Vanning With Kids

After a lot of work we finally managed to get out camping as a family in our partly converted camper van. Converting a van into a camper and using it is not the most easy of things to do as it always involves removing everything from the van to continue the build after a weekend away. The advantage of this approach though is that you quickly figure out what your missing in your build and if the things you have made work well or need changing. We have quite a few things to build still and a few things that need altering to make the van better.

I finally begin the solar panels installation and solor hookup to my new Renogy 40amp MPPT rover elite solar charge controller and show you the solar monitoring app. The app in itself is a real bonus as you can check the batteries and charge state via your phone. The Chinese diesel heater is now installed. I show you my new 90ltr duel zone Oztrail Fridge and have a temp electrical fusebox setup, with a battery monitor and usb charge ports. yayyy so glad to finally have this. I do a desk test of my new van sound system and a test setup with a car DVD player.

I begin the day cleaning up some diamond plating and then finalise my floating floor installation. I work out where to install my diesel heater and install it. Many solar bits arrived today via courier, so I am now getting ready to install my solar charge controller. I will show you what crimping tools you are going to need and the best way to install a solar panel onto your van. We examine the differences between a cheap Chinese solar charge controller and a half decent MPPT 40amp one. I also discuss wiring choices and why you should use decent hook-up wiring with the batteries and solar panels.

After buying my Transit T350 I spent months using it as a glorified storage shed for junk. Of course this had to stop, so I pulled finger and got on with stripping the rotten interior out, repairing a few engine issues and then began filming the process. I know I should have filmed it all but I got all lazy and its hard to go back and undo the work.