Ford Transit Custom van conversion - installing the electrics PART 1

It's tricky, but getting the van electrics right is worth taking some time over.

In this video I explain about where I found the best position to site the leisure battery (under the passenger seat) in the Ford Transit Custom van that I'm fitting out. The van is to be a dual purpose cargo/load carrying work-horse, but also with the ability to sleep in it on longer trips. For this reason I didn't have the luxury of many options for siting the electrics - they needed to be out of the way when the van is being used to carry loads. Under the passenger seat was the best position and effectively uses otherwise wasted space!

I bought a 120Ah AGM battery - I would have really liked to get a Lithium-ion battery, but they are about 10x more expensive than an AGM, so it was a no-brainer for me. The AGM is completely sealed and is happy to be placed on its side, or any position you can fit it into. It's got decent function, but obviously not a patch on a lithium battery. For the amount of use that we intend for it, a lithium battery would have been a waste of money.

We arrived at the same decision regarding solar-power. For the amount of use we would give it, the investment in solar power would have been a waste of money. ..and a lot of work. Better instead to invest limited funds into buying a really efficient DC-DC battery charger that charges the battery as we go along.

This is a Euro-6 engine vehicle and it has a SMART ALTERNATOR. You cannot use a split relay charger to charge a leisure battery on this type of vehicle, with this type of alternator. You need a DC-DC charger and arguably the VICTRON ORION TR-SMART DC-DC 30A charger is the best that I could find. I got the "isolated" version, but the non-isolated would also work perfectly well on a van conversion and it is a bit cheaper. The isolated version is more for boats really.

In addition, I sited the power inverter near-by under the seat. I don't envisage using much 240V for any reason, but it's nice to have and so I got a 500W pure sine inverter at a knock-down price in a sale.

I discussed my needs with an advisor from 12VOLT PLANET. It was good advice. That's one of the reasons why I got an RCD distribution panel rather than the usual fuse-board. If the current in a circuit is overloaded then it'll trip out, making the circuit safe. The distribution panel is also protected by a 40A in-line fuse.

So that's the foundations of the electrical system in place. The wiring for the various circuits comes next - that's for lights; ceiling fan; fridge; water pump; diesel heater; USB sockets and also 12V plug-in power socket outlets.

Many of my videos contain music composed by David Fesliyan Studios, free for download and use non-commercially. A special thank you therefore to David (a thoroughly nice guy) at https://www.fesliyanstudios.com for background music.

#campervanconversion #campervanelectrics #FordTransitCustom

Видео Ford Transit Custom van conversion - installing the electrics PART 1 канала Hikerdoc