We Installed the BASE to our OFF-GRID ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (810 ah Battleborn GameChanger3)

[@SchoandJo]

⚡ Use code schoandjo to save on your BattleBorn batteries! 🪚 In-depth Van Build Articles: schoandjo.com/van-build 💌 Want to keep up with us in real -ime? Sign up for our weekly email to be filled in our current adventures. schoandjo.com/sunday-summary Thank you for watching!

[@garymost6255]

Great episode. Gotta be honest, I subscribed during your ‘loop’ days but have really, really enjoyed the van build process. I’m (still) hooked! You both have a fantastic ability as ‘storytellers’. Well done!!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks so much, Gary!

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

I am seriously impressed! This is why I’d buy a completed van. You’re a better man than I Gunga Din.

[@SchoandJo]

haha its a lot of work, but should hopefully be worth it in the end 🤞

[@AdventuresofAplusK]

WAY TO GO y'all! 🎉🎉 800Ah is gonna be siiiiick!

[@SchoandJo]

👏👏 thanks y’all!

[@suzanneaydelotte801]

It’s all coming together so nicely. You both should be proud!

[@SchoandJo]

Thank you, Suzanne!

[@bobmiller1973]

That all looks super complicated and intimidating. Good thing that Elliott is an electrical wizard. Very interesting and impressive. Great video as always. Can't wait for the next one. You guys are awesome!!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks so much, Bob!

[@rodneythetall8877]

Not failures, learning experiences!

[@SchoandJo]

That’s the right mindset!

[@vipercoil630]

Nice work

[@doncritzer2798]

That new haircut ya got we used to call "white walls" when I was in the Army😅😂😊

[@jeffreyyoung702]

- Another great video you two. - Did the RV thing before we bought a Trawler and did the Loop. - Really looking forward to the new adventure you will be undertaking. - As during the loop your concerns concerning "air-height" were evident do yourself a favor and figure out youf van builds overall height and make a sticker/placard and place on windshield for a quick reference. You will come across some height restrictions on your travels. Examples are covered bridges, heck even some roads the Merrit Parkway in Conneticut has an 8ft restriction if I remember correctly. Better to be safe than sorry.

[@SchoandJo]

That's a great recommendation, thank you, Jeffrey!

[@donaldbrown9437]

Great job!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks, Donald!

[@doncritzer2798]

I used 2/0 to connect 5 big deep cycles in parallel. Whatever you use they must all be the same length, pos on 1st battery, negative on 5th battery so electricity goes thru all of them

[@SchoandJo]

Nice!! That's what we did 💪

[@ozcanucal7062]

Greting from Fethiye Turkey looking great good luck for New advanture goodmorning you guys

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks!

[@lesterwicklein717]

great job!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks so much!

[@Seansousa757]

Please keep in mind that all battery cables need to be the same length and size for optimum performance. The wires that connect each battery to other batteries and the POS and NEG that goes to the buss bar or inverter.

[@SchoandJo]

Yes! That is a good point, I believe I did say that in the video too 😁

[@Catalina58601]

I hope you kids are ok. Most of the people I watch on KZbin are east-coasters for some reason and I am worried about all of you. I send all my safe and sound wishes for you and your family and Ollie!

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks, Lynn! Was a rough storm but we got through with no damage!

[@Catalina58601]

@@SchoandJo Very good news!

[@carolwestermann5309]

Great job on the electrical install. Very proud of you two and what you have accomplished. Did the electrical pass Ollie’s quality control? ♥️♥️♥️

[@johneken2056]

Nice job, but the battery switch should be accessible from the living side of the van just like the battery switch on your trawler.

[@SchoandJo]

We considered moving it, but on the boat I think we used it once or twice in two years, so we determined having to raise the bed and lean over to turn it off is good enough! As long as we don't need to take apart anything to turn it off!

[@marcbloch1963]

Isn’t the ground wire a bit too small? I was installing the same MultiPlus 3000 and Battleborn batteries in my Sprinter just a few months ago and I was been told to use not less than one size down from 4/0 for ground; since I didn’t had 3/0 I used 4/0 for ground which is totally fine. Also I actually connected it directly to the chassis. I noticed you connected it to the body and on top of the paint; I would definitely grind that paint off as the terminal should touch the bare metal. Just some food for thought.

[@SchoandJo]

Great tips! We did grind it down, so its touching the metal! I just don't think I filmed that... I may change it to be a 4/0 wire, but we're right at the border of 2/0, so that is still technically safe. The 4/0 wire is so expensive I needed to make sure I had long enough for our alternator run (coming in a future video). So all in all, I may change it to 4/0 before securing everything! How are you liking your system so far?

[@marcbloch1963]

@@SchoandJo Sounds like you have everything under control. 👍🏻I spent close to can$800 for all of the 4/0 wiring, which came as a big surprise to me as well. I was a bit more limited since I installed my system in a Sprinter which was camperized by Airstream (Interstate) having to deal with the existing space and installation. I am extremely pleased with the way it’s working so far. Unfortunately I was only able to put in 400Ah Battleborn batteries and 500W high efficiency solar panels on the roof; but since it’s just for myself it’s plenty of electricity and my Starlink is on most of the time. In case you haven’t found a solution yet on how to charge your lithium batteries with your engines alternator, I can highly recommend the Li-Bim 225 which does an excellent job. PS: We pretty much live the same lifestyle except in opposite directions….lol….I just bought a Nordhavn 40 on the East Coast and planning on doing the “Great Loop”. My beloved Sprinter will be stored away for the time being.

[@flutetubamorg]

There is something SO satisfying about putting an electrical system together, flipping it on, and stuff actually works! Great job y'all! Hey I'm curious, are you guys going to have to beef up the suspension at all or is it already setup to take the extra load?

[@SchoandJo]

Seriously!! Super satisfying :) We're not planning to do any updates to the suspension, as most of our friends who've built vans haven't needed any changes. So just like everything, we'll play it by ear and see how the van handles! Always something we can add later :)

[@flutetubamorg]

@@SchoandJo These things are so versatile, seems like they can handle about anything!

[@willemkoeslag9269]

How are you going to charge the batteries when there is no sun? Are you going to be able to plug into shore power, or external generator!!

[@doncritzer2798]

Run the engine, it has an alternator, should be upgraded to a 125 amp tho

[@SchoandJo]

No generator, but a dedicated alternator and, in this video we installed shore power!

[@Artist_Kevin]

Airbags for suspension?

[@ryanmiller1652]

Just watching and did you grind the paint off at that ground connection? Grounds are one of the most important connections in the entire system. Paint NEEDS to be removed

[@SchoandJo]

Totally! Yes we did grind the paint away, just cut it from the video to keep pacing. Thanks for the note!

[@davewear1361]

Have enjoyed your adventures on the Great Loop from the start to finish but what insurance company is going to insure a home made camper that hasn't been installed or so far inspected by a professional electrician, plumbers etc. Have you put in much thought of weight distribution in the camper, just wondering?

[@SchoandJo]

Insurance companies insure camper vans all the time, they just need to be inspected! Just like boats, after many owners make changes - they are rarely always installed by professionals... Weight distribution is definitely something on our minds, which is why we put the batteries in the middle, slightly to the left on top of the axel! Cheers!

[@DougAlesUSA]

Hey you two. I enjoyed your boating videos. They were fun and I am into boating, but sadly, not into the van life. If you return to boat videos, I’d love to keep watching. If not, thank you for the boating content you did create and best wishes on a long, happy life.

[@SchoandJo]

Thanks for watching

[@shoffman75]

Don’t bury that kill switch. If you ever need it, you’ll want it to be easy to reach.

[@SchoandJo]

Totally! Our bed won't be bolted down, so just lifting up our mattress should enable a quick turn off :)

[@gregoryhofer1192]

I'm surprised you installed your master on/off switch right over your batteries. If you have a problem with the batteries how do you proposed to get to that switch. I think it would be better on your status board so that if there is a problem you can shut off the batteries. You should talk to the battery people about the best place to install that switch, after all, theres a reason that switch is red.

[@SchoandJo]

Red switches are important! 😁 On our boat we only switched off our batteries once or twice in 2 years so we figured if we need to lift up our bed to turn it, then no big deal! As long as we don’t need to unscrew anything and can get to it easily, then that’s good 💪

[@carolwestermann5309]

Great job on the electrical install. Very proud of you two and what you have accomplished. Did the electrical pass Ollie’s quality control? ♥️♥️♥️

[@SchoandJo]

We got Ollie’s Paw of Approval 😁