120V AC Wiring in a Van - DIY Sprinter Camper Van
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- Опубліковано 8 січ 2019
- This video shows how the 120V AC side of our van’s electrical system is wired. For more information on our van build please visit ourkaravan.com
Should the Store on our website not be working, here are the direct product links:
Magnum Inverter/Charger: amzn.to/2DXebSN
Magnum Remote: amzn.to/2DHPDMQ
15A AC Breaker: amzn.to/2VCUpSa
12/3 AC wire: amzn.to/3fTf544
Anti-Abrasion tubing for wire: amzn.to/2FDTNb6
Wire heat shrink: amzn.to/2S7IoSe
120V GFCI outlet: amzn.to/2RHDuic
Outlet wall box: amzn.to/2VCVxVU
Website: ourkaravan.com
Instagram: / our.karavan
Note: This video contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. Please know we only promote products we actually use and believe in. - Авто та транспорт
Nice vid, always enjoy seeing your progress. I went the route of minimizing AC use whenever possible because of the inefficiency in converting DC to AC and the wide variety of 12v products now available. Folks waste a lot of power by trying to make household goods function on a platform that’s IMO ideal for DC. This led me to having DC outlets throughout the van and only needing the inverter for the microwave which I was able to provide with a cheap $120 Harbor Freight solution. I ended up not even running an AC circuit through the van as this was the only anticipated AC load. Tv, fridge, dvd, stereo, fans, pumps, chargers for laptops and electronics, etc are all DC. My stove and water heater are propane and use very little (2 years now and I’m still on the initial 3 gallons).
Something for people to consider as I have never gone below 80% capacity with 200w of solar and 2x Trojan 105 batteries (roughly 225 Ah). My entire electrical system cost about $1000 and has yet to make me think I need more.
I do have a more robust system than I absolutely need. But that's good, right? Maybe not for the pocket book though. After owning an electric car I learned a lot about lithium technology and the myraid of advantages it has over AGM. Some of which include weight and size advantages, the ability to dip to 20% SOC if needed, no absorb cycle (which almost gives you a 'free' 1-2 hours of solar charging capability as it accepts current and voltage up to completely full), but the biggest one is the stable 13.2V at almost any SOC. That means not having to deal with inverters hitting low voltage cutoff when I hit the battery with a large load. But that's geeky stuff and I just wanted the technology and the ability to take advantage of its capabilities (and use the sun) to power my microwave, induction cooktop and my amazing little tea kettle that boils water in under 2 minutes. Everything else is DC.
I like how you think though, often less is more.
ourkaravan so what electric TEA POT do you have? Thx.
+Dani Adams - I use this one: amzn.to/2vG69rE It collapses down and fits in a drawer, runs on a 1,000W inverter and boils water very quickly. Like under 2 minutes!
super clean install!!
Thank you!
I call that wire "Boat Cable". It's rated high and meant to handle a lot vibration that's what I have for my build.
The trons travel on the outer surface of each wire strand so Ancor is the best you can use. Those blue boxes are decent under ideal conditions, supported by the 2x4 and such but I do miss the old metal boxes at times.
The quality difference between Ancor and other wire I had left over from other projects is noticeable. Of course no one makes a wall box that works well for a van, but of course that is the story of my life.
You have some of the clearest explanations in the camper build community, thanks for providing such great quality content!
Thank you, I really appreciate that! Sometimes I feel like I’m too wordy but I’m glad some appreciate the detail. Take care !
On a side note for a GFI, Line in - Load out. Anything on the load side of the GFI will shut off once the GFI trips, however if you choose to line in(power in) - line out(power out) - load out(GFI protected power out), any plug/lighting circuit on the line side will remain hot even with the GFI tripped. Comes in handy if you have a lighting circuit fed off the same circuit or a fridge/freezer you don't want to melt if your outlet trips. Just a side note!
Thanks Eric! Good thing to note for anyone that might have a fridge hooked up downstream of that first GFCI. Mine are all just power outlets. Thanks for the message!
I found a video explaining what you're talking about, basically we're bypassing the circuit breaker ua-cam.com/video/75LZPI3u-lM/v-deo.html
LOVE following your channel! My progress is A LOT slower but I certainly derive a lot of ideas from your videos! I have a question about wiring my 12V battery bank. i have two 100aHr batteries which I plan to connect to my existing battery via battery separator. Im wondering if I can use a larger gauge wire from industrial size jumper cables? (got them super cheap and they are decent length so I can cut them to size and have extra left over for later). If so, what's the smallest gauge can I use before I worry about the wire get to hot and risking fire. I measured nominal diameter and its 11-12mm. So my guess its a 3/0-4/0 gauge. Always appreciate your input!
Thank you!!!!
Hi Tom, wire Guage will depend on several factors including the voltage and amperage you will be running through the cables and how long the cables are. If you Google "blue sea wire gauge calculator" it will help figure it out for you. If you need help I can assist with that too. Thanks for the complements!
Hi
First of all what a neat install your done.!
Thinking of doing my VW T5 cabinets in the aluminium extrusion
However I intend to do one of the box sections low level to hold the leisure battery, storage and the management system
This would be 1900mm in length 400mm in width, allowing the 3/4 bed to be extended into a double.
Just asking what gauge would you recommend I thought 50/50 would be strong enough for the weight of adult sitting and part lying on it
Obviously I would brace it with cross sections
Best Regards
Darren
80/20 publishes the specs on each of their profiles, providing the deflection characteristics. As long as you don't have long spans without support, you're probably fine. I would check their specs though.
Couple questions ... what enclosure did you use for your 15 A breaker, and are you concerned with heat in your equipment box containing all the components? Are you assuming a shore connection using a standard extension cord, or did you consider an RV-type 30-amp plug/receptacle (circular type plug)?
Hi, the breaker box is a standard single-gang canex box from Home Depot. It was very slightly (maybe 1/16") too shallow to accept the long studs on the back of the Blue Sea breakers, so I cut the stud down a slight amount.
As for heat, there is a vent on the back of the box and by the time it's finished there will be one on the front as well. The inverter has a fan that pulls air from the front and pushes it out the back and the vents align with that. I don't push the inverter near long enough to worry about heat.
I have never needed to plug my van into shorepower thanks to my 300w solar panel, so right now I would have to pass a cord through a door or window. If I find that I *ever* use it more frequently, I could add an extension to the outside of the van with relative ease. Not a priority now though considering I've never used it.
@@ourkaravan Thanks, I really do enjoy your videos. I aspire to be as meticulous as you, but I probably won't make it. I am channeling you somewhat, but with a little Promaster City, L channel/ bar aluminum, light weight as a priority, and lots less room. Am trying the UA-cam thing, but not to get tons of clicks - just to get feedback on my design.
congrats on the new channel, I will sneak a peak. It takes quite a bit of time to be noticed, so you have to keep posting...word of mouth travels fast once you have a base audience. Good luck and thanks!
Hey Ken! We love your videos! Always very informative! One question... What type of wire did you use to run your 120v AC? We originally expected to use romex 12/3 but then read that we should not use single strand wire in a vehicle due to vibration... Was wondering your thoughts on that and if you did use single strand, how it is holding up? TIA!
Hi, you are correct about avoiding romex. I bought a roll of Ancor (very good quality marine wire) in 12 gauge thickness. It's called 12/3--there are three strands of wire, a hot, neutral and ground just like at home. I ran it in anti abrasion sleeving to help protect it, but the ancor stuff does have a sleeving that is in addition to the regular insulation around each strand. Thanks for the complements and let me know if you need anything!
@@ourkaravan Thank you so much! We love all of the anchor products, but we didn't even think of them for this for some reason... Going to order some soon!
When I click the 12/3 Amazon link it takes me to a page 0f 14/2 speaker wire.. 😅 was trying to figure this out and re watched the video before I ordered. Just a heads up on the link. Thanks for the content!
Seems pretty straight forward. But the green ground throws me! Do you just connect that to some metal on the frame?! There's no spot for it on my fuse box..
I've really loved the clarity and detail of your videos. They have been very helpful to me on my own build. I have a question about how you are connecting your AC wires. Are you crimping ring terminals for the connections?. Typical Ac install is just the wire under the screw, but with the movement and vibration, as well as the stranded wire, I am assuming that would be pretty important
Thank you, and yes, that is precisely what I did. None of my ring terminals offered a good fit, so I used a pair of side cutters and cut the end portion of the ring to turn it into more of a spade. This offered a very secure attachment to the screws of the terminals. Wish I would have thought to show that in the video. Some day I'll need to do a "tips and tricks" video detailing all the little minutia details that people may find helpful.
@@ourkaravan Please educate me, I don't quite understand the advantage of braided wire over solid wire, especially if you're clipping the rings to act like spade terminals. If the screw comes loose, it doesn't matter if it's solid or braided. If you attach and solder a spade terminal to a solid conductor, isn't it the same thing? As far as flexibility, in this size wire, romex is not that stiff. The underwater grade marine wire is great in a corrosive salt water environment, but inside the van, I don't see the same kind of corrosion problems. What am I missing?
You're right, if the screw came loose it wouldn't matter if the wire were solid or braided. The reason to use stranded wire is vibration from going down the road will be prone to breaking the solid-core wire right at the screw terminal. The braided wire is much more flexible to help absorb the vibration rather than break.
@@ourkaravan Good point. Actually, when I looked at the costs again, it isn't really THAT much more expensive. I think I'll go your route.
When in doubt, do what the marine industry does! There are still apparently RVs that use romex wiring, but it's generally not recommended and "RV quality" is generally the lowest common denominator.
I'm new to all this, trying to learn as I'm about to buy a van a build it out. Where do you wire the 120v outlets to?
The inverter converts 12v from the battery to 120v AC. The 3-conductor wire comes out of the inverter and feeds the duplex outlets just like at home. It's pretty easy to get sorted out.
ourkaravan thanks for the reply! I figured that was the case. When looking at inverters online I don't recall seeing those wires coming out from the back, but this is all new to me.
@@morrowr08 There's a version of my inverter that has the outlet built-in. All you need to do is provide 12V + and - from your battery. This is it...the "G" version: amzn.to/2X05rVe
I want a 115v upright refrig/freezer what would my power requirements look like
In order to run a 120VAC fridge on a 12V system, you'll need to have an inverter on all the time. An inverter will lose 15% efficiency just doing the power conversion alone, and some less expensive inverters are even less efficient. It's hard to say exactly but you may want to consider whether or not the cost savings of your 120VAC fridge are wiped out by the need for an inverter and more battery capacity. I suspect it would.
@@ourkaravan so would the Jackery 500 or 1000 be sufficient
@@VanSheGoes Even the 1000 would only be 83 amp hours (if amazon Q&A is correct.). I think you'd have to keep a careful eye on your capacity as there wouldn't be much buffer.
I bought that same inverter and of course I found out after my return window expired that you can’t set it up for lithium batteries. You can’t change the voltage that it starts charging in bulk mode and the voltage is set too low so it won’t start bulk charging until the batteries are almost empty. How are you dealing with this?
You can do a custom battery setting. I set absorb to 13.9 and float at 13.5v. This technically won't fill the batteries, that would happen at closer to 14.2v but I prefer to undercharge them for longer life. I do believe the remote says it's float charging (not bulk), but it makes no difference as the batteries are still charging at the max charge rate you have set. I hope that helps.
ourkaravan I’ll have to look into that. Both battle borne and magnum told me it can’t be setup to charge lithium correctly like all of their other inverters. The only workaround they mentioned was setting the equalization charge voltage the same as the bulk voltage and I could manually start an equalization but then I would have to manually watch my state of charge and manually stop it.
@@somekevinguy They are both correct. Magnum is withholding some features on the 1000w inverter in hopes you upgrade to the 2000w. I don't need or want that massive thing, so I've done a workaround. There is no reason they couldn't put the same software on this model. The workaround in described above works fine.
What size is your beaker inside your inverter, I didn’t catch that. I have a 200A breaker between the battery and the inverter that keeps popping. My wiring for that is also a 2AWG cable. What do I’m doing wrong? Thanks ahead
My main DC fuse is 200 amps. How many watts is the item you're running that is popping the breaker? My inverter is only capable of pulling 1850 watts in surge, which is about 155 amps.
@@ourkaravan I forgot to mention in my comment, duh!! Is a microwave of 750watts
@@ourkaravan and my inverter is a 2000 watts
@@gilpul71 2000 watts / 12v = 166 amps. Most inverters have some surge capacity and you can probably exceed 200 amps if in surge. The 750 watt microwave shouldn't pop it unless you've got another high draw item running at the same time. Have you checked the cables under load to see if they are heating up?
@@ourkaravan off course I check but they are barely warm