Running more than a few accessories for more than a short while will drain the starter battery so the van cant even start. In its simplest form a campervan electrical system isnt really complicated.
Ford Transit Van Conversion Electrical Design Install
Sprinter van electrical system. In this post well go over the basics of our sprinter campervan electrical system. Be simple to use and intuitive. Our sprinter van electrical system goals. When we first started thinking about our vanlife electrical system and buying our components we had a lot of questions. The complexity and cost of your van electrical system will be dictated by your needs and budget. While there are calculators online that you can use to determine your solar needs there are so many nuances and considerations that those calculators arent all that accurate.
Power sensitive electronics through 120v ac such as a laptop or microwave. Power 120v ac tools like a chop saw table saw heat gun and an inline on demand hot water heater product that i am prototyping. Setting up your sprinter vans electrical system is a daunting experience that requires a lot of forward thinking and in order to be successful you need an wiring diagram for your van. Figuring out your sprinter van solar power and electrical needs is one of the most complicated parts of designing your sprinter van. We always have a 25 heavy duty extension cord stored inside the van to go from the vans plug to a power source such as a campground. This is a tour of the electrical system we installed in our self converted sprinter van.
The solar panel our deep cycle batteries 12v refrigerator water pump lights and electrical outlets. I made it short enough so it didnt drag the ground if left hanging. Im now on my second sprinter van. Modern off the grid vans normally charge with solar power alternator shore power and can power 12v dc 120v ac loads. No extra brain power necessary. Van electrical system overview the electrical system was the most complicated and expensive part of our sprinter van build but it doesnt have to be.
It is wired to our electrical system and tucks up inside the bottom of the van when not in use. The 12 volt system that comes with the sprinter van the van has a 12 volt system for the factory components. We researched online read other van build blogs and forum posts and watched youtube videos. This post is about our first sprinter van which we bought in may 2016 converted livedtraveled in and sold may 2018. Also breaking down the electrical build into sever steps will help make things easier for us diyers. I will explain our 2 deep cycle agm battery bank and how we wired them together.
It includes a battery bank loads and charge sources. Some were very helpful but many left us with a swirl of even more questions. It relies on the van being driven regularly so that the small starter battery can be recharged.
Gallery of Sprinter Van Electrical System
