Agility Van - step1

After a year of figuring out what I wanted, everything came out and I am starting over. Not being much of a camper and no RVing experience, it was a long and frustrating (expensive) year, figuring out just how I will use this van. Now I have a plan.


Sound Deadening:



I sprayed about 6 gallons of QUIET CAR on the walls and ceiling. I removed the headliner in the cab and sprayed there to. Before replacing the headliner I put 1” thick flexible polyurethane foam sheet insulation (peel and stick). On the floor I used the same stuff you see on the wheel wells. I put ½” thick plywood down over the sound deadener to build to.


Floor Plan:

The raised forward section is a steel tube frame with ½” coupling nuts welded so that I could permanently bolt it to the floor and have a structure to bolt to, from the inside, that would be strong enough to hold a couple of (removable) captains chairs. With the chairs removed the space can be used to carry cargo. Removable galley and storage modules are planned



The two boxes in the mid section (now removed) store the batteries / electrical on the passenger side and the water / plumbing on the driver side. These boxes will serve as bases for the beds, one on each side with an aisle down the center. This will give access to the potti, sink, and shower in the rear.








The rectangular tube is for the Espar. The heater will be enclosed in the sink cabined providing heat to the rear (pun intended) when using the potti on cold nights. I also thought it might dry things up faster after a shower. The hole in the center is the shower drain, opposite the espar on the right is the ‘black hole’. The small holes on the left are plumbing drains, and the ones in the middle are the sink drain and grey tank vent.







This last photo shows the basic layout from the rear, before it all came out. This area will be used for cargo as well, which is why the bulkheads and bed bases are cut to accept a standard pallet. The floor will be 2-1/2” thick, contain wiring and plumbing, and insulation.


I will be installing my next generation cabinetry soon and reinstalling the electrical and plumbing.






"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage”
--Lord Alexander Tytler - 1782—

Wow, David. You are SERIOUS.

I also use my DIY for a zillion cargo uses.

Probably too late now but I really like the Espar d2 mounted driver side amidship. Good heat distribution without ducting. Warming ones feet/shoes is a favorite.

I skipped installed propane, sink and holding tanks. Going all-electric allowed me a 2000w inverter and electric fridge and appliances. The Engel fridge transfers between house and van to give me year-round use of it. I do have a propane locker for a 20lb bbq tank. The metal locker doubles as a security cabinet with room for camera, laptop, gps, et al. More storage room if the bbq tank is being used at the house.

We much prefer to set up the propane kitchen outside and do the prep and clean up outside much of the time. The "inside" kitchen with micro and induction cooktop does the road meals and supplements in camp. All is easily removable. Water is heated inside or out and our portable shower is used as an aisle shower or out in the"back porch". A couple of dishpans give me more sink room than most installed setups.

A lot to be said for minimizing installations in a cargo vehicle.

Dan

Ain't life grand when you have a plan!!

Dan

d_bertko said:

I also use my DIY for a zillion cargo uses.

Probably too late now but I really like the Espar d2 mounted driver side amidship. Good heat distribution without ducting. Warming ones feet/shoes is a favorite.

Dan

Click to expand...

That would have been a good idea. I guess if if my feet get cold I'll have to go back and sit on the throne.

Thanks for sharing about your van. I will also do most of my cooking outside, and my shower is sort of an aisle shower but I am making the entire rear of my van into a wet area/mud room separated by a curtain between the bulkheads. I also will need to move the shower outside occasionally to wash the dogs when needed.

My cargo cababilities include hauling two pallets, or long materials between the bed bases 30"+ x 16'. and 4' x 8' sheets on top of the bed bases

I can see a few lights in the photos. One of my questions is how much light do I need? What do you have and how do you like it?

Dave

Dan,

I have a cold cathode fluorescent fixture up near the kitchen---best lumens per watt at the time but the leds are better now.

I did put in four separately switched 10w xenon recessed lights. Excellent reading or task lights. Using one or two at a time suits us in camp most of the time. I am about to update the xenon 10w bulbs with the 2.4w led equivalents.

Sailor Sam's has great fixtures. Here's the led version of mine:
http://www.sailorsams.com/mall/pinto_8675LEDS_LED-light.asp

The recessed fixtures are pretty shallow and even the xenons give off little heat. Definitely wanted the headroom for myself.

Dan

I'm going to install about ten of these LED fixtures.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/waterproof-water-tight-high-powered-1w-led-module-12v-white-11263


They're plenty bright enough and they're not green/blue like some LEDs. I ordered one to test this.

Their integrated constant-current power supply means that they'll have a long life unaffected by voltage spikes. The integrated power supply provides ease of installation, since they don't need to be installed in series groups for proper supply voltage. The downside of that is that they're not dimmable.

I'll use multiple small toggle switches to enable maximum lighting flexibility.

The battery box has evolved over the past year. Fitting everything into the space and still having access for repairs and maintenance took several (I lost count) tries.




This space will contain the inverter, solar charger, and most of the wiring connections and fuses. That big red wire is 12VDC from the alternator. The other end is connected to the battery separator under the driver seat (surepower 1315). The removable panel will make easy access to this space.




This is the battery box. The corners are filleted with WEST System epoxy. I also used epoxy to fasten the box to the floor. The battery hold downs are attached to threaded inserts in those 1x2’s.

There is a 1-1/2” spacer between the wall and the box to bring it out flush to the inner wall nearest the slider door. This will make it easier to route wiring out of the box and up the wall.






Here is the entire box. I can’t wait to start the electrical. I have had all of the components sitting in a corner for a few months now. Having installed them once already in the previous configuration, I feel more confident…knock on wood.

I am currently working on the plumbing box which is a mirror image of the above box with different interior layout.

You can see the partial shower floor in the background.













“ A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage”
--Lord Alexander Tytler—1782

I used the white dual switches from Sailor Sam's. I am pretty hard on my interior and these have held up well:
http://www.sailorsams.com/mall/euro_switch.asp

I'd assume single led lights to be very directional. That may prove ok as task lights. Reading in bed for example. I would consider a few multi-led ones if you needed more general light. Kitchen work comes to mind. We generally spend a smaller amount of time camping with more lights on as we prep/clean up dinner. A larger amount of time is spent with one or two lights reading.

Sounds like you're having fun with your project.

Dan

Inverter needs to have cooling air flow. Can not be in a closed box. It will be interesting to see the end result of your conversion and your comments about why it is better than the first try.

also recommend Sailor Sams.

Graphite Dave said:

Inverter needs to have cooling air flow. Can not be in a closed box. It will be interesting to see the end result of your conversion and your comments about why it is better than the first try.

Click to expand...

Dave,
I was not planning to enclose the inverter. Here are some photos of what I was working on today.


You can see that with vents in the panel in front of the inverter there should be plenty of air circulation. If need be I can make the entire panel a screen, but I will work up to that, as the inverter does make some noise...it has a built in thermostatically controlled fan. Also you can see the cutout in the box near the terminal blocks, and a round hole above the wheel well, this is part of the duct work for my espar heater, which will draw air through the electrical 'enclosure'.





This shows my fit of the master battery switch. I am using this one as a disconnect for the solar panels because, I thought it would look good to have two matching knobs. I have installed a xantrex freedom marine 20 - 2000w inverter/100A charger, and a blue sky energy 3024i solar controller.





Here is a space saving idea I hope will work efficiently. It is my 12VDC pos bus. I was going to use a blue sea system heavy duty busbar...the one with 3/8" studs, and then run wire to and from the fuses. I was using copper bar to adapt the other cables in my system and realized I could do this. Now I have a spare busbar, and a cleaner looking install. Those short 4-0 cables are expensive and can be a real pain to work with. The first fuse is 100A that goes to the main distribution panel, The middle is 35A for input from the solar controller and the bottom is 175A for input from the alternater.





This is my wire termination center for 120VAC, 12VDC circuts. The red block is for the link 1000 battery monitor, and the blue block is for my tank sensors. I will be working on it this weekend.





The cabinet front is solid maple, and the large panels are maple plywood, all finished in a clear sealer and semigloss laquer. The batteries are lifeline GPL-6CT 6V 300Ah.

I any of you see any problems or have any suggestions regarding my install please let me know NOW before it is to late.

Dave

Did you get the high-altitude option on the espar? My East Coast mountains are too low but I found out about it in Sept in Yosemite.

Dan

Dave, i really like the way the electric compartment is coming along it's very tidy

Dan

d_bertko said:

Did you get the high-altitude option on the espar? My East Coast mountains are too low but I found out about it in Sept in Yosemite.

Dan

Click to expand...

I will look into that. I did not know about this option. At what elevation did you start having problems and what were the symtoms. I can head up to Mt. Hood to for a test. Thanks for the heads up

Dave

You obviously know what you are doing. Nice electrical. Can I drive up and have you do mine? Maybe I will be able to see it at the next Sprinterfest?

david klair said:

I will look into that. I did not know about this option. At what elevation did you start having problems and what were the symtoms. I can head up to Mt. Hood to for a test. Thanks for the heads up

Dave

Click to expand...

I believe my generation, circa 04, was spec'd to operate normally to around 6000 ft. I don't think we had trouble a few years back in Flagstaff @ 7000 ft but not certain. It was camping at Tuolumne in Yosemite at 8500 that caused the furnace to not cycle back on. (It did give some initial heat.) I believe the lack of sufficient oxygen causes the furnace to shut down.

There were two ways to fix my model. I see that Espar offers an updated option now.

Lucky for us it was Sept in Yosemite and just frost. We always carry good sleeping bags in any case.

I used a webasto diesel heater in an RV back in New Zealand and it worked well, unless the voltage dropped below 12v, then it would not start up again. A diesel heater that does not require a full 12v to start might be a good idea, if such a thing exists.

Graphite Dave said:

You obviously know what you are doing. Nice electrical. Can I drive up and have you do mine? Maybe I will be able to see it at the next Sprinterfest?

Click to expand...

I do plan on attending this year's Sprinterfest April 16th in Tualitan, OR. It sounds like you will be there too.

I fit and set the water tank box today and started installing some of the plumbing components


Thost two holes in the lower right are for tubing to the water heater, blue to and red from. That short white section on the tank will be the air vent.




The water heater...I need to figure out how I am going to keep this baby from freezing.




What I have here starting from the left is the water pump, sediment filter, solenoid valve (normally open), float switch to close the valve when the tank is full, and a tank level sensor. I put 3/8" rubber mat on the box floor including under the tank


I picked a location for the water pump. More plumbing later.

You gotta luv those shark bite fittings.
Dan