Wiring and Conduit | Sprinter/Crafter Van Conversion 101

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Where can you run your wire conduit in your van conversion? How do you run wires in a van build? Where do your wires go in a campervan? How do you run conduit in a van? Why do you need conduit in your campervan? How does wiring and conduit work in a van conversion? We go through how to install conduit in a campervan and where to run your wires in a van build.
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--- UK Links --
➤ 4.5mm twin cable (50m): ebay.us/gOHBy9
➤ Electrical Conduit: ebay.us/h8QznV
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➤ 4.5mm (~7AWG): hebay.us/bQPubf
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Freedom Strider assumes no liability for damage, loss or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. This video is for educational purposes only. Use this information at your own risk. Freedom Strider recommends safe practices as implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Freedom Strider, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result.
#campervanwiring #vanelectrics #conduit

[@suemervis4360]

Thanks so much for providing your product list, it saved me alot of time researching what I need to buy 😊

[@FreedomStrider]

You are so welcome Sue :)

[@HannahandMyron]

Ah wiring!! THE worst! Good job guys. We gave up with conduit in our first van build when we realised the wall cavities in the MWB were completely different to all the LWBs we'd seen people wiring on KZbin. Can't wait to see how your van turns out!! 🥳

[@FreedomStrider]

Oh I'm not surprised, of course they are different! - I mean, 60% of our conduit is now external and not even in that pipe 🙄

[@Quickblood1]

Very Nice. As I have a seriously limited budget I foresee long spells where nothing gets done but if I plan thoroughly as you chaps have and run the conduit then it'll be easier to come back & add stuff each payday.

[@FreedomStrider]

Long spells where nothing gets done...that sounds familiar! 😂 Honestly haivng those long spells of 'inactivity' are very helpful for research and minimising silly mistakes (though not 100% foolproof) but it certainly allows you to be more strategic 😉👍

[@UrbanVanlife]

good work guys iv been watching you for a while and your cracking on well. if you get stuck with any think feel free to come and ask , we are on out crafter build and just a little ahead of you but a few videos behind, keep going your doing a great job

[@FreedomStrider]

Cracking on, plodding along, same difference really :D You seem to have a good sense of humor and an upbeat attitude, exactly what's needed for a van conversion! What did you do with half of Great Britain, the Lobster and the Fish? 🤣

[@johnbarclay88]

Love the methodical approach.

[@FreedomStrider]

Thanks! 🙂👍

[@cybercapri]

Just found your video today, September 11, 2021, and see it's going on a year old now so your project is probably completed by now. My comment is meant for those still in the build phase or looking to update or upgrade a project. Actually you can drill through bracing and other structure points safely without destroying integrity. Just like you can drill through certain floor joists in your house. HOWEVER, you must take care where you drill; especially in Floor Joists. You want to drill as close as possible to the middle of any structural point you are creating an access hole for. Many times on Bridges you see webbing or various points that look like decoration when it fact it's actually structural holding points that is made to look like decoration. Welding points do not necessarily need to be solid, full sheets of some material, so drilling a few holes can lighten the overall structure while still maintaining full structural integrity. It's just easier to use full sheets parts when constructing a vehicle for laziness if nothing else. Drilling holes will lighten the overall vehicle, provided you drill enough of them, but it's an added process which most cheap manufacturers just won't do, so full sheets are used as it's faster and less labor costs. You pointed to a structural area, in your video where you want to run duct. That area was spot welded about a few mm or inches apart and not a fully welded seam hence the reason I say it's ok to make a few holes in structural parts. What you DON'T WANT TO DO is cut the whole structure piece apart by cutting out a middle section. In some cases this might be ok, but most it's not. With regards to a Floor Joist do not drill or notch the top or bottom, or near the top or bottom, of the Joist, that actually will create weak points that could cause Joist Failure; more so in the bottom than the top. Drilling as near to center as possible is your only option short of going under the Joist all together. If you have a 2x10 and notch the top or bottom by a 2x2 you just reduced that entire floor joist to a 2x8. Now if you take a 2x2 section out of the middle of the joist it remains a 2x10 joist, even if it's a few inches from the top or bottom enough structure remains overall. In a plumbing situation should you care to conceal the pipe, let's say a drain pipe that requires slope to properly function, you can obtain this slope as you pass from joist to joist by starting close to the top and finish as near to the bottom and by cheating the slope a bit. Typically 1/4" per foot of slope is required but no one is going to notice or care if it's 3/16th or even 1/8" slope for short distances as long as the slope is maintained over the entire run of pipe. Don't dip down in one segment then dip up in another, that creates an almost instant clog situation. There's IDEAL SLOPE of, 1/4" per foot, than there's acceptable slope of 3/16th for a foot or two than 5/16" for a foot or two, just depends on each situation as they all seem to be uniqure. You can take some inspiration from Race Car Designs and Photos. When you see a part with a lot of hole drilled in it, that is actually a structural part but made as lightweight as possible because speed is obtained with the lightest possible structure. Getting back to Bridges sometimes they will use an X pattern across various parts to keep the bridge as light as possible and again as structural as possible so said X pattern provides that. In short Structural parts do not necessarily need to be full sheets of some material. Full Sheets are required for weather and bug proofing but that's another topic as holes tend to leave weather and bugs in so keep that in mind when considering where you plan to drill. I hope this helps...

[@FreedomStrider]

Wow very good tips and very detailed, thanks for sharing that! Drilling anywhere in a van is delicate work, you have to know what you're drilling in to especially when you cover things up. 👍

[@barry-cq4xg]

Looking at all the complication of your wiring I was thinking that an integrated power station would be such a good idea. They are becoming really sophisdicated and powerful and capable of running all the appliances you will need. They are expensive but comparable in price to a traditional electrical installation once you factor in all the additional components (solar controller, cabling etc), to say nothing about the time saved. Doing a great job.

[@FreedomStrider]

We haven't looked at them recently, though they are certainly a great fit for some. Although, in our case, power stations don't allow for expansion in the future. Plus, we have already bought our components - they are just waiting to be assembled 😊... Power stations could be more ideal for our weekend small camper ideas...

[@barry-cq4xg]

@@FreedomStrider Thanks for your response. Lithium technology is changing so rapidly and power stations are becoming more powerful month by month. I am about to build my campervan and I cannot imagine myself attempting the electrical installation work you are doing so competantly.

[@AngelsExcursions]

Great video! Thanks for the insight

[@FreedomStrider]

Glad you enjoyed it - van builds are full of alot of this sort of 'insight' ;)

[@ukjose1]

Hi guys, as usual great video. Could you please tell me what was the diameter of the conduit tube that you have used to build the van? Thanks

[@FreedomStrider]

The conduit we used was 32mm OD, but depending on how many wires you have, 25mm might be enough 👍🙂

[@steveallen8987]

It’s easier to thread cable through ducting whilst straight then install ducting

[@FreedomStrider]

😂 I would tend to agree, thankfully our conduit is quite straight in the walls so we didn't have to kink it around so much

[@stonecoldadventures6984]

Hey! Useful video. Why did you use 4.5mm wiring for everything? just to keep it simple? Seems quite large for most single component circuits in a van.

[@FreedomStrider]

For the majority of the wires that we ran, they all head to the back and some of the wires will be connected to plugs (which can have various Ampages being drawn, especially since we want to charge our laptops from those plugs), and some higher-powered appliances will be run from them, so the amperage loss over 4-5m is mostly the reason. Since this video we have bought some smaller 1mm and 2.5mm cable for lower-powered appliances, since you're right, not everything needs 4.5mm cable. 👍

[@CarlJones14]

I didn't use conduit. My wiring kit had fabric braided cables so they are either zip tied or lose. I figure this wiring will out live me or the van.👍

[@FreedomStrider]

Well yeah if your wire has extra protection that is essentially conduit. I don't strictly think we need conduit for our DC wiring, it's more for peace of mind and accessibility/repairability 😉

[@CarlJones14]

@@FreedomStrider not sure if you have finished the wiring, but I would run at least two pairs of wires the length of the van and another pair on the door side to kind of future proof the system. Just tie them up somewhere you can access them.

[@FreedomStrider]

Not a bad idea, it can possibly be run with the van wires since they are run on that side 😊

[@southcoastvanlife7760]

Hey guys, maybe I missed it in the video but what size ID conduit did you buy? and how many meters of it? Thanks

[@FreedomStrider]

It was 25mm internal (ish) and about 30mm external diameter, and we got around 20m but haven't used it all (here's the link: ebay.us/h8QznV)

[@steveallen8987]

One way of avoiding this problem is to have architraving along the ceiling wall junction. This decorative moulding usually creates a void behind it. Ideal for ceiling level distribution. It could be made removable quite easily for access to wiring. Also could include led uplighting.like the linked version below. www.manomano.co.uk/p/il3-up-lighting-coving-6421742

[@FreedomStrider]

We were definitely thinking of installing something like that for the original van wires which are on the other side, since they had a plastic housing (which we removed and sold) but it's a good idea, especially for the lighting which we are still yet to install 👍

[@steveallen8987]

Freedom Strider ... just chucking ideas out there that you or others might find useful. Steve