Blog

Vanlife Respectfully

There’s Nothing Like Traveling In A Camper Van For the most part, I’m thrilled to see vanlife becoming increasingly popular. There is nothing like traveling in a camper van! There is real magic in the alchemy of adventure, discovery, freedom and challenge that you experience living on the road and deep in the wilderness. With a van you can go just about anywhere – from culturally rich cities to wonderfully desolate deserts enjoying the excitement and novelty of travel right along side the the secure comforts of home. However, I’m one of many people who are deeply concerned about how some vanlifers are behaving and the consequences of that for all of us. Camping Respectfully We all need places to camp. That is the most fundamental requirement of vanlife – even more so than the vehicle itself! If we are not respectful of where and how we choose to camp we will no longer be welcome. The potential combination of increasing numbers of vanlifers with a reduction in available places to camp is a catastrophe in the making for all of us. So, this post is going to dive into some things to consider when camping. These are just my thoughts which are centered around respect. Ultimately, how you live and your decisions are entirely yours. The storyteller makes no choicesoon you will not hear his voicehis job is to shed lightand not to master– Robert Hunter, Terrapin Station Advocating for Vanlifers We hope to help galvanize the vanlife community around these issues and also advocate for more places to camp with Together We Van, the non-profit we’re starting up. For instance, we think it’s time to make public lands public again – even after dusk! There are tens of thousands of public spaces that “close” at night despite being paid for and maintained by public funds. These range from beach parking lots to recreational areas to hiking trailheads to marinas and more. In many cases these “closed hours” are established specifically to prohibit overnight camping in what would otherwise be a perfect place to overnight. However, it’s essential that, as a community, we don’t trash the places we’re asking to be welcomed into. By the way, if you’re interested in helping to get this effort off the ground, we’d love to hear from you. Don’t Camp Where You’re Not Welcome So, We’re Welcome More Places There are great apps like ParkAdvisor and iOverlander that can help you find places to camp just about anywhere – from paid campgrounds to reliable boondocking spots. I wrote another post about these apps and others. And, the longer you live vanlife, the better you will become at spotting potential campsites. The key is to only camp in places where you’re welcome. I certainly struggle with this as you can see my earlier “rant” about making public spaces public again. But, the bottom line is that we have a better chance of advocating for being welcomed into more places if we only camp in places we’re already welcome. Be A Good Neighbor The Golden Rule applies here. Wherever you camp treat it as if it was your town, your lake, your driveway, your parking lot or your anything. Also, try to fit in. Don’t be loud when everyone else is quiet. Don’t put out an awning and camp chairs in the Walmart parking lot. Definitely don’t leave any trash or, eh, fluids of any kind (grey water or worse). If you have a generator, only run it when it seems appropriate. Be kind! Support Businesses That Support Vanlife It’s well known that many businesses are welcoming to RV’ers and, by extension, vanlifers. Unfortunately, many of us have sort of taken this for granted and some of these stores are being forced to put up “no camping” signs because of people leaving trash and being disrespectful. Others are overstaying their welcome. A Walmart or a Crackle Barrel is a great place to camp overnight but it’s not a place to stay for many days for you or the store. If you do find yourself overnighting at these businesses please consider going into the store and purchasing some things. Leave It Better and Leave No Trace Whenever possible and ALWAYS when I camp in the wilderness, I try to leave the camp spot in better shape than when I arrived. It’s easy to pick up any garbage that is laying around or to address any damage any previous campers have done. When I’m doing this I often imagine what an impact we could have as a group if every vanlifer did this simple thing. I encourage you to learn about the seven principals of Leave No Trace which provide guidance to enjoy our natural world in a sustainable way that avoids human-created impacts. The principles have been adapted so they can be applied in your backyard or your backcountry. Matty Van Halen Talks About What Happens If We Don’t Get Our Act Together

Step-By-Step DIY Camper Van Conversion Process

One of the questions we get often is “how should I approach this build” or “what do you work on first” and many other versions of this same question. I refer to this as the sequencing of the build. So, in this post I’m going to walk you through my step-by-step approach to converting an empty cargo van into a capable tiny home on wheels. I’ve written many other posts about these various steps so there will be plenty of links to those. It’s somewhat specific to my Miles Van Camper build and your specific layout or approach may require you to shuffle these around a bit but hopefully, this is helpful to anyone making their own camper van for the first time. I’ve included 10 photos in at the bottom of the post that shows this transformation. I normally spend about three months on the process. After building out many vans ourselves, Josh and Zach launched our store to help other DIY and professional van builders find the very best parts. We’ve done the work of researching (and road testing) the best products for camper vans so you don’t have to. Our catalog of products is carefully curated so you can have confidence you’re getting the best stuff for your van. Phase 1: The Infrastructure In my builds, it’s actually quite a while before there is any building at all… 1. Cutting Holes! That’s a nice van you have there. Why don’t we start by cutting some giant holes in it! I like to jump right into the fire and start off the adventure with all the holes in the exterior of the van. For me it’s good to get this out of the way and, practically speaking, it’s much easier to clean up all the metal shavings when there isn’t anything in the van which you definitely want to do so they don’t stick around rusting away. By the way, there is another word for this stuff: swarf. Metal Swarf. I’ll be adding that to my ever-expanding list of rock band names. Anyway, in go the windows, vent fans, shore power inlet, water fill/city water inlet, and so on.  2. Grey Tank/Drains The van won’t be getting any lighter (or higher off the ground) during the build and every millimeter matters when you’re spending a day underneath your van so I’ll tackle the grey water tank next. This is one of my least favorite projects. These days it’s easier with a Promaster because of our awesome Promaster grey water tank. 3. Shower Pan Full-size showers/wet baths are controversial in camper vans – many think it’s a waste of space. Personally, it’s one of my favorite things in the van. Having a dedicated space to shower and do your toilet business in privacy is pretty great in my book. But, if you’re a pull-out-a-toilet-with-no-walls-around-it kind of person, you can skip right over this and wave to the other shoppers in the Walmart parking lot while sitting on your throne. At this point in the build, I will install my shower pan (on it’s platform) and plumb the drain into the grey tank. I like having this shower pan assembly directly on the van floor instead of on top of the subfloor to save that tiny bit of headroom. Plumbing the grey water tank vent is part of this process as well and requires yet another hole in the van. If you’re like me you’ll become increasingly comfortable with making holes in your van through the process – going from traumatic to just deeply uncomfortable. 4. Floor Insulation & Subfloor I like to get the plywood subfloor installed early into my builds so this happens next atop some insulation on the floor. The subfloor makes it a lot easier to work inside the van compared to the factory metal floor with all the ridges and what have you. 5. Propane? In my first two vans I used an horizontal, undermounted propane tank. Miles v3 didn’t need this since I switched to a Webasto gasoline powered heater instead the Propex propane heaters in the first vans. The tank was bolted through the floor so I wanted to get that done early in the process. I also rough in the gas lines to near where they will connect to the appliances. 6. Solar Panels It’s helpful to get the solar panels up on the roof next before insulating everywhere. If you’re attaching your panels to a roof rack you might do this later in the build but I’ve attached my panels directly to the roof so I need to drill holes for mounting them with either bolts or plus-nuts and bolts. 7. Insulation There are lots of ways to insulate your van but I prefer Thinsulate. It works great, easy to install and has a lot of other benefits.  Officially, we recommend installing Thinsulate with the white side towards the van sheet metal. This provides the best contact for resonance control of the metal panels. We also think this helps move moisture away from the skin should it occur there. Finally, the scrim (black part) helps keep dust/etc. out of the Thinsulate fibers when working through your build process. Some builders will also add Low-E as we detail in our post about insulating a van. 8. Primary Electrical Time to get the van juiced up! The “primary electrical” system is all the main components that make up the heart of an electrical system: batteries, inverter, solar charge controller and so on. It’s basically everything except the branch circuits (below) and the “loads” (things) they feed. I generally locate this underneath the bed area adjacent to the passenger wheel well. This step also includes connecting the van’s battery to a DC-DC charger for charging the battery bank when driving. If you’re daunted trying to design or install your electrical system, you’re at the right place. We have tons of great blog posts including example wiring diagrams. This page is a great place to start. We also have best price camper van electrical system bundles that will save you a bundle! 9. Rough-In Electrical System Branch Circuits I typically use a combined 12 volt DC and 120 volt AC load center like this one. Branch circuits are the wires that run from this load center to the various “loads” like lights, a refrigerator, fans, etc. Each branch circuit has either a fuse (for DC loads) or a circuit breaker (for AC loads). At this point in the build, I’ll run these wires close to where they’ll eventually be “terminated” to the actual device/outlet/thing. I know what you’re thinking – where’s the link to purchase the wire? We got you covered… It’s always a good idea to use protection – wire loom in this case, anywhere the wire might interact with any sharp edges in the van. By the way, this gizmo makes looming wire a million+ times easier. I didn’t know about it until my third build and I sure wish I did. You should also leave a little “slack” at each location so you can fine-tune it later. Finally, consider using conduits in places that might be tucked behind walls or other things to make it easier to upgrade, repair, replace, or add wires in the future. By the way, we have an electrical accessory bundle here that is a great way to get things like wire, shore power inlet, load center, fuses, etc. 10. Ceiling Panels I need to get the ceiling panels up before I move onto the next project of installing the air conditioner onto the roof. I always build a sort of frame to help support the weight of the air conditioner (see below). So that frame is built and then the ceiling panels are installed. The panels are made from 1/4″ luan type plywood that is eventually painted white. I need to add wooden supports/framing to fasten them to at the very front (just behind the cab area of the van) and at the very back in front of the rear cargo doors. Beyond that, they are fastened to the metal ribs of the van but, before I do, I use this foam tape on the ribs as a buffer between the metal and the wood panels. It’s both a small thermal break and a way to prevent any squeaks or rattles which I absolutely cannot stand. More on that later. Anyway, that foam tape is super helpful throughout the build. I also leave a small (1/8″ to 1/4″) gap between the wood panels where they meet. In general, I try to leave gaps between everything which are eventually covered up with some kind of trim or filled in with high-quality flexible caulking. In the case of the ceiling panels, the gaps get covered with trim material I make by ripping the same 1/4″ luan material with a table saw and then glue into place with silicone caulking. The whole idea here is to prevent stuff from smashing and rubbing against each other as the van travels down the road which would make irritating sounds. 11. Maxxfan & Rooftop Air Conditioner I’m revising this post in 2023. These days there are lots of great 12/24 and 48-volt DC air conditioner options. My current van has the Mabru 12,000 BTU unit which is vastly more energy efficient, quieter, and nicer looking than the older-style, 120-volt AC options. We also have this comparison spreadsheet. And, of course, every van needs a Maxxfan (or two). I prefer to have my AC unit in the front of the van and the Maxxfan in the rear, over my fixed bed. Even in the southeast USA, I tend to use the Maxxfan more throughout the year than the AC unit and it’s nice to have that right over the bed. Also, I don’t really like the AC blowing directly on me. Others have exactly the opposite preference! 12. Water Heater Going back to my love for showers in vans, having hot water is the key to keeping the flame alive. So, at this point in the build I’ll install my Isotemp marine-style water heater and connect it up to the engine’s coolant lines. The love-fest continues… This is the very best way to heat water in a camper van! I wrote a post about this water heater and how to install one and compared it to the propane-powered on-demand water heater in my first van build. The short version is that it’s like magic. When you drive – even for a short period of time – your water is heated by simply driving and stays hot for a long time. So in love am I that we now sell these Isotemp water heaters and you can even purchase it with a van installation kit! 13. Webasto Heater As I mentioned before I’ve used both the Propex propane heater and a Webasto gasoline heater. They both work great and are actually pretty similar in most ways but gasoline is much easier to find than propane and the tank is built right into your van (assuming it runs off gas). I wrote about my Webasto heater installation in this post. Probably even better, is this extensive video on tips for installing a Webasto heater. Another chance to get acquainted with the underbelly of your van! 14. Fresh Water Tank & Water Line Plumbing The last major infrastructure project is putting in the fresh water tank and rough plumbing of the lines for all the faucets, etc. as well as connecting up the cold water supply and hot water outlet from the water heater. The water fill door was installed waaay back when all the other holes were being cut. By the way, I hope you’re recovering from the trauma of that by now. I recommend Pex for your plumbing and getting (or borrowing) good tools! We sell many types of freshwater tanks designed for cargo vans and after installing many different brands and types of pumps, this one and its associated accumulator tank are our favorites. Phase 2: Building Finally the “building” part of the build begins! Generally speaking, I’ll be working my way from the rear of the van toward the front. 15. Bed Area My builds haven’t had the typical “garage” under the bed. Instead, there are two sets of drawers and a deep storage area that really helps keep things organized (here if you’re curious). Much of the infrastructure that has been installed is also located under the bed including the primary electrical system, water tank and lots of plumbing and wiring. The structure for the bed/loft area is a combination of the IKEA drawer units and wood framing. 16. Shower/Wet Bath Have I mentioned yet how much I love my shower/wet bath? I’ll gush a bit more. I have been traveling in camper vans for quite a long time…well before I had my vancy Promaster. Over the years I owned (and tweaked) three VW camper vans. Each was amazing but none of them had any sort of bathroom setup. There was no space and, in my first Westy, it probably would have reduced the top speed from 55 MPH to 35 making it even more terrifying to be on roads with modern vehicles. Anyway, when the Promaster showed up in my driveway, it was clearly big enough (and well powered enough) for this major upgrade. A clean, private hot shower anywhere you can take your van is a true luxury. OK, OK, enough already. You can read about how I made my wet bath here. If you want a shower but not a dedicated space, you might want to check out this folding shower option. 17. Front Wall Of Shower & Panels With the shower complete (I won’t say a thing) I can install all the panels on the front wall. That includes the inverter control panel Cerbo GX with Touch 50 screen, SeeLevel tank monitoring system. Some folks will also have various switches for lights, etc. 18. Flooring I like to wait as long as I can to put in my flooring so that I don’t have to bother with trying to protect it. For me this is a good time to install it. I’m far enough along but before I continue building stuff. I used Lonseal marine vinyl flooring in my last two builds – specifically the “Antique & Ivory” style. This product makes for a very durable attractive floor without any cracks or seams for dirt and water to get trapped into and it’s easy to keep clean too! Lonseal comes in 6′ wide rolls which isn’t enough to span across the van from driver to passenger side. In my case the galley cabinets cover the area where the flooring didn’t reach but you can seam two pieces of Lonseal together. I really love this flooring but not quite as much as the shower. 19. Refrigerator/Microwave Cabinet Next I turn my attention to the cabinet that houses my large refrigerator/freezer and microwave which is across the van from the wet bath on the driver side. The bottom of this cabinet has a door that allows access to the Isotemp water heater. I use IKEA cover panels to “skin” this cabinet so that it matches the finish of the IKEA cabinets which is next… 20. Galley Cabinets Next up is the installation of the IKEA galley cabinets. I’ve used them in three vans and they hold up remarkably well with some basic modifications. And, if you happen to screw up a drawer front (or other piece) you can stop at the next IKEA and replace it easily with minimal tools. I wrote a post about using IKEA cabinets in a camper van. 21: Wall Panels With most of the building blocks in place, I can now install all the wall panels. Like the ceiling panels, these are made from 1/4″ luan type plywood which is painted a color very similar to the plastic trim in the Promaster cab. The wall panels curve inward where they meet the ceiling panels which I think looks really nice and this material is just flexible enough to accomplish this curve while being strong enough to maintain its overall shape and feel sturdy. Rather than install wall panels toward the beginning of the process, I do this now so that I’m only covering areas that are visible in the build. For instance, there are no wall panels below the bed area or behind the galley cabinets. This reduces effort, materials and a little bit of weight. It also allows for the walls to remain partially open so that they can breathe. Making templates for all these panels can be crazy making but it’s worth the effort to get them shaped correctly. Many of my panels also have cut-outs for outlets and lights which certainly adds to the complexity. 22. Painting This is the moment everything seems to come together and start looking much more finished. All the wall and ceiling panels are painted, sanded, painted again, etc. It really is amazing what a coat of paint will do! 23. Lagun Table & Top Somewhere it is written that every camper van must have a Lagun table mount. See what I just did there? I wrote it… Anyway, mine is mounted on the side of the galley cabinets so when the cab seats are swiveled around the table can be used for eating and working. When not in use it swings out of the way over the top of the galley counter. 24. Cassette Toilet Installation Easy peasy. The Thetford Curve cassette toilet (er, Porta-Potti) can be purchased with a mounting plate which makes this job super easy and enables you to remove the toilet quickly for emptying, cleaning or an even more luxurious shower. How does it work? Way better than you’d ever expect actually. If you put in the proper chemicals and empty/clean it regularly you won’t smell anything even if you do the taboo number two. More on the toilet and recommendations on where to empty it in this post – toward the bottom. No pun intended. 25. Seat Swivels I like to save the installation of the seat swivels for the end. It’s a refreshingly easy project and I have the seats covered with large garbage bags for most of the build. In my first two vans I used the Sportscraft swivel but switched to the CTA swivel in the third build and I prefer it. These days (again, updating in 2023) I prefer the Scopema swivels which are the tried-and-true brand of aftermarket seat swivels. 26. Trim & Details The build wraps up with all the little details and trim work. Everything from cabinet hardware to cleaning and fine trim work. Phase 3: Shakedown Trip & Slaying Rattles A camper van is never really done but, at this point, it’s ready for the maiden voyage which is often referred to a “shakedown” trip. So, it’s time to move in and hit the road for the first time. I have a post about some of the awesome things that go inside the van and are worthy of the space they take up. Even though I do everything I can throughout the van build to minimize any squeaks or rattles inevitably there are a few to hunt down during the shakedown trip. I am pretty much obsessed with a quiet ride so this process typically involves my girlfriend driving and me wandering around the van like a mad man listening for tiny annoyances that it’s likely only I would notice and then fixing them. Sometimes, we’ll find a bumpy road or gnarly parking lot for this purpose. Normally, there are other small things to repair as well. So, I do what I can on the trip itself and keep a punch list of items to fix or improve when I’m back to where I have the right tools. Given how careful and perfectionist (blessing and a curse) I am during the build process, I can’t imagine what kind of build quality issues you’d have with a factory-built rig like a Winnebago. Anyway, it’s been my experience that even the best built vans need some fine tuning. Thanks for reading. One more thing about the shower… just kidding.

DIY Camper Van Electrical System Example (12V Internal BMS Batteries)

Example DIY Camper Van Electrical System Jump To Example Wiring Diagram Product Bundle For This System This post was originally published in September 2020 and is great for a system up to about 300-400 amp hours of battery storage. We update it occasionally. We highly recommend starting at this page to get a orientation on how to plan and design a mobile power system. You can also reach out to us at service@vanlifeoutfitters.com or call us at 754-444-8704 x2. This post includes a detailed wiring diagram and complete list of materials needed to put together a very reliable and robust electrical system for your camper van that is capable of extended off-grid adventures and powering just about anything you throw at it. FREE Camper Van Power System Resources & Wiring Diagrams If you’re confused about your DIY camper van electrical or solar system, you’ve come to the right place. We have tons of resources including blog posts, videos and detailed example wiring diagrams (see below). Our “choosing a system” page offers some additional advice and includes an example load calculation that you can use. Below are some of our example power systems for camper vans/RVs. The Victron-based systems all have a corresponding blog post, free detailed PDF example wiring diagram, and a corresponding best price product bundle. Ultimately, you’ll probably customize your system to your particular needs and perhaps combine ideas from one or more of the example systems. A baseline camper van electrical system (this blog!) that uses lithium batteries with internal battery management systems (BMS) such as Victron SuperPack, SOK, Epoch, Battleborn, etc. This is our most affordable and simple system as well as the most DIY friendly. A more advanced camper van electrical system that uses Victron Smart lithium batteries with an external BMS and a Cerbo GX for monitoring. This system is a bit more complex and more costly, but adds features and allows for more battery storage in the same physical footprint. If you use the Victron Lynx Smart BMS you can upgrade to a dedicated secondary alternator with a Wakespeed regulator in the future. A super powerful (fast-charging) system that uses a dedicated secondary alternator. This system is the most expensive but also the most off-grid capable. We also have 24-volt and 48-volt versions of this system! We also have a electrical system accessories bundle that has all the circuit protection, shore power, distribution, and wiring you’ll likely need, Please consider purchasing your power system equipment from our store. Our bundles offer great pricing (yeah, better than Amazon), free shipping and you’ll have access to expert support and you’ll be supporting our ability to create more content! Finally, there are a few things that we don’t sell in our store (yet!) that you might need so we keep a list of these products in this Google Sheet of recommended camper van products. Overview: 400 amp hours of lithium battery storage with built-in BMS 400 watts of rooftop solar 2400 watt inverter (up to 6000 watts surge) with 120 amp shore power charging capacity Integrated 12 volt DC and 120 volt AC load center 60 amps of alternator charging when driving/engine is running Optional pre-inverter shore power outlets Battery monitoring with Bluetooth It’s super important to realize that there are hundreds of ways of skinning this cat. How awful. We won’t be skinning cats and neither should you. Anyway, the point is that this information should be considered a guide not gospel. You certainly could build out this system exactly as detailed but I would recommend considering your particular needs and then adjusting accordingly. Also, wire lengths matter. This electrical diagram assumes that there is about a 20′ run from the vehicle battery back to the driver side wheel well where the “primary” electrical system is installed. What I mean by “primary” is most of the stuff you see on the wiring diagram – all the main parts but not the “branch circuits” that power the actual loads in the van like lights and fans, etc. It also assumes all those components are close together – not more than 5 (ish) feet of cable run between them. If your actual setup is different than this you need to adjust the wire gauge (AWG) accordingly. The Blue Sea Circuit Wizard is a great tool for understanding what gauge wire you need. You put in the load in amps, the length of the cable run and how long it will be running in minutes and it will tell you the correct gauge. I favor “over gauging” in general. Wire is pretty inexpensive relative to the other parts. In this wiring diagram I have also over gauged to keep it a bit more simple so that you don’t need so many types/gauges of wires and lugs and so on. Speaking of wiring… you’ll probably use wire loom to protect your wires when you run them in areas they might be damaged by rubbing against stuff. So, let me introduce you to this “wire loom insertion tool“. It’s pretty much a game changer. Why A 50 Amp Breaker?! With most 2000 or 3000 watt inverters you would match the shore power’s 30 amp inlet on the output side. However, Victron Multiplus inverters have a unique feature -they will actually supplement the utility power coming in from the shore power plug with their inverted power – up to 3000 additional watts. So, if you manage to have enough stuff running in your van to exceed the 30 amp service from the shore power, the inverter would actually fill in the gap instead of tripping the shore power breaker. So, while this is not likely to happen unless you’re running some kind of crazy loads in your rig, it’s important to provide circuit protection and adequate wiring “just in case”. Therefore this wiring diagram calls for a 50 amp breaker downstream from the inverter with 6 AWG wire instead of a more “typical” 30 amp breaker with 10 AWG wire. Inverter Wattage If you look closely at the specs of the Victron Multiplus inverters they don’t actually support continuous 2000 or 3000 watts respectively. This isn’t important but it can be a bit confusing because of how they’re named. The MultiPlus 12/3000/120 outputs 2400 watt continuous output at 77 degrees, 2200 watts at 104 degrees and surge up to 6000 watts. The MultiPlus 12/2000/80 outputs 1600 watt continuous output at 77 degrees, 1450 watts at 104 degrees and surges up to 4000 watts. Victron MultiPlus Inverter/Charger Configuation Once you get your system all wired up you’ll need to configure/program the MultiPlus to, at minimum, work with the batteries you’ve chosen and maybe tweak a few of the other settings. We have another post on how to do that. A Little Battery Update (January 2025)In addition to the complexity, the other pain point around electrical systems is how expensive they are. In particular, the leading brands of lithium batteries such as the Victron batteries we show in our example and other popular brands like Battleborn are very expensive – about $1,000 per 100 amp hours. It’s a classic sort of “pay for what you get” scenario and there are good reasons to purchase the highest quality components. For example, the are excellent quality, designed to last for many years with 10 year (!) warranties. But, the truth is that not every van build needs the very best batteries and there are well-made alternatives that are just about half the price! In some cases, having more capacity (amp hours of stored energy) may be better than more longevity. You can ask yourself, do I want to run the stuff in my van twice as long for a few years or half as long for a decade? Anyway, Will Prowse made an excellent video testing out well-built but lower cost lithium batteries that is worth checking out. One example is the SOK battery in our store. Wiring Diagrams Follow this link to gain access to our library of FREE Camper Van Electrical System Wiring Diagrams. Use the PDF files to print/zoom in. After following the link, open the Vanlife Outfitters 12V Internal BMS (Basic) Wiring Diagram to view an example with a BMV-712 battery monitor and simple Multiplus control options. After following the link, open the Vanlife Outfitters 12V Internal BMS (Advanced) Wiring Diagram to view an example with a Lynx Shunt and Cerbo GX communication center. If you have AC loads that should ONLY be powered by shore (utility) power, (not inverted AC power), you can use the “AC out 2” connections on the MultiPlus inverter/charger which is only “live” when shore power is available. One good example of this would be an AC/DC refrigerator. Many of those will “default” to AC power when it’s available. If you wired up an outlet near your refrigerator that was powered by the inverter, the fridge would switch to that source of power anytime the inverter was on (inverting) which is less energy efficient that it continuing to run off the 12 volt DC power. If, instead you wire up that AC outlet that feeds the refrigerator, it will only run off the AC power when you have shore/utility power. If You’re Using a Renogy DC-DC Charger Instead of the Victron Orion Units Unlike some other battery-to-battery charging products that sense voltage and trigger the charging based on that, the Renogy DC to DC charger (or battery-to-battery charger) that I used requires you to connect up a 12 volt positive “signal wire” from the vehicle’s ignition switch so that it only charges from the van (vehicle) battery when the ignition is turned on. Without this ignition trigger on this unit or the voltage sensing on others, the battery-to-battery charger could easily drain the van battery since the battery-to-battery charger would be pulling current without the alternator providing a charge. After some research I discovered that some Promaster vans (2016 or newer I think) have a “Upfitter Connector” on the passenger side “pillar” which is that area just behind the passenger seat where the seat belt connects to the van wall. If you remove the black plastic trim at the bottom of this “pillar” you’ll see a white multi-pin connector (photo below). This is the “upfitter connection” that provides a variety of connection points for the Promaster in one spot. This PDF file (Promaster Upfitter Connector Diagram PDF) details this connector including what each pin on the connector is/does. Turns out that pin #13 is an “ignition feed” that has 12 volt positive when the ignition switch is on. So, I used this to be the “trigger” for the Renogy DC to DC charger. Note: if you have an older ProMaster that does not have this upfitter connection you can consider splicing into the cab area cigarette lighter wiring as detailed in this post. Another option is to use a “tap a fuse” type splitter on fuse #31 in the Promaster fuse block (below the steering wheel). The photo shows this location. These things allow you to maintain the fusing for the original circuit but tap into that fuse location for a second circuit. In this case you’d use a 5 amp fuse for each. Close Up Shot of Promaster Van Upfitter Connector with Pin #13 Connected: In order to do this, I had to order the correct, “male” version of this connector (part number 1-480710-0) as well as the “pin” itself (part number 350218-1). The way this works is that you solder the correct wire to an empty pin and then insert that pin into the correct position on the connector thus allowing you to access and wire up a variety of things to this upfitter connector. These parts are pretty inexpensive so I bought a few with the expectation that I’d destroy a few figuring out how this all works. I’m glad I did because I did indeed destroy a few experimenting. Ultimately, it’s not difficult but finding the right parts and how they fit together took some time. So hopefully this saves you that time! Soldering the Wire to the Pin: The wire coming out of pin #13 on the Upfitter Connector runs back to the rear passenger side wheel well where the primary electrical system is installed and is connected to the Renogy DC to DC charger on a terminal labeled “D+”. Below is a photo of this connection: Next I had to configure the Renogy DC to DC charger to correctly charge the lithium batteries using the DIP switches pictured above. The manual for this Renogy DC to DC charger is really bad and the section on setting up the DIP switches is complete gibberish. I gave up on it pretty quickly and called into Renogy support. The correct DIP switch settings for charging lithium batteries with the Renogy DC to DC charger is: Switch #1: Off Switch #2: On Switch #3: On Switch #4: On Switch #5: Off Turning On The LED Lights On The Lynx Distributor There are LED lights on the Lynx Distributor that indicate if each of the circuits is live (the fuse isn’t blown). They light up green when it’s good and red when it’s not. These lights are normally powered when the Lynx Distributor is paired up with the Victron Lynx Shunt but you don’t need that if you use the “better-for-vanlife” (my opinion) BMV-712 battery monitor (listed above) which has it’s own shunt for monitoring. So, if you don’t want to buy that hardware but do want the fancy lights, you can “hack” the lights with a 12 volt DC to 5 volt DC converter and an RJ11 “phone style” connector. This will provide the 5 volt power the LED lights need to fire up. Below is an illustration on how you’d do this – at your own risk, of course.

My Favorite Vanlife and Travel Apps

Installing a Webasto Gasoline Heater in a Camper Van

This post was originally written in early 2020, and it documented a Webasto installation process from the summer of 2019. We highly recommend that you check out our newer installation and tips video post here. This updated version of the article starts below with a “preamble” of all the stuff I didn’t know and then dives into how to install a Webasto heater into a Promaster van. You can jump to that section if you want to skip the preamble. There is also an installation tips and advice section that you can jump to. We Started a Web Store and We Sell Webasto Heaters In late 2020, we launched the store here on Vanlife Outfitters. The goal of the store is to help DIY van builders by selling the best products available at reasonable prices, and obviously, one of the best things for a camper van is a Webasto heater! But, why would you buy from us instead of purchasing the heater from Russia for half the price? I’ll give you some context on that in this preamble and let you decide for yourself. Again, you can jump right into the actual installation if you’d like. As part of launching the store, I set out to find an authorized distributor for Webasto products and discovered VMACS (short for Virgina Mobile Air Conditioning Systems). They have been selling and supporting Webasto products for 20 years. I could tell immediately how knowledgeable Scott at VMACS was about the products, and he was also excited to support the vanlife community! By partnering with VMACS we can not only offer you the entire line of Webasto products (in-stock for quick shipping), but also back that up with the absolute best service from true experts during your installation and service/advice when you’re out on the road with any issues. More on warranty service below. We also felt that there was a lot of room for improving the buying experience. Purchasing a Webasto heater was way too confusing. The information presented by retailers seemed to be coded in “Webasto-speak,” nothing was consistent or clear and the descriptions were filled with part numbers that had to be deciphered. So it was always a mystery what you’d get in the box which was exaggerated by the wide variances in pricing that left you guessing why one thing was so much more expensive than another. Especially if that one thing was from Russia. More on that later too. Then there was the issue of trust and service. Who could you buy from that you had confidence would support you and understand the camper van customer? We think we’ve addressed these “pain points” with our store and the partnership we have established with VMACS. We have developed kits specifically for vanlifers converting Promasters, Sprinters or Transit vans. Each kit has is clearly described and details everything that comes in the box. We’ve also added other Webasto parts that are compatible with the Air Top series heaters including ducting, vents, digital controllers, etc. to help you complete your installation with ease. All The Things I Didn’t Know Could Fill A Blog Post! Working with Scott at VMACS sure opened my eyes! So much of the information about Webasto heaters on the internets is either entirely or partially incorrect and I’m afraid my blog was no exception. However, to be fair, Webasto does a lousy job of communicating and there are very few Webasto distributors who are really focused on the vanlife community. So, a lot of well-meaning folks (like me) have been perpetuating myths. We’re going to be doing our best to get reliable information to the vanlife community and updating our content as we learn things! High Altitude Information The Air Top 2000 STC is Webasto's smallest heater which is a great form factor for a camper van and is generally plenty powerful to keep you warm (2 kilowatt heating capacity). However, the small burner on these heaters is susceptible to excessive carbon build up - particularly the gasoline models. Webasto has designed the heater to work optimally up to 4,900 feet altitude. If you're going to be spending a lot of time at higher elevations you should consider the Air Top 2000 STC (Altitude Adjusted gasoline or diesel) heaters that has been professionally pre-adjusted to work at up to 6,400 feet, or even the larger EVO 40 heater (4 kilowatt heating capacity). The gasoline EVO 40 can be used at up to 7,200 feet, and the diesel EVO 40 can be used at up to 18,000 feet! The EVO 40 is physically larger and therefore has a larger burner chamber, which reduces the risk of carbon buildup issues, and it has "automatic" altitude adjustment capability. So, while the Air Top 2000 STC will work at higher altitudes for shorter periods of time, Webasto does not recommend it and, if you do, you should run the heater at "full load" (turned up all the way) when you return to lower altitudes for at least a few hours in order to try to clean out the burner chamber. Want to learn more? Please check out this post for more information. We also recorded a one hour video interview with a Webasto tech that has a lot of great information. You can watch the full video or use this link to jump to the part of the video where we discuss using an Air Top 2000 STC at altitude. High Altitude Mode “Hack”In my original post, I wrote about how to put a Webasto heater into this mode. If you’re interested, I kept the procedure below. But, what I didn’t know is that Webasto doesn’t actually recommend doing this because it’s almost never necessary and you can’t do it “correctly” (according to approved procedure) without using a Co2 meter and the having training to do so. If you’re curious, here’s a PDF of page 603 of the Webasto Air Top Workshop Guide that details the official procedure for high altitude mode. Importantly, it states that you should be making that adjustment when you’re at the specific altitude you wish to calibrate for rather than an arbitrary adjustment. In my case, I was setting the “high altitude” mode at sea level in Florida, which is pretty funny in hindsight. Why Were We Doing This?People (like myself and Far Out Ride) have recommended fiddling with this “high altitude” mode to minimize carbon build up. However, my current understanding is that this isn’t necessary under normal operating conditions. In fact, without proper calibration, it’s possible that “hacking” the high altitude settings might actually backfire and result in more carbon build up. There are other tips such as running the heater at “full load” for long periods of time, which delivers the highest airflow through the combustion chamber to help blow out any carbon. What About The Russians? When I ordered my Webasto Air Top 2000 STC from Russia back in 2019, did it come with love? Well, kinda. The heater shipped quickly and arrived in brand-new condition. I installed it and have used it for over a year with no issues at all. So, the experience wasn’t bad at all and the unit was a genuine Webasto. No problems so far. However, I always wondered how Heaters4You could sell these for less than half the price of anyone else. Back then, I was too busy building a van to find the answer, but now that I’m working with a reputable USA distributor and know what’s going on, the answer is too important not to share! So, let me break it down starting with how it affects you – the van builder – and then get into the unfortunate consequences this has on legitimate Webasto dealers. What’s Wrong With The Russian Kits For Van Builders? First of all, you’re not getting the same stuff you would in a North American kit. As I wrote before, one of our goals is to make it more clear what you’re buying by decoding the confusing Webasto product line-up and detailing everything as much as possible in our store. Going through this process I found the following differences between what I received in the Russian market kit from Heaters4You and what is supplied in the proper North American kits we sell. By the way, here’s a detailed video comparing what is included in the Russian heater box versus the North American box. The air intake hose I received was plastic instead of the aluminum hose supplied with the North American units. The North American heaters do not come with the black plastic air intake silencer, but my Russian heater did. This along with the combustion air silencer are available in our installation kit add-ons. My heater did not include a fuel filter! In hindsight this seems so important and I will be ordering that and installing it where it belongs – just after the fuel port/pickup inside the Promaster fuel tank access panel. That's another $20-something. I also did not receive the standard mounting plate that comes with the North American heaters. I ended up purchasing one which is quite similar, but actually makes the installation a bit more difficult. If you buy a North American kit you get this mounting plate ($25) and this foam gasket ($20) that seals the plate to the van floor. I received the “old style” fuel pump mounting bracket, which is a rubber coated metal bracket that tends to transfer the “ticking” sound that the fuel pump makes when running more than the newer style ($15) which is all rubber except for the mounting hole making it quieter. The wiring harness in my kit was visually different and did not have any wire loom. All that adds up to about $90 in missing parts but some things, like a missing fuel filter, could cause you other headaches. The other potential problem is that many of the North American components are not compatible with the European/Russian units. Some examples: European heaters have different programming than North American heaters making all digital controllers partially incompatible or completely incompatible between European heaters and North American heaters European heaters have different wiring harnesses than North American heaters making it impossible to physically connect North American Accessories including some controllers The Multi-Control for Air Heaters is specifically a European control, therefore replacements of any wiring harnesses connecting to a Multi-control or replacement Multi-Controls controllers must be obtained from a European source. Russian heaters are frequently packed with the wrong wiring harness for the control upgrade to a Multi-control I would love to hear from you if you ordered a Russian kit and had a different experience or received different parts that what I described. No Warranty Example of the serial number sticker of a Russian Webasto unit. I knew that buying from Russia meant that my heater wouldn’t have a warranty in the USA. In fact, it says as much right on the serial number sticker. However, at the time, I had heard that Webasto warranty service wasn’t that great AND I could literally buy two units for the cost of one single North American one. The latter is still true (with the caveats), but it turns out that having a warranty is more valuable than I thought if you buy from the right distributor. Not All Distributors Fully Support DIY InstallersI think the reason I had heard Webasto warranty service wasn’t great is because not all authorized distributors are willing to fully support DIY installers.  There is a myth on the internets that if you install a Webasto heater yourself it will void the warranty. That’s not true but it may be sort of effectively true if you buy from some distributors. Many distributors are reluctant to support DIY installations because it’s difficult and risky. It can be really hard to troubleshoot issues with DIY installations that vary so widely and might have been done incorrectly. Also, any replacement parts sent out under warranty come from that distributor’s stock and they are only reimbursed if the customer sends back any faulty parts – which doesn’t always happen – and, even if they do, it can take more than a month for Webasto to complete these claims. If you buy from us (fulfilled by VMACS), you can be assured that you’ll be fully supported as a DIY builder. Since that is our primary customer, this was critical to us and one of the reasons we didn’t want to become a Webasto distributor directly. They maintain a significant amount of products and replacement parts in-stock. If you experience a problem with your Webasto unit within the warranty period, they will work with you to determine the cause of failure and will either attempt to give instruction on how to correct any faulty workmanship or supply a replacement part. If a replacement part is needed they will send you the part immediately from their stock at no charge so that you can get up and running as quickly as possible. Of course, they rely on you to return any faulty parts in order to be reimbursed for the warranty repair. Not all Webasto distributors won’t do this. So, How Can The Russians Sell Them So Cheap? Well, nobody really knows for sure. But, here’s my take on the situation based on the little bit I know. None of this is official of course, I’m just reading between the lines. Webasto must offer distributors in Russia very low pricing…So low that they can actually make a profit reselling the units they receive for the prices you see (about $560 last I checked). But, what I do know is that they are specifically prohibited from selling these outside of Russia which, of course, they are doing at volume. So, that’s pretty shady. Will Webasto eventually trace these Russian units that are “leaking” into the so-called free world? Maybe? The Russian Impact On Local Dealers Pretty simple: they’re getting screwed by a wildly uneven playing field. A legitimate North American distributor’s wholesale cost (when purchasing at huge volumes) is more than Heaters4You is selling them to end users. It’s literally impossible for them to compete on price so they are loosing a lot of business unfairly.  These distributors are typically small, locally owned businesses and this impact is very real for them. Bottom Line At the end of the day, the truth is that it does cost twice as much to buy a Webasto heater from a proper North American seller like ourselves. So, if all you can afford is the Russian units, I totally understand. In my view, a real Webasto heater, even from Russia, with all the caveats, is still a better option than a cheap Chinese heater, which are rife with all kinds of issues – some of which could kill you. But, if you do have the means to buy from a North American seller I would highly encourage you to do so. What About Amazon? We all love Amazon and fast Prime shipping, so what’s the deal with them? If you do a search from the USA on Amazon for Webasto Air Top 2000 you’ll likely see some knock off Chinese heaters and then a bunch of genuine Webasto stuff but all from poorly rated sellers and ones like Butler Technik. This means that you’re getting a European unit that is not compatible with many of the North American parts just like the Russian kits. See the photo below where I have highlighted with a blue outline the MultiControl controller in their kit and the bullet point about how they are a UK distributor. And what exactly does the phrase “genuine UK dealer guaranteed replacement heater” mean? You will have a valid warranty but any support or parts will have to come from the UK through them (Butler Technik) and you won’t be able to have any service in the USA because of the compatibility issues. OK, Finally… The Installation Part In my first two builds (Miles v1 and Miles v2) I used a Propex furnaces and with a under-mounted propane tank. These worked great but, I wanted to eliminate the propane tank from my third build (Miles v3) to simplify things. What I Used My heater system is based around the Webasto Air Top STC. This heater comes in both a diesel or gasoline (petrol) version. Since my Promaster uses gasoline I used the gas version. Recommended Parts: A Webasto Air Top 2000 STC heater plus the fuel line tapping add-on for either Promasters/Sprinters or Ford Transits. We also recommend the intake and exhaust silencer add-ons. If you read the preamble to this post, you’ll see that I purchased my Webasto from Heaters4You because I didn’t know any better! That required me to purchase some extra parts separately like a mounting plate. The North American kits we sell come with these things. 2x – Webasto 60mm louvers/vents. I wanted these for the cabinet that Webasto is installed; one for air inlet and another for the heated air outflow. You may not need these. 1x – meter of 60mm ducting that connects the heated air outflow to the louver/vent. The kits above come with the standard rheostat-style controller. If you want to have a digital controller that can be programmed you might want start with a kit with a SmarTemp controller. Or upgrade your existing air hear, and we include this as an option in ours store. Note that many of the Russian/European Webasto units are sold with a MultiControl controller. This is NOT compatible with the North American heaters. So the only “upgraded” (digital) controller is the SmarTemp controller. Conversely, if you have a European/Russian unit you cannot use the SmarTemp controller. Another great feature of the SmarTemp controller is that it has a temperature sensor built in. More on that below… Temperature SensingThe rheostat-style controller included with the Webasto Air Top 2000 STC heater does not have a temperature sensor in the controller. Instead, the heater itself has a temperature sensor located in the cool air intake. Since warm air rises and most people install their Webasto onto the floor of their van, the built-in temperature sensor is monitoring the considerably cooler/lower air. So, you might consider adding the remote/room temp sensor that can be located wherever you want the temperature to be monitored. Installation is simple – it just plugs into a connector on the heater unit’s wiring harness. If you upgrade to the SmarTemp controller it has a temp sensor built in so you don’t need a remote/room temp sensor.  Installation Guide Installation Guide PDF Other Parts You Might Need For Your Installation We also sell a variety of helpful installation parts including ducting to mounting plates. If you plan on having more than one vent/louver from your heater's hot air outlet, you may want some "T" or "Y" fittings or ducting. This PDF file illustrates all the parts available from Webasto for this purpose which we can special order for you and you can check out our ducting/vent configuration tool. Anytime you’re using a combustion device like a Webasto heater or others, I highly recommend installing a carbon monoxide detector in your van. I normally use something like this one that is also an propane gas detector. Location The Webasto is installed in the same place that I put my Propex heater in the first two builds – directly behind the driver seat on the floor. The Webasto Air Top STC manual makes it clear that there needs to be an airtight seal between the bottom of the heater and the surface it’s attached to. I wanted to install the heater directly on the metal van floor rather than the plywood subfloor. So, I cut out a section of the subfloor for the heater. However, the van floor is NOT flat in this area – there are the structural corrugations in that spot which is where the mounting plate comes in. In addition, the bolts that come with the Webasto to mount it to the surface are pretty short. Also, I wanted a way to remote the heater from inside the van with relative ease if (when) it needed service. So, I decided to fasten the heater to the mounting plate and then attach the mounting plate to 1″ tube steel that I painted black. NOTE: had I received a North American heater it would have come with this mounting plate that couples up with this gasket to seal with the floor – even if it is uneven like the spot I located my heater. It also comes with longer bolts. So, this part of the installation would be much easier. That assembly or “sandwich”, from top to bottom, is made up of the heater, the rubber gasket, the mounting plate and then the tube steel. You can see that the mounting bolts for the Webasto are “below” the bottom of the tube steel. This allows the entire assembly to be fastened through the van floor with 4x screws that are placed on the far edges of each piece of tube steel. This means that, if (when) I need to pull out the heater, I can remove the clamps holding the heater’s combustion air hoses, disconnect wiring and the fuel line from below, remove the screws holding the assembly to the floor and then pull that entire thing up. Inside The VanBelow is a photo of my installation from above. You’ll see the heater itself mounted on the metal van floor using the mounting plate (details above). Eventually, I would box this in so that it sort of lines up with my galley cabinetry. Below The VanPictured below is what this all looks like from underneath the van. In this photo you can see the combustion air intake hose with it’s “silencer”, the combustion air exhaust hose and the fuel line and fuel pump for the heater. Once I had the heater “assembly” (above) built, I attached the combustion air intake (plastic hose) and combustion exhaust (stainless steel hose) to their respective connections on the bottom of the heater. I chose to add some high-temperature silicone on these connections to ensure they are full sealed and that no combustion exhaust leaked into my van. There is some wiring that comes out from combustion air intake connection and a “slot” in that connector. This wiring connects to the fuel pump and the slot allows you to route the wire “outside” of the intake hose itself. It’s an odd setup. Below is a photo of the connections on the bottom of the Webasto heater. Next, I prepared to mount the heater “assembly” including the hoses to the floor. The Webasto comes with a paper template for locating where the holes should go including the combustion air intake and exhaust hoses, fuel line connector and the 4x mounting bolts. Since I was not using the 4x mounting bolts (heater was already mounted), I marked the locations for the holes which were the combustion intake and exhaust and fuel line. In addition, I marked another hole location for the wiring that would supply power to the fuel pump which I put directly adjacent to the combustion air inlet hole since this wire comes through it’s “slot” in that location. Once marked, it’s a good idea to double check that the heater will fit in the spot you want to put it before you drill those holes! I also recommend drilling a small “pilot” hole in the center of one of the combustion hose locations so that you can go below the van and “see” where these hoses (and the other connections) will down there so that you can make sure there is adequate access. I confirmed all of this and then drilled each of these 4x holes in the van floor. This was difficult at times since a few of the hole locations “spanned” a floor rib. With the floor holes drilled, I was able to push the combustion intake and exhaust hoses through the floor and drop the heater “assembly” into place on the metal van floor and screw down the entire assembly from above through the tube steel. Next, I moved onto the gasoline fuel line. Very conveniently, there is a built-in auxiliary fuel pickup on Promaster vans! To access this port, you remove the floor panel that is between the seats in the cab. Underneath this panel you’ll see something like the following. There is a sort of “cap” on the auxiliary pickup that comes off easily enough. From there it’s simple to “snap on” the Doorman Fuel Line Connector. The Webasto kit that I ordered came with fuel hose and some slightly larger sections of hose that the smaller fuel hose can slide onto. These larger bits of hose act as “couplers” and one of these can be used to connect the outlet on the Doorman connector to the fuel line. The kit also included plenty of clamps. From there, the fuel hose curves around the front section of the fuel area and then down below the van toward the pump. This area is “open” to the elements so there is no need to drill any holes and the hose is rigid enough to simply poke through this area from the top and then be able to find that hose from below the van to pull it into the location where you’ll be installing your fuel pump. I ran the fuel hose inside blue, 3/8″ plastic tubing that I had leftover from another project which serves as a sort of conduit to protect the fuel hose itself. At this point I spend some (more) time under the van! First I chose a place for the fuel pump and installed it. The kit comes with a clamp for the pump and I used a #10 stainless steel self-tapping screw to fasten it to a support beam. Then I routed the fuel line to the pump and also connected the pump’s outlet to the fuel inlet on the Webasto itself. I decided to “prime” the fuel line that ran from the van’s gas tank down to the Webasto pump. I did this by simply sucking on the fuel line until the gas flowed out. Try not to do that. Gasoline is a horrible thing to have in your mouth! I also routed the fuel pump’s electrical wires to the pump. All of the fuel lines and wires are protected in wire loom. Next, I mounted the combustion air inlet “silencer” that was provided with the kit, cut the plastic hose to the correct length and connected it to the silencer. Then I routed the stainless steel combustion exhaust hose away from the heater and to the driver side of the van. It is important that there are no low points or dips in the path of this hose where water from the exhaust vapor can collect. If there are low points, it’s recommended that you drill a 3/16″ hole at the bottom of the hose at each low point to let water escape. I tried to route my hose so that it sloped evenly down to the side of the van. You also want to create a downward bend in the hose where it meets the van sidewall as shown below. Note: you should make sure that there is some distance between the combustion air intake hose and the combustion exhaust hose and that these face away from each other. With all the hoses and wiring routed, I sealed up all of the holes from below the van. I sealed around the combustion exhaust with High Temperature RTV Silicone and the other holes with Loctite Marine Sealant. When the sealants were dry, I sprayed them with grey primer. Back inside the van, I turned my attention to wiring up the heater. The gaggle of wires that come with the Webasto seem very confusing when you first encounter them. Or at least they did for me! However, once I began laying out the wires in the relative direction they were going to go (i.e.: toward the fuel pump, up toward the rheostat controller, etc.), the wiring harness started to make more sense and since each connector is unique it made it easier to determine which “lead” went to which device/part. Once I had a sense of how the wiring harness worked, I removed the access panel from the top/front of the heater to connect up the main, 18-pin electrical connector to the corresponding connection inside the heater. Then I connected the analog, rheostat-style controller that came with my kit to the cable that extends from the wiring harness. The wiring for the controller is sufficiently long to place it pretty much wherever you’d like it. In my case, the controller was mounted just above the heater, behind the driver seat a bit forward of my galley area. None of that stuff was installed yet so, at this time, I just laid the controller on the driver seat. Finally, I connected up 12VDC power wires to a temporary supply cable that I had run from by battery bank. On the Webasto wiring harness, the red wire is positive, brown is negative and it comes with a built-in fuse. To wrap things up, I also put on the plastic protective “screen” that covers the air inlet on the “back” side of the heater (opposite the hot air outlet). Turning It On Yay! The moment of truth! With everything seemingly ready, I turned the knob on the rheostat all the way to 11. It was summer in Florida (a million degrees) so I wasn’t sure it would turn on at all but it seems that the turning the knob up to 11 (all the way to the right/fully clockwise) forces the heater to turn on even if it is summer in Florida. When first powered on, the Webasto turns on the fan at a slow speed and then, after about 30 seconds or a minute (never timed it), you can hear the pump engage (making a clicking sound) and shortly after that the heater should turn on with the fan increasing in speed once there is combustion. Notably, whenever the heater is “on” and regardless of where the controller’s rheostat knob is set, the fan will run at low speed constantly. When I turned on the heater I heard the fan and eventually the pump engage but it did not start. So, I turned it off and then on again to repeat the sequence. I did this about three times and eventually it stopped running and the green LED on the controller knob started flashing indicating that there was a fault. Below is a screenshot from page 75 in the manual that details the various faults and how to read them. Basically, when there is a fault, that green LED on the rheostat-style controller will blink 5 times quickly and then will come on for a series of longer flashes. In my case there was one of these longer flashes which was the pattern for the “no start (no flame formation)” fault. That pretty much lined up with my theory that the gasoline wasn’t making its way to the heater. To “clear” a fault, according to the manual you, “briefly switch the heater on and off (at least 2 seconds) to reset fault lockout”. I did this and after another attempt, the heater actually fired up and hot air starting coming out! High Altitude Mode “Hack” High Altitude Mode & Why I Recommend It For Everyone I have intentionally re-characterized this as a “hack” because of the reasons I wrote about in the preamble of this post. I don’t actually recommend this anymore however, I’ll leave this here for anyone who wants to know the procedure but do take it with some grains of salt. If you want to know about the actual factory recommended procedure and have a C02 meter handy, here is a PDF of page 603 of the Webasto Air Top Workshop Manual that details the process. Note: you need the standard, rheostat-type “controller” to put the heater in “high altitude mode”. So, here’s how to do it: In the main wiring harness, there is a wire that you need to “ground” in order to change the mode. It seems that Webasto changes the colors of their wires sometimes so, from the main wiring harness (that connects up to the heater), you should look for a two-wire “pigtail” with either a brown and green wire or a red and gray wire (mine was the brown/green combo). It’s pretty far down the wiring harness – far away from where the harness connects to the heater. Once you find that proceed with the steps below. First, you’ll want to connect the brown (or gray) wire to “ground”. For example, you’d take a length of cable that is temporarily spliced/connected to the brown (or gray) wire and connect the other end to either bare metal on the van (ground) or the ground terminal on your van or camper battery. Turn on the heater and set the knob on the controller to the 12:00 position. After a few moments, the green LED on the controller will begin to flash. At this point turn the controller knob to the 9:00 position. Note: From what I can tell, this is the part that diverges from Webasto’s official procedure. It seems like the “9:00 position” is a sort of random adjustment. Keep the heater running with the controller knob set to 9:00 for 3 minutes. While the heater is running, remove the brown (or gray) wire from whichever “ground” you have it connected to.   The following chart shows the altitude capabilities of the various Webasto heaters: How Does It Work? For many months after I completed the van I was in Florida and it wasn’t cold enough to test. But in early December, 2019, we left for a two-month trip from Florida to California and onward to Colorado. Of course, we took the “southern route” since it was winter but we encountered plenty of cold (for Floridians) nights along the way. So, we ended up running the heater most nights in most places. Overall the heater performed awesome. It heated the van quickly and efficiently. Many people complain about how loud it is but I didn’t find it any louder than the Propex heaters I had used in the past. The one notable difference in sound is that, with the Webasto, you hear a “click, click, click” sound when the fuel pump is running whereas there is no need for a fuel pump with a propane heater. Both the Webasto and Propex have a fairly loud exhaust sound if you’re outside near that area of the van but, with my well-insulated van, I don’t hear that inside. However, it is something you should be aware of and “listen to” if you have these heaters to know how it might affect your camping neighbors. We camped at State Parks, National Parks, Walmarts, back roads, BLM land, urban streets and everything in between and never had an issue with the sounds inside or outside. Toward the end of that trip, we drove from northern California to Colorado in late January 2020 where the bitter cold pushed the limits of the Webasto heater. Our coldest night was in Wyoming where the outside temperatures dipped to -15 degrees Fahrenheit. The heater ran constantly but it wasn’t enough to stay warm. During those really cold nights across the high plains, my experience was that the heater could make the inside of the van about 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than outside temperatures. So, even if it’s literally freezing outside (32 degrees Fahrenheit), that’s plenty to stay comfortable. But, when it’s ridiculously cold it couldn’t keep up. For some context, my van has 3/8″ closed cell foam insulation on the floor and 3M Thinsulate throughout the walls and ceiling. So, it’s pretty well insulated. However, in addition to the cab windows, I have a CR Laurence T-Vent window in the slider door and 2x Motion windows in the rear doors. The cab windows have insulated covers but the other three windows only have roller shades. It’s well known that the greatest area of thermal loss in a camper van is the windows. So, with less windows or perhaps insulated window coverings for the slider and rear windows, the Webasto might have performed even better. I was also impressed with the fuel efficiency! According to Webasto, the gasoline consumption is anywhere between .04 to .07 gallons per hour. That seemed to line up with my experience. Most nights we’d let the heater run at our desired temperature all night with no noticeable difference on the van’s fuel gauge in the morning. It’s great to fill up on gas and not have to worry about adding additional fuel like propane. Overall, the installation process is somewhat complex, as you can tell from this post, but the heater works great and I would definitely recommend it for a van camper! Installation Tips and Advice Making HolesThere are two ways to make the holes in your van floor for the combustion air intake and combustion exhaust outlet hoses when using the included (with the North American kits) mounting plate and gasket. One is to make a hole for each plus the fuel line inlet. The other is to make a larger, 4″ hole using a hole saw which is big enough for each of these which is much easier! Fuel Line RoutingWhen you are routing your fuel lines using the rubber couplings included to connect the fuel line to the various components, be sure to “butt up” the hose inside the coupling.  For “straight through” connections there should be no gap between the hose itself inside the coupling in order to prevent any air bubbles. The photo below, from the service manual, illustrates this. Also when routing your fuel lines, be sure to ONLY use the provided hose clamps and tighten them all the way. Your standard, hardware store style, worm clams are not the same as the Webasto-provided clamps and will not work as well. Tightening the clamps all the way and using the right clamps ensures no air gets “sucked” into the line causing start up issues with the heater. Try to keep your fuel line as short as possible. The fuel pump is a better pusher than puller, so we recommend locating it as close to the fuel tank as practical. Refer to the diagram lengths in the instruction manual if you have any questions. Flash Codes and Typical Issues On New InstallationsIt is very common in new installs for the heater to report a “no start” condition using the “flash code” F01. If you have the standard rheostat controller, you will know your heater is in a fault “state” when the LED light on the standard rheostat controller flashes super fast 5x times. The specific “flash code” is indicated by the number of longer flashes of the LED. I have provided a table of all the “flash codes” and what they mean below. If you have the SmarTemp digital controller it will show you the code number on the screen which is certainly easier than counting flashes. In new installations it’s really common to get this F01 code (one single long flash after the 5x quick flashes) because the pump isn’t getting the fuel all the way to the heater. Priming Fuel LineSo, I highly recommend “priming” the fuel line prior to running the heater for the first time. I find the easiest way to do this is with a syringe. This particular syringe fits nicely into the supplied fuel line allowing you to pull fuel up from the pickup, through fuel filter and through the lines. You can do this from the connection that goes into the “inlet” of the fuel pump. The idea is to get the fuel all the way to the pump and then connect this “primed” fuel line to the pump’s inlet. Wiring Fuel PumpMany people are confused how to wire up their fuel pump. There are two short lengths of wire that come out from the combustion air intake hose connection on the heater. When you receive your heater, there is a small bag that contains the connector housing for those wires located inside the bag that contains the fuel pump. That housing can be plugged directly to the fuel pump if it is close enough for the wire to reach, or the 2 meter extension harness (included in the kit) can be used. Polarity does not matter for the fuel pump, so either wire can go in either hole on the connector housing, you can’t get it wrong. When routing the pump wire that comes out of the combustion air intake you can drill a 1/4″ hole just above the “slot” so that when you tighten the clamp it doesn’t pinch the wire. This must be done prior to installing the heater, otherwise it will be almost impossible to get a drill into position to make the hole. Fault Code 07 – Fuel Pump Not Working If you don’t hear the fuel pump working (making a sort of “ticking” sound) during the startup cycle and are getting a 07 fault code below are a few common issues to look for The main plug that connects to the heater is not completely seated. Push down and wiggle at the same time. The wires are not fully inserted and locked into the connector housing that must be installed on the fuel pump wires that exits the intake tube. Sometimes installers don’t get the wires locked into the housing and when they connect to the fuel pump, the pins on the fuel pump connector actually push the unlocked wires back out of the connector housing causing an open circuit or intermittent connection problem. Carefully tug on the two wires, they should not come out. Faulty fuel pump (rare) Clearing Faults/Resetting Heater in Lock-Out ModeIf you do get any type of “flash code” you can turn the heater off and then on again to clear it. However, if you experience 7x faults/flash codes, the heater will go into lock-out mode and you’ll have to reset it with the following procedure: Turn heater on with the controller Remove power to heater by either pulling the fuse that is built into the wiring harness or, if you have another fuse/switch that is easier to access, that will work too Wait 10 seconds Turn the heater off with the controller Restore power to the heater Turn the heater on Routing Exhaust HoseThe exhaust hose should be routed so that it ends up past the outside perimeter of the vehicle. If not, exhaust gas can actually pool under the vehicle and possibly find its way back inside. It doesn’t take much, just getting it an inch away from the vehicle can make a big difference. This is one of those details that is not covered in the installation manual but is addressed in Webasto’s training for professional installers. Deal With DipsA general rule of thumb for all of the combustion tubing is to keep it as short and straight as possible. There is a maximum allowable length and maximum amount of bends detailed in the instruction manual. If you have any “dips” in either the combustion air intake or combustion exhaust outlet hoses you should drill a 6mm (1/4″) hole in the middle of that dip/valley so that condensation water does not collect in those dips causing a partial blockage which could cause a variety of issues including carbon build up in your burner assembly. A common mistake people make is not “pushing down” hard enough when connecting the main wiring harness connector to the heater itself. If you are experiencing issues after your installation, double check that this connection is fully seated into the connector and locked into place. Regular MaintenanceThese heaters need to be run for at least 20 minutes at “full load” (turned all the way up) at every month. This is super important even through the warmer weather months! You should replace the fuel filter at least once a year. If you’re read this far you know that, if you bought a Russian/European heater, it doesn’t even come with a fuel filter. We recommend keeping one or more of these with you in your van (they’re super small). Voltage MattersTypically these Air Top 2000 STC heaters draw less than 2 amps at 12 volts DC which makes them super energy efficient and perfect for off-grid applications. However, during startup, when the “glow plug” is turned on to start the ignition process with the fuel, the power draw can go up to around 10 amps. If your wiring providing power to the heater is long or using a small gauge of wiring, this higher current draw can cause the voltage to drop during this startup phase of operation resulting in a F03 (three long flashes) fault. Webasto Air Top 2000 STC Fault Codes

Recommended Tools for Converting a Camper Van

Now that I’ve converted three Promaster vans into tiny homes on wheels I’d like to offer up some recommendations on tools and gadgets that make the process quicker and easier. It’s often said that the right tool for the job makes a huge difference and I agree. I’m providing links to specific products below but, of course, these are tools that are made by many companies. I’m trying to link to tools that provide a reasonable balance between cost and quality – a good value. In other words, I’m not linking to the “best” or highest quality tool since I’m assuming you are not a professional and won’t be using these tools every day for the next many years. Many folks may have a reason to buy a more expensive and higher-quality brand. So, I would suggesting thinking of this for what it’s intended to be – a list of recommended tools rather than specific product recommendations. Jig Saw A jig saw is perhaps the most quitessential power tool for a van build! You’ll use this for cutting all those curves in everything and making giant holes in your van for windows and fans. I recommend some fine metal blades (for those giant holes in your van’s sheet metal) and “down cutting” wood blades that create clean cuts in wood and laminate when cutting from the “top” of the piece. Hydraulic Lug Crimper You need seriously thick electrical cables for things like connecting a battery bank together or powering a large inverter in a van. This crimping tool works great for these hefty crimps like working with 2/0 AWG cable wire. Heat Gun Speaking of wiring, you should always use heat shrink on your cable terminations (lugs/etc.). These heat guns really do work better than a hair dryer. Another tool you’ll use a ton and be glad you invested into. Wire Loom Insertion Tool It’s a good idea to protect your van’s wiring by putting it inside wire loom. I did this in areas where the wires were exposed to the elements or to areas of the van that might harm the insulation. However, getting the wire into the loom in a total nightmare. These tools make that process so much easier! 10″ Contour Gauge Nothing in a van is straight and a huge part of building a camper van is making things that fit into all these crazy shapes like cabinets, wall panels, etc. A contour gauge helps you capture these curves and contours with relative ease and are not expensive. Mini Kreg Jig Kit This jig for pocket screws is pretty much essential when converting a van. Pocket hole joinery helps you build all sorts things with ease and strength. I also recommend this assortment of pocket screws in varying lengths and, of course, you’ll need a long T20 driver bit to screw them in. Plusnuts and Plusnut Installation Tool Plusnuts (also called crossnuts) are an excellent way to add strength to your build. In essence, they allow you to add a “nut” into any part of the sheet metal of your van so that you can bolt things to the van vs. screw them. To use them, you can either use an existing hole in your van – there are many of these along the support beams in cargo vans or you drill an appropriate size hole. Then you insert the plusnut into the hole and use a tool to compress the “bulb” onto the back of the sheet metal that you drilled into. This creates a “plus shaped” support for the threaded insert which is the “nut” part that you can bolt into. You can use a variety of tools to install these. The fanciest is a Pneumatic tool but I’ve had good luck with this simpler and less expensive tool which is quite a bit smaller as well which can be handy in a van. You can even use common tools you already have but it’s a bit more difficult. I’ve also seen plusnut installation tools that work with a drill. I tend to use the 1/4″-20 size of plusnut and various lengths of 1/4″-20 bolts. A Rechargeable Headlamp Building a van means working on precision projects in tight, often dark spaces. Inside a cabinet, underneath a van, behind obstacles, etc. I pretty much wore this thing all day during my build. It’s like having a tiny super power! Impact Driver There will be much screwing around in your van build. You think that, if you have a drill, you don’t need an impact driver. While that’s true, you’ll be amazed how much better these work for screwing stuff. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one. I bought this particular one which works great and is only about $60. That’s like one penny for every thousand screws you drive. Totally worth it! 24″ Quick Grip Clamps Another tool I used constantly. I like these larger clamps but it’s good to have a few small ones around as well. From drilling pocket holes to the 10 extra hands you need every day, clamps like these are indispensable. 11-Piece Oscillating Multi-Tool Kit This was a new tool to me during my latest build and I was actually surprised how much I used it. It was great for cutting openings in plywood for outlets and electronics panels. I used it to cut PVC and hose for plumbing. I used it to sand in tight spaces. I used it to shorten fasteners. I used it just about every day. This kit comes with a nice variety of “blades” but there are even more options available which further extend the utility the tool! Center Punch This one isn’t really “essential” but it sure is handy and only ten bucks. You put the tip of this tool right where you need a hole in something (metal, wood, etc.) and press down to “punch” a tiny indentation into that spot. This allows you to start drilling in that exact spot without the drill bit “drifting”. This is particularly useful when needing to drill into metal but these little indentations are also very helpful when putting in screws that might also “drift” without that little “starting point”. Step Bits Speaking of drilling, a set of step bits is super handy. These things are designed to enlarge a hole as the bit drills through the sheet metal. Each step on the bit is larger in diameter than the step before. Smaller step drill bits are self-starting and no pilot bit is required to start the hole. On larger step drill bits, you need to have a hole pre-drilled that is equal in diameter to the smallest step on the bit. These bits generally create cleaner holes and you don’t need as many standard bits since the step bit can create most size holes! A Good Caulking Gun I’ve used dozens of caulking guns and this is the best one. It’s worth paying a few extra bucks for. Don’t know what else to say. So, there. Pex Crimper If you’re doing any substantial plumbing in your van for a sink, shower, etc. you’ll probably want to use Pex for these water lines so you’ll need a crimper. Nothing special here but necessary unless you decide to use something like Shark-Bite fittings. I’d also recommend a proper pipe cutter to get clean cuts on your Pex (and other) pipes.

Air Conditioning in a Camper Van

Great Things for Vanlife. Stuff That's Worth the Space It Takes Up!

Our entire store represents the items I've used (or would use) for my DIY Promaster camper van. So, I figured I’d write another post about the things that go inside. There isn’t a lot of space in a tiny home on wheels so the things that you take with you must be awesome and useful. Below is my list of things that I think are worth the space they take up in the van and do the job well. Flat-Jack Air Leveler It’s much easier to sleep and cook and generally not go insane when the van is reasonably level. For years I’ve used the (evil) plastic leveling blocks that stack up and pretty much hated them. They were hard to set up, even harder to drive onto and always got smashed up by the weight of the van making them even bulkier to store and harder to use. BOOO! The Flat-Jack solves all this! It is *flat* so it can be stored away just about anywhere without taking up space and also so much easier to drive onto. Then you just inflate it to the height you want. Check out our silly video comparing the Flat-Jack to leveling blocks! Kikkerland Rhino II Step Stool Great little step stool that folds up to take almost no space. We use it to get up into the bed loft, in and out of the van near the slider, to stay off the ground when using the outdoor shower, as a sort of chair up against the wet bath wall in the van and so on. Super handy! Bike Rack Unless you store your bikes inside the van (in the so-called garage area), you’re going to want to have a bike rack because bikes are the best way to get around when you’re van is at camp! I’ve researched this extensively and used many racks over the last 4 years and I can recommend this one: the Fiamma Carry-Bike is a great option. 8.5′ Aluminum Telescoping Ladder You’ll get a lot more juice out of your solar panels if you keep them clean and if you don’t have a permanently mounted ladder this thing will get you up there. It’s extremely small when collapsed (30.75″ x 18.75″) and versatile. Joseph Joseph DrawerStore Kitchen Drawer Organizer This is a really clever space saving organizer for your silverware. The knives, forks (and so on) slide into the various stacked compartments and there is a little icon next to each one so you know what’s what. BlueDriver Bluetooth Pro OBDII Scan Tool The nerd in me likes to monitor stats like engine load and coolant temperature – similar to the way I’m always looking at how much energy the sun is giving me through the solar panels or how much fresh water I have using the tank monitoring system. This gadget plugs into the OBDII port on the van (below the steering wheel) and transmits all kinds of data from the van’s computer to an app for your mobile device. It also allows you to read any “check engine light” codes. And, if you have a Promaster at least, you might notice that the engine temperature gauge in the van is always slightly below the middle. According to this video from an Promaster owner whose engine blew up, that gauge is only there to make you feel good and it’s not at all accurate. Casabella Dustpan and Brush Set When you’re living in a van you’ll be cleaning a lot. This is a broom and dustpan that is nice. What can I say, it does the job and doesn’t take up a bunch of space. OMNIA Stovetop Oven Kit Most vans don’t have an oven and sometimes an oven is what ya need for making delicious food. Think baked goods, nachos, pizza or garlic bread. Yum! This thing is an oven that work with most cooktops. However, since it’s make of aluminum it does not work with induction cooktops. The link is to the kit that includes the rack and the silicone “insert” which makes it way easier to clean. 12V DC Portable Air Compressor Pump Super handy little air compressor. Can fill up your van or bike tires or any inflatable things like tubes for riving tubing! Sometimes it’s helpful to let some air out of your tires for enhanced traction and this pump can get you back to full pressure when you need to.  Thetford Curve Cassette Toilet Some folks don’t want a toilet of any kind in their van. I think it’s a worthwhile luxury (along with my shower). This is the unit I’ve used and it works great. It has a water tank at the top for flushing and a built-in “black tank” for your evacuations 🙂 You can empty it in a variety of ways and it’s not nearly as bad as you think. I wrote more about it and the wet bath in my van in this post. You should use special RV/dissolving toilet paper. This particular toilet paper is soft but, eh, sturdy enough for the job – highly recommend. Magma Nesting 7-Piece Stainless Steel Cookware Set I don’t have this set but if I ever upgrade my cookware this will be the one! They work with all types of cooktops – including induction stoves, they nest into a small footprint and appear to be really well made with non-stick coating. They seem perfect for vanlife. Ultimate Ears BOOM 2 Phantom Bluetooth Speaker A high-quality, durable and waterproof speaker really is an essential for vanlife. I have the “last version” of this and it’s awesome. I can only imagine they’ve improved it for the new version! Camco TastePURE Water Filter Many times the source of your “fresh water” is a little less fresh than ideal. This filter connects between the water source and your fresh water tank inlet and to filter the water as you fill up! 4-Way Multi-Functional Utilities Key Speaking of fresh water – sometimes it’s hard to find. Many gas stations, office buildings and other commercial structures have water connections that are hidden away behind access doors. This handy “key” opens most of those. A great thing to have in a pinch. 15 amp to 30 amp Adapter If your van has a 30 amp shore power connection (and cable), you’ll probably want this little adapter that allows you to plug into a standard 15 amp outlet. Of course you’ll have to be mindful of how much AC power you’re pulling but in my experience, 15 amps has been plenty – even when running the rooftop AC unit. USB-Powered Goosneck Light This tiny gooseneck light with an LED bulb and power switch can be plugged into any USB jack and provide a little reading light. It takes up no space and has a to of utility. I installed a USB power outlet in the headliner of my van between the two seats in the cab and routinely use this light to read maps/books/whatever while sitting up there. Rechargable LED Headlamp A headlamp is a true essential for vanlife. Great for camping, fixing things, finding things, lighting up things. I like this particular headlamp because it’s bright, fits well, can run of standard batteries or use it’s built-in rechargeable battery that charges from any USB jack. Bike Lock That Uses Your Van Key (Promaster and others) Less is more in vanlife. This bike lock uses your Promaster van key instead of a combination or separate key. One less thing.

Installing A Propane Tank Underneath a Promaster Van with Remote Fill Kit

Note: this post references the propane system in my second build. There is a list to all the parts and materials at the bottom of this post. You can also see more about my latest build, Miles Van Camper v3. Important disclaimer: propane is explosive and therefore very dangerous! This blog post describes how I went about installing a propane system in my van only. For your safety, you should do your own research when installing a propane system and be sure to have the results inspected for safety by a qualified professional before using it. You can read codes for propane systems in RVs here. There are many ways to add a propane tank to your van build. The simplest approach is to use the the disposable, 1 lb cylinders which are inexpensive and can be purchased in many places. Others use a small tank that can be refilled such as this 5 lb capacity tank. These are most often installed in a box inside the van. These storage boxes must be fully sealed and have a vent on the bottom that flows through the floor of the van so that if there are leaks, the propane gas – which sinks because it’s heavier than air – can escape. In my first few builds, I chose to use an RV-style “Horizontal” tank that is ASME-certified and permanently mounted underneath the van. I purchased this replacement tank for Volkwagen Eurovan Winnebago campers that were built between 1995 and 2001 from GoWesty. It’s a 5.9 gallon capacity tank manufactured by Manchester Tank but really only holds about 4.6 gallons. Propane tanks are normally only filled to 80% of their capacity. These horizontal tanks use a special “fill valve” and a “bleeder valve” that is designed to let liquid propane come out when the tank gets to 80% full and signal to the person filling the tank that they should stop filling. There are many of these types of tanks available for RVs but I chose this particular replacement tank because the round tank area is only 8″ in diameter compared to all the other tanks I could find that are 10″ or larger in diameter. This size is important because, even at the smaller size, the tank barely fits where I placed it which is just in front of the rear axle underneath the van. There is an nice opening there that isn’t close to any of the exhaust lines and didn’t interfere with my grey water tank and plumbing which is also located underneath the van on the passenger side. Advantages Since the tank is designed to be mounted underneath the vehicle, any high-pressure leaks are outside the van. All three of the Volkswagen camper vans I owned had these external, horizontal tanks and they always worked great and have been proven safe from years of use in these VW campers and tons of standard RVs. By being outside, it didn’t take up any interior space in my floor plan. This tank includes a fairly accurate gauge that you can “see” (if you crawl up to it under the van) but also connects up to my SeeLevel II tank monitoring system. The other tanks I considered did not have any gauge and the available gauges didn’t have any interface to a centralized tank monitoring system. Despite its location tucked under the van, with the remote fill kit that I added, this tank can be easily filled at any propane filling station without needing to be removed or moved. Start By Wrestling It Into Place The first step was to wrestle this thing into place. Not only is it a tight fit in that cavity under the van but the emergency brake cables are also in the way. I used a jack, blocks of wood and plenty of colorful language getting up there. Then, I marked the the locations for the bolts. There are mounting brackets on both sides of the tank itself. I bolted it into place with heavy-duty galvanized bolts (through the van floor), locking washers and nuts. Below you can see the tank mounted in this location from the front and the rear. Next, I moved onto installing the Nashfuel Remote Fill Kit. This kit replicates the “fill valve” and “bleeder valve” built into the tank itself to a remote location. Often these types of tanks are located on the side of a vehicle van (such as on Volkswagen campers) or inside a compartment on the side of a RV which means that the propane filling station can access the tank, and these valves directly. In my case the remote fill was necessary since nobody is going to crawl under my van to fill the propane tank! The kit comes with all the fittings you need as well as 6 foot long lengths of high-quality hose for the fill and bleeder valve extensions. Essentially you’re using these two hoses (and the various fittings) to extend the valves on the tank to where you want to mount the remote fill. The first step of the installation was to attach the provided fittings to the remote mounting bracket. This kit comes unassembled. In the illustration below you’ll see that on the “back” side of the mounting bracket you need two fittings/adapters to screw into the threads on the bracket itself. This gets you two 1/2″ male flare connections on that “back” side for the hoses. On the “front” side of the bracket you attach the remote fill valve and remote bleeder valve into the threads of the bracket. I used Permatex 80631 Thread Sealant with PTFE to seal all the threads. Honestly, getting all these fittings onto the bracket tightly was the most difficult part of the remote fill kit installation process. Next I had to remove the bleeder valve from the propane tank itself and replace that with an adapter that also has a 1/2″ male flare fitting for the hose that will connect this to the remote bleeder valve. Then I took the plastic cap off the tank’s fill valve and attached up a few fittings from the kit that allow the tank’s fill valve to be connected to the remote fill valve using the second supplied hose. At this point it was time to mount the remote fill bracket. I installed it directly below the fresh water fill and shore power electrical connection on the passenger side of the van at the very bottom of the van wall using rivnuts and two bolts through the provided mounting holes. The paint quality on the metal bracket was poor so I just spray painted it with Black Rust-Oleum. With all the fittings in place, I needed to cut the provided hoses to the correct length and add the flare connectors to hook up the remote valves to the tank itself. This particular kit came with 6′ lengths of hose for both the fill valve and bleeder valve but you can order longer lengths of hose if necessary. The process for installing the flare connections to the hose is pretty well detailed in the kit’s documentation. It was a new experience for me since I have never used that type of connector system. Basically you place part of the fitting into the hose itself and then there is another piece that sort of threads onto this to compress the hose to the fitting. It took me a while to wrap my head around the process but, after completing the first one, the remaining 3x went very fast. Next I connected these hoses from from the tank’s fill and bleeder valve to the same valves on the remote bracket. This was refreshingly simple! To wrap things up I installed this pressure regulator on the outlet of the tank itself. Like most propane appliances, my two devices (Propex heater and cooktop) require pressure-regulated gas. The regulator screws into the tank outlet and I used a 90 degree elbow 3/8″ male NPT to 3/8″ male flare fitting on the regulator’s outlet. From there I used a variety of Marshall 3/8″ flare supply hoses to connect the propane up to the actual appliances. There is only a few feet of this supply line outside the van before it goes up into the van (through a protected PVC sleeve). That exposed section, below the van is protected with a heat shield that protects it from the heat of the exhaust pipes of the van and also protects the hose from rocks and debris. Filling Up The Tank The last step was to fill up the tank! It’s pretty easy to find propane filling stations with Google. I’m always a little bit nervous when I first fill up a brand-new tank/propane system but everything went well. The bleeder valve indicated the tank was full at exactly 4.6 gallons as expected and I drove over to a remote section of the parking lot to check for leaks with a spray bottle of water and dish soap and, of course, my nose. Overall the installation was sound but I did find a very small leak at one of the fittings on the “rear” side of the remote fill bracket that was resolved with a bit of wrenching. Parts & Materials Manchester Tank 5.9 Gallon Capacity This is a replacement tank used on VW Eurovan Campers from 1995-2001. It has a smaller diameter than the other RV style Manchester tanks (8″ versus 10″) which is essential for where I located it underneath the van – just in front of the rear axle. It was quite difficult to wrestle it into that spot and I had to sort of bend the emergency brake cables out of the way but it did fit and is nice and tucked away without affecting the van ground clearance at all. By putting the tank in this location you need a remote fill kit like the one listed below. Since you can’t fill propane tanks up completely, it really only holds 4.6 gallons. Nashfuel Remote Propane Fill Kit with Mounting Bracket Because my propane tank is installed deep underneath the van I needed this “remote fill kit” to be able to fill the tank from the side of the van. The panel is mounted at the bottom of the van body on the drivers side (that side has the water fill and shore power inlets as well). I found it difficult to install this and test for leaks but it does work well and the kit comes with all the parts you need. Manchester Tank G12846 LP Gas Tank Remote 90° OHM Sender This thing is installed onto the tank (above) and sends the tank level to my SeeLevel tank monitoring system. Super handy! Mr. Heater Two Stage Regulator Does the job… I like that this one comes with a plastic cover. Dual Carbon Monoxide and LP Gas Detector/Alarm Great to have this two-in-one unit. It’s installed just front of the galley above the “step/heater cover”. Propane gas “sinks” so you want to install any LP gas detector low to the ground.