# Clarence the Safari Camperbus



## wildebus

After a VW T4 SWB and a VW T5 LWB, I decided I needed to go bigger as fed up not being able to standard up, so I bought this little fella ....

A VW LT46 158 LWB


His & Hers by David, on Flickr
This is on the way home after picking it up

It is an ex-County Council School 16 Seater Minibus.  2003 Registered but with a pretty low 125k kms on the clock and the sought-after 2.8L 4-pot engine.


My main focus has been to work out the Habitation Electrics and the general Exterior before the weather turns against me.  
At least that way I will be able to carry on working inside over the winter in relative comfort :banana:

*Step One - Fit a Fan*
Both my T4 and T5 had limited ventilation - no roof vents, small sliding sliding door windows on the T5, but had to close in the rain, so not ideal, and in the summer used to get very hot.  So for the LT, a fan was a mandatory requirement.
After looking at the options, I chose the MaxxAir 7000k Electric Fan.  Excellent product, albeit very pricey, and has settable temperature target control, so you can set the temp you want, and hit the "auto" button on the remote control, and it will set the fan speed appropriately to get to that target  (obviously if it is lower then outside, it will never achieve that but it's not an AC unit) and when there, the fan stops. If the temp rises, the fan starts up again.  Also, the motorised vent lid can be left open when driving, and also in rain from any direction.
It really is the Cats Whiskers, and worth every expensive penny.
This is just after I installed it with the vent up ...


Finished outside by David, on Flickr

Inside it is pretty low profile as well and sits within the ceiling panels so is not obtrusive at all.


*Step Two - Electrics*
This conversion will be gas-free.  I decided I don't want gas-powered devices plumbed inside the vehicle.  I know most people have no issues with gas, but I am a lot more comfortable sticking to the 'leccy 
And as I still want to be able to cook food, etc, I will need significant 'leccy, so time for BIG 'LECCY

PV Array
Firstly I fitted a tracking system to the roof so I could easily maintain everything fitted to the roof.  Once the tracking was mounted, I fitted the first Solar Panel


Single Panel by David, on Flickr

Looking good, so carried on some more ....


PV Panels by David, on Flickr

This is a 400W array, comprising 4 100W panels which I set up in a combination Series/Parallel configuration - This allows the MPPT controller to optimize the harvesting and also provides resiliance againstg shading.

Battery Bank
To compliment the 400W PV Array, I installed a 440Ah Battery Bank, comprising 4 110Ah AGM heavy duty batteries. These live in a ply battery box I made, and sit over the rear axle.


Batteries and Box by David, on Flickr

The way the interior will be laid out, these will be in the garage area under the rear fixed bed, and I fitted the various electical systems in front of the battery box


Electrical Device Source by David, on Flickr
230V Consumer Unit and 12V Fusebox, plus battery shutoff switch

And over the wheel arch


Electrics by David, on Flickr
Battery Charger, MPPT Solar Controller, 1000W PSW Inverter and 300W PSW Inverter.

I know a lot of people on this forum are very prejudiced against inverters, and that is fine.  To me, you get the right products to do the job you want.
Rather then paying around £800 for a 12V Compressor Fridge, I have got a 230V Compressor Fridge, rated A++ at 80kWh/Annum - that relates to around 220Wh/Day, which is under 1A/Hr current draw.  The Inverter being used for the fridge is the Victron 12/375 which has a constant on overhead of 3.5W  (lets call that 0.3Ah/Hr worth of 'wasted power') - and that 3.5W is MY figure monitoring my power meter - Victron actually quote around 5W I think.
I'm more than happy to waste 3.5W on an inverter (which will also be used for Laptops, Electric Blanket and the infamous Electric Toothbrush charger) in order to use a more efficient 230V Fridge costing less then 25% of the equivalent Weaco 12V models.

The 1000W inverter is just a cheap model and that will be used only for the Kitchen Appliances - Induction Hob (500W), Slow Cooker (180W), Low-Fat Grill (750W).  Obviously I need to bear in mind not to use the grill the same time as the Hob, but that is not a problem :juggle:
The 1000W Inverter feeds to a 230V Contactor which is wired so if I am hookup, the kitchen sockets are automatically switched to incoming mains supply, in which case I can fill my boots with all the gadgets (upto 2300W worth anyway :baby: )

BTW, The holes in the battery box lid are for ventilation, as opposed to venting  (these being AGM batteries)

That is pretty well it for the inside really at this stage, except maybe the cab?
I removed the cab seats (1+2 setup) and installed a pair of Ford Galaxy seats instead


Cab Seating Sorted by David, on Flickr
Lovely seats with inner armrests and built-in swivels.  I will be maximising the interior space use with these swivel seats and a little front lounge/dinette area, keeping one of the original minibus seats at the front to have a face-to face seat and also as an extra travel seat.

I did make a slight tweak to the exterior look as well a couple of weeks ago ....
I am sure there will be a few of you who remember the TV Program "Daktari", about an Animal Hospital in Tanzania (Daktari is the swahili for Doctor). 


DAKTARI DVDs by David, on Flickr

I loved that program and have always wanted a Daktari style vehicle since seeing it in the 60's

Well, I don't have to want any more!


Side by David, on Flickr

Tinted Windows with blacked out surrounds, a black stonechip treatment at the bottom and around the front arch, and professional designed, cut and fitted stripes all around :heart: :heart:

As well as the front light bar, I also commissioned a Rear Spare Wheel Carrier and fitted a Rhino Racks Ladder at the back


Rear by David, on Flickr


I'll update this thread once I have done some interior fitout, but thought somne may be interested in this  (and maybe saw it at a meet and wondered "WTF" - a bit of an explanation :wacko: )


----------



## jagmanx

*Mmm No gas and all Leccy*

Given your setup I can envisage this being OK and in some ways simpler and yes better

If you are low on Leccy you can always visit a campsite should you need to

I see power for cooking as the only drawback but good luck
I will be interested in further posts


----------



## shawbags

Your doing a cracking job of that hope to see the rest when you have finished .


----------



## shawbags

Was it born free that had a cross eyed lion called Clarence ? Lol


----------



## wildebus

shawbags said:


> Was it born free that had a cross eyed lion called Clarence ? Lol


No, Daktari!  Duh!   Along with Judy the Chimp

I'll forgive you as most people will either be too young to remember the series, or too old and senile to remember the series :raofl:


----------



## Val54

Awesome paint job, you won't be needing a W sticker 
Dave


----------



## wildebus

jagmanx said:


> Given your setup I can envisage this being OK and in some ways simpler and yes better
> 
> If you are low on Leccy you can always visit a campsite should you need to
> 
> I see power for cooking as the only drawback but good luck
> I will be interested in further posts



cooking power could be a challenge potentially if the weather is not kind for a few days and I do get your point for sure
What I am envising is the use of the slow cooker a fair bit which will be running during the day, so peak solar time  (very often Solar is wasted as the batteries are already near enough full) or while driving -  and when weather is nice, outdoor cooking via gas (Safari Cadac or little portable stove) or Frontier Stove. I'll be keeping a CG 907 cylinder and reg for the Cadac (I guess I might need a drop-vent for that even though just carrying it in van?)


----------



## shawbags

wildebus said:


> No, Daktari!  Duh!   Along with Judy the Chimp
> 
> I'll forgive you as most people will either be too young to remember the series, or too old and senile to remember the series :raofl:



lol I remember now you mentioned it


----------



## Byronic

shawbags said:


> Was it born free that had a cross eyed lion called Clarence ? Lol



It's reckoned that zebras are striped because it confuses predators.
That's possibly how old Clarence became cross eyed.
All I can say is there's gonna be a lot of predatory cross eyed traffic wardens when they spot that paint jobbie


----------



## Boots

Nice!


Boots


----------



## campervanannie

I saw your van next to Phils I love it but I didn't realise it was you or I would have made a nuisance of myself lol


----------



## Tezza33

When I first met Maggy she had a lazy eye, I called her Clarence for years, I still remember the film Clarence the Cross Eyed Lion that was before Daktari
van looks great


----------



## trevskoda

Nice but how you going to keep heat in with single glase windows,no gas to cook,remember no or very little charging in winter,did you drill a vent for batterys?.
What are you using for heat,it gets cold in winter,other wise do have fun.


----------



## wildebus

trevskoda said:


> Nice but how you going to keep heat in with single glase windows,no gas to cook,remember no or very little charging in winter,did you drill a vent for batterys?.
> What are you using for heat,it gets cold in winter,other wise do have fun.



All good questions ...
AGM batteries, so no venting needed
Heating will be via Eberspacher (no installed yet but I fitted one in the T5 with windows all round and worked great  )
I do have plans for insulation in that area ... watch this space 
Won't be much used in Winter as a camper, but as far as cooking goes, 200ish Ah of usual battery power will provide enough power for some basic cooking off-grid and split-charge will charge up when driving, so not a concern  (if too low and want a hot meal, takeaway/resturant time  )
If I were to need extended power for cooking wintertime, I could even revert to getting a generator but pretty unlikely to need that.


----------



## Tezza33

wildebus said:


> Won't be much used in Winter as a camper, but as far as cooking goes, 200ish Ah of usual battery power will provide enough power for some basic cooking off-grid and split-charge will charge up when driving,


We ran out of gas at Rutland so cooked a lovely meal using a Remoska (400w) and a 500w microwave, 225A Trojan batteries and 250W solar, I do have a B2B charger as well so quick top ups are useful


----------



## trevskoda

wildebus said:


> All good questions ...
> AGM batteries, so no venting needed
> Heating will be via Eberspacher (no installed yet but I fitted one in the T5 with windows all round and worked great  )
> I do have plans for insulation in that area ... watch this space
> Won't be much used in Winter as a camper, but as far as cooking goes, 200ish Ah of usual battery power will provide enough power for some basic cooking off-grid and split-charge will charge up when driving, so not a concern  (if too low and want a hot meal, takeaway/resturant time  )
> If I were to need extended power for cooking wintertime, I could even revert to getting a generator but pretty unlikely to need that.



Ok though i still think gas is both lighter and handy compared to all those batterys,good luck.


----------



## trevskoda

Tezza33 said:


> We ran out of gas at Rutland so cooked a lovely meal using a Remoska (400w) and a 500w microwave, 225A Trojan batteries and 250W solar, I do have a B2B charger as well so quick top ups are useful



If you look on the back the m/wave is in fact more than double 500w which is of course the cooking power not what it uses,most use around 1.200w.
I am thinking of fitting one my self as i love chicken ping.


----------



## Tezza33

trevskoda said:


> If you look on the back the m/wave is in fact more than double 500w which is of course the cooking power not what it uses,most use around 1.200w.
> I am thinking of fitting one my self as i love chicken ping.


It is 900W Trev, I used this microwave with a 1000W invertor for years without problems, I am well aware of start up power so when I first bought this I tested it using a meter, start up power was 750W but I expected double the rated 500W cooking power


----------



## wildebus

trevskoda said:


> Ok though i still think gas is both lighter and handy compared to all those batterys,good luck.


I just don't want to have gas appliances in use in the van. Simple as that.


----------



## Debs

wildebus said:


> After a VW T4 SWB and a VW T5 LWB, I decided I needed to go bigger as fed up not being able to standard up, so I bought this little fella ....
> 
> A VW LT46 158 LWB
> 
> 
> His & Hers by David, on Flickr
> This is on the way home after picking it up
> 
> It is an ex-County Council School 16 Seater Minibus.  2003 Registered but with a pretty low 125k kms on the clock and the sought-after 2.8L 4-pot engine.
> 
> 
> My main focus has been to work out the Habitation Electrics and the general Exterior before the weather turns against me.
> At least that way I will be able to carry on working inside over the winter in relative comfort :banana:
> 
> *Step One - Fit a Fan*
> Both my T4 and T5 had limited ventilation - no roof vents, small sliding sliding door windows on the T5, but had to close in the rain, so not ideal, and in the summer used to get very hot.  So for the LT, a fan was a mandatory requirement.
> After looking at the options, I chose the MaxxAir 7000k Electric Fan.  Excellent product, albeit very pricey, and has settable temperature target control, so you can set the temp you want, and hit the "auto" button on the remote control, and it will set the fan speed appropriately to get to that target  (obviously if it is lower then outside, it will never achieve that but it's not an AC unit) and when there, the fan stops. If the temp rises, the fan starts up again.  Also, the motorised vent lid can be left open when driving, and also in rain from any direction.
> It really is the Cats Whiskers, and worth every expensive penny.
> This is just after I installed it with the vent up ...
> 
> 
> Finished outside by David, on Flickr
> 
> Inside it is pretty low profile as well and sits within the ceiling panels so is not obtrusive at all.
> 
> 
> *Step Two - Electrics*
> This conversion will be gas-free.  I decided I don't want gas-powered devices plumbed inside the vehicle.  I know most people have no issues with gas, but I am a lot more comfortable sticking to the 'leccy
> And as I still want to be able to cook food, etc, I will need significant 'leccy, so time for BIG 'LECCY
> 
> PV Array
> Firstly I fitted a tracking system to the roof so I could easily maintain everything fitted to the roof.  Once the tracking was mounted, I fitted the first Solar Panel
> 
> 
> Single Panel by David, on Flickr
> 
> Looking good, so carried on some more ....
> 
> 
> PV Panels by David, on Flickr
> 
> This is a 400W array, comprising 4 100W panels which I set up in a combination Series/Parallel configuration - This allows the MPPT controller to optimize the harvesting and also provides resiliance againstg shading.
> 
> Battery Bank
> To compliment the 400W PV Array, I installed a 440Ah Battery Bank, comprising 4 110Ah AGM heavy duty batteries. These live in a ply battery box I made, and sit over the rear axle.
> 
> 
> Batteries and Box by David, on Flickr
> 
> The way the interior will be laid out, these will be in the garage area under the rear fixed bed, and I fitted the various electical systems in front of the battery box
> 
> 
> Electrical Device Source by David, on Flickr
> 230V Consumer Unit and 12V Fusebox, plus battery shutoff switch
> 
> And over the wheel arch
> 
> 
> Electrics by David, on Flickr
> Battery Charger, MPPT Solar Controller, 1000W PSW Inverter and 300W PSW Inverter.
> 
> I know a lot of people on this forum are very prejudiced against inverters, and that is fine.  To me, you get the right products to do the job you want.
> Rather then paying around £800 for a 12V Compressor Fridge, I have got a 230V Compressor Fridge, rated A++ at 80kWh/Annum - that relates to around 220Wh/Day, which is under 1A/Hr current draw.  The Inverter being used for the fridge is the Victron 12/375 which has a constant on overhead of 3.5W  (lets call that 0.3Ah/Hr worth of 'wasted power') - and that 3.5W is MY figure monitoring my power meter - Victron actually quote around 5W I think.
> I'm more than happy to waste 3.5W on an inverter (which will also be used for Laptops, Electric Blanket and the infamous Electric Toothbrush charger) in order to use a more efficient 230V Fridge costing less then 25% of the equivalent Weaco 12V models.
> 
> The 1000W inverter is just a cheap model and that will be used only for the Kitchen Appliances - Induction Hob (500W), Slow Cooker (180W), Low-Fat Grill (750W).  Obviously I need to bear in mind not to use the grill the same time as the Hob, but that is not a problem :juggle:
> The 1000W Inverter feeds to a 230V Contactor which is wired so if I am hookup, the kitchen sockets are automatically switched to incoming mains supply, in which case I can fill my boots with all the gadgets (upto 2300W worth anyway :baby: )
> 
> BTW, The holes in the battery box lid are for ventilation, as opposed to venting  (these being AGM batteries)
> 
> That is pretty well it for the inside really at this stage, except maybe the cab?
> I removed the cab seats (1+2 setup) and installed a pair of Ford Galaxy seats instead
> 
> 
> Cab Seating Sorted by David, on Flickr
> Lovely seats with inner armrests and built-in swivels.  I will be maximising the interior space use with these swivel seats and a little front lounge/dinette area, keeping one of the original minibus seats at the front to have a face-to face seat and also as an extra travel seat.
> 
> I did make a slight tweak to the exterior look as well a couple of weeks ago ....
> I am sure there will be a few of you who remember the TV Program "Daktari", about an Animal Hospital in Tanzania (Daktari is the swahili for Doctor).
> 
> 
> DAKTARI DVDs by David, on Flickr
> 
> I loved that program and have always wanted a Daktari style vehicle since seeing it in the 60's
> 
> Well, I don't have to want any more!
> 
> 
> Side by David, on Flickr
> 
> Tinted Windows with blacked out surrounds, a black stonechip treatment at the bottom and around the front arch, and professional designed, cut and fitted stripes all around :heart: :heart:
> 
> As well as the front light bar, I also commissioned a Rear Spare Wheel Carrier and fitted a Rhino Racks Ladder at the back
> 
> 
> Rear by David, on Flickr
> 
> 
> I'll update this thread once I have done some interior fitout, but thought somne may be interested in this  (and maybe saw it at a meet and wondered "WTF" - a bit of an explanation :wacko: )



Nice job, and very well executed. Could I enquire where you sourced the spare wheel carrier, Thanks in advance. Debs.c:


----------



## wildebus

Debs said:


> Nice job, and very well executed. Could I enquire where you sourced the spare wheel carrier, Thanks in advance. Debs.c:


Hi Deb, and thanks 

I gave the design and measurements to a local engineering company and they made it for me, and I then took it to a powder coaters (the guy did my wheels at the same time) and had it costed to match the ladder.

Have you a Sprinter?  happy to give you more detailed info :idea-007:

(Ah - I think you have an iveco?  got a photo of your rear end you could post?   (the van, that is  ))


----------



## trevskoda

wildebus said:


> Hi Deb, and thanks
> 
> I gave the design and measurements to a local engineering company and they made it for me, and I then took it to a powder coaters (the guy did my wheels at the same time) and had it costed to match the ladder.
> 
> Have you a Sprinter?  happy to give you more detailed info :idea-007:
> 
> (Ah - I think you have an iveco?  got a photo of your rear end you could post?   (the van, that is  ))



As i worked in this biz for years i would tell you that powder coating is useless for outside stuff unless it has been shotblasted and galvo coated first,just look at most car wheels after a couple of years.
Other wise i think the van is a hoot and watch the monkeys in longleat as they love pulling wipers of.:scared:


----------



## Tezza33

wildebus said:


> got a photo of your rear end you could post?


You smooth talker you


----------



## cipro

Well done pal and you know I can tell you have enjoyed doing this conversion 
i would also be buzzing if I could do this but I surpose you could say we all could but no
i would be frustrated when things go wrong don't fit its confidence time passion, so like Manet of us 
we buy already to go and hope things work most of the time, but hey if I see that big zebra coming 
I'll be waving and I hope you like the attention you will certainly be getting that, again job well done


----------



## wildebus

cipro said:


> Well done pal and you know I can tell you have enjoyed doing this conversion
> i would also be buzzing if I could do this but I surpose you could say we all could but no
> i would be frustrated when things go wrong don't fit its confidence time passion, so like Manet of us
> we buy already to go and hope things work most of the time, but hey if I see that big zebra coming
> I'll be waving and I hope you like the attention you will certainly be getting that, again job well done



Thanks 
I guess it is not a finish for stealth camping :raofl:  (it is a working vehicle as well so the in-your-face finish should work well at festivals  )
 I am looking forward to getting the inside sorted out and being able to actually go away in it.

Could we all do this? Well probably not ALL, but many. I can do some bits very well, other bits ok, and other bits fairly incompetently. And another persons mix of the good, the bad and the ugly will be different, and also level of interest and physical abiities do come into it, so I wouldn't knock anyone who buys ready-made at all and definate pros for that approach  :cheers:

Thanks again.


----------



## phillybarbour

Great looking van and different. Hope to see it around one day.


----------



## wildebus

Not done a lot of changes in the last month as been too cold (even with a 500W heater inside running overnight the temp only got to -1C   )

I bought a Caravanstore 225 back in September '16 to go onto the T5.   I liked the way you could just slide it off the rail and store it out the elements out of season and is much less obvious when rolled up back into the bag.


The 225 was a little short on the T5 LWB  (I got the 225 because that is the one I found on Gumtree), so I always knew it would be much too short for the LT, so I had fitted a long Fiamma Rail as you can see in the picture below with the 225 slid on in readiness for a longer model (It was listed as a 4M length, but is actually 390cm long, not 400cm).



Caravanstore 225 on LT by David, on Flickr

There are a number of different lengths of these Caravanstores, and with the rail length I had fitted the longest possible would have been a 360, but the 410 model  (the sizes are in the name  ) would be the ideal one for the vehicle however.

So around the time of my last update I also bought another Caravanstore Awning, but this time I did go for a 410 T:  
And around the same time I got ANOTHER 4M Fiamma Awning Rail and cut off 30cm to add onto the end to make a 420cm run.  I do have a plan for the rest of the rail so it won't be wasted  (which is good as this specific rail is only available in 3M and 4M lengths and I wanted the extension to match in design)

Since getting it, as mentioned, it has been blooming cold and not been inclined to fit it, but really needed to check it was all ok so I could get back the seller if need be in a timely way so bit the bullet yesterday and unpacked it...

Bit of weight lifting with steady hands and a good eye needed for the next step ... Up on the hop-up platform around 4 foot from the rear of the van, lifting and twisting the entire awning to thread the end into the 8mm awning hole.  Took about 10 minutes to do but got there in the end and just a matter of sliding along to centralise



Caravanstore 410 on LT by David, on Flickr
(The yellow label in the middle is just a sticker on the bag which peels off)

This did turn out to be the perfect length - the awning rail (after extension piece fitted) is as long as it can be on the LT LWB and the CS 410 fills the entire rail except for around 20mm at either end which will be used for the awning stops.  Don't you love it when a plan comes together  

To deploy the Caravanstore it is a matter of unzipping the bag and releasing the velcro supports.  On the 410 model there is one at either end and one in the middle - this is one of the end ones



Velcro Strap on CS by David, on Flickr

Then it unrolls and the roof and leg supports pull out of the end tube and fit into place - and here we are



Awning Deployed by David, on Flickr

Same as any wind-out awning, the legs are adjustable in length - the picture shows the legs giving around 6' head height at the end.

This picture shows the underside with a central rafter which provides extra support on the longer models - comes as optional extra on the 360 model, but is standard with my 410 and also with the 440 (the 440 also comes with another central leg as well)



Centre Rafter by David, on Flickr

The previous Caravanstore 225 was in "Ocean Blue" which went well with the Off-Road Grey colour on the T4, but I opted for the "Grey" version for the 410 as I think it would work better with my Safari-style LT 



Awning Top View by David, on Flickr
(I still need to finish off the top 'furniture' behind the Maxxair Fan)

When deployed for real, then I would use the supplied guy ropes to keep everything fully secure.  


I also have the "Fiamma Privacy Room Caravanstore CS Lite" I bought at the same time as the awning (but from a different seller).  I've looked at that and it looks fine (as it should as is brand new same as Awning) so going to wait until next Spring to fit that.
Essentially the Privacy Room will be replacing the Kyham Motordome I used on the T5.  Obviously not a driveaway option, but I never actually drove away leaving the Motordome anyway  (and would have worried about anything inside - or the awning itself! - still being there when I got back so unlikely to ever do so to be totally honest.  The Motordome was always used as just an living area extension the same as the Privacy Room will be.

As far as Wild _stealthy _Camping goes, the awning and Privacy Room are not really appropriate, but when I go to shows and festivals I am there for 2-3 days amongst lots of other campers and like the option of more room.


----------



## 955itriple

I guess you're not the shy retiring type. It must get a lot of attention. Personally I love it. Inspirational build indeed.


----------



## wildebus

955itriple said:


> I guess you're not the shy retiring type. It must get a lot of attention. Personally I love it. Inspirational build indeed.


Thanks 

Not so long ago I would have needed as anonomous a vehicle as possible, but as you get older, it becomes a matter of "what the hell" :banana:


----------



## wildebus

Oh, there is something else I DID do week before last ... Lost some weight :dance:

Well, Clarence did 


What's missing from this picture?



Clarence Rear by David, on Flickr


Well, compared to this photo, there are quite a few extra bits on, but .... no big under-chassis lift like below!



Rear Repaint by David, on Flickr


This is the lift extended out!



Extended Lift by David, on Flickr

I don't really have a use for a hydraulic lift, and I want to fit a towbar as well, and it is a matter of either/or and not both, so the lift had to go.  Plus it is incredibly heavy!


I got a quote of £100+  (the £100 was the cheapest possible, the + bit was more likely to happen) from my local garage to remove, so that wasn't gonna happen.  The nuts to the bolts securing the lift to the brackets were not captive, so as I loosened the bolt it just spun round, and the bolts holding the brackets to the chassis were covered by the lift 

So time to break out the grinder 

After removing the +12V supply cable (chunky 16mm job) and control cable from the control section to the van, then had to remove the rear wheels to access the front brackets (hence why I also did the stuff in the previous post), so did that and sliced the brackets  - doing one side at a time for safety.
Then did the rear brackets (much easier to access!). Had the lift supported by jacks so it didn't just drop when the brackets cut through, then lowered the jacks and after a double-check drive forwards ...



Leaving Lift by David, on Flickr


And the Lift free and clear!



Bye Bye Lift by David, on Flickr


The companies tech sheet for the current ACCESS Lift says "Fuel consumption savings due to lighter weight – only 165kg" - so not much then!  That is for a 400Kg SWL and mine was a 300Kg SWL, but I doubt if there is any significant weight difference.  This out the way should improve my fuel consumption a little anyway 

Right now the lift is stuck on my driveway as it is way to heavy for me to lift.  No way I can get it in the back of my van to take to recycler. A scrap metal merchant was meant to come and take away but still waiting, so if anyone wants/needs a quality heavy duty lift, here if you are quick!


So now that chunk of metal is out the way, I could get my ULW done for real now ....

This is important once I get it re-classified as a Motor Caravan, as the speed limits for a Motor Caravan are based on Unladen weight only (which is actually daft as Unladen Weight is not recorded on any official DVLA documentation) and I want to be able to drive at 'normal' i.e. car speeds and not commercial vehicle speeds on Dual and Single Carriageways.

The key value is 3,050Kg Unladen Weight - above that you are restricted to commercial vehicle speeds, but below that you can legally do car speeds no matter how heavy and laden your vehicle is  (did I mention I thought this is totally daft?)

So what will Clarence the Camperbus be allowed to do once reclassified?  Here we go ....




CamperBus - Unladen Weight by David, on Flickr

So we have a result :dance:  We are actually 110Kg less than the limit which is pretty neat 

And this is not a totally stripped out weight result either BTW.

As weighed, the Camperbus has -
Internally:

2 front Single Seats with Swivels
2 rear Single Seats
100W Solar + 110Ah Leisure Battery* and all electrics  (Solar Controller,  2 Inverters, Battery Charger)
93L Fridge
2 Hobs
PortaPotti
Table
Approx 30 kg of Misc Tools  (4 socket sets, power tools, extending ladder, etc)
Externally: 

1/4 Tank Fuel (ULW officially doesn't include ANY fuel)
The Spare Wheel plus Door Mounted Carrier
8 Rung Ladder
4 Metre Awning
Roof Vent


What is obviously missing from the list above to make a usuable Camper Van is a bed - but I can get a bed frame and mattress inside for probably around the same weight as the collection of random tools, so even as a fully fledged Motor Caravan with a standard solar and leisure battery config we will still be well under the 3,050Kg limit when empty of our removable chattels 

I've stapled one copy of the weighbridge ticket to the V5C so I don't loose it, and will keep the other in the vehicle should I need to show to some nice chap wearing blue.


_*I say 100W Panel and 110Ah Battery - I did recreate this by removing 4 110Ah batteries and leaving 4 100W Panels on the roof - the 3 extra PV Panels are around the same weight as one 110Ah Battery
(Even If I left the 4 batteries in there the weight would still have stayed under 3,050Kg)_


----------



## wildebus

Been bit too cold to be doing much outside work on my conversion, so things had pretty well slowed down.
Got a few things sorted this weekend though.

I had used a grinder to slice through the lift support brackets previously as no way to access the nuts to remove them with the lift in place, so yesterday I finally removed the bits that were left  (3 of the 4 parts anyway  - back two were easy; fronts were impossible and ended up cutting though the loosened bolt on one to get off and left the other for another day as light had gone).

Also fitted a Spare Wheel Cover to keep it a bit cleaner.  Only £6.95 and looks pretty tidy, especially at that price.



Wheel Cover by David, on Flickr


At the front, I added a pair of blind spot mirrors.


Blind Spot Mirror by David, on Flickr
Really a van this size should have the double-mirror setup I think so you can have a proper rear view, but it doesn't and I don't trust the clamp-one ones to stay put, so elected for a pair of little adhesive ones.
These are on little bases so fully adjustable and they match the corner profile of the mirror housing quite nicely I reckon.

Inside started to sort out the stuff lying around and took out the rearmost seat so I can make a start on my bedframe and refitted one of the ceiling panels to get the upper shelving support sizing right.

One thing I installed about a week ago is a Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor.  These are very pricey meters and I was loath to buy one TBH, but took advantage of the eBay 20% discount offer day, plus the seller had a 5% Christmas Sale on, so took the plunge, as I knew I would end up getting one in the end anyway, as my Electrics Installation will be significantly the most expensive thing after the Van itself and I need to make sure I treat it right!
So I installed it, but as not having any furniture in place, needed a way to protect this expensive unit so printed off a case on my 3D printer - works well as a temporary home for the BMV.



Victron Box by David, on Flickr

(this is it about an hour into the print)



Voltmeter Box Printing by David, on Flickr


----------



## jagmanx

*Blind Spot Mirrors*

Yes
Looking to get some for my MH


----------



## wildebus

jagmanx said:


> Yes
> Looking to get some for my MH


These were via Amazon - COFIT Blind Spot Fan Shape Mirror Pack of 2 Universal Fit for Car Truck SUV: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike  . £4.99.  Not driven out with them on but they feel well made and expecting them to do the business.  Same seller has all shape styles as well.


----------



## wildebus

Slowly (as weather improves) doing conversion bits, but something I had hoped to put off until spring was a new Starter Battery, which I knew was quiite poor.  But this recent very cold weather (colder then a normal cold Scottish Winter) seems to have been the last straw for it 

Despite the battery reading 12.6V,  a turn of the key kills it instantly down to 10.7V !

No idea how old the battery is, but even after a couple of recondition cycles it made no differerence, so time for a transplant .

The old and the new side by side



New vs Old by David, on Flickr

The original battery is a 72Ah@C20 Battery, with a CCA of 670A -  I always felt this seemed quite small for a 2.8L Diesel?
The battery I am putting in instead is actually the same as the ones I have in my Leisure Battery Bank, the 110Ah(@C100) Leoch XR1750 AGMs.   These are dual purpose Leisure/Starter Batteries, so I reckon it should be up to the task.
The XR1750 battery in "starter mode" is a 92Ah@C20 Unit, with a CCA of 850A, so about 25% more Cranking Amps available  

Battery is a fair bit bigger as can be seen in the first photo, but the battery tray is designed to accomodate a larger battery without any problems 



XR1750 Installed by David, on Flickr
See - at least 5mm spare  
Definitely worth fitting the biggest that can be accommodated I think.

I maybe decided to go a bit overkill with using this AGM battery. But being the identical battery model to the ones in the 440Ah bank the charging regime in terms of voltages will be identical, which is handy when the split charge relay is active so the Digital Regulator (once fitted on the alternator) can be set optimally.


----------



## LindsayH

Wow, I :heart: it!


----------



## wildebus

LindsayH said:


> Wow, I :heart: it!


Thank you 

Got a few updates to post I think ...

Earlier Pictures showed me removing the Hydraulic Lift.  This was needed to make room for this:



LT-Towbar by David, on Flickr

Worked out very reasonable for a EC-Certified Towbar Kit as well:
TowBar with 13-Pin Kit - £99; TEB 7AS Bypass Relay - £17; 7-Pin to 13-Pin Converter - £5* = Total Cost £121*


Main focus currently is making the permanent rear bed.  Finished it in the main last Wednesday, but it was blooming cold and I picked up a chest infection working on it outside, so since Thursday morning been rough as a badgers behind :sad:
Hoping later this week will feel better enough to get the ply I need to finish it up and do the actual floor and side mounting.


----------



## wildebus

Need to post a few updates to my build, especially as I am on the home straight in terms of being able to actually use Clarence as a Camperbus 


But a diversion first ...

My Cat likes chilling in the house of course ....


IMG_20180430_103602 by David, on Flickr



But when there is a camper in the driveway she sits at the door waiting to be let inside 

Kizzy chilling in Doris the Day-Van  (VW T4):


imagejpg1-12 by David, on Flickr

Dozing off in Ichabod (VW T5):


KizzyT5 by David, on Flickr


And Lastly, checking out her facilities in Clarence the Camperbus (VW LT):


Cat Camping - LT  by David, on Flickr

Looks like the latest conversion has the Cat Seal of Approval :wacko:


----------



## wildebus

So finally completed the Galley Kitchen with all the wiring and plumbing 

Like my previous conversions, I have used IKEA products as I like the look of them and I really don't think the weight disadvantage over the specialist lightweight is that great, and when you factor in the price difference  ...... IKEA is the way 

This is the Kitchen complete:



Galley Kitchen by David, on Flickr

It is 1300mm in total length, comprising a 200mm Cupboard; Space for Fridge;  2nd 200mm Cupboard and a 400mm Cupboard.
The wide cupboard is separated into a lower cupboard area at the bottom and a pair of drawers at the top.
Worktop is a 27mm thick Solid Beech worktop from B&Q.  Set into the Worktop is a 2000W Induction Hob and a SMEV VA9300 Sink plus a cold water only tap with flexible spout.

*Weight wise*, the entire Kitchen including the applicances (except Fridge), fittings, doors, drawers, worktop, shelves, etc comes in at a near exact 100Kg
*Cost wise*, the Kitchen, again including the appliances except Fridge, and up to the point of water supply and disposal hoses was under £300
I'm pretty happy with how this has turned out with the "Country Kitchen" look of Beech Worktop and off-white fronts.


Also now the kitchen is in, I could rejig my electrics to house them in their final home.

the Leftmost cabinet holds the electrics at the rear.  I don't expect to have to access this very much so ok with them being blocked by other stuff in front
At the bottom is the AC CU


AC CU by David, on Flickr

Middle is the Main Fuse Box


DC Fusebox by David, on Flickr

Top is a Socket for the Induction Hob, plus some Comms Cables


Hob + Comms by David, on Flickr


Something I try and do when installing anything is do it in such a way I am access stuff and fix it later as needed (seems sensible to me!).  So the sink plumbing is accessible from the outside by sliding the side door all the way back 
I wanted Drawers under the sink and got short ones that would not interfere with the hoses and waste.  This gave me the space to make up a shelf to house my Electrics Management and Comms kit.



Comms by David, on Flickr

As this is under the sink and so has potential for getting wet, I put the power systems and the Raspberry Pi (running Victron Venus GX software) into a plastic box with a waterproof lid and drilled holes in the side for ventilation plus a couple of larger holes for cable entry & exit.

Directly under the sink, I fitted a couple of control devices



Comms Front by David, on Flickr
The left control is the remote for the  2500W PSW Inverter; the right device is a Victron BMV-712 Monitor

I will adjusting this in fact as I want to add in a fridge cooling controller and Water Pump and Water Heater switches and this seems to be the ideal place to add them 

Next steps is fit the Water Supply - Shurflo pump hopefully arriving next week and will be using water containers inside and under the bed - probably a pair of 25L ones.  
Grey Water right now is just an open hose right at the back.  By the time I use the Camper for outings I am hoping to fix a Grey Tank where the Spare Wheel is normally located.  Just need to work out what (size, shape, price) I want there.


----------



## wildebus

*Happy Birthday!*

Thought I would do a little "Then and Now" post on my Camperbus Conversion as it is precisely one year since I picked it up and drove it home :rolleyes2:


*So THEN ...*

On the Drive home ... This is at Carter Bar and probably the first time Clarence (who was not Clarence at that time) had been to Scotland.



Homeward Bound by David, on Flickr

Very much a Minibus still here, with 16 seats plus drivers.



LT - Standard by David, on Flickr
For the year (2003) it is very clean bodywork  (some of these LT and Sprinters are rust buckets at a much younger age);  The wheels are the main thing that let the side down, plus there is a rust streak at the front where I presume a driver forget he was driving a high vehicle and hit a barrier.



*And NOW*

A log of changes made - some major, some minor and some just mentioning as I like the result!

Alpine Radio installed complete with my patent Drive/Camping Switch plus Front-Mount USB Port.



LT-Alpine by David, on Flickr
Also installed new front Alpine Dash Speakers


Swapped out original Driver plus double Passenger for a Pair of Swivelling Ford Galaxy Seats



Cab Seating Sorted by David, on Flickr
This is a key change as it allows the cab space to become part of the living space. Required some small modification to the mounts and a new passenger seat base.


New Mat - helps remove the industrial look in the cab and also hides the missing section of the original flooring where the smaller base replaced the double seat



Cab Mat by David, on Flickr


Maxxair Roof Fan



MaxxAir Fan by David, on Flickr
Scariest part is cutting a big hole in the roof. Once that is done and the edges sealed, the actual fitting is fairly easy when approached logically


Installed Roof Tracking



Roof Tracking by David, on Flickr
This will be the mounting for the Solar Panels and will make that job much easier.  Used combination of 3M VHM Tape and Hi-Tenside Bolts.


Solar Panels Install



PV Panels by David, on Flickr
Having the tracking fitting made the panel install very simple


Insulation



Dodo on Roof by David, on Flickr
Used Dodo lining on roof and lower panels, followed by recycled bottle loft insulation, then silver bubble insulation.  As I have a lot of windows, not sure how much of an effect this will actually have?


Had the Windows Tinted



Post-Tint by David, on Flickr


Electrics Installation.  This is it in progress, with the battery enclosure built and the 4 batteries wired up



Electrics under way by David, on Flickr


Wheels



White Wheels by David, on Flickr


Exterior Bodywork.  This was changed with a combination of Paint and Vinyl.  The Stripes are vinyl and the lower black section and the window frames and pillars are painted



Painting the Lower Section by David, on Flickr


Spare Wheel Carrier and Ladder



Rear End by David, on Flickr
The Ladder is an off-the-shelf Ladder from Rhino Racks.
The Spare Wheel Carrier I drew up and gave the specs to a local company to fabricate.


Goodbye Tail Lift



Exit Tail Lift by David, on Flickr

And Hello Towbar



LT-Towbar by David, on Flickr


Awning Rail and Caravanstore Awning



Rail and Awning by David, on Flickr
I also have a Fiamma Safari/Privacy Room to go with this


Bed



Bed by David, on Flickr
This is a modified IKEA Double Bed, raised to provide a good storage area below, accessible from the rear


Kitchen


Clarence Kitchen by David, on Flickr
Still got the finishing touches to do, but the Hob and Sink and in.



So we are basically gone from looking like this 



Then by David, on Flickr

to this



Now by David, on Flickr


So still got quite a few things to finish off.  I planned to have the camper 100% complete within the year, but the very cold weather this winter and the seemingly much longer one delayed work for literally months  (I would go out to do stuff and have to come back in within a few minutes it was so cold   My last camper I did outside as well and virtually everything done between November and Feburary a couple of years ago! )


----------



## wildebus

Finally got round to fitting the main outstanding exterior bit of 'furniture' 




Rhino Rack Basket by David, on Flickr

This is a Roof Basket from Rhino Racks in Australia, bought in via Germany at a not inconsiderable expense (hence why I kept it when selling my T5, which I originally bought it for and had on until it went up for sale. 
Decided it would suit my 'Safari Overland Camperbus' style and 8 odd months later it is on 
Reckon will come in handy for bringing back wet stuff like awnings, screen covers, kayaks and the like  

Access is pretty good via the rear door ladder (also from Rhino Racks but much easier to get hold of  )



Rear View by David, on Flickr


----------



## Tezza33

Excellent work and I do like your ideas, I would love to see it in the flesh when it is finished


----------



## wildebus

Tezza33 said:


> Excellent work and I do like your ideas, I would love to see it in the flesh when it is finished


Thanks 
First "shakedown" weekend away starting tomorrow so will see how the plans work out! No curtains yet so will be hanging sheets from netcord as a temporary measure but apart from that looking reasonable inside :dog:


----------



## 955itriple

Love what you've done with this "bus". Work of art.


----------



## wildebus

*First Weekend away in Clarence!*

So Clarence was not fully ready (ripped up old duvet strung up for curtains for example) but regardless, we were booked for a VW Festival for the weekend so went ready or not!

About a 2 hour drive to the Show, and once there was field camping with no facilities other than Portoloos  (I prefer to use my own Chemical Toilet anyway to be honest at these Festivals, so public portoloos or not makes no difference).

*POWER*
Now Clarence is fully-electric in terms of cooking and fridge, so only energy source is Battery as off-grid.  This is the situation I designed Clarence for, so how did we do?
Batteries at 100% at 2PM on Friday;  then plugged in the slow cooker with a prepared meal cooking away.  This was running until around 8PM on the Friday until we ate the meal with some hob-fried potatoes, cooked on the 2kW Induction Hob.  This was the only meal we cooked in fact, with a takeaway the next night and cold food during the day, but hob was on quite a few times for cups of tea of course .
Did do some final touches to the galley kitchen with the door and drawer handles fitted and switch for the tap water pump.


IMG_20180525_092136 by David, on Flickr
To stop the doors and drawers opening on the move, used a couple of handy but low-cost solutions:
I have used the push-to-lock door knobs in the past, but they are very expensive for what they are IMO.  This time I bought these - Cupboard Child Locks, Adoric Child Safety Locks Magnetic 6 Locks+2 Keys Adhesive Baby Drawer Locks No Drilling: Amazon.co.uk: Baby
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71rKuYyJexL._SL1500_.jpg
I like these as they are invisible in use and when you are parked up, you can set them to unlocked which is very handy.
The other lock I use on the Fridge is a strap that clips on and stops the door opening (I have no lock on mine as it is a domestic model).


Apart from the Hob (and 2500W Inverter), other power usage is the AC Fridge of course with the small Victron Inverter on, the Network Router and Booster, Alexa Echo, Fan and lights, Water pump, plus some device charging and Laptop and Printer use.  Current Draw while cooking and fan on, fridge maybe on, etc. peaked (or should be troughed?) at 175A Draw .

By the time we got home Sunday Evening at 8PM - so 2.5 Days away door to door we were at 93.9% SOC - so not bad really, especially considering Saturdays cloud.
The weather was not great all the time with lots of cloud as mentioned but there were some bright times on Saturday and Sunday was nicer.  
Peak Solar was just before 2PM on Saturday when we hit 341W (on the 400W array) with 25A going into the battery.


*SPACE*
I've done these shows for a few years and gradually been upsizing from a VW T4, to T4 with Trailer to T5 LWB and Trailer to T5 LWB and bigger Trailer until now at the VW LT LWB (aka Sprinter).  Decided to see if we could loose the Trailer this time and fit everything inside!
We just  (only just, mind) managed it ...
Garage TOTALLY full


IMG_20180525_115458 by David, on Flickr

Living area pretty chocka as well


IMG_20180525_115424 by David, on Flickr

If the show involved overnighting in transit, have to use the Trailer again I reckon.


*CONVERSION*
This weekend was a good test of how well I liked the new conversion, having now been to the exact same show multiple times in three different (self-build) campervans ...
The ability to stand up inside (T4 and T5 were low roof) was fantastic!  I would not want to go back to a low roof camper again.
The Fixed bed was also fantastic!  Super-comfortable having a standard double bed with an IKEA Mattress, plus feather topper.  Apparently there were fireworks on Saturday night but I never heard a thing! Out like a light 
Full Size Fridge was brilliant.  Ability to have 2L bottles of water and a Wine Bottle standing up in the lowest door shelf, plus cans in the shelves above and room for loads of food (we brought most back as usual) was great.
General walking around space is much better as well.  The T4 and T5 were ok as 1 person campers, but still cramped.
Overall conclusion ... the LT is not as nice a drive as either the T5 or T4 but as a Camper is way superior.


*OUR PITCH*
As our campers have changed, so has our outdoor space setup.
On the T4 we had a Kyham Sun Canopy plus the optional sides.
On the T5 we upgraded significantly to a Kyham Motordome Sleeper.  This gave loads of space but did take a fair bit of time to setup  (the videos with 3 Minute setup you can see is just to get the basic frame up - pegging out, etc. takes time).
On the LT, I have a Fiamma Caravanstore on an awning rail and I bought the Fiamma "Privacy Room CS Lite" to go onto it.


IMG_20180526_074144 by David, on Flickr
First time deployment (or even out the bag!) was on Friday night and found the Fast Clip arms were anything but fast as they were too long!  one I managed to clip on after 10 minutes; the other I sliced around 5mm off with my Dremel and still too long but managed it just. One end is spring loaded to take up the tension, but when used with my setup the spring is fully compressed and still too long, so I have a fair bit to play with in terms of trimming and still keep the tension there. 

Once the arms were in place, the actual awning sides went up very easily and quickly and I am pleasantly pleased with the speed, and especially the ease of tear-down (except the arms - THIS TIME ONLY!!) and packing away.
For those who don't "DO" awnings, each to their own I reckon.  Depends on the location I guess?  In front of the Privacy Room is a Quest Screenhouse 6 3M x 3M Gazaboo and next to that is a 4.5M x 3M Heavy Duty Gazeboo which I also have to put up, so when it comes to our _own _Gazebo/Awning I want a quick one!


Still got stuff to do to finish (especially around the bathroom facilities area) but overall looking good


----------



## wildebus

So I've made the changes to the Awning arms (sliced off about 12mm I think) and they now go on and off pretty simply.

As mentioned elsewhere, swapped out the temporary water containers to my final 2x25L carriers in their dedicated area under the bed



Water Supply by David, on Flickr

I've added some devices to the control board in the kitchen



Control Panel by David, on Flickr
I've added the Thermostatic Controller for the Fridge Fan (this is an extra 12V 4" fan I've fitted pointing at the Compressor.  I have not yet confirmed the best temp to set it to activate on. Highest temp I have noticed is around 37C, with a typical temp of around 20C.
On the right hand side is a combined set for water pump and lights.  
The pump switch is wired up for the Shurflo pumo; 
The 'Light' switch right now is controlling the Split-Charge VSR so I can turn it off easily.  This is a temporary thing and not sure if I need to do this or not longer term.  My end-plan is to have this switch for the Electric Water Heater but I might make a little multi-switch panel instead to have Pump, Heater, VSR enable and Lights on a small group together.


Talking electrics, instead of the basic D+ Controlled 200A Relay, I fitted a 140A VSR instead.  Only did so yesterday but working out pretty good 
I reused the taillift 16mm cable which saved the job of routing a cable out the engine bay which was good.  However this is protected by a 70A resettable breaker which is probably a bit small for full alternator charging of the Leisure Battery bank.  Will leave it and see what happens and if necessary replace with a bigger fuse.
The VSR is working very well in terms of having the Solar charge the Starter Battery as well.  I installed yesterday and had it working at around 5PM.  This morning by 11:45AM both the Starter Battery and Leisure Battery Bank were fully charged and the Solar Controller in Float mode despite the Starter needing a fair charge and the Compressor Fridge and Inverter being on 24/7.

Last major change yesterday was to the AC Electrics.
Changing my layout meant revising the socket positioning.  I have a relatively complicated 230V AC setup with 4 distinct circuits, but it is not complexity just for the hell of it.  It works like this:
*Circuit #1:  230V via Victron 12/500 Inverter.  *
This is on 24/7 and powers the AC Fridge, Internet Router and Booster, plus sockets to the 'dinette' area and bedside shelves for "always on" power availability

Then there is a consumer unit with another 3 circuits (each protected by its own DP MCB and with an RCD for the incoming supply.
*Circuit #2:  230V automatically switching between 2500W Inverter and 10A Mains EHU.  *
This circuit is used primarily for the kitchen, with a dedicated socket for the 2000W Induction Hob and another socket available for portable applicances used on the worktop (e.g. a Slow Cooker or George Foreman Grill), plus an external 'commando' socket for outdoor use  (power tools, outdoor lighting, etc).
This circuit has a contactor relay that detects the presence of a live EHU and switches to that output automatically, which means I don't have to have multiple sockets for cooking and can use the best power source available.

*Circuit #3:  10A 230V EHU Only.*
This circuit only has a single outlet located by the step



Step Socket by David, on Flickr
The primary purpose of this socket is for an electric heater if hooked up.  I didn't want to use an EHU/Inverter switched socket for this in case the hookup tripped and I ended up drawing a massive amount of power off the battery bank via the inverter without realising.

*Circuit #4:  6A 230V EHU Only.*
This is dedicated to the Mains Charger and has just the single outlet close by it.

Now I _have _actually got one further socket for Circuit #2 in fact, located next to the Mains Charger socket



Sockets by David, on Flickr
The reason for this is should there be a problem with the Victron Inverter, I can move the plug from that inverter onto the Inverter/EHU circuit and use that inverter;  or I could change say the Dinette AC socket to be powered from the big inverter instead for a while should I be doing something inside the van that demanded more power.
It looks a bit messy as need to clip up the cables still and fix the door slide bits, but the various sockets for Circuit #1 go into an extension block, protected by a 5A fuse (we are talking very low power devices here) and I can move any plug from this block to the spare socket opposite it.
I don't think I will need to do so, but a bit of extra installation now saves the potential hassles later on 

So that pretty well covers the electrics EXCEPT for above your head!  not yet installed the final lighting and using the courtesy lights still (reworked to use the Leisure Battery instead of Starter). 
And still for other bits and pieces as well of course.  Some minor and some more significant


----------



## Obanboy666

50 litres of water doesn’t sound much ? I have a 90 litre underslung tank and usually carry an additional 30 litres in similiar containers you are using and often wish I could carry more.
Could you not fit an underslung tank that would allow you to carry more water and free up space onboard where your 2 x containers are stored.
Not sure whether you have a shower and what your daily water usage is but 50 litres wouldn’t last me long and I travel alone most of the time.


----------



## wildebus

Obanboy666 said:


> 50 litres of water doesn’t sound much ? I have a 90 litre underslung tank and usually carry an additional 30 litres in similiar containers you are using and often wish I could carry more.
> Could you not fit an underslung tank that would allow you to carry more water and free up space onboard where your 2 x containers are stored.
> Not sure whether you have a shower and what your daily water usage is but 50 litres wouldn’t last me long and I travel alone most of the time.


No plans on a shower and I think that is where the water gets used up.  I was away end of May and took 25L on Friday afternoon and came back with around 12L Sunday evening - that was with two of us.
What I like about having the 25L containers is the ability to carry them to a tap to fill them up (on my T5 I had a 13L container and typically refilled it on the Saturday evening, walking to the tap).
Underslung tanks means having to use a hose or maybe an aquaroll. And then cleaning them out ..... New water container if needed - under a tenner.
So I see where you are coming from, but for my purposes, a pair of 25L will do the job very nicely


----------



## Asgarth1977

That is one heck of a bus you got there, awesome work, defo the kitchen unit.

Carn't wait till i have a bus myself.

Michael


----------



## Discokegs

Another thumbs up from me. Great write up especially explaining your electric circuits.

Really surprised by the battery percentage when you got back from the VW show. I thought it was going to be well down as youd been running a slow cooker and the electric hob. Has certainly changed my mind on how solar is getting better.

:bow:


----------



## wildebus

Discokegs said:


> Another thumbs up from me. Great write up especially explaining your electric circuits.
> 
> Really surprised by the battery percentage when you got back from the VW show. I thought it was going to be well down as youd been running a slow cooker and the electric hob. Has certainly changed my mind on how solar is getting better.
> 
> :bow:


Thanks.
I need to confirm the exact spec, but I think the slow cooker is 180W so not too excessive? I use a slow cooker quite a bit at home and find it is great.  Prep in morning, then clear up and so when meal is ready in evening, just got 2 forks and two plates to clean up after eating (use a slow cooker bag and so the pot stays clean as well).
I actually bought the Slow Cooker when I had my last camper - a T5 with 200W of panels as even then I found I had full batteries by around 10AM and wanted a way to use the free energy and save on the Gas use. 
I was very pleased with the results as well - and this was all in Scotland as well of course!
And now I have the VSR in place, the batteries can also charge from the Alternator so any prolonged touring will be no problem at all whatever the weather.

I do have an emergency gas cartridge hob should the electrics fail me in some way.  That typically also comes into use if want to do any 'smelly' cooking so done outside.


----------



## Deleted member 75172

And add another thumbs up from me.
Great conversion and excellent write up and absolutely easy to spot.
Pete


----------



## wildebus

Been trying to work out good table options.  I don't think I will be using a fixed table much, but it is a requirement for Motor Caravan classification, so has be available.

I think I have come up with a solution.  And this is the photo I will be sending to DVLA ...


IMG_20180610_111454 by David, on Flickr

This shows the table on the removable post so attached to the vehicle as per DVLA requirements.  But it is actually a standard Lifetime Table from Costco with folding legs, so can be used as normal and saves having to carry around a plain tabletop just for occasional use.

I also got round to cutting the £15 carpet offcut I bought a month ago to suit the living area ...



Carpet by David, on Flickr

Need to make a hole for the table leg of course.  And need to decide where to trim the cab end.  Probably will cut to put under the end trim piece. 



Carpet by David, on Flickr

Also need to add a small section around the step threshold  (the offcut width was just too narrow to cover that part as well  ) but pretty pleased with how it looks for the price   (this _is_ a build on a budget!)


----------



## wildebus

*Daft Mod time *

So I fitted this table leg kit a week ago or so and used a Costco table as a top


IMG_20180610_111454 by David, on Flickr


Travelling a few thousand miles south, a TV Programme I enjoyed watching was "Sea Patrol", a drama based around a ship in the Royal Australian Navy. and in Series 2 they got a new ship, and on the Bridge of that new ship they seem to have what looks to me like a Cat Scratching Post 


SeaPatrolPost by David, on Flickr

From the first time I noticed that, I thought it would be great to have some kind of scratching post in my Camper for the cat, who loves her scratching post AND loves chilling out in the van.

So moving back to this afternoon, I can now reveal my own weird update


IMG_20180613_152115 by David, on Flickr


It kinds of matches in better with the general planned Safari theme of the van rather than a chrome pole as well :banana:


Oh, and an under table shot to show how the table itself is dual purpose


IMG_20180613_152132 by David, on Flickr
The original legs are still fitted and functional, and the post mount is secured in place by both Sikaflex Adhesive and Bobby Ball (short and fat) Screws, plus the legs when closed go over around 30% of the mount surround which also keeps things nice and tight.


----------



## wildebus

*Woooo Hoooo!*

Well .... I didn't want to jinx anything by saying, but I sent the Motor Caravan Reclassification Request into DVLA a week ago last Monday.

I was hopeful but not 100% sure as I only have single Hob top and depending on what DVLA go on, some operatives will be ok with one 'ring', but others will want to see two :rulez: (In my letter I described it as a 2kW Hob, so it _is _blooming powerful!)

But as you can probably guess from this post ...

Computer says YES :dance: :heart: :dog:

Clarence the Safari Camperbus is now officially a Motor Caravan :cool1:



Clarence Caravan by David, on Flickr

So as well as meeting the Insurance Requirements (reclassify within 3 months) I can drive at car speeds (as I have a ticket from a certified weighbridge that the ULW is under 3.05t)

Well Pleased with that, and got the V5C back super-fast as well 



PS.  I also amended the number of seats from the 7 I chose last time I reclassified to a "Van with Windows" down to 4.  Unlikely to ever be more than 2 but I can plug in 2 more single seats behind the drivers if I want, so covered that possibility


----------



## wildebus

So I headed away from home last Thursday afternoon.
Thursday night was a WC POI pubstop (Red Lion in Irlam. Nice. Would recommend); Friday was driveway Surfing; Saturday in a field; then Sunday, tonight and tomorrow night Driveaway Surfing again then heading home.
Been a useful "field test" of the Conversion, especially  given the high temperature throughout the time away so far! The  fan has been running non-stop and is probably the biggest source of power. If I had a 'normal' battery pack and no solar I would have not been able to use at full power for very long!

Got a wee list of things I need to pack in future and some adjustments that are needed to make the camper more 'streamlined' internally. Definitely much nicer to live run than the T5 without a doubt, but still not perfect by any means.
The fridge has been running at upto 45C due to the high temps. The fan can't really do much as that is what the internal temps have been hitting, but it hasn't missed a but. Really quite surprised, but in a very good way. 
The internal 'blinds' made from foil bubble wrap has done its job. Not the most decorative, but good and will keep them for Insulation even after I have the proper blinds done.
Biggest issue I have is loose luggage sliding around the inside And need to secure it somehow  - probably by building a tall storage cupboard. And as well as luggage shifting, the portapotti is too!  Not actually in use this trip, but just in for emergency and to  to evaluate where it should  go to a permanent basis.
So conclusion is still a work in progress but a very workable camper as it stands  all the same.


----------



## wildebus

This weather is making the Overland Safari Camperbus look at home  :dance:

I am sure I spotted a basking Lion in the tree?


Searching for Game by David, on Flickr



Uh Oh. No, he came in for some shade!



Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion by David, on Flickr


----------



## wildebus

So ... I have finally finalised my interior design - at least up to the height of the windows anyway!

I am NOT fitting a toilet/shower room inside as decided like the openness of the interior and ability to be able to walk around inside rather then do sideways shuffling :rockroll:.

So this large section behind the [swivelling] drivers seat is nice and open



Dance Hall by David, on Flickr
Now I know what I am doing there I was also able to finish off the panelling to replace the pretty yucky looking plastic sheet with paint smears on it 

You will have noticed the cupboard to the right?  



Mystery Cupboard? by David, on Flickr
This has been fitted slightly offset away from the wall to allow storage of the removable table at the side (with a bathmat to keep in snugly in position).

It is another IKEA Kitchen Unit with a bit of tweaking only really evident when you open the doors...



WC Cupboard! by David, on Flickr
The Bottom half stores the Portapotti.  Not for use here, but a place to keep it out the way, stop it tipping over, etc.  (yup, happened once a month ago but not after it had been used thankfully!).  We have a Shower tent that can be put outside in the Safari Room which we put the loo into, but try to avoid using it generally if other options available.  Back of the compartment is a storage section where I can keep paper, toilet chemicals and the like and to the left is a general storage area for cleaning and bathroom products. And finally on a small shelf above I have room for slim things such as a Laptop, trays and whathaveyou.
In the middle is a Drawer - not yet worked out what that will be used for but it will be handy for something no doubt.

The top looks like a drawer but is actually a pull to a top loading chest area



Ottaman by David, on Flickr
Handy extra worktop area as well of course and with the deep storage in there filled it with loads of random stuff right now.


Over to the other side, nothing significant has changed but a key thing I have added is an Upstand



Upstand by David, on Flickr
This has been on the to-do list for a while as if anything sides off the top behind, it can drop behind the fridge and is virtually impossible to retrieve.  So the Upstand goes down right to the window sill ledge so anything behind can be easily got back.

And means it is easy to just push bottles aside when cooking without loosing them!



Spices safe and sound by David, on Flickr


And added a little bit of wall storage by the door



Racks by David, on Flickr
These are dead handy to keep the frequently used stuff such as Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum cool1, etc.  Plus my Amazon Alexa Echo as well :dog:


Next van updates will be to the roof panelling that needs some tweaking and maybe some over-kitchen high (but slim) storage?  I am also looking at a Hot Water system as well.


----------



## Minisorella

Looking really good David  It was good to meet you and to have the opportunity to see your safari bus at Druridge Bay. You've done a fantastic job... enjoy!


----------



## Clunegapyears

Agree, You’ve created a stunning van.  Always so full of admiration for people so talented.  And just spotted you have more kitchen workspace that I have!!!

Sorry again about Oscar peeing on your awning!


----------



## 2cv

How about a tow car


----------



## wildebus

Just in case intruders don't scarper when they see the "Beware of the Cat" sign, I do put her on guard duty ...




Take No Prisoners! by David, on Flickr


----------



## Beemer

Wow.. first time I have read this..
I think you should write a book about your conversion.
I have read a few and your write up seems much better written with clear photos.


----------



## jagmanx

*Electric only in Germany*

On our travels in Germany we met a man with a van.
Not really a moho (no house items not even a toilet).
A big mercedes  van with a full roof-rack full of big solar panels which he uses to supply 240v throughout.
Problem he has is that he only has 1 LB.
So he can only really use power in daylight hours.
It is really a work van rather than a moho but he uses it to travel to jobs and sleeps in it and cooks in the day !
A bit strange but like you no gas.
He does however recharge both an electric bike and motor bike. So a lot of daylight power but little at night. Not ideal but seems to suit him !


----------



## jagmanx

*Like*

The cat photo !


----------



## Byronic

jagmanx said:


> On our travels in Germany we met a man with a van.
> Not really a moho (no house items not even a toilet).
> A big mercedes  van with a full roof-rack full of big solar panels which he uses to supply 240v throughout.
> Problem he has is that he only has 1 LB.
> So he can only really use power in daylight hours.
> It is really a work van rather than a moho but he uses it to travel to jobs and sleeps in it and cooks in the day !
> A bit strange but like you no gas.
> He does however recharge both an electric bike and motor bike. So a lot of daylight power but little at night. Not ideal but seems to suit him !




I got to know a Dutchman he possessed a mighty customised Clou Liner on a MAN chassis, the roof was smothered in solar
panels, a built in Onan 4kW diesel generator, and here's the clincher, Navy Submarine batteries as LBs, they weighed
hundreds of kilos his motorhome was definitely overloaded! Not to worry, he was loaded in more ways than one and had the back axle replaced/rebuilt regularly (MAN weak design feature apparently). His was the only arrangement I have come across that I would  say was capable of providing domestic standards of electric energy via batteries for domestic washing machine, heating, hot water, fridge/freezer.
He certainly had to give the bloody generator long runs !


----------



## 955itriple

Beemer said:


> Wow.. first time I have read this..
> I think you should write a book about your conversion.
> I have read a few and your write up seems much better written with clear photos.



Totally agree, I've commented before saying I love this van. Would you consider a YouTube video tour? There are loads on, big budget, low budget and everything in between. Your van and attention to detail, particularly your electric system and fridge solution are inspirational, bring it to the masses.


----------



## wildebus

Something that has been on the radar from before I actually bought the to-be-converted Minibus was Heating!

In my last conversion I installed an Eberspacher D2 Airtronic Diesel Heater and it was great   but so it should have been as it cost over £600  (that is just the heater and parts, no installation costs as did this myself).
For Clarence, I wanted another Diesel Heater but with the cost of an Eber' D2 - which had risen to over £750 now for the kit only :scared: - I couldn't afford that so decided to risk the cheapo chinese Eberspacher clones at around £150.  So a substantial saving on the cards there .

The plan was to install under the drivers seat, same as I did on the VW T5 with the Eberspacher.  I checked Youtube for any tips on installing on a VW LT (aka Sprinter T1N) as can always find a handy timesaver on 'the tubes' but  not in this case  
Lots of "installing an Espar D2 on my Sprinter" videos but all for the later Sprinters (the 2nd Gen NCV3 model) and while the seat base looks very similar, the under-chassis under the seat was _totally _different.  So on my own here  (but as I tend to be old blue eyes ('I do it my way') anyway, suited me 


So this is the space the Heater will be located in



Empty Seat Base by David, on Flickr
The electrics (fuses, relays, etc) are usually located under this seat but I had moved them to the other seat base a while back in readiness for fitting a heater here in the future.

This is under the vehicle from around centre line towards outer side


Underchassis under Seat by David, on Flickr
Looks fairly roomy but in fact not the case. The Bar with the cable clipped to it goes left to right and is around the upper third of the floor under the base. And the part at the end (where the cable curls round to carry on to) is actually a massive front to rear chassis support that is right in the middle of the seat base, so a major area inside the base is no use for the heater mounting.

Transferring the dimensions of obstructions from below to the base area, the options are very limited and this is what I decided on (rubber gasket shows the heater inlet/exhaust pipe positioning)



Best Location for Heater by David, on Flickr
Essentially the white sheet just below the rubber gasket and to the right of the gasket are no-go areas for fitting.  And to the left of the gasket there is a drop for cable routing which would make sealing a hole very tricky.

A couple of holes drilled out



Holes Drilled by David, on Flickr




Close! by David, on Flickr
You can see the exhaust shield below.  This was dropped and moved out the way at the start  (the photo showing the space underneath was actually taken  with the camera in between the shield and the floor as the exhaust runs directly under where the heater is going!)


The Heater comes with a mounting plate



Mounting Plate with Butel Tape by David, on Flickr
I specifically chose a kit with a plate (not all kits have them) as I think it is much better to make all the connections and secure them and then drop the lot in place as a oner rather then try and secure individual bits from underneath.
I added the tape as a sealing method.  Much cleaner then using something like sikaflex in this situation.

And dropped into position



Underchassis view by David, on Flickr
(The black around the hole cutout is a heavy dosage of Hammerite to protect the cut metal)

Drilled out another hole for the heater outlet at the back of the seat base



Heater Outlet at back of Seat Base by David, on Flickr

And a birds-eye view of the heater all installed



Heater setup and wired up by David, on Flickr
I had previously run a 2.5mm cable in readiness for a heater so just routed this to the base and used a base bolt as the ground.  (these heaters have a bit of a reputation for undersized cables leading to high voltage drops, so by chopping off most of the supplied power cable it will help eliminate that)

And the seat base cover refitted



VW Hardboard Seatbase Cover by David, on Flickr

I only have one of these (need one per seat really to protect the electrics under the other seat) and it has gone pretty droopy, so I made up a replacement in plywood



Replacement Ply Seat Base Cover by David, on Flickr
I routed out some ventilation slots (unfortuatly the guide slipped on the first slot  ), positioned in a place that would work better for the heater inlet and then sprayed black to blend in like the original



Ply Seat Base Cover Painted by David, on Flickr

And put in place



Ply Seat Base Cover in Place by David, on Flickr

These Heaters come with a controller of course, but it is pot-luck to which one you actually get with the kit!  My kit was shown with a fairly basic rotary controller, but I actually got an electronic LED unit



Heater Controller by David, on Flickr
(due to the LED refresh, the digits don't show up properly in a photo)
Initial stumbling block as no instructions and buttons in Chinese, but now I have sussed it out, this controller is actually pretty good.  It has a temp sensor in so you can set a target for the heater to go to;  It also has a clock and you can set 2 timers for it to go and and off (it is just a 24 hour clock, no days, so you cannot set different profiles for say weekdays and weekends).
Overall ... nice unit.  I have not yet worked out where to fit it (it has a holder it clips into so can be fixed to a wall say, and then unclipped and moved elsewhere.  how useful that is I am not sure yet!)


OK, that concludes the Inside setup.  

Now looking outside, I built a "Fuel Station" on a ply board (with protection underneath) which has a fuel tank, filter and pump all together. 



Fuel Station on Carrier by David, on Flickr
I will be running the heater on Kerosene for a number of reasons;
1) These heaters have been reported to run significantly cleaner and better on Kerosene compared to Road Diesel
2) I don't have to drop the fuel tank to fit a standpipe  (this would be made sigificantly harder on my specific van as well due to the way the step was installed)
3) Kerosene is a lot cheaper than Road Diesel  (50p ish vs £1.30ish per litre)

I am fitting this to the redundant spare wheel carrier, so is very easy to drop for refuelling and maintenance, and otherwise is just raised into position and is virtually invisible



Fuel Station Raised by David, on Flickr.

Moving to the Combustion area, you need Combustion Inlet and Exhaust.  



Inlet & Exhaust Pipes by David, on Flickr
The Inlet Pipe is the black one, and the Exhaust is the silver one.
These had to routed to avoid the vehicle exhaust (as did the fuel pipe and power of course) but wasn't too bad a job to do.

The Inlet Pipe comes with an Air Filter, which is a nice feature and not something you get on an Eberspacher.



Inlet Muffler by David, on Flickr
Neither do you get an Silencer by default (on either product).  It may seem odd fitting a silencer on an inlet pipe but these are surprisingly effective.  Check out this video I made showing the difference with and without  (listen from around 15 seconds in)
[video=youtube_share;YcFty37nJ4M]https://youtu.be/YcFty37nJ4M?t=15s[/video]

This is the Exhaust Muffler, supported with some home-made P-Clips



Exhaust Muffler by David, on Flickr
Both of these Mufflers were bought separately in advance for this installation.


I have not checked the fuel useage yet, but in terms of Electrical Power, the heater draws around 11A in the first few minutes of use (mostly heating the Glow Pin I imagine) and then once running, draws just a few watts for the fan and pump.

Comparing this unit to the Eberspacher, it is to a degree 'you get what you pay for'. I installed another one of these heaters a couple of weeks ago into a VW T5 (not mine) and lessons learned from that install meant I bought replacement Jubilee Clips to repalce the poor quality ones supplied and some more rubber hose to use for joining pipework together.  Also bought a length of Eberspacher exhaust as the supplied exhaust would not fit the silencers when cut.
I also tested this heater before installation and had to do some repairs as it would not run as delivered due to poor assembly. The casing is also very flexible which means the fan can easily rub  (found this on both this heater and the one installed a fortnight ago).  The Eberspacher casing from memory was much more solid.
So build and kit quality the Eber' wins, but have to bear in mind even after replacing and supplementing parts it is still a saving in excess of £500.

What these Heaters have over the Eberspacher is installation however!  The Eberspacher install instructions are very cryptic; the wiring looms are all bare wires and the installer must fit the connectors and plugs.  These Heaters are all pre-wired with plugs and electrically are totally plug and play.  On the downside  it might make cable routing harder, but a simple snip and resolder to route a cable if need be is fairly easy in the overall scheme of a heater install.

Early days yet, but I would buy another one of these heaters again - But I would also benchtest it before installing into a camper or motorhome.


----------



## wildebus

955itriple said:


> Totally agree, I've commented before saying I love this van. Would you consider a YouTube video tour? There are loads on, big budget, low budget and everything in between. Your van and attention to detail, particularly your electric system and fridge solution are inspirational, bring it to the masses.



I might do a video tour but will have to get the OH to do the narration with her wee Scottish lilt


----------



## wildebus

In the post above I talked above my Heater Installation and said 


wildebus said:


> .... Early days yet, but I would buy another one of these heaters again - But I would also benchtest it before installing into a camper or motorhome.



Here is one of the photos from the above post:


Heater setup and wired up by David, on Flickr

And here is a photo I took today:


IMG_20180915_161741 by David, on Flickr

Spot the Difference :idea-007:



Well, when I said "... I would buy another one of these heaters again - But I would also benchtest it before installing into a camper or motorhome",
I did do just that!

The heater I fitted first ran for a short time the first time I went away and then would not start up again. Spent ages troubleshooting it and could not get it working, replacing some parts. In the end, I decided to buy another unit (and found one a fair bit cheaper).
And as per the comment above, I ran it on the bench for many hours to check it on the day it arrived, then installed in the van this morning and again ran it for hours. 

I still think they are a good value proposition and once bedded in should be a reasonable long-term option, but this time I am making sure I give it a damn good test before the first month of purchase is up.  (why a month?  that is the timescale the eBay Concierge system works best on and if there is an issue, I can decide to return the heater and eBay will deal with the seller and pay for any return postage if the seller does not).

BTW, ref. the original heater - I am in conversation with the seller and while I have no resolution yet, they are being helpful with suggestions and will have to see what happens in terms of refunds and replacements.  I reused just about everything from the old heater with the new one (which also eliminates all those parts as an issue) so there is some value in parting it out if need be and I will probably disassemble the entire heater so see if a decoke will sort (waiting to see what the seller proposes before doing that though!)


----------



## wildebus

Doing some bits and pieces in Clarence....

*Undersealing*
The underneath of my 2003 VW LT is remarkably good. And I want to keep it like that of course, so I will be liberally spraying with some Tetraseal once I have clean the chassis.  The recommended way is a steam clean but not got anyone close to me who offers that service. So I tried the DIY options on the wheel wells ...
Home Steam Cleaner:  I have a little Polti steam cleaner I bought to use for upholstery.  This provided to get things clean but was insanely slow, plus so much steam it was really hard to see anything.  So forget that
Compressed Air Pressure Cleaner:  I have an Autosmart Vortex which is brilliant at cleaning stuff.  Upholstery comes up great, hard plastics such as van steps, flooring (either carpet or vinyl) as well. Basically you can use this where you can't use a pressure washer.  This worked ok but again quite slow; plus the compressor was working hard to keep the pressure up.
Water Pressure Washer:  3rd option tried was the Karcher K4 Full Control Pressure Washer.  This replaced a failed K5 and got it on an Amazon "Deal of the Day" around a year ago.  £100 off usual price so pretty good value.
Of the 3 methods, the Pressure Washer was by far the best, but have to wait for all the water to drain away before any undersealing, which is the downside.
But just a few hours later, the arches were all bone-dry ready for spraying.  



Wheel Well after Pressure Washer by David, on Flickr
(actually will be using Tetraseal Shultz on the arches as that is very tough so good for stone chipping.  the rest of the underchassis will be clear underseal so the chassis can still be checked - not looking to hide rust but provide long-term protection).
Once I get a chance to spray the stuff, will post some pics (way to windy today).


*Leisure Battery Charging via Alternator*
A variety of options available here.  I had been planning to fit a Digital Alternator Regulator (made by Sargent) but not got round to that.  This would charge the Leisure Battery via a basic Relay.  
I have a 110Amp VSR (Voltage Sensing Relay) installed but, like all VSRs and Switch Relays, they never really deliver on their promises.  When I have monitored these in the past, they put a high current in for a matter of minutes and then the current falls right back.  For the price, they are ok but not an optimum solution (and don't really do what they say on the tin).  On my LT I would get around 250W coming in from the VSR (so around 20A or so).
So I installed a Redarc 40A Battery-to-Battery Charger instead



Redarc BCDB1240 by David, on Flickr

And a couple of Screenshots -
No B2B charging:



LT - Power Draw by David, on Flickr

And with the 40A B2B Charger Running:



LT - B2B Charger On by David, on Flickr

Difference between the two is 39.2A from a 40A Charger, which is pretty good I think.  And I took the charging screenshot when the engine was just idling, so pretty happy with this result.
(I decided to install the B2B as I needed one for a clients Camper Electric fitout, and the price was good enough to make me decide to get one for myself (I've installed these before - a 25A model - and was very impressed with the build quality))


----------



## wildebus

hairydog said:


> Have you compared the Redarc, Sterling and Ring b2b chargers against one another? The Redarc looks like a viable alternative to the Sterling.


I like the redarc as it is very compact, very rugged and made of metal so will dissapate heat well.


----------



## wildebus

hairydog said:


> What are the connections on the Redarc? The manual seems to imply there are captive cables you have to use butt joints to connect to, but that seems a bit odd. Then again, choosing battery profiles by connecting a wire to various voltags seems a bit odd, but would work and be cheap.
> Does it not have an alternator temperature sensor or battery temperature sensor connection? No mention of one in the docs.
> From the pictures, it looks to me as if they have cut corners on things like terminals, fuses and sensor connections, but not cut corners on the essentials.
> But I wish there was more info in the docs!


Pre-wired loom with bare ends.  They do sell a wiring loom if you want one.



Redarc BCDC 40A by David, on Flickr
3 x 10mm cables for Starter Battery, Leisure Battery and Ground.  You wouldn't fit butt joints, but fit ring terminals - cables are the perfect length for the required fuse protection (and makes sure as much as possible that standard requirement is not ignored)
3 x thin wires (1mm? 0.5mm?) for source select, battery type and remote LED.
Takes literally minutes to install - very quick and simple. the battery type select is simple - open circuit, ground or +12V for 3 different voltages - how easy is that! (people don't change their battery types very often, so is it necessary to have a menu?). It is probably more reliable then a little rotary switch as well.
It doesn't have a temp sensor, but has a recommendation on how you should connect the switch for different temps to adapt.
The source select is a little bit more awkward if you want to have both input types available - if you connect the wire to +12V it assumes Alternator input and switches on once voltage hits 13.4V (think it is 13.4V? maybe a little more or less).  If blue is open circuit, it assumes the input is from Solar and switches to the MPPT profile  (this needs you to either buy their relay kit or make your own - I make my own as it is easy to do.  However, for my own install, using it as a straight B2B as have my Victron MPPT for solar)
I decided to upgrade to the B2B as now the nights are getting shorter and sun is lower, getting less solar of course and I can go less days using the batteries. So a much higher performing charge when driving will make a great difference - a little over 30 minutes driving will put back into the batteries what 24 hours running my fridge takes out.

So yup, I would agree that they have focussed on the essentials and made all the terminals and fuses external which makes the unit much more compact - and you are going to fit external fuses anyway (I don't know about yourself, but I much prefer external fuses to deal with rather than device ones)


----------



## Dowel

wildebus said:


> )
> I decided to upgrade to the B2B as now the nights are getting shorter and sun is lower, getting less solar of course and I can go less days using the batteries. So a much higher performing charge when driving will make a great difference - a little over 30 minutes driving will put back into the batteries what 24 hours running my fridge takes out. )



Thanks for these interesting posts, does your VW LT predate the intelligent alternator?

Do you have an OEM standard alternator or a high output alternator?

I have a 2012 Trafic EU5 without AFAIK an intelligent alternator.


----------



## wildebus

Dowel said:


> Thanks for these interesting posts, does your VW LT predate the intelligent alternator?
> 
> Do you have an OEM standard alternator or a high output alternator?
> 
> I have a 2012 Trafic EU5 without AFAIK an intelligent alternator.


It is a 2003 vehicle so will just have a standard (dumb) alternator I am sure.  
As a ex-minibus with a wheelchair lift, I would have kind off expected it to have an auxiliary battery, space heater and updated alternator BUT .... it just had the one starter battery, no heater and started life as a panel van, so I would be pretty sure again the alternator is the standard fitment.

I wouldn't know about your vehicle - it is sort of on the cusp of when things changed in a lot of vehicles. Is there anything "unusual" hanging off the battery +ve terminal? That is often a giveaway. If you are looking at any split charge systems to install, it would be worth checking about the alternator first just to check your options.

In terms of the Redarc B2B, the one I fitted is for a vehicle with a standard (dumb) alternator. They make an "LV" version for vehicles with intelligent alternators as well to maximise the charging from those. (They look identical and have the same wiring connections, but are just a little more work to install).


----------



## wildebus

hairydog said:


> The Sterling uses two 30A blade fuses wired in parallel, which I thought was a bit cheapskate, but it has proved reliable. But you need fuses at the battery end to protect the cable, so I fitted proper 60A fuses in line: one of which failed. I think it was vibration, and the replacement has never given any problems.


Are they the standard size ones or the Maxi Blade fuses?  sounds like the standard if paired up 2 x 30A -   which does seem a bit cheapskate for that kind of application - and if one failed for any reason, the second is bound to fail due to overload I would imagine (what rating B2B is it?).  I use these holders and strip fuses  - Heavy Duty Strip Midi Fuse Holder.  Never had any problems with them.


----------



## wildebus

hairydog said:


> They're the standard ones, and yes, the idea is that if one goes, the other does as well. They haven't blown, and never should.
> 
> It's a 50A allegedly, though 45A is the best I've ever seen it deliver. However, putting in 45A at 14.5V it is probably taking in about 50A at 13v-odd.
> 
> The holders I use are identical to the ones in your link, but originally I was using the fuses with a small square of "chocolate" in the middle. One of them snapped (didn't blow, just fell apart), so I switched to the fuel injector fuses you show in your link. Cheaper and they've not given any problems at all.


The ones you had were the 'Midi' fuses. The metal strip ones don't look as sexy but you can see much more easily if ok or not.
Interesting point about the amperage. I've not checked if the rated current is generally output or input (it should really be output I think). I might put my clamp meter on the incoming and output cables out of interest.


----------



## wildebus

wildebus said:


> *Undersealing*
> ...... just a few hours later, the arches were all bone-dry ready for spraying.
> 
> 
> 
> Wheel Well after Pressure Washer by David, on Flickr
> (actually will be using Tetraseal Shultz on the arches as that is very tough so good for stone chipping.  the rest of the underchassis will be clear underseal so the chassis can still be checked - not looking to hide rust but provide long-term protection).
> Once I get a chance to spray the stuff, will post some pics (way to windy today).


And the Wheel Well done



Been 'Shutzed'  by David, on Flickr

Got all 4 wheel wells out the way and happy with that.

As the gun and cans were handy, I decided to use the Shutz on the area where the spare wheel used to be and where I will be fitting my grey tank.



Underchassis Rear by David, on Flickr

The remainder will probably have to wait as the gun I bought is not that great   Came with a tube to put into cavities and awkward places but seems to create too much back pressure that causes the sealant to shoot out the little air nozzle in the screwcap and go EVERYWHERE!  Pretty pants really.
Maybe the Tetraseal Wax/Oil product will be better with it (and can be thinned as well if need be whereas the Shutz is very thick), so might try an experiment with it to see, but without a tube will be nigh on impossible to apply.  (I drove onto the levelling ramps to raise the rear end to spray that rear part which made it pretty easy).


----------



## wildebus

This might be a bit longwinded and boring, but I think it is important for anyone who has or is thinking of installing multiple Leisure Batteries.


Many folk don't seem to think it matters when you have multiple batteries in your Motorhome or Campervan how they are connected up, just as long as basically they are +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve.

Now _HOW_ matters quite a great deal in fact actually!  This is a good site that explains it and saves me typing about it ... Charging Batteries in Parallel | How to Charge Batteries in Parallel -

My leisure batteries have been connected in what the site above call _"Perfectly Balanced"_ i.e.






And this is what that type of cabling looks like in actuality



"Perfectly Balanced" Battery Bank by David, on Flickr
(the bank tap-off feeds are not added yet, but I connected +ve to top left and -ve to bottom right - this means each battery has one long lead and one short lead to the tap-off feed point)


Now my batteries have been configured like this for a year now, so I thought it would be interesting to see how 'perfectly balanced' they still are!  So I carried out a little test ...

*This morning at 10:30* the Battery Bank was 13.26V with the chargers in float mode.
I turned off my Mains Charger, turned off the Solar Controller and flicked the Master Battery Switch off.  So the only draw was the Victron BMV, Victron Battery Sense and the Raspberry Pi  - so in total very little load. And left for a while.

*At 12:30* I checked the Battery Bank with my Fluke DMM and it was settled at 13.03V.
I disconnected the -ve from all the batteries (this also disconnected the 3 devices above) and left them to settle independently

*At 13:30*, I checked each battery in turn.
Battery #1: 13.08V
Battery #2: 13.07V
Battery #3: 13.06V
Battery #4: 13.16V
That would give an average of 13.09V - When I reconnected the -ve cables again and checked the voltage of the bank as a whole, it was 13.09V - so just as it should be (this confirms the variances to be true)

As can be seen from the above, I do have variances in my batteries despite being 'perfectly balanced', but in reality nothing is perfect of course, and we can just strive to get as close as feasible.  
What do the variances mean?  Well, the batteries are in a range of 0.1% below to 0.5% above the average voltage.  That deviation from the average is very acceptable and I would say well within manufacturing, installation and operating tolerances.

So this confirms that cabling up in a balanced way is the way to go and my own batteries are in a good state (and in terms of charge cycles, I have 'used up' 4 of the permitted 600 cycles at 50% DOD so should carry on performing for a good while longer)


And no, I don't have values for a battery bank that is not configured correctly as 1) I cannot afford to have a set of batteries badly configured just to show what is already known as 2) this has already been shown by other parties to be a bad idea.


----------



## wildebus

*WARNING - ANORAKS REQUIRED!*

Thought I would share some interesting (if you are a bit of a geek like me) stuff that I came across when I made the last improvements in Clarence.

Preamble
I have a Victron IP22 12/20 (3) Mains Charger - similar to this one - Victron Energy Blue Smart IP22 Charger 12/30(1) 230V - BPC123042002: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike - but with 3 outputs.  One goes to the Starter Battery; One goes to the Leisure Battery;  the 3rd one is spare and not connected.  It has a maximum output of 20 Amps, shared between the 3 outputs and how much goes to each one depends on the requirements of the battery on each output.
I went for a 3 output unit as I originally intended to use a standard Switching Relay controlled by the Alternator D+ signal as a Split-Charge system, so this multi-output mains charger would allow me to charge both Starter and Leisure Batteries at the same time when parked up.

I have a permanent load in the Camper - that being a Domestic 240V AC Fridge.  This load, together with the Network Router, WiFi Booster and MiFi Dongle uses around 6% of the Leisure Battery Bank Power per day.  Currently with the sun being lower, together with the place I park the van being in partial shade means the solar is not regenerating all the used power.

So when the Battery was down to around 80% SOC (State of Charge), I decided to plug into EHU and get the mains charger working and get the Battery Bank up again. Obviously this is something I have done numerous times before but this was the first time since I installed a new Battery-to-Battery Charger to replace the VSR I had previously been using, and when I found some apparently strange goings on.

Turned the charger on at 15 minutes to midnight and I'm apparently getting over 30A from my 20A Battery Charger!



RED_LB-Current by David, on Flickr

Now this is at midnight, so not getting anything from the Solar of course, so how come?  A 20A charger on a 12V system should max out at around 250Watts of power coming in, but I am getting around 440Watts


RED_SysBatteryPower by David, on Flickr

The clue to how I am getting 30 Amps from a 20A Charger is actually at the Starter Battery!  
My Starter Battery is pretty well fully charged, so the multi-output Mains Charger will raise the voltage to charge but provide little charge current as most will go to the semi-depleted Leisure Battery Bank.
This is what the Starter Battery looks like in the same timescale.



RED_SB-Voltage by David, on Flickr
The fully charged Starter Battery intially goes up but then instantly drops and then  keeps going down for 45 minutes or so, down to 11.75V!
What has happened is the initial voltage boost turned on the B2B Charger, which then started using battery power to put charge into the Leisure Battery Bank - this is where the extra power over and above the 20A/250W the Victron Charger is providing.


Now B2B chargers typically turn on at one voltage (typically 13.2V or so) and turns off at another voltage (typically around 12.7V).   So how come the B2B charger is pulling power at 12V and below 

Well, the particular B2B Charger I installed has an alogorithm that means it turns off momentarily every 100 seconds and checks the input voltage - and it is the voltage at THAT time that is checked for being above 12.7V.   With the Mains Charger on, as soon as the B2B charger is off (and so load removed from the Starter Battery), the voltage jumps instantly back up - and the B2B thinks "Input Voltage is fine, let's keep running" and starts again before checking in another 100 seconds.

You may have noticed after around 00:30 there is a sawtooth pattern.  This will be due to the Starter Battery having dropped so far the Mains Charger no longer instantly brings the voltage level right up, so the B2B actually started to turn off and on again, and as the Battery started getting charged up and by 4AM the voltage was high enough and the Mains Charger was putting in enough current on this output to exceed what the B2B was wanting and the pattern went back a normal looking line 



RED_SB-Voltage-Ext by David, on Flickr


Now if I didn't have a charger on the Starter Battery, the B2B wouldn't have turned on, but I do and I think it is useful to be able to charge the Starter Battery from Mains  (as well as Solar) - But I would have preferred the B2B to not have pulled power from the Starter Battery like it did.
Plus ... With the Solar, the VSR would turn on when the MPPT Controller was active and outputing enough power and so put charge into the Starter Battery as well - but you don't get this kind of feature with a Battery-to-Battery Charger (many have built-in MPPT Controllers which may do so, but the controllers are usually quite limited in power).
So decided to make another tweak to my electrics to allow my to chose to use either the VSR or the B2B Charger with a single switch (sounds simple enough but actually needs some extra electrical components, not just a switch  )

This is the Conceptual Wiring Diagram for my Charging Systems



Clarence - Battery Charging by David, on Flickr

Right in the middle you see the Redarc BCDC1240 B2B Controller centre-right and the 140A VSR to the centre-left.
The change I made following the charging pattern seen in the graphs above was to add the 5-pin relay between the two.
And this is how this works ....
A Relay requires a ground to be able to operate. And I am running the ground connection via a switch.  So when the switch is open, the VSR relay will be able to operate - so I am able to control the VSR via that switch.
The 5-pin relay also uses the same ground wire to turn on and off as well.  But what I am doing there is using the 87a output rather than the 87 output.  The difference is that when the Relay is ON, pin 30 is connected to pin 87 - this is the 'normal' or typical way to use a relay.  On the 5-pin relay, when the Relay is off, then pin 30 is actually connected to pin 87a and then flips to pin 87 when on.  So when you look at the diagram, you can see when the relay is off, power is coming into pin 30 and onto pin 87a, onto which is connected the Source Select wire.  With the Redarc BCDC1240, the B2B is only ready to work when the Source Select wire has a potential.  So when the ground signal is open (i.e. switch open), the relay is off so B2B is ready, but when the Switch is closed, relay is on and pin 87a is no longer connected (as pin 87 is instead)

It is again more typical to control devices with a +ve signal rather than a ground, but for some devices such as a VSR or a normal switched relay using a D+ signal to activate, using a +ve is not possible.

So this is working well and should achieve what I want to do in terms of best performance charging when driving (using the B2B) and when parked up (using the VSR).  It would also be possible to use the D+ line to automatically switch between the two different devices, again using a 5-pin Relay, but I wanted to have a manual control to chose.  (if anyone wants to see the wiring for a D+ control for a VSR & B2B selection, just let me know).

To add the control switch, I simply adapted my 2-gang CBE Unit on the side of the kitchen to become a 3-gang CBE outlet set and added the simple ON/OFF switch



Added Charger Switch by David, on Flickr

I know this update will be of limited interest, but hopefully may be useful just to show how it is possible to tweak and adapt devices to suit your own needs and requirements


----------



## wildebus

So added a little gizmo today to my Victron Management System .... 





Stratux Vk-162 Remote Mount USB GPS

Plugged into the USB Hub, restarted the Raspberry Pi running Victron Venus GX software and the GPS location was automatically picked up :dance:

The purpose?  Well, I can set up a Geofence based on location and get the Victron VRM portal to send me an email if the vehicle goes outside the fence I created, so it becomes a tracking system :ninja:
If you had a vehicle you were renting, you could set up a fence that would alert you if the vehicle left a specific Country for example (you may have prohibited that in the rental T&Cs ).  
In the same scenario, you could set an alert to tell you if the vehicle exceed a certain speed :drive:

The VRM will also tell you the weather basics (temp, cloud, etc) for the location, so it becomes a basic forecast system first thing in the morning.

Essential Add-on? Nah;  Useful?  I think so;  Worth the money? well, £15 to add on these features I think it is


----------



## wildebus

These are the connections to the Starter Battery when I first bought my Camperbus ....



LT-Battery-12V by David, on Flickr

Apart from the main hefty Starter Cable, got 7 more cables of various sizes hanging off the +ve post on the battery - and none less then 6mm, so fairly chunky stuff really.
I have wanted to do something about this for ages and for two reasons:
1) The Tachograph ticks all the time it has power, just like a ticking clock - and I HATE clocks that tick, especially at night :mad1: . So a ticking tacho in a campervan is a bit of a no-no in my book
2) It looks blooming horrible 

The Sprinters (which is what an LT is mostly) in North America have a "PDC" or Power Distribution Centre  hanging on the +ve Battery Terminal and that is used to distribute Battery Power around the systems.  It is a really neat way to do it I think.  This is what that looks like



 by David, on Flickr
Trouble is they are a North American feature only and a silly price even before shipping and any duties.

So today finally got around to sorting this out ....
This is my version of the NAFTA PDC



My version of the PDC by David, on Flickr
Separated the three 6mm cables that were on a common connector and fitted them into their own posts, and moved the 16mm Cable with the resettable fuse into the fourth post within the PDC  (removing the resettable fuse in the process).  The PDC supply to the Battery is via a stubby 25mm cable.

This is the wiring with the cover off



PDC - Exposed by David, on Flickr

The 16mm Cable goes to both the B2B Charger and the VSR and is protected by a 100A Fuse.  The other 3 circuits did have a direct connection to the battery with no fuse so I decided to fit 50A fuses as that seemed to be about right for the cable gauge.

Why does one of these have a yellow heatshrink?  Well that is the supply that the Tachograph uses.  So if I remove the fuse to that cable, the Tacho will stop ticking so when camping I can finally get rid of that irritating noise :cheers:   (and cannot forget about it either as the engine will not run without that cable having power).

All in all, I think it looks a lot tidier and I can eliminate the ticking, so a worthwhile hours work :dog:


----------



## landoboguy

Very Impressive and I can tell its a labour of love. Ive picked up some real useful tips so thanks.
What did you do to the inside van ceiling/roof may I ask.


----------



## wildebus

landoboguy said:


> Very Impressive and I can tell its a labour of love. Ive picked up some real useful tips so thanks.
> What did you do to the inside van ceiling/roof may I ask.


Thank you   If there is anything specific I have done you want more detail or info on, feel free to ask, either on the forum or via PM.

You will have noticed no ceiling shots then?!
Well, the vehicle was a Minibus when I bought it so it had the official VW roof panels from Cab to rear doors fitted and I just reused those as they looked a pretty good option.  
They were a little tired looking though so I carpeted all the panels and they looked very nice - but I didn't take account of the extra few mm the carpet added to the panel length so they didn't go back very neatly 

I need to decide over the winter what to do about this:  

Remove panels, trim panels to get back to original size and refit;  
Or remove panels and do a ceiling more like the typical van conversion where the basic metal panels get covered (probably by plywood).
Flip-flopping between the two options as pros and cons for both, so for next few months will leave as is as it is perfectly usuable if a little untidy


----------



## wildebus

I thought it may be handy to increase the heater fuel tank capacity so added a second tank with a balancing pipe between this afternoon.




Heater Fuel Tanks by David, on Flickr
This should allow for around 50 hours of running before needing to refuel

Also added a carrier onto the roof basket as part of my general 'Overland Campervan' theme and which could be handy ....



Overlander - Carrier by David, on Flickr


What's it for?  Maybe for my stripey Ammo Box?



Overlander - Daktari Ammo Box by David, on Flickr


Nah. it is for my spare fuel   This one will contain Kerosene for the Heater. 



Overlander - Fuel Tank by David, on Flickr


I plan to add a second carrier and jerrycan for spare Diesel next to it.



Overlander Camper by David, on Flickr


----------



## wildebus

Not really anything to do with Clarence except I did this while sitting inside him 

Built myself a little portable battery pack at the weekend.  Main use is for 12V power to use for testing heaters, solar panels, etc.



Little Battery Box by David, on Flickr

Twin USB and Voltmeter on Switch one side, and a standard 12V/120W Accessory Socket on the other



USB & Voltmeter by David, on Flickr

And a pair of Anderson Plugs (one each end) to allow higher current items to be plugged in (Battery Charger, VSR Output or Solar Controller for charging for example, or Inverter for battery use for example).  Either one can be input or output and both protected by 80A fuses (the USB and 12V sockets are also protected by their own in-line fuses)



Anderson Plugs by David, on Flickr

Think it will be dead handy   This one will only fit fairly small batteries (I have an old car battery in it right now that wasn't quite up to cranking the engine in winter but is fine for a smaller current draws of a heater, phones or suchlike.


I did do the same in a bigger box as well that will house 100+Ah batteries (got a basic 100Ah lead acid battery in there currently but really best with a VRLA Battery as it is a portable unit).  Ideal for when you are in the process of doing a conversion but need camping power in the mean time on a trip.

Same Twin USB Sockets and a Voltmeter  (this one I used seperate devices as more room on the case), plus 12V Socket



Big Box by David, on Flickr 

And same pair of Andersons



Anderson Plugs by David, on Flickr


Maybe should rent it out for people who are running low at meets! :camper:


----------



## wildebus

hairydog said:


> Where did you get the plastic boxes? The ones I've seen don't seem strong enough to carry a battery.


I know what you mean - some of them can be very flimsy.  The yellow one I picked up from Go Outdoors and is Italian Made (the Italians seem to be very big on RV Leisure Products generally for some reason and everything Italian I have bought I've been happy with, so that reassured me). Feels pretty robust, but I will be cutting a base board to go inside for the battery to sit on for additional support.
The Red one bought through Amazon - that is pretty good as well in fact although unbranded.  I am wary of super-cheap ones as they will probably be made from recycled yoghurt pots.

You can get really robust heavy-duty ones but double whammy of high price and high weight makes them less desirable.


----------



## Chris Evans001

*PV tracking system*

Hi,
Could you tell me a little more about the tracking system for the PV please.

I am looking at different fixing options myself at the moment.  I have a 2010 Iveco daily LWB that does not have an entirely flat roof so I am exploring idea for raising the panels.  I quite like the idea of mounting then on a roof rack of some kind, but the extra cost may prohibit that idea.  I also like the idea of being able to get a brush underneath them for cleaning purposes.

It seems you have fixed yours into the channel strip?


Regards

Chris


----------



## wildebus

Chris Evans001 said:


> Hi,
> Could you tell me a little more about the tracking system for the PV please.
> 
> I am looking at different fixing options myself at the moment.  I have a 2010 Iveco daily LWB that does not have an entirely flat roof so I am exploring idea for raising the panels.  I quite like the idea of mounting then on a roof rack of some kind, but the extra cost may prohibit that idea.  I also like the idea of being able to get a brush underneath them for cleaning purposes.
> 
> It seems you have fixed yours into the channel strip?
> 
> 
> Regards
> 
> Chris



There is no official mounting system for my model of van, so I just used seat tracking and a captive bolt system.  Secured primarily with 3M VHB tape but I added a bolt either end of each strip through the roof with a spreader washer inside.

The track I used is branded Unwins in the UK but might go under other names as well.  Another option I would consider is a T-slot system called 80/20 in the US.  This is more of a framing system rather then a simple track but offers more possibilities.

Yup, fitted in rain channel.   Don't know about the Iveco, but all the vans I've fitted panels to have quite a noticable curve to the roof so important to check the height difference between centre and edges.  my panels look raised but actually are pretty close to the centre ribbing.

I think using a tracking system as a mount is so much more versatile then direct mounting of stuff.  I have the 4 panels plus the light bar and the rear luggage rack and they can all be removed, repaired or replaced without doing anything inside the vehicle or making more holes.


----------



## wildebus

*Running Engine before starting Diesel Heater*

As per the title -* Running Engine before starting Diesel Heater* - do you need to?

Generally the answer can be yes, even if you have a fully charged battery as these heaters are picky on voltage levels.
But it is not always something you _want _to do, especially in the middle of the night and you want the heater on.  So I decided to look for an alternative solution 

Fitted it today and it seems to work pretty well based on the initial testing.

So lets compare the voltage at the heater and the BMV  (note: I have left the picture titles as the date/time stamp so you can see when the different photos taken)
*
The Battery Bank is fully charged, on Hookup and in float state, Heater is off*


IMG_20181111_155931 by David, on Flickr


IMG_20181111_155826 by David, on Flickr
Voltages are pretty comparable


*Charger off, Hob on boiling a kettle!*


IMG_20181111_160108 by David, on Flickr


IMG_20181111_160117 by David, on Flickr
With a 2kw Load on the battery, the voltage has inevitably dropped due to the load,  but the heater voltage is steady at 12.8V - nice 


*Heater ON!*


IMG_20181111_160242 by David, on Flickr


IMG_20181111_160218 by David, on Flickr
Despite there being a 195A draw on the battery bank (pretty high in anyones book), when I turned on the heater during this period, there is a local voltage drop within the unit as the glowpin is heating as usual, but well within parameters.


*Heater Running*


IMG_20181111_160611 by David, on Flickr


IMG_20181111_160548 by David, on Flickr
The second photo shows the heater is now putting out heat and the glowpin is off, and voltage is back at the 12.8V level DESPITE the Hob still running (and my camper filling up with steam from the kettle!) and the Battery Bank at 12.14V


So conclusion - it IS possible to start your heater WITHOUT starting the engine even when the batteries are not full  (Using my Induction Hob at full caused the battery voltage to drop to the level you would expect from a Battery Bank around 50% which is around as low as you would want to go in terms of battery usage).

How?  simply use a regulated DC-DC Step Up Power Supply, similar to the DC Laptop Chargers (however one with sufficient power is required bearing in mind these heaters draw around 10A in their startup phase, quite a bit more than a Laptop.

After a few more tests, I will put my Step Up PSU into a box with a fan but currently just sitting on a booklet during testing


IMG_20181111_160420 by David, on Flickr


----------



## Nabsim

Is this something that will go in your shop Dave?

I have never run the engine before switching our diesel heater on until I read about here while in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. When batteries started to get low (last few days) I ran engine for a little while when I started the heater and used the time to heat the water now I know we have a diesel water heater 

Dont suppose you have done any work on rewiring a pre-heater to run without engine running by any chance?


----------



## wildebus

Nabsim said:


> Is this something that will go in your shop Dave?
> 
> I have never run the engine before switching our diesel heater on until I read about here while in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. When batteries started to get low (last few days) I ran engine for a little while when I started the heater and used the time to heat the water now I know we have a diesel water heater
> 
> Dont suppose you have done any work on rewiring a pre-heater to run without engine running by any chance?


I am going to monitor how it works for a while and confirm I am happy with it for a before I offer it. 

I think the genuine Eberspachers, such as you have, can have problems due to low voltage, but are much less prone to those voltage issues then the chinese heaters are (especially if the chinese ones are installed with the provided loom intact as it is VERY long but uses undersized cables (I chopped around 3 metres or more off mine).

Ref the last bit, I was going to do this with my Webasto until I saw the kit price which was not a lot less than a new heater (and I mean a new branded heater, not cheap clone one).


----------



## wildebus

Been tweaking my setup a wee bit  (a rather expensive wee bit to be frank :ninja: )

Using Victrons GX OS (runs under Linux) I used to see this view of the power usage



VRM-OnMainsCharge by David, on Flickr
This is my Camperbus plugged into the mains, but the system does not know about the mains charger and just sees a negative power use.
Is this wrong then?  well, no it isn't, it just means that you don't get to see what the actual power consumption is as it is being absorbed by the incoming power.  You also can't see what any AC loads are for the same reason as the system doesn't fully know about the inverters  (I have my Victron Pheonix Inverter connected to the Pi running Venus OS, but while I can look at the info it is not incorporated into the graphing)


I wired up a Victron MultiPlus Charger/Inverter today and the difference in info was quite significant



Victron VRM - MP Plugged In by David, on Flickr
I'm plugged into the mains, but now while the Battery (bottom left) is showing a +ve Watt value (indicating power INTO the battery) like the earlier screenshoot, the DC Power is showing a +ve Consumption value this time, so actual power use.  And this time, the AC Loads also show up so they can be seen separately (I have a 300W heat gun running to give an example load) and also the actual hookup (shown as 'Shore') to see how much is being pulled from the mains.

What is handy is you can clearly see what the MultiPlus device is upto.  Above it is charging and is in the Bulk Stage.  Disconnecting the hook-up and leaving the heat gun running shows how much power is being pulled from the  battery -  but this time what is going to DC and what is going to AC.



Victron VRM - MB Inverting by David, on Flickr

Does this all matter?  Well, probably not, but it is interesting if info is your thing 

This is the unit I fitted - https://www.victronenergy.com/inverters-chargers/multi-500-va#pd-nav-image
I decided to get the Multiplus 12/800/35 - this provides an 800VA Inverter as well as a 35A Charger.  So is an upgrade on both my existing 500VA Victron Inverter AND my Victron 20A Charger.  A useful update to the 12/500/20 at not too bad a price premium.  The 12/1200/50 would have been nice, but the extra cost differential was pretty high and around the same that I paid for my 2500W EDECOA PSW Inverter!

The Split-Charge system will not be picked up as a seperate charge by the Venus GX, but no real way round that without spending LOTS of money (Victron don't really make any monitered split-charge solutions surprisingly);  
The same is true of my EDECOA Inverter.  I could have got a big 3000VA Victron Multiplus but that would be a major price hike, whereas the smaller 500, 800 and 1200VA Units are expensive, but when factoring in how much the standalone Inverters and Chargers are are not too much extra.  For my purposes, the 3000VA model just wouldn't be worth the cost.


----------



## wildebus

I first installed the 12V Wiring when I had a 1000W Inverter to install.  At that point the 25mm cable I was using for the primary distribution was perfectly fine and well within spec.
I changed out the 1000W Inverter for a 2500W Inverter however to allow me to use bigger power tools and also run the 2000W Induction Hob and recently the 2000W Hot Water System.  This meant the 25mm Cable was technically still ok with the lengths I had but did run quite warm on extended running.

So I changed the runs of 25mm from Battery Bank to distribution posts to 50mm instead.
To give an idea of size difference, this photo shows a 16mm Cable - the size used in the typical installation and which is fine generally;  then a 25mm cable; and finally the 50mm cable.  It really makes the 16mm look a bit puny


IMG_20181213_124640 by David, on Flickr

I will also make two more up - for the actual big Inverter.  it came with 25mm Cables, but it would make sense to have a full 50mm run all the way from Inverter to Source.

To go along with my upgraded cables, I reworked my 12V power distribution system as well 

 I was using individual fuse holders for the various devices (solar, inverters, main chargers, etc).  Replaced them with a multi-way fuse block so keep things a bit tidier. 
I also changed the Master Disconnect switch - the one I had in place was a 100A switch so needed to upgrade with the bigger Inverter installation.  Now using this one - Battery Isolator.  Quite a few options and most look pretty much the same. This is a 275A Current capable switch (you can generally tell by the size of the cable terminals - this needs M10 Rings) and is designed for the German market, which is usually more demanding. 
And finally changed the Catastrophic Fuse Holder for what I think is a more robust model - I had been using a ANL Fuse Holder with M8 Studs but at high currents the terminals got pretty hot.  I switched it for a Dual ANL Distribution Block with seperate fuses for the big Inverter and the rest of the system.  Again this is a German based product and uses a cable clamping system rather than ring terminals and studs.  This *should* be better for voltage drops and losses by reducing the number of connections (and the Victron kit tends to use this method as well). 

And what it now looks like.



Clarence 12V Distribution System by David, on Flickr

And a shot of the Dual Fuse Holder



Clarence Dual Fuse Holder by David, on Flickr
Feels a very robust holder and has some significant weight to it.  The left hand cable entries are meant to have a maximum of 35mm2 cable but I found the 50mm2 cable went in just fine except for the insulation (used 25mm for the lower and 50mm for the right hand side).
Interesting feature of this fuse holder is the built-in Voltmeter.  To get this working it is necessary to add a ground (the purpose of the brown cable on the top-right mounting). This is not a meter I will generally be able to see so was in two minds to add the ground, but it could be handy so it is connected, at least for the present.


Another little change not show above was to rationalise the monitoring power connections.  Cables for the BMV Monitor, the Battery Sense, Raspberry Pi and testing Battery Monitor all had in-line glass fuses and ring terminals and were a bit of a mismash, so removed the glass fuse holders, added Spade Terminals to each of them and added a little 6 way LED Fusebox direct to the battery. So now If I flip the isolation switch, I maintain the monitoring setup 


Oh, and something also added today - an Auxiliary Battery 'Extension' lead using 6mm cable and terminating in an Anderson-Type Plug.



Anderson Plugs by David, on Flickr 
The purpose of this is to be able to directly connect an additional battery - for either Charging the battery OR to provide extra battery power;  or to be able to connect a second Mains Charger to supplement the primary charger (so I can add my 20A Victron Smart Blue Charger to run alongside the Multiplus 35A charger if away and staying somewhere with hookup).  I can also have this second Mains Charger connected to the additional Battery instead - so totally separate from the in-house 12V setup, but using the same EHU and CU setup for convenience.
Having this Aux Lead will generally not be used, but it gives great adapability with a 10 second push-on and high current capable connection.


----------



## Chris Evans001

Could you provide a link for the fuse holder please?

Is our something that you sell?

Regards

Chris


----------



## wildebus

Chris Evans001 said:


> Could you provide a link for the fuse holder please?
> 
> Is our something that you sell?
> 
> Regards
> 
> Chris


Hi Chris,
Will do.
I am very impressed with the fuse holder so far and think I will look to add it to my shop but will run a high-current test on it first to make sure (I don't sell anything I wouldn't use myself).
The original one I had was fine until I was putting 200A through it and it got very hot and nowhere to dissipate heat. Still carried on working but preferred a more 'solid' option.

EDIT:
This is the Dual ANL Fuse Holder with Voltmeter - Sinustec SVB Fuse Distribution Block for ANL fuses: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike
It doesn't come with any fuses - ANL Fuses (and all fuses for that matter) vary tremendously in price.  
I got these 200A ones - Heschen ANL Fuse ANL-200 200 Amp for Car Vehicles Audio System Sheet Gold Tone & Black 2 Pack: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike.  You can spend over £30 for a single ANL or get a pack of 4 for a quid  (I'd avoid the super cheap ANL ones - they are not really calibrated fuses)
FWIW, This is the fuse holder that I orignally fitted - Heschen Car Audio Video Stereo ANL Fuse Holder 0 2 4 Gauge In & Out with 300Amp ANL fuse: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike.  It is a nice fuse holder and well made - and I have fitted and supplied a few times, but I don't think it is suitable for sustained high (>150A) current


Chris, I think you may have been asking about the multi-way fuse block though?    For info, this post shows a better photo of one in use (I fitted the same fuse holder under the bonnet to tidy up the cabling).
Again, this is a part which I really like and have supplied as part of a wiring set,  but I don't sell generally.
I got this one from an eBay Seller - 12/24v Combi-holder for Mega and Midi fuses Van Boat Marine Rally  | eBay.
For the full setup, you would need 4 x Midi/Strip fuses and one Mega Fuse if using the bigger connection for a circuit or having a 'master fuse', but note they don't come with any fuses or ring terminals.  (If you need any Midi/Strip fuses or terminals for the holder, I do have those as well as 250A Mega fuses)


----------



## wildebus

Been a few posts about the provision of low-power EHUs at campsites.  I thought I would update this thread on how my Camperbus is setup to accomodate this situation.

I have a 3-way Consumer Unit and the Victron Multiplus Charger/Inverter is plugged into the 6A rated circuit.  
The Multiplus I have is the 12/800/35-16 Model - so for a 12 Volt System and with a 800VA (700W) Inverter and 35 Amp Charger, and with a maximum of 16A @240V current in. Some of that Current will go towards the Charger part, but the majority will be passed through as direct AC Mains supply to 13A Sockets.
Clearly bringing in 16A would be a problem on a 6A EHU (and on my internal CU as well as I have a 6A MCB also).  So I have reconfigured the maximum current to be 6A  instead of the default 16A



Multiplus - VEC General by David, on Flickr

How this will work is that the Multiplus will never draw more than 6A (approx 1500W) from the Mains Supply.  
But I can still use more than 1500W on the 240V AC side though if more than the current setting (6A in my case now) is called for, as the Multiplus will automatically make up the difference from the Inverter.  This will be up to a maximum of an additional 700W (and in fact, the overload power is more than double the Inverter rating for upto 30 seconds, so a 'pulsing' device like an 2000W Induction Hob would have no problems on a 6A circuit due to the Mains+Inverter+overload feature).

If I am on a 16A EHU (the Blue 'Commando' Plugs are rated at 16A Max BTW), then as well as the 6A circuit, I can also use either of the other 10A circuits in the Camperbus CU to their maximum without issues - or a mix of the two bearing in mind the maximum current allowed.   So this setup should give me the flexibility of using AC power without risking tripping the breakers of the Hookup providers 


As an aside, the Multiplus 12/800/35 is setup out the factory to run as a 26A charger rather than 35A.  I think that is probably to avoid too high a charge level if the system has something like a 100Ah or smaller battery (35A on a standard 100Ah battery would be above most battery makers recommendations).  So I changed this to the maximum 35A possible.



Multiplus - VEC Charger by David, on Flickr


----------



## Forresbroons

Looking good


----------



## mariesnowgoose

It looks very impressive, David, but electrickery is mostly double dutch to me.

All I can currently manage is changing light bulbs and 3 pin house plugs! :scared::lol-053:

I really need to become more educated on this whole subject... :idea-007:


----------



## REC

mariesnowgoose said:


> It looks very impressive, David, but electrickery is mostly double dutch to me.
> 
> All I can currently manage is changing light bulbs and 3 pin house plugs! :scared::lol-053:
> 
> I really need to become more educated on this whole subject... :idea-007:



Glad it's not just me! I am afraid my eyes glaze over and brain shuts down when I see a control panel or someone talks amps and watts! Ok on how much wattage appliances use but what it really means is beyond me:bow:
The van looks amazing btw!


----------



## wildebus

Thanks 

I've actually changed the setup again since posting the last update (now running a Multiplus that can go upto 120A charge rate!)


----------



## wildebus

I've updated my website with a structured build log for Clarence.  It will be easier to find thing if anyone is interested in anything specific.

Website Link here - Clarence

There is also a thread on the MotorHome Builder Site here


----------



## wildebus

In my first setup, I used to have the big inverter switched on when using the Induction Hob and Water Heater;  and the little 400W inverter always on driving the fridge and other bits and pieces like the Network kit and Amazon Echo.
Now I have a single 3000VA (2400W) Inverter, the overhead on small very low power AC devices is quite high, so made some tweaks ....

Instead of using a Mains Charger for the hamster toothbrush, I got a USB version  (fingers crossed as not yet tried it!)
Got a little DC-DC step-up voltage regulator for the Network Router and instead of driving it with a Mains Transformer putting 24 DC out, I am just doing that directly
Chopped the lead off the Amazon Echo power lead and using a Buck-Boost Regulator (so this will put out a set voltage regardless of the input voltage), set to 15V, I am running the Echo from the Leisure Battery as well.
(Still waiting for the case to put the Regulator in)



Amazon Echo Power by David, on Flickr
I fitted a pair of connectors to the lead rather than hard wired so if I move the Echo back inside I can plug in the original mains transformer again.

In terms of power use, the Echo uses 0.1A at 15V DC and the Router and Radio Booster uses 0.2A at 15V - so between them draw 4.5W when on, which is notably lower than the basic no-load overhead of a big inverter when on, so hence it seemed sensible to adapt the power source.
If I leave the router on 24/7 (which I tend to), the power use is around 6Ah a day.  The Echo I tend to switch on when I want to use it,  If I leave it on 24/7 when I am away in the van, it will pull 3Ah a day, so very little in effect.

This revised power setup also allows me to have the new Inverter in "AES" Mode, where it is basically off, but every few seconds comes on to check for a load.  Doing this is a major power saver and reduces the Inverter overhead to a few Watts on average at times where there is no load.
As a Reminder, there is a regular load in the form of the Fridge - that is 35W for around 15 minutes every couple of hours;  I have the Induction Hob and the Water Heater both used as required and the occasional other devices, such as Electric Blanket, Slow Cooker, etc. but only the Fridge is the predictable load.


----------



## Tezza33

It still didn't stop you posting it twice though did it? :angel::lol-049:

I do enjoy reading these posts though


----------



## wildebus

Tezza33 said:


> It still didn't stop you posting it twice though did it? :angel::lol-049:
> 
> I do enjoy reading these posts though


Opps :cheers:


----------



## mariesnowgoose

wildebus said:


> In my first setup, I used to have the big inverter switched on when using the Induction Hob and Water Heater;  and the little 400W inverter always on driving the fridge and other bits and pieces like the Network kit and Amazon Echo.
> Now I have a single 3000VA (2400W) Inverter, the overhead on small very low power AC devices is quite high, so made some tweaks ....
> 
> *Instead of using a Mains Charger for the hamster toothbrush, I got a USB version  (fingers crossed as not yet tried it!)*
> Got a little DC-DC step-up voltage regulator for the Network Router and instead of driving it with a Mains Transformer putting 24 DC out, I am just doing that directly
> Chopped the lead off the Amazon Echo power lead and using a Buck-Boost Regulator (so this will put out a set voltage regardless of the input voltage), set to 15V, I am running the Echo from the Leisure Battery as well.
> (Still waiting for the case to put the Regulator in)



In amongst all the wonderful technical stuff you've posted, which I humbly confess not to understand at all, I was brought up short by the news that you have a pet hamster on board :rabbit: 

Not only is that an unusual pet to travel with, I thought to myself, but the wee Ham has even been supplied with his own electric toothbrush! 

What an extremely kind & thoughtful pet owner you are, David! Hat's off, sir...  :bow:


----------



## wildebus

it's really for my little hamster teeth in my own moosh 

I am currently a bit underawed with the USB Charger.  I tried it last night and put my nearly full (3 power lights on) toothbrush on it. Come the morning and I have one power light that is flashing (for low power).  Looks like the charger base has sucked the power out 
Put the brush on the 'proper' charger again and will check again but .....


----------



## wildebus

Went to IKEA yesterday and bought a new drawer front   Exciting huh!  
Well, I use a 100mm high front where I blank off the sink to fit various devices and switches and needed to rework it after fitting the new Multiplus.

Looking like this now ...



Control Panel (Labelled) by David, on Flickr    (Labels for the photo  not actually there  )

So left to right we have:
_Victron Multiplus Control Panel_.  This is a remote version of the Multiplus Panel with extra flexibility.  It adds the ability to change the maximum input current on the fly with the dial control (so in the photo above it is set at 16 Amps).  This will be very handy when stopping off at a site with a low power hookup  (It won't actually really affect how the electric inside can be used as when the EHU current is reduced, the Multiplus goes into 'Power Assist' mode and makes up the difference using the Inverter.  So just end up using a bit of Battery Power and then extra Battery Charging afterwards).

_Victron BMV-712_.  Battery Montitor that also has a relay system that can control the Water Heater.

_Fridge Fan Control_.  There is a Temperature Probe attached to the Fridge Compressor and goes to this Controller.  Once a certain temp is registered, the controller switches on its relay to power a small 12V fan aimed at the rear of the fridge.

_Water Heater and Water Pump Switch Group_.  
Water Heater - The left switch is a 3-way switch for the Water Heater.  In position I, the Water Heater is controlled by the BMV-712 relay which gets enabled depending on the battery SOC Level;  In position II, the Water Heater bypasses the '712; and in postion 0 the Water Heater is off.
Water Pump - The right switch simply connects or disconnects +12V to the Shurflo pump.

_'TBA' Switch_.  Basically this is not connected to anything at the moment and just a spare

_'GEN' Switch_.  This is a switch that is connected to the Multiplus Remote Control Panel.  When the switch is on, the Current set by the dial control is overridden by a value that has been previously set. I programmed this to 7 Amps to suit my P2200 Generator which has a maximum running power of 1700W to ensure it will not go into Overload.
When the switch is on, the display changes to tell you it is in the Generator override mode



Control Panel (Gen) by David, on Flickr


----------



## wildebus

hairydog said:


> Check the USB cable. It has to be fairly chunky to take the pulses without dropping volts. The ones that can fast-charge a phone are best. The ones that come with the charger are hopeless, in my experience.


I think it is integrated, not exchangable?
Either way, I have done a return and bought another Mains charger base  (I just wanted a spare base to keep in the van and thought a USB one would be handy as it seemed an option).  Thanks for the info though.  Something to bear in mind should I decide to try one in the future or for others looking.


----------



## wildebus

For the last few weeks I have noticed my Battery Bank has gone to float charge a bit too early - Getting same result on both Mains Charger and B2B Charger, so something to do with the batteries, not the charger and a little strange 

Now back home after a week away wild camping and thought I would split the bank into the 4 separate batteries to check them. Still off-grid and engine not run for 2 days (but inverter still on to run fridge), turned everything off, removed the battery earths to isolate them all and checked a couple of hours later to allow the batteries to settle.
3 of the 4 were at 12.70V (so pretty healthy really), and the 4th Battery was at 12.90V. 
So Battery Bank is looking pretty good but a little unbalanced - this could be confusing the chargers maybe.  So currently put my Victron 20A charger onto its "Recondition" mode and recharging and equalizing each battery in turn until they move to "storage" status which I think will sort this out hopefully 

It is the downside of multiple batteries in a parallel bank where even when they are cabled up to be perfectly balanced between each battery and all batteries bought and installed at the same time, individual Batteries will inevitably have some level of variance, so a periodic separation, check and rebalance is worth doing.  (I did the same check around 4 months ago when the batteries hit a year old and had a maximum variance of 0.08V IIRC).


----------



## wildebus

So to close the battery topic off:

Finished charging each one individually, complete with an Equalization charge;
Then put all the cabling back and did another equalization charge - this time with the Multiplus with the temp sensor fitted to get the right voltage level for the cold temp (hit 16V!)


Thought I would do a complete charge test now and also see what sort of charge I will be putting into the battery in the process.  This will check the battery capacity and see how it matches the spec of the Battery Bank after 16 months of installation....

So with the battery bank fully recharged, left the van off-charge but with stuff running as usual to pull down the battery naturally - after about a week, down to 50% this morning at 10:00


VRM RC - 7-3-19 - 50 by David, on Flickr
(PS. Low Power refers to the status of the Victron Multiplus, not the state of the Battery)


Charger pushing in maximum charge (~95A) for first hour, working in Bulk (aka Constant Current) Mode.  Screenshot within that time shown below


VRM RC - 7-3-19 - 54 by David, on Flickr


Charger switched to Absorption (aka Constant Voltage) Mode at 11:00 and current started to drop.  Screenshot example below from 11:10


VRM RC - 7-3-19 - 77 by David, on Flickr


In the Absorption Mode, while the voltage stays the same as the battery continues to charge (within temp variation), the current continues to drop at an ever decreasing rate, as is the way of a Lead Acid Battery.  This is the battery after 2 Hours & 10 minutes of charging


VRM RC - 7-3-19 - 87 by David, on Flickr


With the reducing charge rate it is not until 18:00 that the battery hits 100%


VRM RC - 7-3-19 - 100 by David, on Flickr


Looking at the graph showing the SOC during charge, you can see the pattern illustrated in the screenshots above with the decreasing charge rate.


VRM RC - SOC by David, on Flickr


Next step was to work out how many Ahs went into the Battery in the 6 hour charge time.  This graph will tell us


VRM RC - V and C by David, on Flickr
Calculated that the charger put in 216Ah into the system in the time, and the 50% of the nominal 380Ah Battery Bank means it was 190Ah Depleted.  With just a few Ahs in that time used by the 12V electrics and the expected efficiency of the Multiplus it looks like a pretty good match of charge to replete the battery at the quoted capacity :dance:

And the key thing of course is that the charging pattern itself is back to normal and the equalizations sorted out the charge cycles :dog:


----------



## st3v3

Neat 

I really like the monitoring stuff you can get with victron.


----------



## Deleted member 69467

*Blimey!*

Nice build sir! Clarence.
Very well thought out and brilliant craftsmanship.
Great write up as well.


----------

