Van Life Electricity Set Up for Dummies (no solar)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ม.ค. 2025
- MAKE SURE YOU READ THE PINNED COMMENT
Hey guys! Here's an explanation of my van life electricity! I made a video a million years ago about how to set up this electricity system in your van, but in the two years I've been doing van life, my system needs a reboot, so I decided to film another one that actually showed the process (with all its ups and downs!). Thanks for watching ♡♡
PS. Here's a quick article I found that dives a little further into what to consider when buying a deep cycle battery: buyitforvanlif...
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💁🏼♀️FAQ💁🏼♀️
What kind of van do you have/how much did it cost/how many miles did it have on it when you bought it?
My van is a 2001 Ford Econoline E250 that I found via Craigslist, I bought it with 67k miles on it - it was listed for $3000, but I got them down to $2400.
My Van Build: bit.ly/2x3bv3M
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What sewing machine do you use? amzn.to/2EigFwH
What are you filming on? iPhone 11 Pro
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*READ ME*
I am not an expert! Under this comment please add your *advice/tips//ideas/safety warnings* so other people can read through! & if you are considering trying this, DEFINITELY read through these comments, and take them into account.
*Please note*
DO NOT connect your cable to your starter batter first (like I did 🤦🏼♀️) Thread your wire first, and get everything set up. Connect your wire to your starter last.
The tape I used in this video is a temporary fix, and I will be replacing the connection when I have the right materials.
If you are building your own system - soldering & heat shrink is the proper way to connect the wires to the terminal connectors.
🤍
Throw a dab of grease on the terminal ends too, helps avoid corrision
@goph94 sweet, thanks for the tip!
@@hannahleeduggan
Please please please add a 150A fuse close to the starter battery and another one close to the secondary battery. If there is any short along the 4 gauge wire you'll have a fire.
Again, please do this ASAP. You do not want to run the system like this. It is not safe.
Christian Holmstedt would you mind elaborating a little? Genuinely interested- I’ve just had this system for 2 years now with no problem, and I’ve talked through it with a couple of my friends who know quite a bit about wiring as well as cars, and they all came to the conclusion that a fuse was kind of arbitrary in this use since there is a surge protector in the Smart Solenoid as well as a fuse in the Inverter. Would love to know your take!
You know what ? There are many youtube videos about building a van - camper, but you are the first person who showed the electric set up in details. Much appreciated.
Facts
Saving this for when I finally convince my parents van life is better than college lol
Edit:I will be going to college and purchasing a van to Reno during the summers of college so it’s ready when I graduate!!
Why not both? As long as you can get cell service, online school is wherever you want it to be!
I agree with eldiaz, but it doesn’t even need to be online school. A van is very similar to a dorm room tbh except it would be less expensive. No space for a desk, but you do most of your studying in the library anyways
I'm going van life and going to school aka saving big on that tuition
You can have both!
Vanlife would be better than living in the dorms with a bunch of drunks. There’s less distractions.
The biggest cost for me wasn’t the tuition at my state university.
This was actually the most helpful tutorial about second batteries! So many I've watched and they miss the basics of where to simply put the wires!
Miss Duggan, I've gotta be honest - I LOVE when you do these DIY videos involving manual work. And I admit this because in a lot of way you remind me of my mother, who was a tomboy and who wasn't afraid to get dirty doing practical labor (which, as I have said before, there are a good many women, and some men included, who couldn't even conceive of doing such). The fact that you actually went through the process and it became a learning experience is something that should be praised, and I'd like to see you keep stepping, which I know you will. Hats off again, young madam!!! :D
I totally agree with this!!! You WILL learn. It will take time and it’s commendable that you’re already doing it. Right or wrong you are still learning.
David Sullivan thank you, that really means a lot to me ♥️
I am 65 women. You are so awesome. I totally understood you. You spoke Simple English. I so appreciate you. I am a subscriber now. Thank you so much
I like that you admit that you’re no expert on the projects you tackle but you’re prepared to give them a go anyway, get your hands dirty, and learn. And what’s more take on board the feedback from other commenters. Quite admirable qualities!
This helped me see that the onboard power setup can be straightforward, that a no-solar alternator powered AGM battery is possible, and that it can be installed by one person. I've watched many tutorials by now to learn about the components and their ratings in detail, but I still appreciate that Hannah Lee D. shared this. It started me on learning more :) I remember this video for motivation when more than one try is necessary - which is most of life. Go Hannah!
You are extremely hard working, brave and talented. God bless always
... also, Lucky!
I’ve watched sooo many videos trying to learn how to and alway ended up so frustrated because they don’t show every detail, every step. I know now how to do it!!! This video is priceless! Thank you.
I was on youtube looking at cabin videos and came across your channel when you bought your cabin and 4 hrs later here I am .... Great job Hannah .
You know,I have to say that you are a breath of fresh air and such a beautiful woman. You are smart, independent and an amazing example of what every other young women should aspire to be. I really love watching your videos.Thank you for being such an inspiration.
"watching" the whole 18 mins advert because I love you hannah, I saw once on another youtube chanel they said when you watch the full advert you get paid more haha.. so now Im doing it every video🙈 and just letting it play while I do something else
Good job! One suggestion I would make is to check the ground strap that goes from the back of the engine block to the firewall. It is usually a light gauge wire since the biggest load it carries is for the headlights. You might want to replace it with one made out of heavy gauge wire to match the ground going from the auxiliary battery to the body. I say this because your main battery is grounded to the engine block and your auxiliary is grounded to the body. That thin wire from the block to the body is now the weak link in your system. It's possible that since it's a truck chassis it may already have a heavy duty ground strap in it rather than the light duty ones commonly found in cars. If it was me I'd check and make sure tho. Good luck.
Out of every van life video (& really any video ever) I ever seen, urs is the most detailed & most descriptive I’ve ever seen. U showed step by step, which I love, & u were very informative. Good job! Most people don’t take the time to actually show u while their telling u about how to do it. & if they do, their camera quality sucks to where I can’t see everything I need to see. Ur a great teacher!
I did it your way with no plans to do solar in the future because it doesn't generate enough to be worth the trouble and expense, unless you want to park in the desert. There's always a little driving to top off he battery, right? if only to a trailhead or shop. Nice inverter. You did right. Fancy toys not always best.
I´m having this connected by a electric mechanic but your video helped me a lot to understand the basics and to know how to ask everything confident. The idea is to see the final job and be sure it is all connected properly, all of this is thanks to you :D
I have 2 E-150's I used to use for deliveries... one is a 99 that is in rough shape...nearly 400k miles on it so it is my farm truck (yes I call my vans 'trucks' too, lol) The other one is a 2003 and I have been planning to convert it for camping/fishing trips. Learning a lot from your videos. Thank you!
Thank you so much! My husband and I are taking our mini-van out this summer to begin exploring what is like to sleep in our van! Retirement goal to possibly do a conversion van! I've been curious how to rig up a simple inverter to use for our power needs! I read through the comments which also had some useful information! I so appreciate your video!
Fun fact!
You make my blood pressure go down!
So glad I found your channel.
This is a great straight forward video!!! I have a van and all I want is to run a power supply like this to power a TV and a Xbox. I really don't see the reason to have a microwave or a fridge in my van as I usually just take it to Florida for fishing trips. This is all I need. I have a bed, I'd like to have a game chair with a TV and Xbox to kill time if needed, the rest of the time I'll be out fishing, Golfing or at a gym. So this is a perfect power supply idea without having to run solar that's probably overkill for me. For as cheap as a $100 dollar battery is, I'd just keep a extra battery behind the seat so if it didn't start I would always have a new battery to pop in. Great video!!!! Thanks alot and wish u the best in your journey!!!!!
Whow! So impressed! I want to buy a van and convert is. I’m 66 yrs old and I know nothing about building or converting a van. I’m just putting it out there 🙏 👍There are so many places to go and to see and I love the water soooooooo much. Keep posting because you are an inspiration.❤️❤️❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🕊🕊🕊
Your my style of person. Everyone gets so technical and picky you just get it done. I love it!
Again, thank you for the hard work you did to set a path for those of us just coming into van life.
I just admire women who gets into technology and do for themselves. Good for you.
Hi, Thanks Your video helped me understand more of the electricity, which i have always found to be too complicated and not doable side of van existence. I just want to say I started watching your videos yesterday and find you to be an inspiration. When I was your age about 50 years ago in the 60's and 70's I traveled and lived 85% of the time in my camper. Now in 2020 I plan on doing it again, but this time, I must admit, I am kind of scared. I watch many and follow about a dozen full timers on youtube everyday. I get excited when I think of the new and unknown. You have shown both sides to this journey the good and the bad and I appreciate that. It is what we newbies need. I will keep you informed as to my progress. Judy
Awesome!! Just want to make sure you checked the pinned comment to read all the tips people more experienced than me have left! I definitely did a couple things wrong that would be super easy to avoid, so I highly recommend reading through it!
I would suggest installing fuses on the hot side of both batteries and the inverter. If a short develops in your AC/DC inverter or house battery for instance, a fuse between it and the battery will prevent a possible explosion of the battery and it will cut the circuit fast enough to prevent the wires from catching fire or getting dangerously hot.
This is exactly what I have not been able to find in any other tiny power set up! Thank you!!!!
7:07 You should have disconnected the Black (Ground) Wire before working with the Red (Hot) Wire. Disconnecting the Ground will prevent any shorts.
I can't believe how simple you made it look! Omg, now I'm thinking maybe I can do my own electrics in the van... I need to find out how to attach a water heater to the inverter and my fridge and to have some USB chargers at the bed side. Thank you so muxh!
I've had those days when recording a video that everything went wrong. It's great that you also work on, fix and maintain your own van.
This was a pretty good install - good that you got the advise you mentioned from friends who know a lot about such things rather than just try and figure it all out on your own. Yes, your vehicle will likely need another battery, but not necessarily a "deep-cycle" battery since you're not powering the inverter directly from that battery - any OEM type rated battery for that vehicle will be fine, however the higher the CCA, the better it will crank in really cold weather. The 500CCA of that battery is fine, but know that the more CCA you have, the longer the system will run before needing recharged. I agree with fusing that cable, but only because of the possibility of it getting scraped, or somehow damaged, causing a short to the vehicle chassis somewhere between the vehicle battery and the smart solenoid - for example, some installers "may" just drill a hole in the sheet-metal and run the cable through that hole without a grommet which could with time cut the insulation, or similar scenarios, causing a lot of bad things to happen without that fuse. BTW, while talking "electrical", there is a joke in which one asks another, "what makes electrical type things work", with the answer being "smoke". The reason being that "once the smoke comes out, they no longer work" - just a joke, but kinda funny.
I'm a new subscriber - you caught my attention with the "outdoor" related videos, which I hope to see more of, but I find this sort of thing interesting as well, especially when someone does sufficient research before attempting such a thing, which you obviously did.
- thanks for sharing this video.
Hi Hannah, love your work ethics but if i can make a couple suggestions? you should put a fuse inline on your red wire and where you run the wire through the van body you should install a grommet so the wire won't rub against the metal and short out. Get the fuse to match the wire size and amp load of your inverter. Take care!! And best of luck!!!
I appreciate the initiative and determination you have, Hannah, but I had to pause it at 7:20 when you started hooking up direct to the battery. I've done a lot of wiring in my time, and I started cringing.
Because I know you want to do this right, and not have issues later, please please find someone to help you with this, or take the time to learn how 12V negative ground vehicle systems work.
Any time I start an involved wiring project, I use graph paper and colored pencils. I draw a "map" of the components I am trying to connect, and label everything. Color coding (especially for hot wires/battery +) is key.
Treat your battery + (red) wire like it is fire. It is fire anytime/anywhere there is a direct connection to the battery. This is why circuits have fuses or circuit breakers on +12V lines. If the line shorts out, or the powered item breaks down, the fuse will blow out before it sparks and starts a fire.
Anyone doing any wiring work on their vehicle, really needs a digital multi-meter. Without one, you are just guessing at what works.
And if you do plan on doing electrical work on your own vehicle, getting a repair manual (Haynes/Chilton/etc) that shows detailed wiring diagrams will be your best friend!
should there be a fuse between the battery and the battery isolator? i'm starting a van build soon and need all the help i can get.
But who can you hire to help with something so ... Uncommon?
I absolutely love that you are willing to make mistakes on video. When I do a job I don't want anyone around so when I'm finished nobody is witness to my screw ups.😉 we do learn from our mistakes but I prefer not to have witnesses. You are a far better person than I. 👍👍👍 The fact that you entered unfamiliar territory with such tenacity...well much respect to you human.😎
Stop! I see one problem already. Don't hook up your positive end until you've already run the wire. If the other end touches anything, it will short out and ruin your alternator and possibly cause the battery to explode. At the very least, tape up the other end so it can't short out.
@@bernardc6538 It's not an opinion, it's more for her safety. I made the same mistake while wiring lights in the back of my truck. Almost had an accident.
OK first… Electricity runs from the negative to the positive pole of your battery so you can hook up the positive no problem just leave the negative off or if you want to call it the ground. That should always be the final wire connected. Secondly four gauge is way too small you need zero gauge for a run like that so you do not have such a severe drop in voltage and amperage. You also need to use oxygen free copper not that crappy CCA or copper clad aluminum wire that is so prevalent out there. Pure copper wire is more expensive but it’s well worth it, Look at some of the car audio websites you can get it fairly cheap and they sell all the connectors and everything you would need… Fusing, breakers, everything. And as for your battery exploding if you if you touch your positive to ground accidentally… The only time I’ve ever seen a battery explode is when there was a regulator problem of some kind with the alternator and there being an overcharge scenario to where the battery has swollen and is offgassing, there has to be a spark of some kind involved usually. And as for ruining your alternator with a short circuit… i’ve been installing car audio systems small to extremely large (60,000 W plus) and never seen a short circuit blow an alternator. What usually blows an alternator is draining a battery bank and expecting the alternator to charge dead batteries constantly. An alternator is designed to maintain a charge to your batteries not charged them from dead. Also not enough battery bank and not running an isolator so when you do run your battery down it doesn’t drain your main battery again expecting alternator to charge everything from dead.
I was going to say that but your over it like the morning dew .
@@kerrypence4201 The problem is, she had the negative terminal hooked up. That's a recipe for disaster.
OMG!!! I had to stop and comment around 7:40. This is more of a how not to do it video. a) uses and open razor blade to trim of sheathing. Use either wire strippers or a stanley knife (Carefully) b) crimping using molegrips. If you don't have crimpers (I don't) then use a dot punch to hit the centre of the fixing in about 3 places. c) Never use tape use heat shrink and there are more but mainly DO NOT CONNECT TO LIVE AND THEN PASS LIVE ABLE THROUGH VAN BODY!! This could have been a horror story!! Pass the cable through THEN once the remote end is secured away from metal, connect the primary live then the secondary live.
I love the fact that you want to do it yourself but please study up before attempting this. You were EXTREMELY lucky to get away with this.
EDIT: There needs to be a 30A fuse close to the starter battery also.
I've followed for a while Hannah and enjoy your posts. Always enjoy a young lady not afraid to get a little dirty. (Born in MN, moved to CO many years ago.) Here is a tip from the design of older VW deluxe campers + solar. They were designed with a main starter battery and an auxiliary storage battery. Between them was an isolator relay that only kicked in after the van was started then both would charge. Otherwise the auxiliary battery could be drained having no effect on the ability to start the van. May find a link for an edit. Oh,I see that's the black Solid State Isolator you installed! Nice! Then with my pvm solar (200 watts on a VW roof) charger (set at GEL charge to keep from toasting either batteries.) I then installed a large toggle switch w center by off. One direction of the switch directs the panels onto the auxiliary battery, the other direction the the main starter battery if needed. ✌️
hey just watched this vid, not sure if you are still having issues but off the top I recommend that you charge up your secondary battery before connecting to your system. (think of it like your TV remote, if you put one good battery and one deadish battery your peak power will be limited to your weaker battery) that is why your car struggles to start. Also, I would not recommend this setup unless you beef up your alternator in your van, you will definitely put a lot more strain on the OEM alternator.
Cheers,
I am so glad that you made this video. I've watched lots of Van life videos and they don't get into this kind of detail.
Hello Hannah. I'm a fellow Minnesotan and I I always enjoy your videos no matter what the subject is.
I just watched your last video and wanted to mention two things for you to consider. When you ran the positive wire under the van it looked like you may have zip tied it to the radiator hose or hose clamp. Not sure, it was kind of hard to tell. But those are two things that are definitely going to get hot. So if you did you'll probably want to move that.
Also you may want to get your alternator checked. It may be going bad and that is why you need to keep changing you can battery. And with a second battery now installed you are asking it to charge both batteries. I know you said you were having the van serviced. It is very easy for them to check the alternator too.
Keep up the good work Hannah. I can't wait to see more of your travel videos!
Also if the alternator needs to be replaced, may look in to getting one that is a bit larger size as it is working more to charge the extra battery?
10:18 I would also mount the Battery Isolator in the engine compartment close to the Starter Battery. That way your auxiliary battery system would be completely isolated from the very important main car battery.
Hi Hannah. This may have already been mentioned, but don't ground your house battery. You should run black and red wires to ALL your 12v items and they should have a cutoff switch and a small fuse panel. If you are using ground on your house and your vehicle battery (making them common) you will definitely have issues. Hope this helps
I'm late to your vids (better late than not arriving). Most simple, basic instructions ever!!! Thank you!
Thank you SO much for showing exactly what you're doing!! Going to install electricity in my citroen berlingo and I'm trying to do some research, it's hard to find exact descriptions. So thank you!
When you said “go at my floor” that was funny
Believe it or not you did great made it very simple. I’ve watched a bunch of these videos. Kind of just need the basics to get started. Thanks bunch
Thank you for your input, it wasn't long but straight to the point, just what I needed. Thank you again, keep doing what your doing, it's working...😊
That was a fun video to watch. Actually the only one by you I've seen. Some people with more experience will spot a few things to do different or diagnose but just like them at some point, you've just added to your experience. But it's your personality you project - charm, just-right-slight-sarcasm'y? and a confidence about you to just do what you need to do that makes this video for me. I'm not really a race car fan so not sure why this analogy popped into my head but... people tend to either root for the car and what it can do or they root for the driver and what she can do. Doesn't matter if she goes to another team, her fans will follow vs it doesn't matter who drives the car because it's what holds their attention. A lot of people can do build/fix stuff (car engineers/mechanics in the analogy) but it's that special and likable personality (you as the driver in the analogy) that people will cheer whether you win 1 or all your races, they are with you. :)
Thanks Greggory, I really needed this comment. Posting videos like this one are hard because I know I’m not an expert- I’m just a regular person trying to figure things out, and trying to help other people feel like if I can do it they can too. The anxiety of not getting things right, and getting comments from people who give harsh criticism rather than constructive criticism literally woke me up this morning feeling nauseous and wondering if I should just take this video down because it’s not perfect :/
So, thank you for your comment, it makes me remember why I do what I do ♥️
Very impressed with your electrical knowledge and mechanical abilities.
✨I love that you suggested everyone communicate through your comments to learn❤✨
Not soldering them is a huge potential for it to go on the fritz again in the future! Always solder those! Still, great simple electrical setup. Way better than most complicated videos!
Oh i love that u named ur van, i so do that with all my vehicles.😍😍😍
Thank you so much....I have to do my van alone and was looking for something like this that i can do until i can get solar.... but that may be some time from now...so this is PERFECT!!!
Make sure you read the pinned comment!! I’m not an expert and there’s A TON of important tips and information in there
@@hannahleeduggan Yes i read through quite a bit...alot of good advice from alot of knowledgeable people. Ill probably rewatch and reread everything again before i start the project....TY again. 👍👍👍💖
@@4GodsPeople I’m glad! Wishing you luck 🤗
@@hannahleeduggan Thank you. 🌟🌟 being Positive! I can do it! 👍
@@4GodsPeople Hi Pamela. How'd the electrical stuff go? Did you get it to work?
Solar is a pretty easy addition. Invest in a hammer crimper as well, if you're going to use a lot of heavy gauge wire. You want a lot more solid connection than crimping with vise grips. You can also flood solder, if you want to get a torch. It's a lot of fun.
Awesome Video Hannah, I find a solar controller and a 100w Pannel for for about $100, Now with that being said it will not be the best for sure ( Not even close ) but.... it was great way to start and learn as I go. I put the system in may DIY Truck Camper build so I could learn more about solar. Now I want to go bigger and better but it did help me get started.
Exchange the solenoid with a CTEK D250SE or eqv. Then you have an easy solar install option that you can add any time the budget allows it😀
Does it work the same? Just the same thing with another spot for solar too?
Usually you put an inline fuse a couple of inches behind the battery on the positive wire. The fuse is determined by the wire gauge. As a safety precaution I would also lay the wire before connecting it to the battery.
This was really helpful 👏 I don't know ANYTHING about electrical and have been watching videos but they're so confusing 😕 thank you 😊 🙏
make sure you read the pinned comment!!
I have a 4 battery set up with 450 watts of solar I have found it is way over kill for my van life….
Your batterie set up is the most perfect for your needs… less maintanance is smart!!
Thank you so much for this! Been following your van life journey for years and now im finally pursuing it myself! So excited 🎉😁
I do not have a van/vehicle, and only have minimum knowledge on circuitry, but this was still so interesting to watch!
Great job of explaining. The system you have looks like it should do the job for short term power.
THANK YOU! I have been looking for a video like this for awhile.
This is genuinely helpful. Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this video.
Make sure to read the pinned comment!
@@hannahleeduggan absolutely! But something does not have to be perfect to be extremely helpful. A part of the helpfulness, was seeing you get in there and doing it. I found it extremely motivating.
you are wonderful. thank you for the help to understand the wire size for the alternator feed.
Much Love Hannah! I bought a Schoolie, well soon to be. converting into a camper. Gonna live in it full time. Looking forward to it. Was looking at a good Electricity power pack set up. Think this may help my mind a jogging on what I should be going for. Thank you friend :D Love the Tote bag. Beautiful. I do leathercrafting. Lemme know if you ever need anything made out of leather lol!?
I would suggest getting a power distribution block and I would highly recommend using a fuse on the red wire
I'd recommend heat shrink over tape. The adhesive on that tape will breakdown pretty quickly.
Thanks for the advice! The plan is to get the right size heat shrink and re-do them, just was so sick of going to the hardware store at this point and wanted to make sure it was actually the wires that had been faulty and not something else that was wrong 😃
@@hannahleeduggan sure thing. I was a communications tech and working on older equipment taught me to hate electrical tape! Great job explaining your process. We're looking to ad an aux battery to our 97 E150.
I love no matter what you post Hannah.
You made that look simple . Electrical always looks daunting to me . Thanks
Hey I’m working on a van electrical video rn too!! Mine will be posted on Friday! Cool to see a setup without solar panels. So good that more people are sharing their simple set ups! Thanks!
I use to live in L.A., but I am not and never was Hollywood.. If I was though, I would SO produce a reality TV show with you (if you were game)... I'm converting an ambulance and have gotten a few ideas from your channel, thanks!!! As scary as your electrical tutor was (smile), you did introduce me to the Battery Doctor, battery isolator - again, thanks!!! Good luck & rock on... If you ever hit VA hit me up for some ideas...
best diy setup i've seen.
Just a thank you for sharing these moments with us. I'm forever impressed with your various projects and adventures
I am sorry if this has been mentioned in the comments already, but I didnt read them. You should really consider installing a fuse or circuit breaker. This will protect your main battery and all the electrical equipment in your van. Also Amazon has some great charge indicators to help you know how much power you got to burn. Lastly the first step in any repairs on your vehicle should be to disconnect the positive wire from your batteries and the very last step would be to reconnect the positive. I have seen entire computers get shorted out because this was not taken into consideration. Very expensive fix. Good job though. You are way further along than most people. Just keep learning!! And good luck.
This video was posted exactly when I needed it! Thank you for breaking it down in east steps and showing everything from start to finish! TotesMcGoats
Of course! Just make sure to read the pinned comment before you try it yourself, there are a few key things I didn’t do safely enough, that people more experienced than me contributed!!
Van life looks so beautiful and definitely wanna try it💕 but its good you show the difficulties as well!
Great Video, I haven't made that leap yet, but hopefully will soon. I'm looking at making the dive into solar real soon. The article link you have provided was great, thank you for sharing.
Hey Hannah ! Love the way you personalize your videos with a gift, so cool. Like the way you are independent and resourceful, look forward to more videos 😍
Very intelligent girl not afraid to try anything.
👏👏👏 thank you for being so authentic & helpful.
Thanks for saving me the frustration. Great teacher.
Make sure you read the pinned comment ♥️
Hanna you might want to put a charge controller between your battery isolator and your battery to keep from frying your battery on a trip.
Thank you for showing us how to do that. That was very helpful to me. It’s cool to see that us ladies can do things mechanical. The way you explain things makes it possible for me to understand and give me the courage to try. Please keep making videos like these!
Just be sure to read through the pinned comment! I’m not an expert and there’s a lot of important safety advice and tips other people have shared!
I deal with 00 thick car audio wires and found it easiest to just use a blow torch and fill the hot terminal up with soldier then plop the wire in it. In 4 ga wire a decent iron should do the trick tho. The radiator hose under the engine may get the wire hot so i would route away from that if possible or try to not use the inverter while the antifreeze is hot as it will cause the wire to heat up more. Lastly id suggest using fuses 12inches from the batteries on the positive wires although i myself sometime do not practice that safely and skip fuses
This is the exact video I was looking for, thanks!
U R amazing, from making dresses to making basically a motor home battery system. U make your folks real proud!👍 All while making and editing this show!!!👍👍👍 Thanks for advice.
This is very helpful! Thank you so much! Quick and to the point
Not wanting to be unhelpful, but have you thought about adding a locking washer to the bolt grounding the aux battery? You drive the van off road, and the rough roads might help loosen the ground connect. I think floating grounds could be a possible issue (just my guess until the mechanic sorts it out).
Its super interessting, since most of what one finds online is with solar panels, but since i dont want to live in it, i dont think that i need a solarpanel, so, thank you :)
Great video. My missing piece was the smart solenoid. Waiting for your solar video
I'm a first time van builder- Also about to buy all the electrical equipment. I'm gonna be doing it, scary. 👍👍
Good job Girl! I would just add a battery status gauge so you can monitor the deep cycle & know when to start the van.
They are pretty cheap, 10 bucks or less.
Hi Hannah nice video. Thanks for sharing.
I was just wondering where you got the smart solenoid.
I think you might be better off getting another one of those batteries because you can't discharge you the flooded batteries very much without hurting them. I've been running two batteries at one time. Maintenance is another issue with lead acid batteries so please be careful and do your homework before messing with them. Keep a bottle of Coke or Pepsi or some baking soda in water to neutralize the acid. Don't forget safety glasses and maybe rubber gloves. Acid burns are no fun. These batteries to only really lasts about three years at the most. I'm going to buy AGM batteries next time I get replacements.
Lol. I love watching your videos. You could have gone to AutoZone and bought that cable already made in assorted lengths. Also you should add a solenoid to protect your system. Bob Wells has some really good videos showing how it's done from start to finish. The smart solenoid will work but a standard continuous use solenoid is way cheaper.
I don't need a tote...but would love to have your coffee mug or one like it if you remember where you bought it!!!!! BTW.......is there anything that you can't do? You seem to have an abundance of skills! Best one so far however is your design and sewing skills. Glad you're at home and staying safe. Oh.....and I don't know how to instagram......maybe I can get my son to show me!!!! Old age.......don't worry......it will catch up with you before you can turn around!
That’s actually a funny story! I got it at a pottery shop that was at the base of a hike in Drumnadrochit overlooking Loch Ness in Scotland! The people who run the shop are the sweetest, my sister and I had tea there after the hike, and they offered to drive us back to our hostel because we were so tired 🥰
Here is a link to their website:
www.lochnessclayworks.com
And a link to the Ireland/Scotland video if you’d like to watch it (the hike is in the 2nd half I believe): th-cam.com/video/fuNmcZRHJmY/w-d-xo.html
You're beautiful when you're frustrated lol You're always beautiful. Anyway. Back in 1984 we took a trip to London, Ontario. from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. with our 5 year old daughter and my 4 year old nephew. When we left to come home we went through Niagara Falls down through Buffalo, NY. Then under the lakes then back in to Canada through Illinois and Minnesota. All this was done in a 1978 Ford F-150 half converted Van. I had just just changed the transmission in it, and the only problem we ran into was the voltage regulator went in it. Which i changed in Flint, Michigan. Great trip. Would do it all over again. Without the kids though lmao.
You make everything look so easy 💚
I am really happy to see you do it by yourself! Outstanding!. I would have your battery tested? You may need a new one...the one in the engine bay.
I like the way you have done your electrical setup I would like to have the same setup in my van