubyOptics]

Hi there. From a quick look at your spreadsheet may I ask if your weights are in Kg? If so, some of them seem a bit off in my opinion. I have a swivel seat unit sitting in my garage and I can tell you it weighs a damn sight more than 2kg!! A brief look online is putting the weight closer to 15kg. The weight is something you really need to keep a close eye on as the last thing you want is to build your van around your hobbies etc and then not have any payload left to carry the equipment you need.

 

[jmatosp]

Hi there. From a quick look at your spreadsheet may I ask if your weights are in Kg? If so, some of them seem a bit off in my opinion. I have a swivel seat unit sitting in my garage and I can tell you it weighs a damn sight more than 2kg!! A brief look online is putting the weight closer to 15kg. The weight is something you really need to keep a close eye on as the last thing you want is to build your van around your hobbies etc and then not have any payload left to carry the equipment you need.

Yeap, Kg

Naive of me 2 kg. Some stuff I couldn't find weight, tanks will update. I have that column to keep track as I've seen weight is a major issue.

 

[DBK]

Electricity was thinking solar between 300w-500w, I was under the impression that the MPPT would monitor the baterry.

Level indicators for tanks, right?

Will add Alarm and tracker, any recommendations?

Windows was thinking more of thermal loss not budget, but I can add another 2 small windows on bed.

With that much solar you may well be fine. The MPPT will look after the battery but a fall of snow will cut of the charging unless you are around to sweep it off. You can always add 240 volt later I guess but it wouldn't be expensive to fit form the outset and should you ever decide to sell the vehicle the lack of 240v would put a lot of folk off.

You can of course still have 240v in the vehicle from the 12v battery using an inverter. I bought a cheapie for about £150 and it runs a coffee machine and charges up the vacuum cleaner.

The level indicators I've got are just 4 metal studs in the side of the tank and the electronic gauge lights up LEDs to show which are under water. It is crude but works though after a while we've found we have a good idea how much is left because our usage pattern is fairly constant so I usually can guess without checking. The waste tank has just one stud at the top but TBH it isn't much use as we know it will be getting full by the time we need more fresh water.

The top-of-the-range alarm/tracker comes from VanBitz and they are very good but you can get something which will be almost as good for a lot less. Mine is from Outsmart the Thief and they came and fitted it on my drive. A VanBitz alarm needs a trip to Taunton and usually an overnight stay. A lot of MHs (a majority I think) don't have any security fitted and a few do get pinched each year although being broken into and items stolen is more common. If you are going to leave expensive stuff in it unattended an alarm with an internal siren would be advisable.

 

[Raul]

Another point, If I would convert another van, I would avoid glass bonded windows like a plague. The conductivity and heat loss is massive. Requires good custom thermal blinds to make them reasonable. Seitz s4 are my favoured, have some and would of loved that two bonded windows could be changed. This is only thing I would done differently. They are cheaper for a reason, but in the long run the Seitz s4 are far better choice.

Also start with lithium from the go, and associated chargers, you WILL upgrade later and loose out. Lead is done. Fit as much solar as you can. Avoid small 36 cell panels and go for 60 cell type panels. Much more choice, efficiency, and cheaper per watt. If the roof width is at least 1,65m , I would go for top Panasonic hit 330w x2.

A roof skylight vent like maxx fan is a must. You can extract moisture, vent, and it can be set to come on at a certain temperature so your van does not bake in the sun. Best bit you can turn it on while is pouring down and steam from cooking can be expelled without opening a window.

 

[RubyOptics]

Yes, weight can be a bit of a minefield!! Some others for you to think about....Ikea single bed slats are showing a weight of closer to 5kg...if you are having a double bed then you are looking at maybe 9kg? Your lights will be more than 100g for 4 lights and you will probably want more than 4. Think about how you will spend time in the van...will you want a reading light over the bed? Most vans have these for a reason! You can get lights with integrated usb charging sockets to save some weight but as far as I know they don't make these with fast charge sockets. You won't be able to get a new 200CS toilet as they have been discontinued so I would have another look at Thetford's site to see what might suit your needs.
Wiring will need to be accounted for and that can be both expensive and heavy if you are using thick gauge wire. Don't be tempted to skimp on this for what should be obvious reasons!
If you plan on using the van during the winter, you might want to try and have your fresh water tank inside the van to lessen the probability of it freezing and also think about how much water you will want/need. You have 80kg there so I'm assuming 80 litre sizes for both fresh and grey tanks? They seem a reasonable size to me.
Good luck!

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[jmatosp]

With that much solar you may well be fine. The MPPT will look after the battery but a fall of snow will cut of the charging unless you are around to sweep it off. You can always add 240 volt later I guess but it wouldn't be expensive to fit form the outset and should you ever decide to sell the vehicle the lack of 240v would put a lot of folk off.

You can of course still have 240v in the vehicle from the 12v battery using an inverter. I bought a cheapie for about £150 and it runs a coffee machine and charges up the vacuum cleaner.

The level indicators I've got are just 4 metal studs in the side of the tank and the electronic gauge lights up LEDs to show which are under water. It is crude but works though after a while we've found we have a good idea how much is left because our usage pattern is fairly constant so I usually can guess without checking. The waste tank has just one stud at the top but TBH it isn't much use as we know it will be getting full by the time we need more fresh water.

The top-of-the-range alarm/tracker comes from VanBitz and they are very good but you can get something which will be almost as good for a lot less. Mine is from Outsmart the Thief and they came and fitted it on my drive. A VanBitz alarm needs a trip to Taunton and usually an overnight stay. A lot of MHs (a majority I think) don't have any security fitted and a few do get pinched each year although being broken into and items stolen is more common. If you are going to leave expensive stuff in it unattended an alarm with an internal siren would be advisable.

Good point on resell value, will look around and add;

Added the "Outsmart the Thief " for now and the level indicators

 

[jwells]

If this is your first van, don't plan for too long or it may never happen! You appear to have a very good basic plan, it will evolve as you build and always lots of help and support from MHF! Just do it!!
My son and his partner have done almost exactly as you are planning and are presently paddling in the Mediterranean! Now there is yet another decision that isn't going to be easy to make