[Janus9]

They make tools to make it easier to insert wire into flex loom.

Amazon.com: Electriduct Wire Loom Insertion Tool Set for 3/8" to 2" Conduit Sleeving Installation : Everything Else

Amazon.com: Electriduct Wire Loom Insertion Tool Set for 3/8" to 2" Conduit Sleeving Installation : Everything Else

www.amazon.com

 

[T town]

Were you referring to Crystal Ski Resort in Washington?

 

[Sams stock van]

After struggling with split loom on the first wire run, I started sliding the wire into the loom from one end before installing. Then I ran the loom and wire thru the walls as a single unit. I taped over the loom w cloth tape so the wire couldn't slip out the side. If the loom is not tight on the wire, you can adjust the wire inside the loom if you need to.
Thanks for the pics of your floor. I was templating my floor that very day and made changes based on your pics!

 

[orton]

After struggling with split loom on the first wire run, I started sliding the wire into the loom from one end before installing. Then I ran the loom and wire thru the walls as a single unit. I taped over the loom w cloth tape so the wire couldn't slip out the side. If the loom is not tight on the wire, you can adjust the wire inside the loom if you need to.
Thanks for the pics of your floor. I was templating my floor that very day and made changes based on your pics!

Easier to use "SOOW" cords than wires and conduit. Smaller diameter and more flexible allows smaller turn radius. I have 1" thick polyiso floor insulation so just cut a slot for 3 cords to get from driver side to the passenger side. One 12/2 cord for DC, one 14/3 for AC and the third 14/3 for the electric air heater. Two DC fuse blocks. One for driver side and one for passenger side.

 

[maia]

Easier to use "SOOW" cords than wires and conduit. Smaller diameter and more flexible allows smaller turn radius.

I don’t have an issue fishing the Ancor marine wire in split loom through van cavities. Plenty flexible and plenty of space for my runs. It just takes a long time to put the wire through the loom. That’s the way part I would love tips on. Getting the wire inside the loom.

 

[maia]

Were you referring to Crystal Ski Resort in Washington?

I sure was!

 

[orton]

I don’t have an issue fishing the Ancor marine wire in split loom through van cavities. Plenty flexible and plenty of space for my runs. It just takes a long time to put the wire through the loom. That’s the way part I would love tips on. Getting the wire inside the loom.

95% of my cords are outside the walls and inside the cabinets. Have one cord for the water pump in the wall and one cord for the Maxxair in the ceiling. Two cords for a short distance in the ceiling for LED lights. Three cords in the floor insulation from driver side to the passenger side. The rest are inside the cabinets. I replaced the large OEM wireway with a 1 1/2' square Panduit wireway. Did add several cords in the Panduit with the OEM Ford wiring. Panduit has easy access due to the snap on cover. Did not want wiring buried in the walls.

 

[Sams stock van]

I don’t have an issue fishing the Ancor marine wire in split loom through van cavities. Plenty flexible and plenty of space for my runs. It just takes a long time to put the wire through the loom. That’s the way part I would love tips on. Getting the wire inside the loom.

Wrap two or three turns of pvc tape on a square cut wire end with 1/8" past the wire end to "round" the end. Hand straighten the first two feet of wire, insert and push in a ways. Then straighten the loom and use the " accordian " nature of the loom with one hand feeding and advancing the loom and the other one the loom. I was able to do most runs including double 16 duplex as long as the diameter of the loom was appropriate.

 

[maia]

Week 3 update:

• Epoxied down the floor
• Ran 90% of the electrical wiring
• Moved the Tiny Watts power center into the van
• Measurements taken for custom side ladder

Up next:

• Espar install with @Bazz99 ’s help
• Floor edge sealing and trim
• Start 8020 framing

Work was super intense this week so I didn’t get anything done on the van until the weekend. My welder friend is going to build a custom side ladder for me, so that's super exciting.

He came over and took measurements and helped me epoxy down the Lonseal. That is definitely a two person job due to the working time of the epoxy. It did not come out perfectly (there are a few small bumps here and there) but it's down and the imperfections are almost all in places that will be covered by cabinetry. The important thing for me is that it is water tight and won't move, and both those boxes are checked. I had ordered two half gallons of the epoxy so we could mix half and do half the floor, then mix the other half and do the other half of the floor. This was about 25% more expensive than ordering 1 gallon, but it gave us double the working time (it's not recommended to attempt to split a gallon yourself since the margin for error in the ratio for the epoxy is very small). The floor was on the warmer side, about 75 degrees, which speeds up the setting. The epoxy is very thick and sticky and troweling is not super easy. I had planned to roll up the back half of the floor (in the garage) first and do that, then take what we learned to do the front half of the floor and even mentioned this to my friend like 5 min before starting, but my brain fell out and we did the front first. The mistake we made was thinking we would be able to roll any places where the epoxy was slightly thicker. We knew we had to work fast and that compromised our troweling. Definitely err on the side of LESS epoxy rather than more. It did not spread out where there were small places that were more epoxy than the trowel notch depth. In these places, I have some small uneven places that you can feel if you run your hand over and see if you bend down and look at the floor flat head on. Lesson learned! Just wish I'd learned it in the garage instead of the front of the van. Ah well. Once everything else is in, nobody will notice. And there's zero that can be done about it at this point. We weighted everything down with as much heavy stuff I could find and let it cure.

Edit: Just looking at these big photos on my computer---some of the things that look like bumps are knot/grain features in the wood pattern of the vinyl. The one long crease in the middle is real but doesn't look that intense in person. It's my fault that it's there, I accidentally creased it when rolling by putting too much weight on it oops. At least that's under the fridge in the garage! c'est la vie

Before my friend left he helped me carry the Tiny Watts power center up 2 flights of stairs to and put it in the van. I have it temporarily secured with a ratchet strap through one of the factory tie down D-rings. Later when I'm certain I won't need to move it for access behind, it will get bolted through the floor of the van (or into PlusNuts, depending on where the holes come out underneath).

Sunday I worked on electrical and I got almost all the runs done through the walls. Ran out of 10 gauge wire somehow, even though I made a fancy spreadsheet calculator. Most of my runs go through the passenger wall to the passenger C-pillar area, where then they will be routed along 8020 framing through the bench to the galley, or wherever. I used split loom for runs through the wall, labeled both ends of all wires, etc etc, the usual stuff.

The Tiny Watts power center is a beast and so beautiful and perfectly wired. My only complaint is the location of the wire pass through hole, which is abou 3" lower than it should be. My guess is they based the enclosure design on a Sprinter and haven't installed in a lot of Transits. In the Transit, the hole is half covered by van framing members. I got around this by running about half my runs through the back of the power center, in the wheel well void.

I have some time lapses over on Instagram (don't think we can post videos here?). Here's my main page and here's the story highlight where I'm putting van build stuff.

 

[natecostello]

Week 3 update:

• Epoxied down the floor
• Ran 90% of the electrical wiring
• Moved the Tiny Watts power center into the van
• Measurements taken for custom side ladder

Up next:

• Espar install with @Bazz99 ’s help
• Floor edge sealing and trim
• Start 8020 framing

Work was super intense this week so I didn’t get anything done on the van until the weekend. My welder friend is going to build a custom side ladder for me, so that's super exciting.

He came over and took measurements and helped me epoxy down the Lonseal. That is definitely a two person job due to the working time of the epoxy. It did not come out perfectly (there are a few small bumps here and there) but it's down and the imperfections are almost all in places that will be covered by cabinetry. The important thing for me is that it is water tight and won't move, and both those boxes are checked. I had ordered two half gallons of the epoxy so we could mix half and do half the floor, then mix the other half and do the other half of the floor. This was about 25% more expensive than ordering 1 gallon, but it gave us double the working time (it's not recommended to attempt to split a gallon yourself since the margin for error in the ratio for the epoxy is very small). The floor was on the warmer side, about 75 degrees, which speeds up the setting. The epoxy is very thick and sticky and troweling is not super easy. I had planned to roll up the back half of the floor (in the garage) first and do that, then take what we learned to do the front half of the floor and even mentioned this to my friend like 5 min before starting, but my brain fell out and we did the front first. The mistake we made was thinking we would be able to roll any places where the epoxy was slightly thicker. We knew we had to work fast and that compromised our troweling. Definitely err on the side of LESS epoxy rather than more. It did not spread out where there were small places that were more epoxy than the trowel notch depth. In these places, I have some small uneven places that you can feel if you run your hand over and see if you bend down and look at the floor flat head on. Lesson learned! Just wish I'd learned it in the garage instead of the front of the van. Ah well. Once everything else is in, nobody will notice. And there's zero that can be done about it at this point. We weighted everything down with as much heavy stuff I could find and let it cure.

Before my friend left he helped me carry the Tiny Watts power center up 2 flights of stairs to and put it in the van. I have it temporarily secured with a ratchet strap through one of the factory tie down D-rings. Later when I'm certain I won't need to move it for access behind, it will get bolted through the floor of the van (or into PlusNuts, depending on where the holes come out underneath).

Sunday I worked on electrical and I got almost all the runs done through the walls. Ran out of 10 gauge wire somehow, even though I made a fancy spreadsheet calculator. Most of my runs go through the passenger wall to the passenger C-pillar area, where then they will be routed along 8020 framing through the bench to the galley, or wherever. I used split loom for runs through the wall, labeled both ends of all wires, etc etc, the usual stuff.

The Tiny Watts power center is a beast and so beautiful and perfectly wired. My only complaint is the location of the wire pass through hole, which is abou 3" lower than it should be. My guess is they based the enclosure design on a Sprinter and haven't installed in a lot of Transits. In the Transit, the hole is half covered by van framing members. I got around this by running about half my runs through the back of the power center, in the wheel well void.

I have some time lapses over on Instagram (don't think we can post videos here?). Here's my main page and here's the story highlight where I'm putting van build stuff.


View attachment 160114

View attachment 160115

View attachment 160116


View attachment 160109
View attachment 160111
View attachment 160113

Nice work! We're probably gonna attempt our lonseal install next weekend. Is the weighting necessary or recommended (by them or you)? We were planning to roll it (100-pounder), but haven't made arrangements for weighting after. Also, any tips on best way to cut to fit would be appreciated (template, cut in place, cut with box cutter, etc).

 

[maia]

Nice work! We're probably gonna attempt our lonseal install next weekend. Is the weighting necessary or recommended (by them or you)? We were planning to roll it (100-pounder), but haven't made arrangements for weighting after. Also, any tips on best way to cut to fit would be appreciated (template, cut in place, cut with box cutter, etc).

Weighting is absolutely necessary. The edges will want to lift. You need to weigh them down. Get as much heavy stuff as you can. Long pieces of wood or metal or something to put along edges and then weights on top are good since you can distribute the weight over a longer length. I templated and cut to size before installing and let it relax in place in the van for a week before installing. Lonseal is very very thick. You won't be able to epoxy it down and then trim. You need to template first. Letting it relax unrolled in the van helps a lot with overall bumps and fit and edges staying down.

 

[natecostello]

Weighting is absolutely necessary. The edges will want to lift. You need to weigh them down. Get as much heavy stuff as you can. Long pieces of wood or metal or something to put along edges and then weights on top are good since you can distribute the weight over a longer length. I templated and cut to size before installing and let it relax in place in the van for a week before installing. Lonseal is very very thick. You won't be able to epoxy it down and then trim. You need to template first. Letting it relax unrolled in the van helps a lot with overall bumps and fit and edges staying down.

Thanks so much for the advanced warning. We'll be mulling this over for the rest of the week.

 

[JamesVanCat]

@maia Just noticed you are installing a Tiny Watts 5.0 as well, which I am also interested in using in the future. How do you like the kit and what do you think of it?

Also are you planning on getting that 26% solar tax credit that they mention on their site?

 

[maia]

@maia Just noticed you are installing a Tiny Watts 5.0 as well, which I am also interested in using in the future. How do you like the kit and what do you think of it?

Also are you planning on getting that 26% solar tax credit that they mention on their site?

I'll do a whole separate post about my experience in addition to documenting here, probably as early as next week. Some things (kit, components, construction) are amazing, some things (logistics, install support, documentation) are frustrating.

And I'm DEFINITELY doing the tax break!

 

[njvagabond]

I'll do a whole separate post about my experience in addition to documenting here, probably as early as next week. Some things (kit, components, construction) are amazing, some things (logistics, install support, documentation) are frustrating.

And I'm DEFINITELY doing the tax break!

Any info on what appears to be evidence of provisions for an independent second alternator dedicated to battery charging would be greatly appreciated.

 

[maia]

Any info on what appears to be evidence of provisions for an independent second alternator dedicated to battery charging would be greatly appreciated.

Will do. Going to be drilling holes in the van and routing 2nd alternator wiring this week, the mechanic will be bolting it on next week most likely. Here are photos of the kit that came from Nations (this was ordered/drop-shipped by TinyWatts). TinyWatts provided 2/0 cable, 300A fuse, and wiring harness (not pictured).

 

[natecostello]

Will do. Going to be drilling holes in the van and routing 2nd alternator wiring this week, the mechanic will be bolting it on next week most likely. Here are photos of the kit that came from Nations (this was ordered/drop-shipped by TinyWatts). TinyWatts provided 2/0 cable, 300A fuse, and wiring harness (not pictured).

View attachment 160316 View attachment 160317

huh. I thought the install hardware for a 2nd alt from nations was much more extensive than what’s shown there.

 

[maia]

huh. I thought the install hardware for a 2nd alt from nations was much more extensive than what’s shown there.

What more would you need? Just a bracket for it to bolt on to and a belt.... To send power you need wiring harness but that's implementation specific.

 

[natecostello]

What more would you need? Just a bracket for it to bolt on to and a belt.... To send power you need wiring harness but that's implementation specific.

Attached are the instructions Adam (Nations) sent me last year. They may have simplified the design or my impression could be wrong, it seems from the instructions that it involves more hardware then what you showed. But, if not, thats great news...I was shying away from doing the install myself. Very interested to hear how your install goes.

 

[maia]

Attached are the instructions Adam (Nations) sent me last year. They may have simplified the design or my impression could be wrong, it seems from the instructions that it involves more hardware then what you showed. But, if not, thats great news...I was shying away from doing the install myself. Very interested to hear how your install goes.

Interesting. I'll reach out to Nations and let you know what I find out. I'm not planning to do the install myself.