Just a few points that may be useful next time and some questions to cover this time. The cable after the panels were placed in parallel looked similar gauge to the one from the panels, yet after that point the current will be double, have you checked the current capacity of that extension and link cable. You can place the panels in series and use optimisers to prevent shade issues. They will also increase production if part of both panels is shaded (a common problem at parkups). Those two cables in the van are live and could carry a substantial DC voltage they should be terminated with insulation blocks. Get some rubber end caps over the screws exposed inside the van. Also use a spot of sealant on these and as they press against the roof and add an extra layer of leak protection Finally use a bowel of warm water to wet finger and smooth sealant. Some kitchen towel to wipe excess off.
Great job. Don’t worry about buying too much wire. You will use it in other places. I put 400 watts on my cargo trailer/camper and I used the excess wire on many things. Keep up the good work.
For antisieze on stainless steel bolts I find that Kano sili Kroil is the way to go. It will even hold up in high temperatures. It's good to see the progress!
If you are still working on this, add in some extra cables so you can set up ground panels if you are boondocking and need extra solar. Helps A LOT if you need it after a bunch of cloudy days.
I think you do a really good job thinking things through Tory. The Grommets was a good addition. Some flex conduit (The kind with the slit down the length) would be good for the inside wiring so that the red and black wires do not rub against any metal edges.
Hello. A good piece of advice is that you install a GMRS and a 27Mhz radio, so that when you are out of phone coverage, you have the opportunity to get help
What happen is you must start the screws by hand first else you WILL get some cross threading. AArfff. No anti seize on nylon lock nuts. Final torque should be by hand. Other than that you are doing pretty good.
Wow you became a solar panel install expert. I found you while looking for solar panel information for a van. I bought a Ram promaster 2500 3 weeks ago and I am about to start building it so thank you for all these information.
I noticed you plugged in your solar to the lines leading into your van, by doing this you’ve energized those lines, you may want to unplug them till you finish your install to prevent shorting something out or electrical shock
This was great and fantastic drone work capturing all the angles. I’m anxious to see if the deck panels will over that wire cover. That roof rack was the way to go.
Your work looks professional and well researched. I coincidentally was just looking online at light weight solar panels for a future trailer. I will have to buy one to see how strong it is.
Thank God you have solar panels I saw you in the Heat in an earlier video. All I thought was will somebody please give this woman an aircondirioner If those panels were 1200watts Fed into an inverter dc to ac 110 And a small 500 watt aircondirioner for the day 🙏
Batteries are like the reservoir in a hydro system. Bigger can be better for those years when drought drains the reservoir down. The 2X watts / amp hour is a rule of thumb but for my money, bigger battery is better. It really is about knowing the total "average" draw and sizing the system with some healthy overage above that average draw. If my average draw is 600 watts, then 800 watts of panels allows a big battery bank to charge up over time, so that 'droughts' can be handled. If one has the interior room, more battery can be better. Solar depends on a lot of things but... if I have a thousand amp hours of batteries and 800 watts AND only use an average of 600 watts, this allows the "extra" unused solar to charge up the large battery system. Then when the inevitable days / weeks come when I'm only getting 200 watts of solar, the "extra" battery keeps the system alive for longer. Additionally, if I have a generator then if the day comes where the batteries are really low, I can run the Gene for a couple of hours to quickly charge them back up. So: 1) How much money do you have? 2) How much room do you have on the roof for panels? 3) How much room in the van for batteries? 4) And most importantly, how much is the average draw. 5) And do you have a Gene to refill the batteries in extreme drought? 6) Or can you plug in to recharge the batteries? All these things matter and all these things play into the "best" system for your circumstances? Rules of thumb are just that and just provide a starting point. Just MHO of course.
Hi Tory, you made that look stunningly easy (I bet there are plenty of out- takes though😂). I can’t wait to see the rest of the build process so please don’t keep us waiting g too long. ❤ Geoff UK
Amazing job! Personally I have a trailer that I travel in full time and I put 6 x 455w panels on my roof and I ran them all in parallel for shading purposes. If you can do parallel, it's the best option in my opinion. I'm looking forward to your future videos :)
Apparently there are solar panels made that can be walked on safely, for just such situations. Although, if I were building out a van I'd look into the possibility of mounting them on slide-outs, that would clear up space on the roof and do double duty as makeshift awnings to keep the van cooler on hot and sunny days. In fact in theory it's possible to have two levels of panels, one fixed and one slide-outs, to increase total power output. My take is that you can never have too much power, so long as you have the battery capacity to match, for heat and hot water, cooking, lighting, electronics, fridge, etc.
I really enjoyed this video. I think you did a great job. For some reason today your look was giving me Lara Croft Tomb Raider vibes. 🤗 I hope you're having a great day.
Tory, I noticed in the video the screws from the wire cover were close to the wires at the ceiling inside the van. Vibration could cause the wires to friction rub against the screws and cause an arch fault. Did you notice this and cover the screws?
you have the seat belt in the lower position, raise it up, the closer the neck it sits the safer it is, if you have it too low then the risk is that it slides off your shoulder during an accident, and then it can hurt you instead
Fantastic - you did everything right! I hate watching these "how to" videos and then someone doesn't use primer, or a grommet, or anti-seize on the stainless hardware. Bravo!
13:05 Amazing pun - while saying "I don't want to BORE you to death" you were working with the hollow part of a tube, such as the inner diameter of a cylinder.
Awesome video, Tory! You do a great job researching and taking notes before starting a project. On thing though, whoever is driving the red car in the background must be a magician. He leaves in one scene and in the next, (poof!) He’s baaaacckk!!😂 Keep up the good work!
I don't have a solar compatible alternator for added charging while on the go so I installed 1000 watts of panels on my rig. It does the job. I went with series install, 5 panels, and setup an external side mounted glad so I can add even more panels on the ground!! Win Win!
Tory! installation on point, you're becoming a regular pro, ok ok be humble pro'ish, lol. What's with your drone it got overtaking by Zombies YEA! Zombies haha. Seriously getting excited for you to see all components that need power to be on and running Great Job! Thanks for Sharing! see ya on the next one.
Nice neat install there Tory, but got to be honest I was totally distracted the whole video trying to work out what the heck you were wearing at the top of your leg. Couldn't figure out whether it was a tattoo, a phone holster, a suspender, a chastity belt, the joint for a bionic leg, a jedi war scar or. paraphernalia from some secret society. . And still completely clueless!!!!
lol it’s a part of the skirt. I don’t know what it’s supposed to be, but I just knew I had to wear it cause Taylor Swift wore it in her last music video 😂
500watt at 12v, that’s 500/12=41.7 amp, the y-splitter are 10AWG, rated for 30A. Might wanna consider getting a thicker wire like 8AWG or 6AWG, or use double 10awg wires.
Is there a reason you didn't consider walkable solar panels? if you were doing a roof deck type deal, it seems like walkable would have just added to that realestate on the roof while still getting you your needed wattage?
Yes, I too was hoping for a bushing of some kind. Although, wearing a gas mask for doing a spot of spray painting was way over the top. Enjoy the fumes. That's part of the joy.
5:01 Bad idea using TP4056 here, it is dangerous using a load while charging. Did you disable the load (using the iron) while charging? If you want to do both (charging while heating up), you need another circuit to be a switch or use another chip entirely.
Hello :) I like your "Warm Bodies" reference not many have seen this gem of a film. So I just discovered your channel and its pretty cool that you travel around and have adventures. I also admire that you can fix things and install things as well. I do notice your camera work is not you all the time. So do you hire camera people or have family and friends shoot some for you? I noticed some drone work as well. Keep up the adventure and information on how can people can emulate you actions. Also I would definitely have you on my team if the zombie thing or another pandemic like situations arises :)
Nice design and mounting job l! However I’d not use the anti seize rather will use the thread locker and/or lock washers to ensure the screws will not get loose with the vibrations
I CANNOT wait until you're done the build lol. I miss the travel content sooo much. So many van lifers fell off, its really rare to find good van life content anymore, and yours was amazing, so I hope to see you back on the road soon. Hopefully east coast too haha
I would never put solar panels on my van. I would install a AC charger that can charge any power station up to 800 Watts 5 to 8 times as quick. Anytime day or night. Without worrying about tree coverage, dirty panels, bad weather, the weight of the panels, air resistance, or non stealthy look.
You should go back while you can and cover the wires with flexible PVC tubing throw the frame.
That's a great idea!
Just a few points that may be useful next time and some questions to cover this time. The cable after the panels were placed in parallel looked similar gauge to the one from the panels, yet after that point the current will be double, have you checked the current capacity of that extension and link cable. You can place the panels in series and use optimisers to prevent shade issues. They will also increase production if part of both panels is shaded (a common problem at parkups). Those two cables in the van are live and could carry a substantial DC voltage they should be terminated with insulation blocks. Get some rubber end caps over the screws exposed inside the van. Also use a spot of sealant on these and as they press against the roof and add an extra layer of leak protection
Finally use a bowel of warm water to wet finger and smooth sealant. Some kitchen towel to wipe excess off.
Great job. Don’t worry about buying too much wire. You will use it in other places. I put 400 watts on my cargo trailer/camper and I used the excess wire on many things. Keep up the good work.
Great look at a basic solar setup. I would choose parallel as well, for the same reason.
Solar is great. I'm fully off grid, so I use solar all the time. Thanks for sharing this as it's quite enlightening.
For antisieze on stainless steel bolts I find that Kano sili Kroil is the way to go. It will even hold up in high temperatures. It's good to see the progress!
hihi fellow solo female van builder :) im about to tackle my solar set up - thanks for the video!
wow that is a lot of work
If you are still working on this, add in some extra cables so you can set up ground panels if you are boondocking and need extra solar. Helps A LOT if you need it after a bunch of cloudy days.
I've been watching your adventures since day one.
Then to see you now is amazing 👍. I'm so proud of you.
She is rather awesome. Agreed.
I think you do a really good job thinking things through Tory. The Grommets was a good addition. Some flex conduit (The kind with the slit down the length) would be good for the inside wiring so that the red and black wires do not rub against any metal edges.
Hello. A good piece of advice is that you install a GMRS and a 27Mhz radio, so that when you are out of phone coverage, you have the opportunity to get help
Great job Tory! The panels and the roof rack look like they were made for each other, a truly custom fit. Nicely done 🤗
What happen is you must start the screws by hand first else you WILL get some cross threading. AArfff. No anti seize on nylon lock nuts. Final torque should be by hand. Other than that you are doing pretty good.
Great install video 👍 your little drone did a great job of getting some cool shots. 😃 I’ve heard a flaw in a project is good luck 🍀
Wow you became a solar panel install expert. I found you while looking for solar panel information for a van. I bought a Ram promaster 2500 3 weeks ago and I am about to start building it so thank you for all these information.
I noticed you plugged in your solar to the lines leading into your van, by doing this you’ve energized those lines, you may want to unplug them till you finish your install to prevent shorting something out or electrical shock
Great video! The paper towel cardboard trick for painting a small spot was an awesome idea 😎😎
This was great and fantastic drone work capturing all the angles. I’m anxious to see if the deck panels will over that wire cover. That roof rack was the way to go.
Cracking job,well done,pleased your taking your time to do it right.
Your work looks professional and well researched. I coincidentally was just looking online at light weight solar panels for a future trailer. I will have to buy one to see how strong it is.
Should be a teacher. Thanks Tory for another lesson.
I want to get my van already, but the commitment is so big. I need somewhere to park it long term for the conversion.
Thank God you have solar panels
I saw you in the Heat in an earlier video.
All I thought was will somebody please give this woman an aircondirioner
If those panels were 1200watts Fed into an inverter dc to ac 110 And a small 500 watt aircondirioner for the day 🙏
Batteries are like the reservoir in a hydro system. Bigger can be better for those years when drought drains the reservoir down. The 2X watts / amp hour is a rule of thumb but for my money, bigger battery is better. It really is about knowing the total "average" draw and sizing the system with some healthy overage above that average draw. If my average draw is 600 watts, then 800 watts of panels allows a big battery bank to charge up over time, so that 'droughts' can be handled.
If one has the interior room, more battery can be better. Solar depends on a lot of things but... if I have a thousand amp hours of batteries and 800 watts AND only use an average of 600 watts, this allows the "extra" unused solar to charge up the large battery system. Then when the inevitable days / weeks come when I'm only getting 200 watts of solar, the "extra" battery keeps the system alive for longer. Additionally, if I have a generator then if the day comes where the batteries are really low, I can run the Gene for a couple of hours to quickly charge them back up.
So:
1) How much money do you have?
2) How much room do you have on the roof for panels?
3) How much room in the van for batteries?
4) And most importantly, how much is the average draw.
5) And do you have a Gene to refill the batteries in extreme drought?
6) Or can you plug in to recharge the batteries?
All these things matter and all these things play into the "best" system for your circumstances? Rules of thumb are just that and just provide a starting point. Just MHO of course.
Hi Tory, you made that look stunningly easy (I bet there are plenty of out- takes though😂). I can’t wait to see the rest of the build process so please don’t keep us waiting g too long. ❤ Geoff UK
Amazing job! Personally I have a trailer that I travel in full time and I put 6 x 455w panels on my roof and I ran them all in parallel for shading purposes. If you can do parallel, it's the best option in my opinion. I'm looking forward to your future videos :)
Your Solar Panel’s Look very very very Cool 😎 Tory.
Apparently there are solar panels made that can be walked on safely, for just such situations. Although, if I were building out a van I'd look into the possibility of mounting them on slide-outs, that would clear up space on the roof and do double duty as makeshift awnings to keep the van cooler on hot and sunny days.
In fact in theory it's possible to have two levels of panels, one fixed and one slide-outs, to increase total power output. My take is that you can never have too much power, so long as you have the battery capacity to match, for heat and hot water, cooking, lighting, electronics, fridge, etc.
Nice idea! Coming soon ;)
the van is goign to be so nice when u get it done
I really enjoyed this video.
I think you did a great job. For some reason today your look was giving me Lara Croft Tomb Raider vibes. 🤗
I hope you're having a great day.
Tory, I noticed in the video the screws from the wire cover were close to the wires at the ceiling inside the van. Vibration could cause the wires to friction rub against the screws and cause an arch fault. Did you notice this and cover the screws?
Cc Tory, super installation 👍, vous allez pouvoir brancher la machine à popcorn hahaha 😁 😉bonne semaine, a+
Thanks, Chuckled my bottom off listening to this upload.
👍 Rock on 🙂.
you did an amazing job i'm very impressed
Thank you!! :)🙏
There's option Solar Panel+ MiniWindPower (portable blades) Generator combined for Vehicle and usefull...
A few blobs of Dicor will hold the wires down to the roof better than any 'sticky-back' clips.
Brilliant as always 💚 Getting closer and closer Have a Favorite day always looking forward to reading your Adventures 💚🤟
I would have drilled hole to higher roof part and kept both valleys partially free. This way you dont get stamding water in valleys.
@@meelis79 ooooo you’re right! that would have been better! Next time ;)
cool! you looks like character Gadget Hackwrench
Glad she's building hopefully, it makes her feel safer and keeps her cool
Love the build!
Looks like she's coming together! Keep up the great work.
Thank you!! 🙏🏼 😊
Good realistic DIY. Thanks for sharing.
Finally some actually useful information
you have the seat belt in the lower position, raise it up, the closer the neck it sits the safer it is, if
you have it too low then the risk is that it slides off your shoulder during an accident, and then it
can hurt you instead
th-cam.com/video/btIJWYor8KA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=x0XOkv0PxHCuNlL6
Nice job, thanks for sharing.
Love seeing Your build videos
It's so nice to see you
I love your work
Such a nice clean install.
Fantastic - you did everything right! I hate watching these "how to" videos and then someone doesn't use primer, or a grommet, or anti-seize on the stainless hardware. Bravo!
9:21 we know that. It‘s clearly series. Good panels have bypass diodes, shaded parts are just bypassed.
13:05 Amazing pun - while saying "I don't want to BORE you to death" you were working with the hollow part of a tube, such as the inner diameter of a cylinder.
"Pretend!" (Voice of Bobby Boucher)😊 9:35
Awesome video, Tory! You do a great job researching and taking notes before starting a project. On thing though, whoever is driving the red car in the background must be a magician. He leaves in one scene and in the next, (poof!) He’s baaaacckk!!😂 Keep up the good work!
They look fantastic..🌹
Looks great but how do you wash the van under them now?
All the best...🌹
lap sealant mishap, been there done that
15:58 this must have been terrifying haha
The Queen !!
Great job.
hi are they safe from damage from stones and vandalism? thanks and keep it up.....
Can you put a ceramic coating on the solar panels to keep dust and snow off the "glass"?
hermosa y inteligente que mas se puede pedir
I don't have a solar compatible alternator for added charging while on the go so I installed 1000 watts of panels on my rig. It does the job. I went with series install, 5 panels, and setup an external side mounted glad so I can add even more panels on the ground!! Win Win!
Tory, I m speechless. I hope. Discovery channel can put u in. Diy episodes
Tory! installation on point, you're becoming a regular pro, ok ok be humble pro'ish, lol. What's with your drone it got overtaking by Zombies YEA! Zombies haha. Seriously getting excited for you to see all components that need power to be on and running Great Job! Thanks for Sharing! see ya on the next one.
You said wrench so many times also 😆 🤣
You did good girl 🫶🏼
Nice neat install there Tory, but got to be honest I was totally distracted the whole video trying to work out what the heck you were wearing at the top of your leg. Couldn't figure out whether it was a tattoo, a phone holster, a suspender, a chastity belt, the joint for a bionic leg, a jedi war scar or. paraphernalia from some secret society. . And still completely clueless!!!!
lol it’s a part of the skirt. I don’t know what it’s supposed to be, but I just knew I had to wear it cause Taylor Swift wore it in her last music video 😂
@@ToryDelury- So obvious now you've told me. Can't believe I didn't figure it out for myself - especially with you being such a big Swiftie.!
The foot in the lap sealant 😅 I think a lot of us can relate.
nice job
When do you start building on the inside?
500watt at 12v, that’s 500/12=41.7 amp, the y-splitter are 10AWG, rated for 30A. Might wanna consider getting a thicker wire like 8AWG or 6AWG, or use double 10awg wires.
But on the back of your panel, it says max current 13A. So for two panels, max amp is 26A. Then 10AWG would be sufficient. Hmmm..
@@neoandthematrix Max 26A is correct, should be okay
Is there a reason you didn't consider walkable solar panels? if you were doing a roof deck type deal, it seems like walkable would have just added to that realestate on the roof while still getting you your needed wattage?
Interesting work attire
Nice job
How much clearance between your solar panels and the van roof, please?
Beauty and brains, I can't wait to see what's next.
Dang Tory... im kind of jealous your Roofack looks like better quality than my FVC 😭😭😭
How do you do this? WOW !!!!
I feel that if Van life peeps were to paint the black mounting rack on the roof white to match their van color they would be more stealth. :)
I think I fell in love when you brought out the grommets. Thank you, Miss Tory.
Yes, I too was hoping for a bushing of some kind. Although, wearing a gas mask for doing a spot of spray painting was way over the top. Enjoy the fumes. That's part of the joy.
I’m more into BBC’s Survivprs apocalypse 😊
5:01
Bad idea using TP4056 here, it is dangerous using a load while charging. Did you disable the load (using the iron) while charging?
If you want to do both (charging while heating up), you need another circuit to be a switch or use another chip entirely.
Tory, How many months will this build take?
Really great video. I want to get a van, to convert.
What kind of drone do you have?
It’s a Hover Air X1 😊
neat video. FYI, Taylor Swift isn't the first one to say "this is why we can't have nice things". keep on truckin'.
Hello :) I like your "Warm Bodies" reference not many have seen this gem of a film. So I just discovered your channel and its pretty cool that you travel around and have adventures. I also admire that you can fix things and install things as well. I do notice your camera work is not you all the time. So do you hire camera people or have family and friends shoot some for you? I noticed some drone work as well. Keep up the adventure and information on how can people can emulate you actions. Also I would definitely have you on my team if the zombie thing or another pandemic like situations arises :)
Great Job!!!!
Nice design and mounting job l!
However I’d not use the anti seize rather will use the thread locker and/or lock washers to ensure the screws will not get loose with the vibrations
fine as wine. super cool build too. i would even silicone around the gland as well lol id be paranoid of water leaks
Great video 😊
How did letting go of the wrench ever enter your muscle memory? Ugh, you know what? Please, don't answer. Solar: looking good!
I CANNOT wait until you're done the build lol. I miss the travel content sooo much. So many van lifers fell off, its really rare to find good van life content anymore, and yours was amazing, so I hope to see you back on the road soon. Hopefully east coast too haha
@@TheAbandonedAccount7 ME TOO 😭😭😭 Im so excited to be done 😅
What movie is that black and white Zombie clip from?
@@MrWeusi I believe it’s from World War Z? It may not be though, I put World War Z into the sticker search on my phone and it came up :)
Hail proof?
This seems like a bright idea.
thumbnail photo was fire emojis. as a van lifer i hope to meet a female with your competence someday
I think I saw some of that footage a two months ago 🤨
I would never put solar panels on my van. I would install a AC charger that can charge any power station up to 800 Watts 5 to 8 times as quick. Anytime day or night. Without worrying about tree coverage, dirty panels, bad weather, the weight of the panels, air resistance, or non stealthy look.