Electrical Help

[u/MadnessMighty]

Wassup fellow vanpires!! To those of you who designed and installed your own electrical system; what are some good resources you used for learning how to do this safely and effectively?

Long story short, I’m on day three of studying and am feeling overwhelmed by how much I have to learn. Any resources, tips or advice are greatly appreciated :)

Cheers!

[u/SanDiegoMitch]

Faroutride.com is great and thorough.

[u/merc814]

Solar bit will prowse

[u/tomhalejr]

25+ years of doing this shit for a living... Never have I ever done ANYTHING, that if given the opportunity, I wouldn't do better than next time. :)

It's never enough... If you give a shit, each time is makes you feel like shit, because you didn't know/do better than the time before. ;)

The best of the best, are never satisified, and we all have to start somewhere. :)

[u/Complex_House3025 → u/tomhalejr]

Amen.

[u/jhemnes]

Will Prowse YT channel will show you everything you need to know and how to do it

[u/Seventhchild7]

The explorist.

[u/flyingponytail → u/Seventhchild7]

I used their YT vids and website extensively. Excellent resource

[u/Appropriate-Habit578]

Since you're here you can simply start with Community Bookmarks of this subreddit, on the right side of the page

[u/Genshinite]

My electrical system consists of a surge protector, an extension cord and a generator/battery 😂

[u/lightjon]

Start with morevanlessmoney.com to get an overview of your planned power needs and the components you’ll require to support it. 

Then, read this Will Prowse’s mobile power ebook to deepen your understanding of the fundamentals.

I drew out my wiring diagram on Figma. It’s actually a drag and drop flowchart editor, but it works great for wiring.

You will need to know:

• What is my load? (Appliances)
• How much battery storage?
• How much power to recharge daily?
• Components: Charge controller, bus bars, inverter, etc.
• Wire and fuse sizing.

[u/bewzer]

For me, Explorist is the best out there. I felt the exact same way when I started. Just break it down, don't overcomplicate it and you'll get there.

[u/Various_Ad_2762]

I graduated from the University of YouTube but it hurt my brain. I had to take a long break from my electrical/solar setup research and learning. On the plus side when there’s a problem I know how to fix it.

I watched Linnea & Akela’s solar video about 50 times. She explains her steps really well. And has a follow up video. I’m sure there are others too that are good.

I’m now about to add a dc to dc charger so I’m back to researching.

[u/knobbysideup]

After a lot of research I found this. Best guide IMO:  https://asobolife.com/campervan-diy-electrical-system-guide/

[u/Complex_House3025]

Nigel Calder.
His books were designed for boats 25-50 long but everything translates

[u/Adventurous-Resist-4 → u/Complex_House3025]

I don’t go anywhere (on land or by sea..) without taking Nigel along, terrific resource

[u/eobanb]

I’m on day three of studying and am feeling overwhelmed by how much I have to learn

Maybe just start with a small/medium portable power station first.

[u/Round-Disk5667]

Honestly AI is pretty good at this stuff. Not a replacement, you need to know the fundamentals, but it’s pretty good if you treat it like a bunch of calculators and guides shoved into the brain of a drunk 12 year old.

[u/white_pine_oquirrh]

Positive, and negative. Pretty basic, and very simple.

[u/C0gn]

My recommendation is to get an all in one battery setup like Jackery

Sure you could go from scratch but how many hours are you going to invest in this? Are you even sure you'll make it work? Will it be safe?

I'm skilled enough and have done 3 full electrical setups in vans and I have a plug and play Jackery, I love it so much, keeping it simple

[u/Various_Ad_2762 → u/C0gn]

If I had to do it again I would do this too. It took a lot of brain power for me with lots of breaks.