Can You Make your Van Off Grid Using Solar Domestic Panels?

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This video is for entertainment purposes only and is in no way intended as a guide or 'how to'.

[@Bubatronic303]

You could mount the uni-strut to the underside of the roof bars, then you wouldn't need to remove the pannel to be able to put the ladder on

[@InTruServ]

Bought not Brought Nick 😂 Cool to see you experimenting with solar 👍

[@liamdrew7548]

Hey Nick, appreciate your content 🙏 The AC input port of the AC200Max expects about 58V (that's what the AC adapter kicks out), you need to hook up the solar panel to the solar DC input which can take anywhere from 10-145V.

[@imark7777777]

Although he was using the I assume correct provided solar input cable for that unit.

[@Jobey_99]

You could use a double cable entry gland box for RV's, also flexible solar panels have come a very long way, you can silicone them straight to the roof.

[@smark345]

Hi Nick You Need to look at flexible solar panels they are only 2 or 3mm thick and bond to your van roof. This means you can leave your roof rack on and bond the flexible panels onto your roof, then take your ladders on and off when you want. Flexible panels are more expensive but would be a lot more convenient. Flexible Solar panels are commonly used in the camper van market on VW and Ford van conversions. Google flexible Solar panels and you should find lots of options up to 200 Watts and you should be able to fit 2 on your van.

[@steved2136]

Flexible panels really don't last, they were big in the motorhome and boating world for a while, but left exposed 24/7, the plastic tends to deteriorate relatively quickly... good for camping where they aren't out all the time, not so good where they are out in the weather all the time...

[@MarcusNailor]

Awesome start to a fun looking project!! 😁

[@matttaylor8390]

Love the idea Nick, have you thought about sliding the panel to the drivers side so it is flush with the side of the van to give you more room for your ladder? The uni strut on that side could stay exact where you have it and simply cantilever the panel out. You would need to check the panel is strong enough for this, but just trying to find a way to have the panel and the ladder at the same time. If you are worried about the MC4 connections being outside, you could always drill another hole in your roof and put another gland in there and do the connection inside the van. It’s only one more hole

[@danf6491]

Did my bro's campervan conversion . Got all the gear and charge controllers etc from company called renogy for a good price. Works perfect for him. just don't expect to be running much 240v off it for long. Easy way of keeping ya drill batteries charged for free. Shame you can't mount your ladders to inside of van on roof like I think SOTA has.

[@imark7777777]

I'm not a big fan of putting holes in roofs but if you do go that route there's an RV junction box with spots for 2 glands Side by side that lays sideways and that then can be siliconed ( although I think there's better stuff called RTV? sealant it's meant to stay a little bit more pliable so it doesn't leak ) and screwed into the roof allowing for cable passage.

[@brianwood5220]

you could create another upper level to the racking and mount 2 panels in parallel on the top and still store ladders and a pipe holder for small plastic trunking. Just a thought, this way you'll never lose your charging ability. Thanks for sharing.

[@Cardetailingburnley]

Nick do not ever give up any ideas because all of them are good and always can be refined

[@no1baggiefan]

without ideas man would still be sitting around a pile of sticks freezing their balls off. Keep thinking.

[@johnrobinson8364]

If you raise the panel so there is room below the solar panel you can put your ladders underneath

[@Wawaw738]

😂When you’ve got to make some content, but it means having to drill holes in your van.

[@NBundyElectrical]

It hurt me

[@brianwood5220]

@@NBundyElectrical I could tell it did.

[@rowles13]

Great project …looking forward to the other episodes

[@redcrow2006]

mc 4 connections are ip rated and you do have mounting holes in the aluminium of the solar panel frame which are there for mounting with bolts. You need to look for different panels some are under 1m wide and some are over 1m wide. i've found the 400w and over ones tend to be bigger, which makes sense. You need as many W as you can though because in the uk we don't really get enough sun to get the full 400w output.The rating is done at a specific radiance level and temp so you find in Australia they often get more than the rated W and as one channel i watch found out to thier detrement that meant the voltage was also higher which blew thier charge controllers up but i doubt you'll ever have that problem in the uk so you'd be fine going off the rated V.

[@gregkasprzak]

MC4 connectors are IP rated

[@thomasnewman2080]

Surely panel flat to van roof so can still put roof bars on and off for ladders, wind wont get under it either!!! Would mean some self tappers in the roof but hey weve already got a 20mm hole HA Ha

[@gordonmackenzie4512]

The U brackets that are used for manual roller garage doors would be ideal for rail to roof rack attachment. 13mm nuts with washers.

[@Callum440]

Nick, how hard would it be to mount the uni strut under the roof bars so the pannel sits flush with them leving the roof rack usable still?

[@Whereswally606]

Gonna do something similar on my Env200 but use the aerial hole for my cable inlet to avoid drilling holes into the metal.

[@josephshanahan9638]

Another good video. Possibly add a dc to dc charger to top up on cloudy days. Some van lifers might be able to help che k out gadget John and Greg Virgoe

[@remog38]

If you really want solar on the van I think the only practical way is the not so good flexi panels staight on to the roof then you never need to remove them , roof rack over top when needed and remember "you can never have enough solar panels " great video as allways thanks .

[@medwayspark8244]

Glad you gave it all some thought. Lol Mount the panel closer to the roof under the roof rack, this keeps the rack usable. And obviously the DC connectors are water proof 🤦they connect pannels together on the roof of a house. No different to the roof of your van......

[@imark7777777]

Well the MC4 connectors are waterproof the jacket of the cable going to the barrel jack is not sealed well and will wick water in. It's kind of annoying that the manufacturers give you waterproof connectors on the end of a non-waterproof cable, which then goes to a Jack that is marginally able to handle the current.

[@billsbasementworkshop1902]

Hi Nick. Are you not concerned about windage uplift on the panel as your driving. This has the potential to rip the panel off your roof and deposit it in the windscreen of the vehicle behind you. Nice idea if it works though. Be watching further epesodes of this with interest.

[@pablomagee2999]

I used a wiska box to cover hole with long bush and lock ring. Sealed with silicone

[@RikTheMix]

You could try cleaning the panel, that will increase its output. It looked really dusty as you were putting it on.

[@mikewilkinson7802]

You can get solar wiring blocks made from plastic that are sloped to prevent water ingress but you still have to make holes in the roof. Also why don’t you bolt the unistrut to the bolts for the roof rack which will allow for the solar panels to be closer to the roof and still fit under height restrictions.

[@mikewilkinson7802]

Also check out Victron Energy equipment, originally made for marine but works perfect for vehicles also

[@MostlyMull]

Check out Scanstrut glands to get the cable through the roof but sealed

[@nateedogg7]

Absolutely love the look of your van 🤩 where did you get your alloys from?

[@darylsavage119]

Can that bluetti run a 900w micro/kettle for the back of the van?

[@steved2136]

Not exactly a new idea lol- I put a pair of old gridties on my 4wd back in the early 2010's to charge up the 'house' batteries (it was that long ago, that 4wd has since been retired to the wrecker- and I have worn out another since!!!) one thing that should be noted and emphasised- you NEED an MPPT charge controller (not the cheaper PWM ones that so many buy)- a PWM on a 'low voltage' panel (18-22v for a '12v nominal' battery) will make about 20%-30% less power per day in total than a MPPT one- on the SAME panel!!!, and if the voltage is higher (as is common with many exgridtie panels being around the 24v-38v range) you could be losing over HALF your generated power!!! (a 38v panel on a PWM charge controller on a 12v panel will only generate less than HALF its rated power!!!- so your '250W 38v' panel will only ever generate a MAXIMUM of about 90W... You will be 😭 at its performance... 😯😯😯

[@imark7777777]

That's one advantage and disadvantage to the combination units. They usually incorporate some sort of charge controller but you're stuck with what's there.

[@EdwardBretherton]

the possibilities are endless, you could mount pipe tubes on the roof rack with small wind turbines inside them , sort of like how a jet ski works , so while on the move , or windy weather you get free juice , down side is local authorities may think your building a rocket launcher resulting in being arrested but would make great video content, Not drilling a hole in van roof without a zinc based primer to seal paint afterwards.

[@nicholastomlinson1952]

This is probably nothing but, we've been getting very strong winds over the last few years and theirs a good chance it could get damaged if the wind gets under it or cause you to lose control while driving if that happens

[@imark7777777]

Yes yes wind. Also highway speeds, no I didn't do it with solar panels. I had a piece of plywood with uncertified rope. After it flew off (thankfully at 6:30 in the morning with only one vehicle on the highway other than me ) it was conveniently broken and 1/3 and 2/3 and now it fit in the van.

[@Whereswally606]

Also you should maybe think about put a bracket in to aim it to the sun whilst parked up..

[@benriley324]

Have a look at some of the vanlife channels Nick….gadget John etc have good solar set ups. Might give you some good ideas?

[@rickthescrewballpeacekeepe7387]

I'm sure a few 80W panels in series will give the required voltage (22V on load) and a steady 4 amps during daylight hours. My mate's garage has an 80W kit hooked to a 75Ah van battery and split charge for 2 motorbikes complete with lights and all the rest😁 Just a heads up, that panel looks damaged, have you got an inline ammeter to test throughput?

[@billybulmer7386]

Did you buy them or bring them?🤣

[@tonipeters4543]

It sounds a good idea, but I have to ask, is it worth it? no, really, is it worth it? 😁 You would have to buy a new decent size working solar panel, uni-strut, inverter/charger just to charge some tool batteries, which you could charge at home/on site. Not to mention as you said, you would also need to make the solar panels more rigid, another roof bar? I helped with a similar idea, no matter how we juggled it, £600 for the kit, great idea just too much money.

[@SarahJane148]

you should speak to a chap called Jordan he runs a little company called Artisan he knows something about solar Adam's mum might know hin

[@NBundyElectrical]

Never heard of him

[@SarahJane148]

@@NBundyElectrical don't think Adams mum has

[@tomengineer1467]

Hi. Your problem is your van insurance ….. solar covers campers and caravans / barges … none commercial are not usually covered and separate insurance is required (your adding a risk to your van) company by me a engineering firm 12 vans had all done with solar £18k ….. told to remove within 24hrs or they will void there insurance which is never a good situation…. Campers/ mobiles. Solar /gas is built into the insurance …… British Gas vehicles are now all electric and they can’t add solar to extend battery…… there vans only have a 160 mile range ….. solar on there roof would be ideal …. But extra cost is not worth it

[@imark7777777]

That's funny I want to do something similar. Although I'm going more DIY, I just need batteries and solar yet and a roof rack. I already have the inverter mounted with plans to eventually get it wired into the van battery, in the meantime I just have a battery in the back. Thought I was crazy for buying a 3000W inverter 3 years ago then we had a 25 hour power outage in winter on the coldest day of the year Christmas Eve eve. In a pinch really heavy jumper cables work really well for connecting inverter from the inside of one's van to the battery. Yeah haven't figured out how to do the hole through the roof thing yet. I'd like to do things in a reversible manner so it's as little permanent damage as possible. I might figure out some way to come through the sliding door into a grommet. and Yeah I noticed the water issue with the bolt holes as well with my Nissan but all It has is little plastic caps.

[@davidryan6616]

Fair play for trying. It is the future 🙂🇮🇪☘️

[@richcreedy4118]

could make the panel be angle adjustable, so you can point it toward the sun

[@TheCod3r]

Of course you can take your van off grid Nick. Just stop parking in the yellow boxes. Problem solved 😂

[@ElectricYeti]

When using shallow strut cut down the spring nuts to make install easier.

[@Avman3369]

Or use cone nuts. Way better.

[@dave4602]

Or buy the ones with the shorter springs designed for the shallow strut?

[@jvoric]

Oh dear….i feel drilling a hole in the roof was a lol extreme.. there’s grommets in the roof you could have removed , bought a new one from a Ford dealer and reinstalled in future,

[@iiixsnipezxiiiiii-xsnipezx8061]

When are velocity gonna release that earth sheathing holder ?

[@EverydayLife621]

Work smarter not harder, many hobbyists on here use Vicrtron Energy, as we design our own, all we require is an official stamp to commission our work.

[@TurboTimsWorld]

car exhaust clamps for the rack to rails

[@imark7777777]

2:43 but you have three points of contact 2 feet in one hand. You're also 2 feet off the ground ... I know using 61 centimeters or 610 millimeters really makes that feel even higher off the ground than reality.

[@michaelsmyth6557]

12 month beard transplant update video?

[@metrotechguru5863]

Nick Bundy does solar! WTF?

[@5knot849]

I would fit a Victron MPPT charge controller, and connect it to your van battery. Then charge everything from your vehicle.

[@rickthescrewballpeacekeepe7387]

Their split chargers are better than Sterling crap, them things usually fail gracefully or start a fire!

[@HeathenGeek]

1:57 you should get an electrician in, make that door electric 🤣 You are obviously devastated at having drilled a hole in the roof of the van. Dude, it'll be alright. At the very least you'll get a video out of it next year on how to fix rust and a seal a hole after someone drilled a hole in their van? Or maybe, how to fix rust and seal a hole in the roof of a van by putting a sunroof in it 🙂

[@lonewolfgeoff]

just get a portable solar panels, use the big pamels on the unit 😊

[@user-kt8bf5ni6t]

12 month beard update video coming soon @N Bundy Electrical ?

[@jpwatergardens2290]

Think it's good idea but cost over come in all so mite well just put power invite in van then waste all money on over bit

[@danj11uk]

I would rather pay to fill up a generator that runs only on the finest single malt scotch whiskey money can buy than have to take a 20mm holesaw to the roof of my van to charge my drill batteries on the two week a year it happens to be sunny enough in this country…

[@NBundyElectrical]

😂😂 fair enough

[@brianpurcell9058]

Honestly !! Crap idea 😬

[@kevinwright195]

Are you working off grid?Pointless.

[@no1baggiefan]

If the solar panel charging idea doesnt work at least your van now has more downforce.