FREE hot water from Solar dump! | EP51 | Ford Transit Campervan Build

[@Jabberwoky]

I used to have a boat with solar and wind generation, this idea would have saved me a fortune in diesel over the years!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

With a small boat with a roof you could definitely have it only powered by its own generate electric

[@edwardutter6975]

You have designed and put together an awesome system. I am in a 25 ' camper and am trying to be non dependent on the grid. Thanks for a great video.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you very much and I hope you found the video helpful

[@willdowding3810]

Thanks again, extremely helpful video ( or whatever you call it, to old for the right jargon) cheers happy motoring cheers

[@keithpringle1103]

I'm fitting the Bobil system with 12 volt element soon and you answered one of my questions about the heater element in this video, thank you!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Definitely a brilliant addition to the van for the summer months

[@matthewknight5641]

Ive bought the solid state relays and all other stuff needed to make a solar dump loqd for my water heater. Ive not installed it yet but hopefully this weekend i can get it done

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Hopefully you get it all sorted this weekend

[@opera5714]

Great explanation, you really understand the physics of the problem. PV diversion very misunderstood in the solar world. I built a version of this that diverts panel voltage proportionately to the heating element, be it 5W or 500W. I use grid tie panels for about 60V. The voltages higher voltages allow the use of 120V point of use tanks in the US without buying new elements. The system is based on a simple theory. When panel voltage rises above power point voltage there is excess power available. My board progressively increases load efficiently till the voltage drops down to power point. The change to load is instant, the battery charging cycles are not messed with, and the battery is always kept at as full charge as possible. The existing thermostat can still be used on DC due to arc interrupt. And site ac can still be used if the tank is kept with a plug connection. As electronics go it is fairly simple. Granted everyone is afraid of electronics. Those who have an interest it is a fun project. Thanks for sharing your insights with others explaining these concepts. There is power to be harvested and small amounts add up. I'm putting this system in a friends cargo trailer that has living space for hot water. He does trail bikes. It will also provide some heat when it sits parked lowering dampness that can damage the tools musty smells when sitting unused for a week in colder months.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you for your comment and a technical at that. It’s great to see that there are other Solutions to the same purpose. Definitely need to read into a few of those for a better technical understanding myself. Especially since other ways could truly divert excess energy opposed to my rudimentary version of System based voltage triggers. I’d quite like to play around in the future use SOC as a triggers I feel that would be more accurate for my version. Overall a fun and useful project with cheap components I’ve effectively had spare

[@lifebeyondbricks]

Was lovely to meet you at the show. I now have proper 12 volt system envy and has given me the enthusiasm to tidy up and optimise our setup.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Great to meet you too, it’s alway fun tinkering with Electrics

[@paulthejudge]

Brilliant about to fit Bobil style hot water system and wasn’t too happy about having to use the diesel heater in the summer and dump the excess heat outside just to get hot water so really pleased you’ve done this as I had thought about it. Our caravan is a oddball thing but thinks it’s a converted camper van. We are on a smaller scale with only 120w solar so may have to use a volume controller to drop wattage on 150w immersion but that’s the fun. Also I know our lithium battery is recharged by about 10 am in the summer months.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The 150w heaters are usually 2 x 75w individual elements. You might be able to remove the parallel bars so you could just choose to run one of the elements are not both. But generally it’s just nice to have a way of heating water in the background without having to think about it With the Bobil kit I didn’t really find there was a noticeable effect on the habitation area temperature for the 15 minutes or so I would be running it during the summer to heat water. I find the vast majority of the heat energy goes into the water the remaining air temperature wasn’t that warm

[@paulthejudge]

@@MispronouncedAdventures brilliant so the solar is free/excess power and the bobil can still be used in summer. I know what it’s like when it’s absolutely 30 degrees in caravan any extra heat you just don’t want. I’ve found some cartridge heaters on eBay that are 80 and 100 W which may suit better. Thank you very much.

[@Beavis-et8ox]

Its also a good additional effect that your Lithiums are never over a long time at 100% because they dont like that. I try to keep mine wirth the same principle of dump load always between 50% and 90%.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Indeed lithiums don’t enjoy long term at 100%. My 100% Soc is probably a bit under 100% of the batteries for capacity as I use some lower charge voltages. Additionally the parasitic drains I have in my system won’t allow batteries to stay full for long

[@markchurchward482]

Great system mate really useful info. Glad to see you out on your travels, enjoy 😉

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you. It’s great to be traveling again

[@willdowding3810]

Good stuff,just trying to figure out how to do dump load heater, getting negative response from heater sellers so thanks so much cheers take care

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Hope you get it working. What type of negative responses where you getting and why?

[@David_11111]

@@MispronouncedAdventures maybe he thought using free electric would upset the diesel heater guys ! :)

[@jobloggs7215]

Still good for winter as prevents any icing up and a little pre-heating for diesel heat exchanger system. Obviously change setpoint to 10c or whatever

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Definitely! It’s only in my hot tank and I live in a van full time its unlikely to get the vehicle cold enough for the hot tank to freeze. There are smaller wattage versions of these which are used as anti freezing options in fresh tanks if they are stored underneath the vehicle

[@SneezingEagle]

Really clever use of the excess solar! Lost me a bit on the technical side, but interesting to see how it's set up and all works!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you. It’s been a great system for free hot water

[@theoteam4641]

Wow very good idea, I can’t wait to add that in our next van build 😊

[@evil17]

Good job, nice build, great vid & info. Cheers

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you, glad it been helpful

[@psyamok3735]

Excellent system!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thanks you, I’m very happy with it and it’s been great over the summer months and after a long drive

[@SignatureEdits]

This is the version of this with the raspberry pi you mentioned! kzbin.info/www/bejne/laaThoWrqLGrpM0 (around the 22:30 mark)

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes I originally learned about the whole concept from the fantastic videos everlander makes. His videos are amazing

[@brendanryan262]

Very cool setup.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Cheers

[@sun-sea-solar]

This is genius. But your electronic knowledge is way more advanced than mine.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thanks for the comment. My knowledge all just come from researching, experimenting and playing throughout the course of my van build

[@alextop1850]

It be cool if after it heated the water tank it goes into heated floor pads , free energy keeping van warm

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

Not in the summer

[@pau1phi11ips]

Nice, I'd like to get this working all on the Victron Cerbo. There's 4 temp sensors and 2 relay outputs that you can control. I should be able to use the SOC value to trigger the relay instead of the battery voltage that way too.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The Cerbo Gx is something I have been thinking About. Due to its relays and I can use a SOC which would be a far more accurate way of doing it. At the moment I only have a raspberry pi running VRM so no relays . However I am planning to getting a Cerbo and likely integrate the System into that. I don’t know personally yet if the temperature input for the Cerbo can be used as triggers. so it might still need to by run via the temperature relay

[@pau1phi11ips]

@@MispronouncedAdventures There's no way to do it via menu options at the mo. I'm looking into doing via Python scripting. Control of relay 2 is kinda limited at the mo. There's a "Big" install of the Venus OS that has Node RED and apparently it should be easy with that but I haven't given it a go yet. The digital inputs on the Cerbo are kinda handy. There's a coach builders panel next to the drivers seat on the Boxer/Relay/Ducato/ProMaster. I've linked the door open on/off output there to one of the digital inputs so I can see the status of the doors in VRM.

[@malcolmleick8405]

I'd be really interested to see how you get on with this. I'm also installing a Cerbo and wondered if I could hook it up to my Whale Expanse Water Heater using a 240v relay. I'm not technical at all but I would love to capture all that wasted solar. I'll have 395w on the roof and I'm running a 300ah lithium battery. I also have the Sterling 60amp B2B charger which seems to a great job of charging the battery quickly. I'm doing a 3 week trip around England and Wales at the mo and unfortunately all. My victron kit arrived the day after I left. But the Sterling is more than dealing with the demands of my 12v system which is just the leds, usb charging, fridge. MaxAir and compost toilet fan. Roamer, my kit supplier, have just got back to and said yes this is possible with the Cerbo and a 250v relay . The Expanse can be set to 750w or 1500w so if I use the former it won't melt the EasyPlus 1600va inverter.

[@OnlineopticsCoUk]

Good to see you back matey... cool Idea for summer when you are not using Deisel heater perfect compromise as you will have less solar in winter when using Bobil setup... what ever happen to Part 3: Installing a Victron MultiPlus - LOL you where missing in action or I think you thought you had up loaded it or had problems with SD cards... cant remember ... anyway glad to have you back... great vid again...

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Working for Bobilvans has kept me busy! I think it’s definitely Great combination to help with the Bobilvans water heater. Oh part 3 yep…. It’s taken way longer than it’s should. I even just bought the VE.bus smart dongle, so I can show that as well as the VE.bus to USB MK3 cable. and how they are both different

[@waynesarahburns3871]

That's awesome 👍

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you, I was pretty blown away with the results

[@Paulsvanlife]

Great set up👍

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Cheers Paul

[@willdowding3810]

Hi thanks for getting back ,I asked wether a12 v element could be put in malalagar 5e . The answer was it would take too much current, as I’m not clever enough to put my case, I have 600w of solar and with a 100/50 controller potentially up to 50 amps, maybe I will go down the Bobil heater route ,appreciate your help thanks

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yeah I see what you mean. I imagine most companies don’t know the ins and outs of doing it, and how individual it needs to be for different people systems. So doing it yourself with a Bobilvans kit would be a good idea

[@koningbolo4700]

I like the system. I like to add something to the hot water system and that would be a coil which runs coolant through it to heat the water in the tank with engine heat. That way hot water is almost guaranteed, even in winter as long as the van is driven for a bit every day or every other day... I am planning such a system using a central heating hot water tank from a combination boiler which (for safety reasons) I use a copper pipe wrapped around the outside of the steel tank to get the drinking water hot. The steel tank itself contains the coolant and is heated by the electric element. Advantage of this method is that (though some heat is lost to the coolant plumbing) the toxic coolant has no chance to contaminate the drinking water and the heating element is protected from corrosion and scaling up (since it is heating coolant rather then drinking water which may contain calcium) The heating element I intend to use is based on mains power and has its own thermostat 10-65 degrees C. I could use the chinesium thermostat relay thingy like you have panel mounted but then I need to bypass the internal thermostat of the element which could help since I have the option to raise the temperature of the water in the tank (due to the dump load circuit) to the same temperature the engine coolant system is capable of heating it (about 85 degrees C)

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Sounds a bit like you are after something like the Surecal calorifiers. Using the engine coolant for heating water. Opposed to using a copper pipe wrapped around the steel tank. It might be more efficient to use a plated heat exchanger as they have an extremely high rate of exchange between your safe, drinking water and coolant heater by the engine.

[@koningbolo4700]

@@MispronouncedAdventures The hotwater tanks in a central heating boiler unit is basically a calorifier. Calorifiers are expensive but the hot water tanks (10L or some are about 15 L) are very cheap and made of copper or steel. Obviously the tanks are not meant for use in a vehicle but I will investigate and/or open up a steel example to see if I can stabilize the internal coil to make it usable in a bouncing around setup like a campervan. Even though I should be able to stabilize the coil and secure it so it does not develop internal leaks (where coolant can contaminate the drinking water in the coil) I will use a non toxic coolant in the system to prevent any health issues in the future. I first have to drill a 30mm hole in the steel tank to be able to weld in a G3/4 inch threaded insert so I can install a future electric heating element. This hole will also give me a visual access to the interior of the tank and if turns out (most likely it will) the coil is just hung from it's connections to the outside and not secured very well, I will cut open the tank by removing one of the end caps and do some stabilizing work (thick steel wires welded in place holding the internal coil in place so it will not move very much to prevent the coil from damage and leaks). Welding inserts in and welding back the end cap on a steel tank is no problem for me since I have a suitable welder and matching welding skills and experience to do so... I should be able to do the job of modifying the tank and internal coil in a single workday, which is fine. Buying a marine calorifier is way out of my budget and I am not very keen on getting one anyway since most manufacturers exclude warranty anyway because it will be used in a vehicle as opposed to a boat.

[@koningbolo4700]

little update: turns out the tank I am planning to use as a calorifier is build with a double wall which means the hot coolant fills the tank and the space between the outer wall and the inner wall is filled with drinking water. This makes it useable in a vehicle since there is hardly any danger of mechanical stresses causing internal leaks and a risk of coolant contaminating the drinking water system. Today I welded in a G 1/2 inch threaded insert into the tank in preparation for the 300W (240V) dump load heating element. Next I have to order programmable a voltage sensitive relay and a programmable thermostat relay to make the tank function as a solar dump load...

[@jonathantillotson9936]

⁠@@koningbolo4700Hi I am in your league, looked at CALORIFIER and price 😮! What tank did you use and did you put a pressure release valve on it?

[@RustyRoseAdventures]

Looks great Alex! I saw this on bimble solar (where I guess you got your stuff) and always wanted to do it. Great to see someone else doing it!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yeah both the element and 200a relay are from Bimble. I think it’s a great, after the initial set up and tweaking to your own system it’s pretty great to just forget about and run in the back ground

[@ulf5738]

Love these videos 😀 great work man! Norway salutes you! 🇳🇴

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you very much!

[@marcass100]

So glad I found your channel mate. You explain everything I want to know in a quick simple way. You are a smart guy and I will definitely go through other videos to grab some ideas I haven't thought about yet before my build. The only question I have now would be about how much solar do you get in a winter from your panels and is it enough for you as I am debating if I should be fine with 800w or should I go 1200w solar but sacrifice skylight/daylight for assurance to get more solar in horrible winter days in UK to run induction cooking water heating two big fans etc. It is really hard to decide as real life scenarios cam be drastically different person to person. Thanks mate your videos are great and I am gonna watch another one now 😂

[@surferjim]

Awesome Idea!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you

[@stevebrown6665]

Do you think that voltage sensing relay would be a good way to prevent on over voltage error between my Renogy B2B/MPPT combined charger and my 200w solar panel? It is over by about 2 volts I would need a decent relay too

[@baked.9nion]

I use an 'intelligent charge relay' and its great for siphoning off excess volts... mines wired to a travel freezer on one set of panels n my second set to a 12v immersion

[@selabucovetsky5691]

Amazing! Where did you get the water temperature relay?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Amazon, there’s quite a few models around.

[@daveleeparry3603]

Is the heating element connected to the stock tank from bobil ? I am thinking of doing this , great idea , many thanks 😎❤️👍

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes, it is attached to the generation one Bobilvans kit tank. I just drilled an extra hole and used a bulkhead fitting to bolt it on

[@daveleeparry3603]

Many thanks ❤️😎👍

[@WizzRacing]

People miss out on these functions. As once the batteries are full. You can still use the watts being produced...

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Definitely! My case batteries are usually full by 11am in the morning in the summer. Might as well put the rest of the day to good use.

[@jordanhagan1996]

Now i need to find the video about your shower system lol as im living on a boat with a victon mppt and i have no idea how the load thing works on it

[@christianwinkelmann8477]

Super clever, thanks… I would like to use the bmv 712 , but my hot water heater is 230 v , is that possible with the inverter as well? Try to understand…

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The bmw-712 relay you could yes the SOC alarm / trigger feature as the signal. I don’t see why a AC one can’t be used. You would just need to find some time of AC switch which van be triggered by a 12v dc signal

[@evil17]

@@MispronouncedAdventuresthere are 12vdc - up to 240ac solid state type relays you can buy to control ac voltage from a dc source, I bought a number of these about 8 yrs ago for a mobile truck mounted seed grading machine I had built to control certain machine operations from inside the cab. I think they have a fairly wide operating dc & ac voltages you can control.

[@stevedon4257]

just a question so if I was wanting to heat water from a dump load of power I would connect the battery to a charge controller to the heating element?

[@AboveGroundLevel.]

For the smaller Victron charge controllers with the +/- load output ; would the wiring from the load plug straight into a generic relay? As I see your charge controller has just a positive running in / out. Thanks

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes, on the smaller units with a load output, you could use the load as your signal for the large relay / power on a temperature relay. And then have load output operation set in settings with a “user def algorithm”

[@AboveGroundLevel.]

@@MispronouncedAdventures Thank you for the speedy reply. Currently working on something similar for my van and working on the wiring now. Would you have a guess at the correct trigger settings for a 12v lead acid battery. (100 amp hrs). Thanks again.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

For this it’s important to test yourself, voltage will be different on different systems. But a voltage just below your “bulk” charge voltage on your solar Mppt will be a good start.

[@AboveGroundLevel.]

Do you have a basic wiring diagram you could email me or offer any pointers. Be much appreciated and congratulations on reaching 11k subs - myself being happily one 👍 Many thanks.

[@foreverventure1739]

Thanks very informative video. Quick question. If I had a 300 watt solar panel but the clouds come over and I for example get only 150 watts of power out of the panel; but don`t want to use the battery, would it still heat up or does it need the full 300 watts?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Glad it was helpful. It would still heat the water at the full 300w, if let’s so solar dropped to 150w. But the dump load really wouldn’t switch off after a few percent of the battery is drained. As I’ve built it to turn off if the battery state of charge starts and drop because the dump loaded only be on when there is an excess of power.

[@NevContractor1]

I think Im going to do this too, thx for the video. Seems churlish not to use spare energy and turn it into abundant hot water! Whats the name/manufacturer of the tank temperature trigger control please? As I intend to use the hot water tank for washing up and a normal shower (no a recirc one like yours), I need to consider how/when to fill the hot water tank. Obv I don't want to start filling the hot water tank as it's being used, as it would become cold quickly whilst being used. So I need to consider how to set an extra bit of logic to stop the charge process in case there is no water at all in the hot water tank , perhaps a float switch that will stop it charging. Any ideas/input from yourself? Thx.

[@dellawrence4323]

Sorry, I may be misunderstanding what you said, but what tells the element to turn off when the water is at 40c? Otherwise on a very sunny day would it not just keep getting hotter and hotter?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The temperature controlled relay. When the dump load turned on ( via the mppt built in relay), that powers the temperature controlled relay, that checks the water temperature and turned the element on or off

[@nomadcarpenter8549]

Neat idea

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thank you

[@alishabab3]

So 2 hours be around 50 amps off battery if no solar or dcdc. Im looking at getting a sealed stainless steel 20l tank with insulation around it.. and adding a custom 12v 1500w element. By my calculations it would take 7.5 min to heat to 60c or 10min. Even if its pulling 125amps its total use would only be 15-20amps which is nothing.. i got 2x 330ah lithium batteries and 3x 200w in series panels + 300w 70v solar blanket so 900w total solar. And 50a dcdc. Id rather speed mainly because if i want to pump from a dam or river through a filter into the tanks i could have unlimited hot water..obviously mixed with cold for showers and kitchen..though thats theory based off 20l with 300w takes 2 hrs.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yeah, lots of variability in the system depending on size of solar array and batteries and how you want to use it.

[@bazailzb4737]

Hiya im in Glasgow and have followed and got a lot of great ideas from your channel,its now time to fit my windows and I was going to do it myself but not its come to it I’ve gotten cold feet,can I please ask what was the name of the company that fitted your windows in East kilbride? Thanks for all your amazing tips and build Brian

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yeah. Glad you have found my channel helpful. The company is “Northview customs”

[@chriscameron5873]

Sounds like free hot water! Great idea, so with my 160w panel and my Victron 75/15 MPPT I could do the same, using my output connections into a temperature relay using a smaller element? I dont have a shower, but it would be nice to have hot/warm water on tap for the pots or a face wash in the morning.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes. That should work with the 75/15 model. As you have the “Load terminals” from my understanding you can those on and off using “User def. algorithm” under load output in settings, same as I did to a degree. Which should work for you to use the load output as a signal / to turn on a for a temperature relay.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Wish a 160w of panel I would look at probably a 100w heat element

[@chriscameron5873]

@@MispronouncedAdventures Many thanks Alex, where did you buy your temp relay from?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Amazon or eBay “12v temperature relay” should bring up loads of models

[@johnhelbergreligionandarch3878]

Do you think i can do it with a wind turbine the dumb load idea.? Awesome

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yeah, you can do a dump loads with anything,

[@johnhelbergreligionandarch3878]

@@MispronouncedAdventures Thank you buddy.

[@Fattrucker]

Hi Alex It's been a while since you fitted this system . Have you made any modifications to the system since ? I'm particularly interested to hear if you did upgrade to the 600w heating element ? And if you changed the way the system senses voltage ? I'm trying to get my head around this sort of system for my next build . You did an admirable job of explaining how to implemented it here for your needs and use case . Well done sir . Speak soon . Take care. Fattrucker

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

It’s great, I haven’t upgraded in the end, a lot of effort. I did saw the voltage sense to SOC with some Victron kit

[@Fattrucker]

@MispronouncedAdventures Thanks buddy . Catch ya soon . Fattrucker

[@paulgeoghegan7565]

Fantastic video...very informative. As always I find your videos set out the steps you have taken very clearly and concisely. Just one or two questions...am I right that the hot water tank you are using is plastic? I was searching for a suitable small metal cylinder to use as a tank, but the best I could think of was to adapt an expansion vessel (and remove the bladder). I had thought that 60'c might make a plastic tank a bit to flexible. I presume your plastic tank is holding up fine - and the connect for the element doesn't get too hot at its base?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The tanks are rated to 70 or 80°, The Bobil kit doesn’t recommend going over 65c I believe. That being said the tank is fully supported in a box. without the support it becomes malleable at higher temperatures I imagine with no support it made it a bit floppy. My initial worries was the sheets for the element at the mount point. It doesn’t get that hot. I imagine as a lot of the heat is dispensed into the water and the element itself is isolated via ceramic from the metal threaded body of the heating element

[@paulgeoghegan7565]

@@MispronouncedAdventures Cheers...I'll give it a go so. I was hoping for a hot water setup that would allow me to use 230v (when available) or 12v. Rather than using the batteries and then re-charging via 230v...I have a spare atx power supply that outputs 12v @ 27amps. Hoping that will allow me to run the immersion direct.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

That should work out in the same heating element available in 230v and 12v, 24v and so on. There are a few different sizes of wattage elements as well if need be

[@heroesandzeros7802]

I am not sure why they call this a dump. I call it a redirect. Charge controllers stop charging when the battery is full, but if the sun is still out, they can still produce power. If the charge controller does not use that power, the power is wasted. You can design a simple circuit to "Redirect" that wasted power to another load such as a water heater, air heater, fan, or to a separate Inverter. While the charge controller may turn off at 12V, another voltage switch may turn on a relay diverting that power.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

You can see it classed / name a dump or redirection in a lot of places. The idea of dumping excess energy, but it’s only a name. You can also redirect excess energy.

[@timbirkenbach5092]

Hey man, your videos are incredible, have watched several multiple times! There is some questions I have tho. First one would be.. Do you have a relay preventing the continuous switching on and off of the relay if you're just on the verge of having enough solar? Also, what pressure are you running in your water system and ist it a good pressure for a shower. Reason for the question is that John guest for example has a much lower pressure on warm water pipes and I was thinking if I should use shark bite instead?! Your hot water tank is not pressurized.. Would you do it again, or considering a pressurized tank to save a pump? Thanks again for the great effort with your videos. If you're feeling like some warm weather and some sun, come for a visit to Australia

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Thanks for watching. Your first question. The trigger has a on voltage value and a different off voltage value My system run of a 45psi pump. Which is well within the JG operating specifications. I would use 15mm JG fittings again shark bite isn’t a option in the UK. My hot tank is unpressurised as that was the nature of the kit at the time. I like it being unpressurised because I use it as the recirculating shower tank and serviceability for cleaning is important. If I didn’t have the recirculating shower I would use a pressurised, so I have one less pump. Not yet been to Australia, I would like to visit at some point!

[@timbirkenbach5092]

Thanks soooo much for the recommendation this answers some long contemplated questions. If you wouldn't mind,.. one more.. A lot of people talking about the filters of the recirc shower and that they glogg up quick and that you can only use them without shower gel. What is your experience? So your hot water tank is also your shower grey tank? Have you considered using the coolant as heat transfer medium as well?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

I spent quite a time varying different types of shower gel/shampoo, I found shower gels, get screened out less because they’re dissolved in the water more so the filters last longer, but the water needs to be replaced quicker. Natural soaps or ones with more natural oils. Get removed by the filters easier but clog filter them up quicker. Next van, I would look at a hydronic or heating system, which uses coolant from the engine

[@timbirkenbach5092]

Thanks again for your great help! Looking forward to your next video!!

[@terrynewey5313]

Very interesting Alex but not a clue what you were on about apart from having hot water 🤔

[@matthewnorris1005]

Any recommendation for a decent 12v solenoid valve or ball valve? ...bough the cheep and cheerful and it leaks when closed.I saw you mentioned one in one of yours Vids. Cheers am

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

What your planned application? If it’s pressurised then a solenoid is a better bet ( filling the tank for example ) but if it’s for gravity fed ( draining the hot tank for example ) then you need a ball valve would be a better idea

[@matthewnorris1005]

@@MispronouncedAdventures it's for a pressure fed emptying of of my grey water tank, got a small pump 1/2'' connections

[@damianclarke3519]

Nice, do you think you could use the load output to dump excess solar into a portable battery bank like the ecoflow delta or similar. It sounds like the mppt controller is a smart way to charge the battery bank without damaging the van batteries.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes. The “dump” can be anything. I personally use the EcoFlow powerbank and I also thought of this application. However I still might run if via relay. As the Dc input of a EcoFlow unit might be higher than the max output of a load output on a Mppt

[@Simon_f32]

Which temperature controller did you use Alex? I can’t find one that states the probe is fully submersible and don’t fancy just chancing it.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

I’m using a W3230 ( or a look alike copy of one. ) pretty cheap off Amazon and been working without issue for 2+ years now.

[@Simon_f32]

@@MispronouncedAdventures awesome, thanks Alex. Have you just dropped it into the tank then or did you drill and seal it in?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

As this is an pressurised tank, drilled a hole in the top, so I could run the temperature sensor through it, and then a bit of sealant to then seal the hole around the wire

[@Simon_f32]

@@MispronouncedAdventures That’s another job added to the list then. Thanks again 👍🏼

[@michaelb2388]

Am I correct in thinking you can only do this using a 12v (or DC) immersion direct from the controller? Or is the immersion wired into the 12v system?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The 12v dc immersion is wired too a large relay, which in turn is wired to the 12v systems. I’m using the controller/ temperature controlled relay to give a signal to the large relay to turn on. The element is too power to run direct from the controller

[@sun-sea-solar]

Is it possible to do a solar dump with out a relay. Just using the streetlight function?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

I don’t think so but I haven’t looked too deeply. Yes the “streetlight” function does work in conjunction with the load out, so it could be used to turn things on and off. I’m not sure it would worked as in settings for “streetlight” the triggers seem to be only based around sunrise and sunset times. Whilst dumpload you would ideally want the trigger to be battery SOC. but I guess you could make a hot water tank heat up pre sunrise or after sunset if you wanted

[@sun-sea-solar]

@@MispronouncedAdventures thank you 👍

[@djunknown...]

This is what I have been trying to do for a year I live on a narrowboat I have a 1600w victron inverter and 1kw of solar and a calorifer that is heated by engine only I know I can put a 300w 12v element in I just don't know where to go from there for the dump I understand the 200 relay to up the resistance what is the grey panel the 3 you have? And are you triggering it off the victron relay that tells a generator to kick In in voltage is low ? Thanks T .

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Originally it was more dump, and I used Voltage as a trigger. But yes, I’m using reverse logic on the generator on / off triggered SOC now

[@djunknown...]

@MispronouncedAdventures so what's the grey pannle in the cupboard that was flickering when you were filming it sorry just trying to explain what,I saw

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

The one with the red and blue numbers on? That a temperature controlled relay. When the dump load is “on” that powers the temp relay, which checks tank is below my preset max temperatures ( 80c ), if blow the temperature relay triggers the big 200a relay which runs the element

[@djunknown...]

@MispronouncedAdventures yes where do I get that from maybe a link to buy that is the only thing I'm missing

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Amazon has many different models under the name “temperature relay 12v” mine is a “W3230” type one

[@fergusmoloney]

Alex is there any danger with this immersion setup if there is no water in the tank? How hot does the element get? I don’t have a recirculating system. I have a manual feed from the cold supply to fill the hot water tank which I refill after a shower (to avoid lowering the tank temperature during use). I currently just have the bobil system connected. I’m asking in case I was to forget to top off the hot tank after use. Thanks.

[@fergusmoloney]

I guess I could try and ensure the outflow from the tank is above the element to ensure it always remains submerged…

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Good question, in the way I have set it up it would not be possible to drain the tank below the level of the element as the outflow pipes are above the height of the element. As for how hot does the Element get? I don’t know. but since the element is always in the water it doesn’t really matter in that sense as the water would stop the element from overheating because the heat energy from the element is going into the tanks . And the tanks water is controlled by the temperature relay which turns element off when it reaches my preset 60°. If the tank was empty and The element exposed you would have the issue of overheating and something would fail

[@ervinstark1354]

Nice! Is it possible to do this with a Renogy MPPT too? Or just with Victron?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

I don’t know if they’re Renogy units have a built-in relay. But if they don’t you can buy standalone “Solar dump relays” / “ voltage sensitive relays “ and use it to the same effect

[@ervinstark1354]

@@MispronouncedAdventures thank you! Btw going to visit Nordkapp this december with our self built Transit, watched and learned a lot from you!:) So hope it will go OK ! Cheers!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

I’m heading up there at the start of January. All the best

[@ervinstark1354]

@@MispronouncedAdventures oo nice! We will spent our NYE there, lets grab a beer :)

[@forresteralex]

At last somone has done it i been talking about this for ages how did you link up the load on victron couldnt see in the vid i have a similar mppt

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Most version of the Victron mppts have a controllable load output some way or another. But it’s different between the 75, 100 & 150 models. Hopefully you’ll get it working for you. I think it’s well worth it

[@chrisb5839]

Just watched this video again and wanted to run an idea past you to see if it would work.. To prevent the system drawing any battery power, would it work with a dedictaed panel (say 100w) which is solely used to heat water? Lets say you had the 100w panel with a 12v regulator to give a constant 12v supply to the temperature relay, which is then connected to a 12v heating element inside a small insulated tank. Would it then just heat the water anytime there is sun on the panel within the temperature ranges set on the relay? 🤔 This could then be a standalone system you could leave running without it draining any battery power. The only downside is that it wouldnt heat overnight, or when there is not enough sun, so the temperature inside the tank would fall much lower then yours. I'm thinking on a small scale, (lets say to heat water for a small kitchen sink rather than a shower) in a small campervan. Would this be viable? Would you still need a pwm or mmpt controller between the panel and voltage regulator? Intruiged to hear your thoughts! 🙂

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

With a dedicated panels you have just feed direct PV from the panel into the right element, many dump loads are done like that. The 12V regulator would also work.

[@chrisb5839]

@@MispronouncedAdventures in your video you stated the element draws 300w regardless. How would it work directly connected to the PV, would it just not turn on until enough wattage was coming through?

[@TheHiveOffGride]

dont suppose you would have a wiring diagram for how you wired the heat element to run the way it runs please. including the relays please.

[@alicurran1743]

Clever idea! Early doors in my van but I reckon this could work for me too. Sitting from 9:00 with a full battery on a Sunny day always feels wasteful lol! 270w solar and 200aH lithium. 150w element feels about right?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yeah that’s should like a good option for you. 150w heater or 300w ( which is just 150w x 2 in parallel, just split the parallel and use a single one )

[@alicurran1743]

@@MispronouncedAdventures great idea! I can’t see a UK stocked 150w anywhere. Bimble Solar have a 300w presume that’s the one you used? I’ll order one and see how fiddly it is to bypass the parallel. Well worth a try for £20!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes I used the 300w from Bimble. Really simple to split the parallel is actually just two bars which join the top it’s just unbolt them and take them off it’s designed to be done that way. If you have Instagram messenge me on there and I’ll send you a photo

[@alicurran1743]

@@MispronouncedAdventures Sounds easy, many thanks Alex, I’m Alijcurran on Instagram (I think..) I’ve just followed you.

[@jeffsteinmetz7188]

Great content! Very cool system! I have and still need to install a hydronic system that uses the fuel from the Van tank, but it also has an AC electric heating element intended for use if plugged into shore power. But I like your system as I do not plan to be plugged in much and don’t like the idea of leaving the inverter on all day. I guess if I am wasting 500 watts of solar while in “float” the overhead on from the inverter is nothing to be stressed about. With your water heated all day do you get much residual heat in the van? What size wire did you run for that 25 amps at 12V?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Residual heat wise not so much of an issue as the tank is heavily insulated. The cupboard it sits in gets a bit work but overall no effect on the van. Wire wise I’m using 10mm2 for the cable. I’m sure a AC electric element could be used. Just a relay or switch which can be triggered by a 12v / Dc signal

[@AboveGroundLevel.]

Hi. Great build content. I am thinking of doing something similar. Would a 275w panel be sufficient enough powering a 300w 12v water element like the one you use on your set up? I understand it's 25w short of the 300w element so may take longer to reach temperature but wouldn't have the worry of burning out the element anytime soon. It would be immersed in tank controlled with relay / thermostat running off the dump load of the charge controller. I understand you mention perhaps going for a smaller element such as 150w but seeing as I already had a 300w 12v element knocking about from a old project I thought why not upcycle it to a new purpose for heating water when solar dump occurs. ATB

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

It could well work, The main reason I mention a smaller element for a small amount of solar is when a lot of the time you’re not running at 100% solar output. But if you’re prepared for the solar dump is probably going to use some battery as well. It was just me and you reach your solar dump cut-off voltage quicker. But go for it specially if you already got one lying around

[@AboveGroundLevel.]

@@MispronouncedAdventures many thanks for the comment. I will look to fit it in the coming weeks and monitor the battery output when the solar dump takes effect. I will potentially switch to 150w if the fluctuations between float / dump are to great for the element to work effectively heating water. Keep up the great content 👍 ATB

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

@@AboveGroundLevel. What type of 300w element have you got? As the one I use has the two bars which are 150W and just have two plates at the end which join them in parallel make it into 300w. you can remove the plates and just run a single part of it

[@AboveGroundLevel.]

@@MispronouncedAdventures yes that's bang on. Same element as your one (I remember correctly as it's sitting in the shed awaiting digging out) so yes that would be ideal way of dropping the draw 🙂

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Fantastic easy way for you to test!

[@jha5301]

for lead acid normal battery how much would you set it?

[@DaveWatts_ejectamenta]

18 litres of water is barely enough to have a 5 minute shower in the morning, and the flow rate must be quite slow. Still, better than nothing! But you would be better to replace some of the PV with solar water panels since they are about 4 times more efficient than PV panels.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

I have a recirculating shower. so high pressure and high flow rate. in the context of an individual shower it’s “infinite water” as it’s a closed looping system

[@acapulcogolovorez]

Please give us the wiring diagram of the solar dumping system! How to connect it?

[@HorseboxCamper]

Great stuff Alex, time to run some more cables I think! So that other dump load controller from Bimble allows you to mimic the relay on the BMV712 to say when voltage hits 13.6 v it would engage the relay and set off the heating element? Very cool. Is there a reason you set the temp to 60 degrees, is it to kill bacteria as this system is on constantly? Your Bobil is set lower isn’t it?

[@pau1phi11ips]

Keeping it on for a long time at 30-40 degrees would be pretty bad for nasties living/growing in the tank I think. 60 degrees kills pretty much everything you'll likely get in the tank.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

My Bobil is also set to 60c. As the recirculating the shower requires a pre heat to 60° as the initial starting it flushes unheated water for the filters into the tank and drops system temperature very quickly to 40 where it stabilises. Byproduct is 60° is also a safe temperature to keep a hot tank at killing any potential nasties

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

If you’re using the BMV-712 I would actually use the SOC trigger over a voltage trigger. It would be a far more accurate way of doing it to not having to take into account voltage drop and increase from charging.

[@TheHiveOffGride]

Hi, ive have tride messaging you several time but no answer, i want to do with the heating element like how you have done it, could you please explain how you fitted it and how you did the setting for it on the victron please. if anyone else has done this i would like to know, thank you in advance.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Heating element is fitted by drilling a hole in the water tank and then using a bulkhead fitting to screw the heating electric in via the threads on it. Electronically originally are used voltage sensing. On an off point. Later on I switched use a SOC value to trigger a relay as a signals, which, in turn turns on a temperature sensitive relay, to check tank temperature, which triggers a high amp relay, which turns on the element

[@TheHiveOffGride]

@@MispronouncedAdventures thank you for the reply, i love your videos. it took me a while to fully understand how you did the shower with the two tanks lol, ive just brought a horse lorry that im going to be converting. what was the cost of all the victron stuff btw.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Realistically the shower system only uses one tank, the shower tank. The smaller one is more just a way of collecting all the drain pipes together in one spot. Victron kit is pretty expensive, but you get what you pay for, I don’t know a full cost up off the top of my head but plenty of site offer it

[@TheHiveOffGride]

@@MispronouncedAdventures so i dont have to have two tank, ok, however i do like the way that you set it up and if its ok id want to set it up like yourself. Thanks again sir and thank you for all your help.

[@firstclassmaleuk]

I’ve been trying to get my head around doing this for a while now. I only have a PWM controller with the battery output only to batteries and load output going to what loads the van needs. So I want to take the excess without affecting the load. If I connected a second PWM to the load output of PWM, could I then power my priority loads from its battery out and anything left over go from PWM2 to the dump?

[@opera5714]

Yes it can. It does take some custom electronics. When the PWM is on charging, panel voltage drops to battery voltage. When off it jumps above power point voltage. A diode directs that to a storage capacitor. A circuit pulses the heater till that power drops below power point voltage. Are you in US?

[@firstclassmaleuk]

@@opera5714 extra electronics scares me a little. If Alex describes his set up as analogue, then I’m even more analogue. If I can connect a red and a black wire to a box that does it all, that’s my idea of advanced! I’m in the UK

[@opera5714]

@@firstclassmaleuk There is a lot to be said for the theory, if you can't buy it on amazon you don't need it. I'm pretty surprised China hasn't come out with these modules. I've talked about a board I made for years and I almost can't give it away. After 50 years in electronics I still hook things up backwards. Enjoy the road!

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Cheers for the reply to this question guys I missed the original comment

[@thenoworriesnomad]

What size is the table top on the Lagun mount?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

67cm x 34cm

[@thenoworriesnomad]

@@MispronouncedAdventures Do you find it an ok size?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

For me by myself yes. plenty of space to eat food or have the laptop on with external hard drives plugged in and drinks on

[@thenoworriesnomad]

@@MispronouncedAdventures perfect

[@stephenhill2009]

Hi Alex , I am based in the Republic of Ireland but I would like to buy some of the stuff on your Amazon shop however there is a duty / tax issue. Would you ship to an address in the North of Ireland ( technically still in the UK ) where a friend lives and I can collect from there. Thank you. Stephen Hill.

[@pau1phi11ips]

The Amazon shop is just a bunch of links he gets royalties on if you buy from them to help him out. He doesn't have an actual shop with stock ;)

[@fergusmoloney]

They are just affiliate links. Just buy the same products on Amazon.de so you don’t have to worry about taxes and charges. I can’t understand why Irish people are still looking on Amazon.co.uk.

[@karlsanderson8127]

So is this now registered as a campervan or a van with windows because i know dvla are being dicks with diy conversion

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Nope this isn’t registered with the DVLA. Unlikely to get it past and to be honest it makes no difference. My insurance company insure it as a conversion regardless of what the V5 says under body type. The increase speed limit which people believe they get change it to a campervan under the DVLA also don’t apply here as well

[@David_11111]

where you been lol !

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Very busy working for Bobilvans down near Bristol. Had almost no time to film, let alone edit video!

[@David_11111]

@@MispronouncedAdventures :) so I hear LOL

[@patrickconrad396]

I'm trying to build a recirculating shower and want to wrap piping close around the heating element hoping it heats the pipe for when the shower drain runs through it. Anyone think this is a safe idea and will it work at all?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

It’s can be done. There is 12v heating wire which I’ve seen wrapped around pipes. But I’d want to switch to a metal / copper pipe over a plastic one. My worries there water would be moving so fast in the pipe there wouldn’t be much energy transfer

[@patrickconrad396]

@@MispronouncedAdventures thanks for replying so fast! Yea I was thinking metal but wasn't sure how much heat it would be. But I'm also not sure how much heat is lost either since it recirculates. I'll probably have to run tests first. But just trying to maximize the time with as minimal footprint as possible.

[@trevortrevortsr2]

There is a guy on the canals who has a similar system

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Yes, solar dump Loads are more popular in quite a few different areas.

[@ulf5738]

The water should be at least 65 degrees to kill of the nasty stuff. 60 is a bit to low for legionella bacteria. 70 is a guaranteed kill for that bacteria.

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Higher the better yes. But some recommendations even only holding above 50c

[@itsnotlevel2]

Bruh... How in the F do you get 590 watts out of 500 watts of panels....?? 🤔

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Solar panels ratings are a ideal conditions rating not a max output rating

[@itsnotlevel2]

@@MispronouncedAdventures That's not how that works there's something else you're leaving out..... I'm not arguing with you I'm just trying to figure out if there's a way you boosted your output.

[@itsnotlevel2]

@@MispronouncedAdventures what was the outside temp and where was the sun on days you exceeded your rating..... Does that happen every day?

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Nope, that’s how its work. The rated “wattage” of many solar panels is not its absolute max. Solar panels rating are based on a standardise testing criteria. But real world can most of the time you hit lower than the rated, but you can his higher. Example, solar panel output is massively related to efficiency, which is related to temperature. Low temperature can increase efficiency

[@MispronouncedAdventures]

Not sure the temperature that does, panels can also be cooled via driving and the wind over the top. Most clear summer days I’ll see 510-520w. My max ever has been 624w