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Van electrics?
Following a useful hint from Roadster, just wondering what we need in terms of electrics for our Nissan Primastar. It's an empty shell at the moment and no idea what we need electrics wise.
Do we need a specialist van electrician or will a normal electrician be able to help.
I know we need a leisure battery but not much more!
Thanks
Hi - thanks for your message. I have to say it's all very confusing so I'll pass that one onto my husband!
All we need to do right now is lay any electrics that need to go in before the plylining. Does anyone have any idea on what sort of costs we're looking at for electrics?
ok just for the sake of getting you started with putting the ply in. decide where your going to have your switch panel and decide where your going to have any lights/power sockets(240v and 12v)and run cable from the switch panel to all the other locations you decide on.
In this case i'd use 10 - 13 amp 3 core multi strand mains (same sort of cable as your kettle uses)as it sounds a lot like you haven't really decided on the requirements for your van, that way you have plenty of current carrying capability for any thing you choose to run. you only need to use 2 of the cores for DC stuff but you have the 3rd as an earth if you choose to run 240v as well. you'll be installing fuses at the switch panel end so the cable been a bit over kill isn't a problem. be sure to leave plenty of extra at each end, you can always cut it shorter but making it longer is a pain. also take into account that you are going to need a space for a battery(s).
If you do run a 240v circuit then if you aren't 100% find a sparky who will check it (its wired the same as house wiring more or less) you may find a some aren't prepared to work on a van though. like wise with the 12v side, you're less likely to electrocute your self but it can start a fire just as easily. any auto electrician should be able to install a split charge relay.
oh and fuses, if any thing goes wrong you want a fuse to blow rather than a cable catch fire and short out the the chassis. If you have to ask if some thing needs a fuse, then it does. a decent control panel will take care of most of this, but don't forget about your charging system, it needs fuses as well.
that should at least get you started, but until you figure out what you are going to need in your van there is no way to really price it up.
i can tell you the rough prices for the parts i used in my setup.
110Ah Leisure battery £90 - 100
180amp split charge relay £15
Zig marque 1 control panel £50
8 gauge car audio power cable for split charge £10
4 gauge car audio bower cable for earth (had it left over, prob about £5)
80amp fuse and holder for split charge £10
car audio power distribution blocks (x2) £6 each (not every thing runs through zig)
5 meters rgb led strip light with controller £20
leisure battery charger £40
tv tuner £20
monitor. mine came broken out of a skip so your pricing may vary
most of my cabling to lights etc is 5amp that i had kicking about.
I aimed for low power draw where ever i could so this isn't a setup for the power hungry.
I'm a bit of a techie so there are all sorts of other gadgets in my install, but those prices are fairly accurate for the underlying setup.
I'm just putting electrics for 240v hook up. Flush 16a IP rated flush box £12
Garage fuse unit, RCD main sw with 1x16a mcb for socket feed and 1x 6a mcb for lights.£16.
Arctic 2.5 cable for sockets and 1.5 arctic cable for lights. Patresses, sockets & switches for lights...just a few quid.(I work in an electrical wholesaler so can get the gear cheap)I'm using one of the sparkies who buys stuff from me to connect it all up.
Only 12v stuff I'm having are a small light in the bog (in case of emergencies) and a small 12v 20w light just inside the door.(the power source was already there from Beacons that used to be on the roof as it's an ex utilities van).
I've heard a lot about the split charge relays, but I'm not sure if you really need one? A cheap manual switch should do the same job, you just have to remember to switch it on and off yourself.
true you could use just a switch, but for a low draw set up you really aren't saving much. with the 30 amp voltage switching relays coming in at about 12 quid. i guess you have to decide if the added convenience is worth a tenner.
with a non sensing relay I've known a few people put a switch inline with the switching feed from the alternator so they can stop the charging if they aren't using the battery for a bit and have no draw on it, though most I know have just re-cabled the radio in the dash to run from it.
A split charge relay can be bought for about £5. A voltage sensing on for around £12, as others have said.
I would always use a relay rather than a switch. Imagine if you left the switch on. You could easily flatten the engine battery. Or forget to open the switch and have a flat leisure battery. Much better to have it switch itself every time you start the engine.
Not worth saving a few quid.
Hi,
We are about to look into buying a campervan. Previously we had a folding camper which had 3 way fridge (we always had on gas), battery powered water pump.
In the campervans they do have 3 way fridges (OK), but we are not too sure of the water pump. Is this run by 240v or 12v. I want to know this as we do not often go on electrics.
though i'm sure 240v pumps exist i've never seen one. always been 12v or manual.
The water pump is always 12v so that you can use it at anytime, with any power source.
Thanks for that. I should have also asked about the cassette toilets that are usually in campervans. We were just used to a porta potti. When it says electric flush is this also run from 12V. Sorry about this I am just a beginner.
We're can I put my lesuire battry in a Nissan primaster
Hi, Darren, been reading all your posts for the last hour or so, and I think I understand what I need to do to wire up a 12v system in my van but would love any advice/ do and don't .......
Equipment ,
Leisure battery 110 amp
30amp intelligent relay sensor ( direct battery to battery no need to go via alternator )
300W pure sine inverter
Mini fridge 12v cooler ( only runs on 12 or 240v)
4x 12v led lights with switches
5metre RGB led strip lighting that flashes, strobes etc.
Zig Marque 1 control panel
Questions
1. What amp rating wire should I use between the batteries, and then onto the control panel? And the lights.
2. Do I create one common earth point for all appliances or just one from the zig panel?
3. Am I right in thinking that that the zig marque 1 is really just a posh fuse box with a battery level indicator? Cannot find a diagram anywhere on the internet! Nothing to do with 240v charging when hooked up at campsite.
4. Can I wire the cooler/fridge and lights straight into the zig panel or should I install a 12v cigarette sockets thingy ( which would be wired into the zig panel. Would I need to upgrade the fuses in the zig unit and to what rating?
5. Am I right in thinking that the inverter is wired separately and just needs a fused wire straight from the leisure battery ?
Do I need to earth this also?( only want the inverter to charge phone/ laptop)
6. The 4 x 12volt lights I have, can I run them all of the same switch/circuit into the zig panel? Do I need to upgrade fuse?
Any answers/ advice would be much appreciated
Thanks
James
Hi James
1. 16mm cable is best between batteries, but you may need to use 10mm, as 16mm is often too big to fit to the intelligent split charge relay.
10mm to the control panel.
2.5mm is normally fine for lights, as they are low voltage.
2. The best idea is to run a common earth back to the leisure battery. But you can use the Zig, as the Zig earth will also be connected to the leisure battery earth/negative. Also keep in the mind that the entire shell of the van is earthed, so you can use that also.
3. Not sure about that one, but Zig's aren't so great. for the same money you can make what you need from other components, that are often cheaper and are of better quality. A fuse box, split charge relay, battery level indicator, and battery charger if you need it.
4. It's better to wire straight into the fuse box. The 12v sockets aren't brilliant. Check the fridge for its rating, then fit a suitable fuse.
5. Yes, wire separately. Inverters normally have big thick cables. I attached mine straight ont the leisure battery terminals, without a fuse, as it has it's own internal fuse. The earth is the negative connection on 12v systems. So it earths itself when you connect the negative terminal.
6. You can use 1 switch no problem. You need to know the rating of the lights. If each light is 1 watt, you need a 4 watt fuse (5 in reality as I don't think you can get 4 watt fuses).
All the best
Darren
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figure out what sort of budget you have to spend on your electrics and how you plan to use your van.
do you need 240 volt supply or can you manage with just 12 volt. how are you going to light it, spot lamps, flourecent tubes, LED strips etc. will you have a fridge/tv/computer/heater etc.
if you're never going to be pulling up on a serviced pitch then there is little point in shelling out for the hardware to do it properly if you can get away with just hooking up a charger when you need it.
will a simple split charge relay do for your needs or will your budget stretch to a propper dc-dc charger.
my set up is very much budget. split charge relay, 110Ah batery and a 3 swith zig distribution panel with a battery meter. all my lighting is cheap RGB LED strip from ebay(pics in my gallery), but it does give colour options and dimming. TV is just an old 12v comuter monitor with a freview tuner (5v with a stepdown voltage reg) and a 3 way ciggy lighter adapter for running phone chargers and laptops. its cheap and simple. if the option to hook up to the mains is available then i run a 4 socket extesion reel with a breaker through the door, that can power the battery charger and i have an old pc power supply that can feed into the other side of the zig and power the lights an tv (and when its really cold a fan heater with a thermostat).
with more cash though you can have a much snazzyer setup that is much less clunky and much more integrated.