[van4muse]

Calling all Transit Builders! Can you plz share photos of your electrical system installs? Not the diagrams, but the actual installation in your van…. We are looking to build ours and would love to learn from your visual cabinet examples! 🙏

My husband and I are converting a 2022 Transit 350 AWD HR EL (extended). We have most of our electrical components and wiring kits, and are trying to decide how install it as clean, efficient and as organized as possible — all while strategizing the “balance” of the weight in the van. To achieve this balance, we were thinking of installing the heavy components over the wheel well & axel.

Here is what we are working with:

Our Victron-based electrical system will include four (4) lithium 110 LION batteries to support 600 watts of Solar.

Our Interior Design includes a queensize platform couch/bed that ”slides out” (back to front) over a dinette area that sits over the wheel wells. The dinette bench will have piano hinges that allow both the seat and back portions of the bench cabinet to open.

I’m thinking our 4 LION Batteries will be placed in a line (short ends butted together) next to and in front of the wheel well (inside seat of cabinet). Because the batteries are 10” long, this will make the bench seat approx 42” wide. The remaining smaller components will be arranged above the batteries on the wall (inside back of bench), plus maybe a few components on a shelf over the wheel. The big 3000 Inverter will be propped inside the adjoining garage wall. I plan to also make sure this bench cabinet is well ventilated!

Of course, the other bench cabinet will house the (preferably 27-30 gal) fresh water tank, pump and other plumbing components. The Grey water tank will likely be under-mounted in the spare wheel bracket? (Note: I’m still searching for the ideal Transit-friendly wheel well and grey water tanks.)

I will include examples of the floor plan here that shows the sliding bed and dinette concept that is very similar to #VanheerAdventures model. Along with your photo posts, I invite you to share your feedback on my electrical cabinet / balance ideas. Thx! 😁

 

[CaptainUnderpants]

I like that design alot!

Under bench seating location..600 amp hr DIY battery is more compact that other options. Multiplus II 3000, Victron MPPT solar charger, Lynx distributor and Cerbo GX. Sterling 120 B2B charger not visible behind battery. For reference, that is the wheel well sitting under the Victron MPPT controller Fuse and breaker panels in a more accessible location with Cerbo GX remote screen.

 

[kenryan]

The most valuable storage is that which is located up off the floor, where you don't have to bend over and dig through it. So, the dinette bench is a good place for things like the electrical and water tanks. Plus, they are both heavy so lower is better than higher. Sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[gregoryx]

In case you haven't searched for examples, here's a thread. And here's another thread. Those are just recent-ish ones. There are probably others. There are also some wiring diagram in those threads in case that's interesting.

If you've got room to put the batteries on the floor - instead of over the wheel-well - that's probably slightly preferable; but understandable to avoid if space doesn't seem right.

As you can see above in @CaptainUnderpants post, the "remaining smaller components" can easily take up same / more space as batteries - depending on what batteries you're running. Are you planning to run the Victron batteries? Or some other brand with the rest Victron gear? What method do you plan to charge from the van? DC-DC from Victron (very low charge rate) or some other brand or method?

 

[natecostello]

Leave more room than you think you need to work on it/maintain it. And everything else everybody else has said.

Battery w/ output buswork installed (prior to nickel plate):

Battery Installed:

Positive bus, neg bus, accoutrement:

All Buttoned up. All the stuff in the previous pictures are under that lower panel. There's also a panel to the left that blocks off the garage (where the inverter charger is shown). Those panels/switches are the "normal" user interface.

 

[Ranger Robin]

Our layouts have some similarities. I have a garage type layout with a short fixed queen bed E-W across the rear and a 36" OEM bench installed facing forward against the bed.

I'm installing a 4 battery/3000W inverter/740W Solar incl. a Sterling B2B charger & 30 amp shore plug.

I have an extended length van and am trying also to be cognizant of weight in the back, back end of the garage. So batteries and some components are on or in front of the wheel well under a raised Isotherm fridge. It was a 'dead' space under the fridge because I located the 36" bench seat against the fridge/battery cabinet to maximize storage space to the passenger side of the bench seat. Bench is removed in these pix.

Have a NW Conversions Wheel Well water tank (got it locally, barely used & cheap so gave it a try). Its on pass side & I may add one more water tank running E-W right over the axle behind the bench seat to bring my capacity to about 30-40 gallons fresh. Other items on pass side to try & balance weight of heavy galley & electrical: dry toilet, undermount A/C, gun-travel safe, bedside cabinets.

What you don't see yet is the 12VDC and 120VAC distribution box/panel. It will be mounted in a flat panel below the fridge cabinet but accessible above the bench seat so I can pop the cover off to access fuses etc. That panel below the fridge is forward (toward the van midline) of the electrical box by about 3.5" (can see in last picture - it will be even with gray wooden battery box) so there is space there for those visible wire runs and consumption wires which aren't shown in these pics.

Whole design is very open for air flow as I tend to favor warm climate camping spots. It's framed with the 80/20 structure of the galley and fridge support which is bolted to the van and bed framing. Then enclosed in a wood cabinet bolted to the van frame & 80/20 structure in about 8 spots. I will frame and screen off the main component area as the cat seems to like to climb into warm tight spaces to nap - not good obviously. There will also be a screened, framed box protecting the inverter face from bulk "stuff" in the garage.

If layout description doesn't make sense, there are more on pictures of the van in metal tent mode in my signature.

Everything is torn up right now for this electrical work so excuse the mess....hope this helps with ideas.

Your bench seat is a good spot IMHO. You can ventilate sides and top of the bench, heat rises.

 

[gregoryx]

Def gotta keep the protective Croc in there...

Looking clean, @Ranger Robin. Smaller wires coming next...

 

[Ranger Robin]

@gregoryx I'm so dang slow, but it motivates me to finish because I wear those things all the time!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

[nealcallan]

We have an east-west layout. Battery and distribution system are over the driver side wheel well (4x200ah Victron batteries with 3000W multiplus). As @natecostello says - important to have room for maintenance. I recently replaced my shore power breaker and was able to remove the top panel and access the back of my electrical board.
Electrical system:

 

[bdosborn]

Here's mine, I installed it with maximum accessibility in mind. Its under the bed, in the garage, on the drivers side of the van. 400 a-hr CALB DIY battery, 2,000W inverter, 620W PV panels, 30A DC-DC charger, Cerbo GX, Electrodacus BMS:

Oh and there's a cell phone booster in there too.
Being able to lay out and assemble everything in the garage next to my toolbox was a huge luxury!

Bruce

 

[Bazz99]

I was looking at your post and I think you might get a better response if you put it in the Camper Van and Conversion topic? Good luck with your build.

 

[rustythorn]

i'm still in the planning phase and there is a very good chance that i will change things and this setup is not complete but it might useful? the mounting wall for the electrical system will also be the right side of a secondary set of doors behind the van's rear doors. this will offer some additional security and act as a thermal barrier, however, since it will not benefit from the AC of the van's interior it might get a bit warm. i'll install a set of fans [one bottom and one top] to move air through it from the outside]. i've seen various setups with fans to keep things cool and they use a digital thermostat. it will be simpler and safer to use a thermal switch. it will be connected directly to the battery so if left unattended it could drain the battery but that would likely take a couple of months even if the battery is not being charged by the solar panels.

 

[Bazz99]

I had a local guy install my system, I just ran the wires to the area the equipment was going to be installed.
Run all your wires an extra foot or two and label everything well. I had a few wires I wish were longer and a few labels fell off. It's not as fancy looking as some of the setups but it's worked flawless for two years.
I use my microwave and heater every day in the winter with no issues and the A/C as needed in the summer.

I installed cabinets on top of the setup.

There's a lot of airflow behind the panel and on both sides. By removing a few screws I can easily get at everything.

I attached all the wires to the panel

However, I did have to cut out an access panel to be able to get to the batteries just in case.

I made a panel to cover up the access spot.

The front floor panel also comes off too

 

[Transit Authority]

Calling all Transit Builders! Can you plz share photos of your electrical system installs? Not the diagrams, but the actual installation in your van…. We are looking to build ours and would love to learn from your visual cabinet examples! 🙏

My husband and I are converting a 2022 Transit 350 AWD HR EL (extended). We have most of our electrical components and wiring kits, and are trying to decide how install it as clean, efficient and as organized as possible — all while strategizing the “balance” of the weight in the van. To achieve this balance, we were thinking of installing the heavy components as possible over the wheel well & axel.

Here is what we are working with:

Our Victron-based electrical system will include four (4) lithium 110 Lion batteries to support 600 watts of Solar.

Our Interior Design includes a queensize platform couch/bed that ”slides out” (back to front) over a dinette area that sits over the wheel wells. The dinette bench will have piano hinges that allow both the seat and back portions of the bench cabinet to open.

Our Batteries will be placed on a shelf over the wheel well inside the bench cabinet, then the remaining smaller components will be arranged above (and below) the batteries, with the big 3000 Inverter propped inside the adjoining garage wall. I plan to also make sure this bench cabinet is well ventilated!

Of course, the other bench cabinet will house the (preferably 27-30 gal) fresh water tank, pump and other plumbing components. The Grey water tank will likely be under-mounted in the spare wheel bracket. (Note: I’m still searching for the ideal Transit-friendly wheel well water tank.)

I will include examples of the floor plan here that shows the sliding bed and dinette concept that is very similar to #VanheerAdventures model. Along with your photo posts, I invite you to share your feedback on my electrical cabinet / balance ideas. Thx! 😁

 

[gregoryx]

One personal preference that seems more like common sense... the Victron gear is all designed for a wall-mount so heat convection works at its best. Ideally, I'd think the fins on the non-fan units (MPPT or DC-DC) should be aligned up-down and the Multiplus should be upright as the venting is at the top - again, convection. Same with the charging-inverter on the right: fans blow up, making it more natural for cooling.

Majority of the electronics all on this wall:

Then covered by vented panels and the fridge module:

Fuses and relays and switches behind the panel on the left (pops off):

Then either seat or shower in place:

 

[van4muse]

I like that design alot!

Under bench seating location..600 amp hr DIY battery is more compact that other options. Multiplus II 3000, Victron MPPT solar charger, Lynx distributor and Cerbo GX. Sterling 120 B2B charger not visible behind battery. For reference, that is the wheel well sitting under the Victron MPPT controller Fuse and breaker panels in a more accessible location with Cerbo GX remote screen.
View attachment 185176

View attachment 185177

Thx Capt U, I like my build idea, too! But it’s tricky getting the electrical system inside that bench! Next I‘ll need to decide where I’m putting the 130cf fridge (detached compressor), toilet (dry flush) and the hidden shower… plus a portable passenger bench seat? … but I’ll have to start another thread for that! Great job on the electric system! 😊

 

[gregoryx]

Thx Capt U, I like my build idea, too! But it’s tricky getting the electrical system inside that bench! Next I‘ll need to decide where I’m putting the 130cf fridge (detached compressor), toilet (dry flush) and the hidden shower… plus a portable passenger bench seat? … but I’ll have to start another thread for that! Great job on the electric system! 😊

All that in a long and tall? No problem. Not toilet in shower, though? 🤔

 

[van4muse]

The most valuable storage is that which is located up off the floor, where you don't have to bend over and dig through it. So, the dinette bench is a good place for things like the electrical and water tanks. Plus, they are both heavy so lower is better than higher. Sounds like you are on the right track.

Hi Ken, I totally agree! In fact, when working on my 3D design, I realized the batteries would be too high for the seat if on top of the wheel well, so I redesigned it and re-edited my first post to describe my layout! Plz read it and let me know your thoughts. Thank you for your feedback! 😊

 

[van4muse]

All that in a long and tall? No problem. Not toilet in shower, though? 🤔

Well, depends. Initially I planned to have a shower under the counter… and would prefer the toilet be on a slider so you don’t have to lift it in and out 😉. I’m also trying to figure in a removable (or foldaway) back passenger bench seat, thinking of getting some ROI by making this avail as Airbnb for two adults or family of four. That seat would steal some valuable RE, but could be an asset later. My latest idea was that I’d put the shower in the same location as the passenger seat, and give people the option… with a garage shower option for those who need a passenger seat! Crazy, I know…. 🤣

 

[harryn]

My offering for a wheel well build setup. The white plastic panel "skin" works but the assumption is that customers will eventually replace it with something to match the van interior - as desired.

4 each battle born batteries or you can also use Lifeline AGMs for cold weather applications.

US made inverter with same output as a V 3000 - but a more friendly form factor.

Solar and other types of charging electronics built in.

Regulated 12 volt DC for sensitive electronics.

Storage as well as the electronics.

Bed frame base - all in one.

Power Cabinet (c) wheel well power system for 148 Transit and 144 Sprinter | Harry Niedecken

Combination power system, cabinet and bed base all in one. Fits over the wheel well to make a durable setup 2 kW class power system Holds 4 each size 27 batteries. ( 400 amp-hr of 12 volt equivalent )Use Battle born LiFe for 3 season use or Lifeline AGMs for extensive cold weather use.Built...

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