Tag: electrical
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2017-06-17: Fitting the leisure battery
We’ve put a hold on installing insulation because we’re concerned about how complex it’s going to be to run wires for the electrical systems. So we’re trying to get some of that in place so we know where we stand. First step, installing the battery. It needs to be somewhere safe, accessible, but not ‘everyday-accessible’,…
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175W 12V Monocrystalline Used Solar Panels
We bought 2 of these used 175w panels from Bimble. They seem to be in good nick, and a lot cheaper than the new alternative. Given the frequency with which we get scraped by low-hanging branches, I’m also not so keen to invest in something super-pricey on the roof. We also bough various extras including…
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30A MPPT Solar charge controller
We’re relying heavily on our solar panels for power, and I wanted the most efficient controller possible – so MPPT wins out over the cheaper PWM option. This is the MPPT controller that Bimble sell, and it seems to be OK, from what I can find online. We got the 30A Tracer3215BN version, with the…
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110Ah 12V Leoch Gel Battery
I’ve spent more time than I care to remember researching battery technology. In summary, we decided to go for a sealed battery (not a cheaper wet lead acid design), and of the two options (gel or AGM), we went for gel, which is more compact – we want to mount this in a small space…
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2017-06-11: Research, planning and insulation
Something of a slow grind since we got back from our first trip. We’ve both been very busy with work, so not much time to spend on the van. Amy has been insulating the rear and side doors. Since these cavities hold loose wires that connect to the central locking and door catches, we don’t want…
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Disconnecting the starter battery from the chassis on a RHD Sprinter
There are some good videos that show you how the standard electrics work on a Sprinter. Here’s one that opens up the distribution box on the house/starter battery. However, many videos and blog posts assume you have a left hand drive model. Even the manual – written in UK English – assumes you have a LHD…
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2017-05-29: Insulation and conduit
With the floor in, Amy applied some preventative rust treatment to the new holes we just made in the van floor (screwing the plywood floor down), and I started on the wall insulation panels. We don’t yet have a solid plan for our electrical routing, so we fitted some conduit (“convoluted sleeve”) into some of…
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Convoluted sleeve (electrical conduit)
We’re using this conduit to run wires through the van before lining the walls. This gives us a little more flexibility for the electrical systems when we install those. £5 from Screwfix. Update 2017-06-15: this conduit is 20mm diameter, which limits our options for routing. So we’ve also bought some 10mm conduit, which will hopefully allow…
Andrew Sleigh 