other
- things i learned about on the forums and need to look into
- 3m ceramic glass film, security and heat block
- various security measures
most likely going to get a tank-less water heater [electric of course]. i could get a 1 or 2 gallon electric tank but tankless will be more efficient, more on demand and smaller/lighter. there are 120v models that would basically work [.5 gallon/min which is doable but a pain] but since i have 240v i'll have more options. i've been using an electric tank-less unit in my house for years and i love it
going to use a 120v chest freezer with modified thermostat. i've been using a chest freezer with modified thermostat for my keg-orator for decades and it uses about 1/3 the power a standard fridge would be of the same size. there RV designed fridges and some folk use 'off-grid' fridges, however, most [if not all] RV fridges are not efficient since they can be powered by multiple power types there was never much motivation to make them efficient in the first place. now many 'off-grid' fridges are efficient, but the biggest part of making a fridge efficient is its insulation. i'm fairly certain [but it has been a while since i researched it] that a mass produced chest freezer with modified thermostat clocks in at about the same level of efficiency as an 'off-grid' fridge, the only difference really is the mass produced chest freezer needs 120 volts and is a lot cheaper. my 5.1 cubic ft igloo has a rating of 172 kwh per year [as a freezer], when new it used 56 kwh per year while set to 35-40F and a decade later it uses 101 kwh while set at 33F. the most efficient cooler/freezer i've found thus far is the dometic cfx3-100 is 3.5 cubic ft and rated at 168 kwh per year. generally the bigger a frig/freezer the more efficient but even still the energy start 5.1 chest freezer is three times more efficient than the dometic 3.5. even looking at 3.5 cubic ft chest freezers they clock in at 152 khw [as a freezer] so likely four times more efficient than the dometic 3.5. i found similar results with other frig units [eg isotherm]
unfortunately, chest freezers are single zone that means i will not have a freezer. a couple of options placing a small thermoelectric unit inside of the fridge or separate freezer. the thermoelectric idea would be very inefficient. a separate unit would be expensive [cause, i'll get the most efficient kind which is pricey] and take up some room but it provide lots of options. if i have a 5.1 cubic ft frig and a 1 to 2 cubic ft cooler/freezer. then i could either have a medium and small frig or a medium frig and small freezer and even just a small frig/freezer if i don't have a lot of food, all though the 5.1 frig will use less than half of the energy of the smaller unit. i might drop down from a 5.1 to a 3.5-3.9 chest freezer if i can find one that will fit a 1/6 barrel keg. i extend the height of a 3.5 unit, however, that will decrease the efficiently of the unit. i don't think by much because if i'm running it as fridge instead of a freezer it will have plenty of cooling potential even with the increased space. but once i put a keg into a 3.5 unit i won't have a lot of room left. the keg and CO2 tank will take up about half the space leaving 1.5-2 cubic feet. i could put the CO2 tank on the outside but that would make running lines more complicated. i could also use something smaller than a 5 pound tank but that is a very standard size which is cheap and easy to fill/replace. plus the 5 pound CO2 tank is not that big.
another possibility could be a counter-top ice maker. half of my desire for an freezer is ice and the other half would be for keeping things frozen for a few days to a couple of weeks. i could get a small well insulated, not powered, cooler [i could even make my own], put some ice into it with some already frozen food and put the whole thing into the chest freezer. this should keep the cooler contents frozen for at least a few days and i could replace the ice. i don't think an ice maker is a good idea, they have counter top units that are small for about $100 and that might work but likely it will take a lot of energy to go that route? there are also 'undercounter' units that are just a little freezer with the same kind of ice maker you would see in a regular household frig, however, the starting point for these are around $500 but the cheap one seem sketchy and i will be at least $1000 but really $2000+, and i'm not sure how much energy they will use but it seems like a lot. for the same size i could get a 2.5 cubic ft chest freezer for $200-300. the avanti - cf24q0w [target carries these] is rated at 137 kwh per year [as a freezer]. the 2.5 unit would be about the same size [but tall instead of long] as a 70-80 liter cooler/freezer but maybe a little heavier but use 1/2 to 1/3 the the power and 1/3 to 1/4 the price.
TL;DR provided chest freezers won't break from road bumps, the best system for me seems to be a 3.5-5.1 cubic ft for a fridge and a 2.5 cubic ft for a freezer.
update, i'd like to avoid an adjustable height since it will be doubling as counter space, i don't want to lean over so i'm thinking about getting something between 5-9 cu ft now
keg issues aside, i could put in smaller than what i think i need frig and use a height extension. add 10" of height to a 3.5 and you have 5 cubic ft unit. the height extension would not take up much storage as it would just be a 20" by 20" by 10" box and 2" thick sides but no top or bottom. i could put it into the pan/cooking supply drawer and fill it up. or even make it collapsible. if do go with a keg system, which is very likely, then i might just make a 3.5 into a permanent 5 cubic ft unit. it would be taller but not an issue for my counter height. i was planning on raising the chest freezers by 8-12" anyways to make it easier to dig into. right now the Sylvania - SFRF434 at 152 kwh per year seems like the most efficient 3.5 cubic ft but i'm not sure where to get these but there might be new options in a few years
it might seem like a lot but both the 3.5 and 2.5 together is still only about 160 liters and i've seen lots of vans with 130-150 liters. plus if i'm low on food they become storage space.
since i'm likely going to be traveling solo i'd like to maximum the space in the van for one person, however, i would also like the option of making it two person friendly. for the most part the only difference between a 1 or 2 person configuration is the bed size. so i'm planning on making a split bed. i'll have the foundation [bed frame] for half of the bed be a permanent feature [namely the a raised platform in the back] and other other half be removable [i'm thinking that same plank would make a great desk area]. i've not yet narrowed down the bed's orientation. based on others videos and measurements it seems like there would be just enough room to place my head and feet from left to right side. most tallish folk are not able to put their beds like that, but that is mostly because of their decisions about the interior walls. most often folks will run a straight wall all the way down but because of the wall geometry that results in several inches between the outside and inside walls at maximum curvature. this yields a distance between the inside walls of 6 feet at the most. i think this is a common choice out of aesthetics and simplicity, however, by placing the bed height in such a way to maximum the distance it think it will be possible to sleep comfortably and still have 2 inches of insulation if the wall contour is followed, at least for where the head and foot of the bed is located. i might need to add a set of flares to the sides by the bed but i would like to avoid that because it will detract from stealth camping and might be less aerodynamic, however, depending on how i put the mini-split into the false wall it blend better?
the split bed setup i'm considering two 27-28" wide beds [27+27 = standard full size bed so sheets would be easy to get]. the second bed mattress could be placed as a back rest on the first mattress to make the rear of the van into a couch during the day and at night the other mattress could lean against the sliding door. i will make two different layouts in case there really is not enough room to have the bed go side to side in the van. 28" is not super wide so i think i put a bungee cord net on the side of the bed. just enough to remind you about the edge but not enough that it would make getting out of bed more difficult. plus that net would make it easy to toss a bunch of stuff on the bed and it will stay there while on the road. i might also make the area near the sliding door either extra strong or have some tie down points so that the removable plank that would be the second half of the bed could be setup for a separate bed in case i needed to shelter someone but did not want them too close, however, this would be low priority.
