As I said in my last post, I’m setting the van up initially to be fully operational on 120 volts. This will require an umbilical cord to the grid but saves me a bundle while getting started with this project. I want to have all the comforts of air conditioning, hot water, and refrigeration without the high cost of RV appliances.
I am going to take steps little by little to be more off the grid and self contained in this truck. I have a 12v system in mind that includes solar panels on the roof, but solar panels will be a project for next year…
So let’s talk about 120v! It’s amazing to me that this magical and mysterious energy can be carried over vast distances using wires to perform all sorts of useful task. It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without electricity. I certainly don’t know everything there is to know about electricity. But I know enough to be dangerous as the saying goes! ????
The van setup is really pretty simple. I started out by cutting into the side of the van and installing a 30 amp RV plug connection. I ran the power to a small 30 amp service panel (just two breakers) that I got from Home Depot. I ran one circuit for the water heater on a 20 amp breaker with a lighted switch that reminds me when it is on so I don’t have too many things running at once. I also ran a circuit off the same breaker to a plug near the counter that can be used for power hungry household appliances (like a toaster oven) when not heating water. The counter plug also has built in USB ports. On the other breaker I ran wiring for the air conditioner, refrigerator, TV, and another plug. Lighting in the van will be 12v LED…
That’s pretty much it for the electrical. It’s wired like a house, just on a smaller scale! ????