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Good video, is the small switch you installed for the heater for the display as can keep you up at night being so bright or just an isolator for battery feed in.

I think i would put drains in running away from the outside wall and see if you can divert the water that way or some of it anyway

Not sure what you mean by the solar 'back feeding' into the system ? if solar is feeding into the system, that surely is not 'back feeding as that is it's intended function. I agree with the isolation of course and that system is a shambles.

top tips.

The UK has been a joke for the last 75 years. In the rest of Europe the entire build needs an engineers sign off. Pathetic

Hi Thank you for the nice review Can I control the intensity of the lighting, make it dim or strong?

can you write me size of panels and box

Are you qualified to give information and put things right, what you need is a qualified professional to give you a habitation certification to keep with the van, and checked every 12 months.

The solar charge controller is probably tost aswell now you the battery has come disconnected

This is why we have National Standards for Gas and Electrical for domestic installations.....both can kill occupants when installed in stationary situations let along the additional stress put on cable/gas runs and joins, etc when incorporated into mobile builds Standards need to be applied/enforced on what is actually a mobile domestic situation. Part of any van build should involve getting a compliance plate for all non-factory modifications done, including interior fitouts, rather than just structural changes as ALL modifications can lead to death traps on our roads for both the owner and also for other road users........and in this case unaware new buyers. I am a licenced Electrician with 40+ years in the trade, and as such I have inspected many home done van builds and at least 90% were deflectable. Common examples - double pole power points should be installed in van builds which are not the same as the ones used in domestic home builds - special cable used if the build incorporates polystyrene type materials used for insulation and the cables are run within or alongside the insulation (which most are due to space restraints) normally a blue or purple coloured cable not the normal domestic TPS white type. - many many many more examples as those are just a few AC power examples, whereas most vans have far more DC power issues, which is not common information given out by Van Build You Tube channels.

Thank you for a very informative video. You have helped lot of folk look out for work done by bodgers!

par for the course when it come to DIY vans. too many overconfident hippies with daddies credit card. never buy someones homebuilt shit unless you reall know what your looking at. These people were clueless and got taken for a ride.

Thank you so much. The way you broke this info down made it clear for me, and I’m an idiot when it comes to electric. Solar systems make my head ache. You have saved countless lives with this video. You are your friends’ guardian angel.

Hey Sam. Watched this series of vids a few times now. We want to put a 50mm front lift on our LWB w906 sprinter (I’ve already done the airbags on the back). Having spoken at length with Dee (thanks for the intro), we’re not able to uprate the front axle weight, so it’ll just be a front lift and won’t include the torsion bar. I’m sure that there’s other parts that will require replacing. Like the steering rack arm/u joint that’s in the Savage lift kit Any assistance/guidance would be greatly appreciated 👌Thanks again, Paul

First video I have seen of yours and I have taken 2 things away from this. 1 I should fit an isolator to my dc to dc. 2 I should fit a switch to my diesel heated so its no on all the time. so thank you for the video

Thanks for highlighting these issues. I bought a pre converted van. Issues... the diesel heater exhaust came up through the floor (gas bottle vent) . The gas actually leaks (alarm works though) So, plenty to rectify and this week swapping the diesel heater for a modern version just to be sure. September, actually going full time van lifing so Ive got to be safe and happy. Next is a solar install but I will keep it seperate from the electrics already installed.

Where in Cumbria are you from?

Which crafter have you got? Great job.

Very good video, thank you. What size should the gas dropout vent be and what is the maximum length one can run a copper pipe to say, the stove. All the best.

£58 for bleeder

Today I learned not to feck with electricity pay for a professional before u build a van 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👍fantastic video

Thank you for this I don't know a lot of this and it is very helpful

5K! Many more to come. Quality content makes the difference! :-)

There's definitely a risk to building a live in van. I've built several different versions for myself but I would never sell them to the public. For example, I develop systems for myself to keep me safe but I would never trust others to follow them.

Brought Mercedes sprinter 2016 conversion 2 years ago. I admit i didn't know what i do now. The electrics cables on 240 were fitted with grey house hold rigid cable. The gas fed was all hose, night heater what a butchery job. Anyway all good now learnt a lot over the last 2 years. I think personally all conversion should have electric and a gas certificate, get rid of the cowboys 🤠 but i guess that would be very hard to regulate. Do your homework or get someone to check the conversion campas who know what to look for. Great video dude. Safety first 😊.

Good video, but should be more terse, maybe half the time. Too little information per time.

I take it the Battery's should be secure too, they can be lethal in a roll-over. or if they get shorted out.

Typo: not now but no. Sorry

Is there such an European low voltage directive? No doubt that the electricity look messy and what is high or low risk ? That is a subjective discussion. Here in Netherlands (and thus shitty Europe) there are now laws or regulations for mobile homes, campers and caravans.

It was nice to watch this and re-confirm that I did all the right research and made all the right decisions when I did my own van conversion last year.

As a DIY’er I was shocked by what I saw in your video and was almost shouting at the tv as it went on. It was almost like playing ‘spot the hazzard’. So glad you are on this job so the owner is going to be safe going forward.😮

Great video. That’s one hell of a biscuit tin!

Hi Sam..looking at your outstanding skills in electrics, mechanical and vans, u should open your shop in which people can bring their vans for electric installation and repair, and other issues. U are a doctor of vans.

I don’t know much about electrics and im currently doing mine, put a battery isolator in but no solar isolator. Surely if i needed to work on any part of the electrical system i could just use the battery isolator to make it safe and if I needed to work on the solar part of the system I could just remove the fuse I’ve put along the positive wire? Great video though so thanks mate

VERY NICE

Not surprised at all. If you've spent anytime on RUclips these type of builds are everywhere. You spend enough time looking at any home built rig you'll find something.

It is hart braking Iam going through same problem spending a a lot of money and still the same my hart goes out to you buddy

I am new to trying this one door has been carpeted but it has creases how do carpet without please any advice thank you

I thought the gas was bad and then i saw the electrics.

I have that awning mate. I was hoping to see how you fitted the wall brackets. As that’s what I want to fit for mine. 🤯

Do you have links for the black bolt cover ?

Hi thanks for the clarity on showing what the little springs do, nobody else I saw on here did that, so I’ve assembled everything apart from the little screws can they go in last ? Thanks in advance Sam.

Always good to see people who take care rather than throwing it in. I get it some people cut corners probably because of money but it’s important to tell the truth in these scenarios for people who don’t hand have the education.

I would have all isolatros in plain view and gap around them so they can be properly used, the isolator on the side of the seat is too close to the upright, the one under the seat is hidden and not readily accessible. not sure what the bare fly leads are, but prob not good. Also why is alt and 12v through a mains trip? Never understood why there is never a switch on camper/carava 230v outlets? Can't be a great idea. Worth noting that ferrules on the cable ends makes a much neater and safer job. Makes sure you never get stray ends. Vehicles only need to be current at time of build, but always good to update the items. DC should also never go through a mains AC fuse box. Most inverters are true sine wave so the wave is as close to spun derrived AC as it can be.

Gas systems can be bullt with 1 piece flexible pipe, but needs to be protected where it can potentially rub, I would not recommend that or copper pipe as it can become brittle and fracture in cold. CuNiFer is better, Steel is also suitable in some instances. Yes, the bottle needs to be in it's own container and vented with a size specific hole to atmosphere, bear in mind the volume of potential gas leaks. Again, I prefer an external locker so it cannot enter the passenger compartment. If built to boat safety spec it will pass camper inspection. All joints must be accessible and all items have an individual tap to isolate. Also must have an inspection valve. Re nightheater, it's all within distance spec, I would also not think the gas will be coming from the exhaust outlet, more likely the seal on the heater body to pipe AND the internals of the heater as there is a paper gasket that degrades over time, if that has a breach it will directly flow exhaust gasses into the recirculated air! Obviously if there is a partial vacuum in the inlet it will excentuate that draw. The other thing to acknowledge is the heater will shut down if it cannot get enough fresh air. That is important to know if you are experiencing issues. There are various schools of thought on isolating solar, personally, it depends on the system that is being employed. Some if you have solar connected and no battery, you blow the regulator! That equals fire, so do not fuse! No need. Others can be best to fuse all connections. Isolating some panels can massively damage them while others you need to short circuit, others are fine to be left open... I would not use house mains cable for anything but house mains, it's not really designed for it and it has a high loss compared with 12v cables. The box isn't really an issue either other than it looks bad and the wires from it are a total mess. I would not have built like that, but I can see why some do. I would als onever use those dodgy blue, red and yellow bad crimp terminals... Battery cabling is also no where near adequate for the batteries. As you say, the regs are easy to find and adhere to, I've been doing boats and campers/land rovers for about 30 years. I do work on the safe side with quality hardware. On my personal Land Rover build I have 5 fuse boxes and master fuses directly off the batteries. It's not difficult to be safe. The systems can all be isolated by switch or relay. Master switches are readily accessible.

Hi, just my two pennies worth. I hope you all "start" mounting electrical equipment with the correct air gaps (they have heat sinks for a reason) and especially NOT mounting "it" on flammable surfaces (wood or carpet or sealed plastic box,doh) ! i always use aluminum to dissipate heat. Also each individual item and main circuit should be fused, (mega and midi) and isolated ! Cheers c P.s great informative video 👍

Hi Sam. I have just bought a Nov 22 Crafter to convert and have been watching your videos which are very informative. I can confirm the new Crafter roof is indeed curved, mostly at the rear. I expect I will modify the unistrut at the rear to accommodate the curve. With dissimilar metals in mind, what type of bolts / Nuts did u you use to secure the unistrut to the roof. Mild steel? Stainless Steel? A general question follows that. What material of Rivnuts should be used and the correct bolt material to match the rivnuts.

great vid 👍

This is possibly the worst conversion I’ve seen in a long while. However I’ve seen a similar problem with a diesel heater on a Carthago Chic Motorhome I owed 16 years ago. The diesel heater exhaust outlet was near a dropout vent. On the same van the exhaust for the water heater was directly below and within 30cm of the electric hookup point. On a cold day when on hookup condensation would form on the electrical hookup from the flue vent. Seems even the big guys get things wrong at times.

I've lost count of the amount of van builds I've watched on RUclips that are complete death traps. Many of these builders have done many builds and portray themselves as skilled builders. Shocking wiring, lethal gas and heaters, lethal battery mounting.... The list goes on. Nobody sees to give any thought to what happens in a collision either. Magnetic knife holders, glass jars with the lid screws under a shelf or cupboard, all potentially lethal. I worked many years as a specialist vehicle engineer building vehicles for the military and airport fire vehicles. Prototyping and testing these vehicles highlighted any build issues and you would be amazed at what can fail despite it appearing to be well engineered. Even the vehicles built by well know manufacturers are really poor in some areas. There really should be a system of inspection and approval for these self builds. Much as I hate red tape and legislation I think it's necessary. You can't drive a vehicle that is not roadworthy. Well, a build like this is neither roadworthy or habitation worthy so should be condemned.