Sprinter Van Conversion - Electrical and Battery (Solar Powered Van)

*EDIT*
/ onechicktravels
If you want more detailed instructions on how to build out a van check out my blog: www.onechicktr...
Who am I?
My name is Kaya, I live out of a sprinter van and travel full time to rock climbing destinations. I upload new videos every other Thursday and focus on all things Vanlife + Rock Climbing related!
🧐Business Inquiries: [e-mail]
📩Shipping Address Sponsored by NextSpace (nextspace.us/)
Kaya Lindsay
101 Cooper Street
Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
Full battery and electrical set up instructions here: www.onechicktr...
Yay! Finally getting this out. Best of luck to anyone trying to do their electrical and battery set up! It was a lot of work, but it was also the most rewarding step!
This is a general 'how to' video but this is not a step by step walkthrough. I'm no electrician! This video should help you get started when setting things up, and help you make some important purchases. Best of luck!
Products Used in this video:
Battery Meter - amzn.to/2afn5LS
12 Amp Circuit Breaker - amzn.to/2aBglrr
(x2) 20 Amp Circuit Breakers - amzn.to/2aVeeQp
30 Amp Circuit Breaker - amzn.to/2aVfsLa
40 Amp Circuit Breaker - amzn.to/2aHFJtp
100 Amp Circuit Breaker - amzn.to/2aM6OMc
125 Amp Circuit Breaker - amzn.to/2aoCDhT
Inverter - amzn.to/2pgqAcY
Charge Controller - amzn.to/2a35UtP (**Product Recall** I have been having issues with my charge controller & when I asked smart harvest they said they were having a recall. It works, it just attempts to overcharge the batteries on really sunny days. Purchase at your own risk.)
Shore Power Battery Charger - amzn.to/2asbbyP
Breaker Box - amzn.to/2acadlV
2 120 Amp Hour AGM Batteries - amzn.to/2av8aif
Solar Panel - bit.ly/2avhxvR
The link above is the panel we got, but we purchased ours second hand from a friend. Here are a few links to similar panels.
Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Panel - amzn.to/2e2yrY1
Renogy 150 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Panel, 2 Piece -
amzn.to/2ecj5hw
amzn.to/2ecj5hwamzn.to/2
ECO-WORTHY 300 Watt 2pcs 160w Monocrystalline Photovoltaic PV Solar Panel Module 12V Battery Charging - amzn.to/2djaI4c
Good luck!
2 Junction Boxes - amzn.to/2av9pxZ
Led Lights - bit.ly/2atwOR7
Dimming Control - amzn.to/2atwlhN
2 GFCI Outlets - amzn.to/2a3a5pf
Cigarette Lighter Outlet - amzn.to/2a7WcI3
Cord Grips - amzn.to/2mU7QPA
Myers Hub - amzn.to/2mfPTIf
If you want more detailed instructions on how to build out a van check out my blog: www.onechicktr...
Electrical and Battery
www.onechicktr...
Fan Install
www.onechicktr...
Floors
www.onechicktr...
Insulation
www.onechicktr...
Wood Paneling
www.onechicktr...
Bed and Cabinets
www.onechicktr...
Sink and Water Tanks
www.onechicktr...
If you feel so inclined, any & all donations go toward powering more van fueled adventures!
www.paypal.me/...
If you want to see photos of me in my van drinking coffee, playing ukulele and rock climbing outside you can follow me on Instagram: @OneChickTravels
If you want to get updated on new blog posts, videos and read articles I like about climbing check out my facebook: Facebook.com/OneChickTravels
And if you want to know what kind of music I'm listening to while I work you can follow me on Twitter: @KayaSays

[@BigMacProDaddy]

So much care is needed with electricity/wiring in a metal vehicle, especially with all the flammable insulation and coverings and belongings. Don't mean to be alarmist, just concerned for personal safety. Great job on the conversion Kaya.

[@KayaLindsay]

Brian Smith thanks! So far no fires 🔥 😅

[@vinneshabansode1886]

Brian Smith bp

[@campingcarjoa]

Hi Kaya. I'm planning on doing the same thing next year. Glad I found your channel~^^

[@nocturnal7312]

Love the wood on the inside of your van, I used ugly fake wood panel, Yours is way more cooler looking !!

[@jimbo7872]

Great job on the van, quite inspiring! I need to mention something VERY important: You used a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter receptacle (GFCI). You will notice there are two sets of screw terminals (4 total, 2 for black and 2 for white) One set (black and white) is for LINE and one set is for LOAD circuit connection points. You must hook up your feed to the LINE side.The way that you hooked up the receptacle appeared to be the LOAD side. This will allow it to power any item you plug into it, but totally BYPASSES the safety circuit for the ground fault circuit interrupter!!! Please google this for a better more thorough explanation. (Look up: GFCI LINE vs. LOAD wiring) I am ABSOLUTELY not trying to be an annoyance, but want to point out something I noticed to keep you or others SAFE ! Please look into this, it is an easy fix, but could save your life! Again great work on the van ! (At 1:42 you can see the LOAD SIDE warning sticker covering the terminals that I later see you wire to, this is how I knew for those wondering, and yes I am an Electrician)

[@KayaLindsay]

Thank you for letting me know! I'm going to go back and see if I can find the packaging we got. I'm not sure which side was which, I may have misspoken in the video. The GFCI receptacles have tripped once before and I took that as a sign that they were working, but I'll go back and see what I can find and make a correction if I need to. Thank you for the heads up!

[@jimbo7872]

Easiest thing to do: Turn OFF breaker to receptacle and VERIFY power off, always be safe! Remove face plate and remove receptacle. Flip over and look at the back. You will see the markings LINE and two arrows pointing to the connections for your BLACK and WHITE wires that are opposed to each other. You will also see LOAD and two arrows pointing to the connections for the black and white wires for the LOAD side. Make sure that your connections are where the arrows from the LINE side point to. Any GFCI that I have ever installed has had that yellow sticker (shown at 1:41) covering the LOAD side connection points. If you read that yellow sticker you will see it is a warning about ONLY using the LOAD side to feed additional receptacles. This is why I am concerned as I noticed that you placed your wires on the connection points where that sticker used to be. Let me know if you have any other questions at all. I hope my explanation is clear. I am not referring to having white and black switched, I am referring to how to wire a receptacle that is specific only to a GFCI. If you do a google image search you should be able to find pictures showing exactly what I'm describing. Thanks very much for taking this seriously. Cheers !

[@muhammadhabib8309]

Kaya Lindsay nice also i love luxry cars

[@CincyPlasmaTech]

Kaya Lindsay The load side will allow connection of non-GFCI receptacles AND maintain ground fault protection for ALL receptacles connected to the load side.

[@Space_Gaucho]

I really really wanna make a van rv some day. Thank you for posting these, they are very informative while also not getting bogged down on the details that will surely be different for every build.

[@KayaLindsay]

No problem! I'm glad they are helpful to you. I worry about not posting enough detail. But after a certain point, each van is different and people need to figure out what works best for them!

[@davebutler6521]

Hi, could you ask your electrical friend about the decisions made about brands and sizing with the gear? Thanks

[@Andy_M986]

Wow! love the wall panelling,i drive those vans every day for my job,and i'm thinking of buying a van and doing my own conversion. That is THE best inside of a van conversion i have seen so far,nice work,and keep the videos coming. :_)

[@charlotteice5704]

bungaboy66 same

[@CarnivoreFrank]

I love the wood finish and you're beautiful and pleasant to listen to narrate

[@beerichman5019]

I'm getting one. your van looks comfy and amazing.. great job!

[@ab-te8gj]

Very good. The van turned out pretty awesome and gave me a couple ideas i never thought about. Great video as well.

[@BurnabyAlex]

9:56 you can wrap some spiral wrap or tubing around the cable where it will rub against the metal corner.

[@spydaweb3008]

awesome! I bet that was fun. I can tell u were enjoying yourself by your narrating.

[@jessa4282]

I LOVE the way you explain everything.

[@MasterChief-sl9ro]

You only need 1 GFCI per circuit. It must be the first one.. Then you can chain the rest down the line. This meets NFPA stands and it also protects from water. As you need one at lest 3" or less from any water source. This will save you $20.00 for each one. As I seen people use 10 in an RV and all they needed was 2... It's also a good idea to run all your wiring behind walls in flex tubing with a extra pull string. You use Orange for low voltage control wiring. Blue for Network and black for 120\208. This make sit easy to add new circuits without pulling all the stuff back out to fix anything. Great job so far...

[@VR6NAVYVW]

I climbed at pacific edge as well. Love that gym and miss it.

[@ericlampham]

Really appreciated this video. Thanks for documenting. That's a lot of work on its own. I want to do something like this.

[@mikeselbicky763]

PG!!! so rad Kaya!

[@Gantzz321]

biggest worry I have for doing a conversion like this is in the winter time (Canadian here) dealing with condensation inside the van when you sleep at night, and how it effects all the electrical equipment like you have installed here.

[@KayaLindsay]

I'm dealing with that right now as I go through my first winter in the van. So far the electrical has been fine, it's pretty well insulated. However when the van roof leaks it makes me really nervous about the wood paneling molding. I've repaired two leaks and am working on the next one as soon as it stops raining! Also, I do my best to ventilate the van when I'm not in it, or when driving so that the condensation evaporates off. When we were in the snow however, the sink pump stopped working, I think something in the pipes froze! Good luck in Canada!

[@robertoedwards6903]

You mentioned that AGM Batteries last a little longer, and this is true. But perhaps the biggest advantage with an AGM battery is that there is no gassing. Lead acid batteries give off gas when being charged. Gas that could explode! Nice job with the van.

[@KayaLindsay]

Roberto Edwards I misspoke in the video. Thank you for the correction! 😅 I'm a fan of the AGM batteries for sure!

[@Wheelsinthesky80]

Kaya Lindsay where to get AGM battery?

[@dgrolfe]

AGM Batteries are def needed for interior living space. I'd recommend Lithium Ion batteries for longer lasting batteries (can take more discharges and also discharge down to 20%, whereas AGM should only be discharged down to 50%). BUT...Lith-Ion are more expensive

[@ericzytowski5966]

Wow, thanks for adding the shopping list!

[@KayaLindsay]

No problem!

[@MomCat6000]

eric zytowski yes Kaya! Thank you for all the links. Think I’ll start purchasing all this stuff one thing at a time for when I buy my van in a year or two. Thank you for ALL the info!

[@menred-ess]

Thanks for you choose CNBOU's inverter, maybe we can support you one big pure sine wave inverter, like 2000W. than you can running vacuum cleaner.

[@OFFGRIDGEORGE]

thats awesome !!! im actually about to do a off grid van build today :)

[@KayaLindsay]

OFF GRID GEORGE rad! Good luck with it!

[@miacarmon7346]

Thank you this is the most helpful video I've found!!

[@DustyCowdog]

Fantastic video! Question: How did you secure the wood planks to the van walls and roof? This was definitely one of the best conversion videos. Thanks!

[@KayaLindsay]

Thanks :) I'll be doing a video on how we did the paneling soon! But basically construction adhesive and then we tacked it in with some screws.

[@gabbi657]

I love it. You worked very hard.Perfect job.Congregulation.👏👏👏👏🌹

[@kconradbh]

Nice van. I wish I was handy like you two.

[@henrikvtcodes]

Hi! I'm thinking about doing this, and since I do hobby electronics, this video interested me in particular. I'm considering converting a half length school bus. After I watched this series, I got super excited. Thought this was super cool.

[@KayaLindsay]

Henrik Techguy good luck on your school bus! And thanks for watching 😋

[@pterodactylptroll]

thanks for posting your videos about the van build. Looking back, do you wish you ran electrical wiring before doing insulation? I'm getting ready to do a build and I'm unsure about which one to do first. climb on!

[@KayaLindsay]

pterodactylptroll not at all. I'm glad we did it the way we did because if I ever need to change something it's easier to access under the paneling instead of under the insulation.

[@Tyrone-Ward]

Good video. I learned a lot of things.

[@CincyPlasmaTech]

LEDs with their own drivers should make dimming a little easier. You really have to get out the data sheets when matching up dimmers to LED lighting from different manufacturers.

[@CheapGeek]

Nice electrical Set up! :)

[@wilberthrojaschacon281]

esa espuma no es inflamable????

[@partyflockske]

IF in the future your invertor or your shore battery charger should die ( let's hope not for many many years :) ), there are invertors that when connected to shore power stop inverting the battery's 12V to 240, but let's the shore power passthrough plus it begins to charge your batteries :) That way you save a boxsize of space :)

[@AdventureOtaku]

Silly question, how did you seal the hole in the roof for the solar panel cable?

[@KayaLindsay]

Myers Hub was the metal piece we used to run cable through the roof! And cord grips run it through the breaker box.

[@davep6977]

great job. Only comment. 600 watt inverter is only 5 amps. Don't know what you're powering but it might be a tad light.

[@farty1000]

great vid many thanks for the info, im going to start a new build in a sprinter van, and im a big fan of tongue and groove, do you find it gathers condensation and drips??

[@KayaLindsay]

I do not find that yet! We're going through our first winter right now. Last time it rained we found one solitary drop of water leaky out on one of the walls, but we are unsure if it was a leak in our fan or condensation from our breath. I would recommend getting a dehumidifier. The Eva Dry models are great and rechargeable.

[@farty1000]

again thanks very much for the info, and a great looking interior!

[@KayaLindsay]

Right? It's amazing.

[@DavidSandel]

Did I see this correct? 18AWG speaker wire from your solar panel to the charge controller? How big is your panel(s)?

[@KayaLindsay]

The 18 gauge wire is for the lights! I can't remember of the top of my head the gauge of the wire used to go from the solar panel to the battery box, I think it was 12 or 10. But for the battery leads we used something like 4.

[@DavidSandel]

That's still pretty small. What size is your panel?

[@KayaLindsay]

David Sandel it's a 290 watt panel

[@ab-te8gj]

did you use anything to absorb the shock from driving for the solar panel. spacers, grommets anything. I would definitely protect that panel as much as possible.

[@KayaLindsay]

When I originally edited this video I got way more into how we strapped the panel down, but after showing it to a few people they said it was waaaaay too long and not really the point. The solar panel has got a really sturdy frame around it which we secured to the roof racks. We dipped the parts that connect to the round bars in plastic so the panel doesn't rattle. It's a difficult piece to describe without a visual aid... We we're originally pretty concerned with it breaking, but after our first few hail storms we're feeling pretty good about it!

[@maximus01152891]

Nice. Do you run portable AC/Heater? How long it will run at night before charging batteries again? Thx

[@KayaLindsay]

Who Cares I don't have a portable heater, right now the inverter isn't powerful enough to run a heater. I'm thinking of getting a diesel heater as a better solution! And it's been over a year and I have yet to completely discharge the battery bank.

[@keepinitsk8a516]

Wish I had friends to be able to help me out with things like this.

[@Gantzz321]

odds are you probably do know someone that can help, you just don't know it. friend of a friend even

[@CharlesCUnal]

Thanks for the video , you are awesome ...

[@alyxnugent5024]

Hi Kaya! I am starting my van conversion process! I was wondering if you considered added a toilet and/or shower?

[@KayaLindsay]

Alyx Nugent no toilet for us! Just a pee jar. But down the line we want to do an outdoor shower! 🚿

[@alyxnugent5024]

Oh awesome! Thanks for the reply! Happy adventuring

[@tredogg909]

thanks this was helpful. I just need an electrical friend

[@devonblaine]

Please tell us more about your rack! Where did you get it? How much did it cost?

[@KayaLindsay]

lol I was born with it.

[@devonblaine]

You're silly. I mean the roof rack 😆

[@KayaLindsay]

HeuristicDev haha yeah. It's a Yakima rack. Extra Tall towers with round bars!

[@devonblaine]

Touché

[@KayaLindsay]

HeuristicDev no I'm serious. Those are the ones we got. I can't remember the exact model but you can't get normal roof racks with the extra tall roof because they don't fit over the rain lip part of the van.

[@Swimdeep]

Watched the “1 year” vid and thought I’d share I’m putting solar on top in a removable, covered installation for stealth. Let me know if interested.

[@geekchaser]

Super cool video! Subbed. Do you plan on insulating the back doors? Very pretty BTW.

[@Bam-Bam1]

geekchaser awww thanks

[@KayaLindsay]

Thanks! The back doors are currently poorly insulated because we are still trying to put up the paneling and foam insulation. but yes! We do plan on insulating them!

[@geekchaser]

Kaya Lindsay You two living the dream! AWESOME!

[@420bb]

I don't know how to do any of this can I pay some one to help me? Where would I go for that?

[@KevinSmith-YT]

What a nice voice!

[@paulmatterhorn7111]

would use cable-end sleeves on high amperage cables..

[@earthtrekker1]

is that a new jersey accent? great job on the van btw

[@MrGonzo38]

how many kwh do u use a day and how much does the solar panels give ya?

[@KayaLindsay]

MrGonzo23 not sure how much power I use a day, but the panel is a 290 watt panel

[@ctsingletonboxing2829]

I've been interested in doing something like this how much did it cost to transform your van?

[@KayaLindsay]

Check it! onechicktravels.com/sprinter-van-conversion-total-cost/

[@terrykayak1]

Kaya Lindsay t

[@MatchlessPhotography]

So, tell me about this inverter. The price is very good for a pure sine wave but I cannot find any reviews on it. Do you like it so far and why did you choose that one?

[@KayaLindsay]

We chose that one because it was the least expensive for the pure sine wave at 600 Watts. However, we are considering getting a more powerful one (1200+ watts) because we want to be able to run an electric heater in the van when we are away from shore power. Right now we can only power our little heater when connected to an external source of power.

[@KayaLindsay]

Hey thanks for the resources! This is definitely something we've been thinking about for a while, especially since it is getting colder at night. The good thing about having a van is the small space, so we only need to run the heater for a few minutes to heat up the whole space. I'm hoping that if we get a larger inverter, plus the isolator combiner (to charge the batteries when driving) we can run an electric heater for just a few minutes and then heat the van. I've looked into propane heaters (thanks for the indoor one! I'll check that out!) but I get sketched out about burning fuel and air in my small space. The solution would be to crack the fan vent but then I'm letting all the hot air out. We have a small carbon monoxide detector which so far has not gone off. I'll look at the links you sent me but I feel like buying propane over and over again makes less sense in the long run if I can come up with a cool electric solution. We shall see! Trial and error is the name of the game :)

[@jasons7566]

You may be better off looking at 12 volt heaters and apliances instead of getting a bigger inverter. Even the best inverter is not very efficient, it wastes engery to go from DC to AC. they make small 300 watt heaters for semi trucks that run on DC it may be all you need for such a small space, the up side would your batteries would last much longer with the small power load and not having the loss from the inverter

[@KayaLindsay]

I've done some limited research on DC powered heaters, and I've heard mixed reviews. That's a great idea though! When we were looking at DC powered toaster ovens (I wanted to make pizza on the road..) they all had really bad reviews and said they didn't get very hot. I was assuming the DC heaters would have a similar problem. We have a DC outlet built into the back system so maybe it's time to look again!

[@denahom]

Very impressive and inspiring Kaya! I'm looking for a van now. Did you consult any books?

[@Mrandmrsadventure]

we love your vids gf! just subbed :))) Hope the road brings us together one day, xoxo

[@Wheelsinthesky80]

Love it

[@echosmoon5605]

Ur van is stacked

[@getreel3515]

Hi, I just bought a 2002 Freightliner Sprinter long wheel base high top, I am going to convert it into a camper for my daughter and son in law. The question I have is about the roof rails you used to mount the solar panel. According to all the sites I have checked, those rails are not available for sprinters up to and including 2006. Everything I seen said that a drip rail or rain gutter mount must be used. I really hate to have to look at those big brackets, where did you get your rails from? Thanks, great videos.

[@KayaLindsay]

Outdrzman hey thanks! Check out the electrical and battery walkthrough on my site: www.onechicktravels.com/blog/2017/4/11/sprinter-van-conversion-electrical-and-battery-solar-powered-van I link to the roof racks that we got there! They are from Yakima and pretty sweet 😎

[@bbthehugger2515]

Extremely helpful! Thank you so much for sharing! #BBhugs

[@jasons7566]

just remember to watch wire size when dealing with DC power it's really important. in my experience as far as propane heaters go the brand mr. heater is probably the best you'll find they're small and they have oxygen sensors built in. there is one other option for heat that would maybe limited sum since you're in a vehicle you could Salvage you engine heat the radiator stays hot for hours after the vehicle is turned off and they make products like this that you could run even after the vehicle is turned off Maradyne H-410312 Mesa 12V Wall Mount Heater www.amazon.com/dp/B00DZEZ4HW/ref=cm_sw_r_apa_QongybJ8YGW4Y

[@johnpuccetti9383]

Gel batteries do not last longer than lead acid. It is safer and easier to maintain. Costs more.

[@BaconSizzles08]

I miss your beautiful faces so much! Love you guys!

[@KayaLindsay]

Love you Mon Bon!

[@ab-te8gj]

dont skimp on the batteries either. deep cycle batteries can take a lot more excessive draining and lasts a shit ton longer. spendier but worth it.

[@0FlightlessBird0]

Might as well take it a step further and just go for lifepo4

[@frenchbroad1431]

Great video. very informative. One suggestion though. Please speak up when describing stuff. You have a tendency to mumble.

[@KayaLindsay]

It's on my list to get subtitles going for these videos. I know I mumble, sorry! D:

[@beanie0026]

Nice video. Your friend that helped you looks like Jay Cutler Chicago Bears quarterback.. Not that you care. Lol

[@KayaLindsay]

Ha! I'll tell him that.

[@kernek4406]

Kaya ? are You from Turkey ? Kaya = Rock

[@KayaLindsay]

Kernek 44 haha I am not from Turkey. But I do climb a lot of rocks! 🤔 I wonder if there is a connection...

[@keepinitsk8a516]

"It's super sexy" aha I like you. *Subscribes*

[@theGENIUSofART-understood]

get him to make a video for us all

[@scott1476]

It's cute he let her help. It's like me letting my little brother help with a project to make him think his presence is worthwhile

[@michaelagne4223]

I can't believe how many beautiful women are into van living.

[@tikilee7172]

Oh my God you have got to put that phone down when you're videoing

[@nitroxide17]

pretty lady :)

[@lancebaker1374]

Really uneven and basically crappy sound. It isn't that hard! Buy a lapel mic!

[@lancebaker1374]

Video is also crap, selfie stick. Come one, try to do it right!