running in-wall electrical

Been searching for good pics and parts (conduit type, connection boxes, etc) but not having much luck.

For instance, what's the best way to get from under the drivers seat to inside the drivers side wall? I have an NCV3.

Recommend not putting the wiring in the walls. Mine is done outside the walls and inside the cabinets using flexible "SO" cords.

There are only one place I had to put a cord I the wall. I did put 4 cords in the floor to get from one side of van to the other. Also have fan cord and three LED light cords in the ceiling.

https://www.ortontransit.info/wiring

Thanks Dave, un-recommend because of potential for access need? That makes sense. A baseboard/conduit box could work for me, I can run it behind my slider-sofa that's mounted along the wall behind the drivers seat. In that case it would seem easy to go from under the drivers seat to the conduit along the base of the wall.

Good news for me now because I can get the wall insulated and reassembled and run conduit later when I figure out more of my electrical needs.

Peter

Climbavorus argenti said:

Thanks Dave, un-recommend because of potential for access need? That makes sense. A baseboard/conduit box could work for me, I can run it behind my slider-sofa that's mounted along the wall behind the drivers seat. In that case it would seem easy to go from under the drivers seat to the conduit along the base of the wall.

Good news for me now because I can get the wall insulated and reassembled and run conduit later when I figure out more of my electrical needs.

Peter

Click to expand...

Best to think where you will need to have wiring in the walls. Minimize wiring buried but there was one place it was required in my van.

No need for conduit anywhere if you use cords.

Climbavorus argenti said:

For instance, what's the best way to get from under the drivers seat to inside the drivers side wall? I have an NCV3.

Click to expand...

If you are using the stock B Pillar trim...if you pull off the all the trim around the footwell there is a natural raceway out the side of the seat base and into and under the B Pilar trim that all stays concealed.

I just used all marine grade wire, drilled holes as needed popping in plastic grommets then adding extra cloth electrical tape anywhere the wires made contact with a solid surface as well as bundling them together. No conduit.

All of my wires are in wall, but I am actually putting on wall panels LAST around cabinets and fixtures so everything will be accessible.

Agree with Shawn that access to driver's side wall cavity is via step well and under B-pillar trim. Or go out through factory boot under the seat, under the van and then back up through holes drilled into the inside of the rocker panel and in the bottom of the wall cavity. Depends on how many and how large the wires/cables are.

We used smurf tube inside the walls and ceiling for all 120V circuits. Smurf tube would not be suitable under the van where exposed to elements. We tugged 10 gauge SO cord through the smurf tube by first sucking a string through with our shop vac.

DC wiring was not in conduit but through grommets and around edge guard and inside split-loom as needed to protect from chaffing. We have a lot of DC wiring in split-loom under the van.

More photos and info in our build thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27822

All the best,
Hein
DIYvan
541 490 5098

Thanks gang, very helpful to know about how to get into the B pillar, that's the info I was looking for. PS That's the pic I saw months ago that I could not relocate - very nice! Smurf tube is a generic name for flexible blue pvc electrical tubing?

Thought I would pass on the news that I pulled the B-pillar and ran some 1/2in smurf tube from the drivers side foot-well (after removing those silly plugs and the plastic lining) up the right side of the B-pillar and under the standoff that the coat hanger screws into. There is a funny winged plastic flange associated with the adjustable seat belt that I put the tube under. I was skeptical I could push the panel back on, but to my surprise the smurf tube is very loose and falls down under it's own weight. The seat belt adjusts smoothly.

See pics below.

I plan to run 6Ga wire from the aux batter system up to a switch and small fuse box in the overhead cabinets I have planned.

Shawn182 said:

If you are using the stock B Pillar trim...if you pull off the all the trim around the footwell there is a natural raceway out the side of the seat base and into and under the B Pilar trim that all stays concealed.

I just used all marine grade wire, drilled holes as needed popping in plastic grommets then adding extra cloth electrical tape anywhere the wires made contact with a solid surface as well as bundling them together. No conduit.

All of my wires are in wall, but I am actually putting on wall panels LAST around cabinets and fixtures so everything will be accessible.

Click to expand...

Hein, what size holes did you drill to pass your blue conduit through? I've got 1/2 in conduit. Measures ~0.85 OD. If I choose a 1 in ID grommet to pass the 0.85in conduit through, that grommet sourced from McMaster fits a 1 3/8 hole. Sound good?