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Any advice needed ? Just ask

Started by Shawbags, September 11, 2017, 10:27:31 PM

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Shawbags

Hi all , I've always had campervan most of my adult life mainly for holidays but have lived in a motorhome for a year in Ibiza and Benidorm , I done quite a few conversion and like to keep them simple but practical, no water boiler use a kettle, simple shower set up , simple electrics and so on , just because it's simple doesn't mean to say it's not comfy and good to live in , I will be glad to help with advice if I can , cheers Shawbags  :)
Live life to the full
😉 Travel in a van 😜

Camper_Dan

Greetings & Welcome!

Sounds like we're on the same page.  I too prefer simple and reliable without sacrificing comfort.

Cheers!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

Shawbags

Hello mate , yes simple can be better , as you probably know you don't need to spend thousands to build a live in van , I've yet to fit a full shower in a van but if I do it will be a whale pump on the end of a pipe with a shower head , water in a container with a kettle of water to warm
It up and away you go job done , no boiler , no confusing pipework and electrics and no massive bills for parts , keep
Life simple it's less work and more relaxing 😎
Live life to the full
😉 Travel in a van 😜

Camper_Dan

I use a storage tote for my shower base to catch the water, a hula hoop for the shower curtain rod, and normal shower curtain and hooks.  I can hang this either inside or outside.  I use a pump up weed sprayer, which I have replaced the original wand with a kitchen sink sprayer head.  Since my van is a low top, I shower while seated.
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Pass them on!!!

Shawbags

Good set up , if the weather was ok I would shower outside anywhere really lol
, I'm thinking of a low level shower unit , counter hight and some kind of consetina idea for the top half that can be lifter up and down so when down it would look like part of your counter top , work service , my mind is spinning with the idea at the moment 🤔
Live life to the full
😉 Travel in a van 😜

Camper_Dan

I hook my hula hoop shower curtain rod to a luggage bar running across the van with simple rope.  When done using it or the toilet, I unhook it and fold it down on top of the toilet.  You could have a flip over counter top to go over the whole works, and even a door on the front so it is totally hidden when not in use.

Cheers!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

Shawbags

Yes great for your type off set up , I want to be able to just unclip the worktop and have some kind of puly or lift system to lift the top of the work surface to the roof of the van so the plastic/ nylon sides that are consatinared straighten out , then when you drop it the sides fold back into place so it's a simple open and shut case 😉😁 , I'm looking for a bigger van to do this in my new build , I'm still finishing my T4 at the moment
Live life to the full
😉 Travel in a van 😜

Shawbags

Anyway it's a pleasure meeting you dan , I'm Chris , Birmingham central uk , so where in the USA are you , are you full time van living and have you anything on YouTube , I don't do Facebook so don't look on there .
Live life to the full
😉 Travel in a van 😜

Camper_Dan

Quote from: Shawbags on September 13, 2017, 06:26:26 PM
Anyway it's a pleasure meeting you dan , I'm Chris , Birmingham central uk , so where in the USA are you , are you full time van living and have you anything on YouTube , I don't do Facebook so don't look on there .

Greetings!

Glad to meet you too.

Yes, I live full time in my van.  I am a vacation relief driver for a national company, so I get sent to the coldest places during the winter, and the hottest places during the summer.  Typical vacation times for the drivers range from 2 weeks to a month, so that's how long I'm in any specific location before moving to a new one.

I left  Phoenix Arizona on Sept. 1st, and I'm due to report in to Fairbanks Alaska on Sept. 29th.  Since I had extra time on my hands, I am currently volunteering with the Red Cross about 30 miles east of Portland Oregon, helping out with the evacuees from a forest fire burning in the Columbia River Gorge.  I drive a supply truck to and from Portland almost every day getting supplies for both the evacuees and the firefighters.  I'll stay here either until they break camp, or I have to head  out for Fairbanks.

I'm very fortunate, I have a job I love, and it let's me travel the country and explore the various areas on weekends and my time off.  I always have my  home with me, so my expenses are low, and my accommodations comfortable.  I  usually get about a month off in the spring when I'm headed south, and again in the fall  when I'm headed north, so this gives me lots of time to explore the areas between the north and the south twice a year.

I don't do facebook either, and don't have a youtube channel or anything like that.  I am somewhat working on putting  together a website with DIY camper van information on it, but I'm a little leery of creating something that might require either constant maintenance or updating.  Then it starts seeming more like work than enjoyment...  I've been enjoying this forum, but I'm not obligated to it, and have reservations about starting anything with obligations attached to it.

Cheers!

Dan
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!

Shawbags

Yes you've been fortunate to get a job you enjoy and that involves a lot of travel it sounds ideal , I was a truck driver for many years myself but it was none stop work , many hours and not much rest time , I stopped that about 10 years ago as I had a few health problems, I spend most of my time converting my van , I am using reclaimed timber mostly pallet wood and enjoy the fact I keep it to a sensible budget though I did pick up a nice kitchen unit at a great price of £75 they are £450-600 online , I'm looking for a larger van next year to convert so I will be more self deficient , solar power , shower and stand up hight so I can spend more of the summer away , you seem to have a wealth of knowledge obviously coming from your vast experience .
Live life to the full
😉 Travel in a van 😜

nikkosantacruz

Looking for a simple electric setup! Suggestions?
I've heard a lot of good things about solar. I want to do everything myself to cut back on costs but dont have much experience at all.
Not looking to power much. Just my maxxfan, a few led lights, water pump, and an outlet for laptop charging and other miscellaneous things.

Thanks!
Nikko

Camper_Dan

Quote from: nikkosantacruz on September 20, 2017, 09:39:19 PM
Looking for a simple electric setup! Suggestions?
I've heard a lot of good things about solar. I want to do everything myself to cut back on costs but dont have much experience at all.
Not looking to power much. Just my maxxfan, a few led lights, water pump, and an outlet for laptop charging and other miscellaneous things.

Thanks!
Nikko

Greetings & Welcome!

After having 3 different solar panel systems, two of them professionally installed, and one installed by myself following online directions, I am no longer a fan  of solar panels.  Not only do they do a very poor job of charging batteries, they cause very short battery life, and parking in the sun during the summer is torture.

If you're doing even a small amount of driving, I would recommend a simple isolator or relay.  I paid $45 for the relay and the installation and hook up to my existing house battery at a battery shop. 

It seems the majority of people who like solar, are also using other methods of charging their batteries too, and I think most of those solar setups are getting credit they don't deserve.  Once I added the relay to charge my batteries while driving, my sucky solar system starting working great too.  After the solar panels got stolen, guess what?  My power system worked just as well without them.

I also quit buying $250-$350 batteries, that the solar panels would kill within a year or so by their improper charging methods.  Today I am starting on year 7 of a $20 battery I got from a junkyard.  Charging while driving is much better for your battery life.

Before solar, I charged my house battery with a generator for many years, but not just any generator.  A home made generator that is made from a go kart engine that is hooked up to a truck alternator.  I still use such a generator for a backup in case I'm boondocking for a prolonged time without driving.  I also added a 3,000 watt pure sine wave inverter to the generator so it can provide either 12v DC and/or AC power.

In the end, solar would be dead last in my choices for efficient battery charging.

Cheers!
Smiles are extremely contagious,
Pass them on!!!