Let's Go, Jane!

I feel like my van build has finally turned a corner. When I arrived in Florida in early February, I did not expect to still be here in May. I’d heard people say that their van took many months or even years to finish, and I had assumed that they were only working on it nights and weekends. I’ve been at this full time, every day, for almost 3-months. But I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

My first challenge this week was redesigning the electrical system. Most of my appliances are low voltage efficient DC-powered, which is great, but because I opted to use a power station with a built-in inverter rather than assembling an electrical system made of individual components, I was limited by the power station design. The only way to get DC power out of the power station is through a single 12-volt outlet, cigarette lighter style, that is capped at 120 watts at a time. If all my components run at once, they would exceed that limit and trip the circuit breaker.

In order to avoid having a fridge full of spoiled food, I had to come up with a better solution. Initially I added a “deck charger” that converts AC power to DC power and used that as the source for the DC fuse box. I now had plenty of current, but my once robust energy storage was draining overnight with the inverter on all the time. Plus, now I was converting power back and forth just to use it, which was wildly inefficient.

I went back to Gemini to brainstorm, and we came up with an effective workaround to add a single lithium ion battery that will be charged constantly by the cigarette lighter outlet, and can be used as the source for the DC fuse box. When the inverter is running, the deck charger will top off that battery, to make up for any deficit from powering all my appliances.

In addition to expanding my overall battery storage capacity, I also wanted to install the alternator charger so that I can charge the power station while I am driving. I knew it had to be done before building out the cabinetry on the driver’s side of the van, since I had to run a heavy duty cable from the back of the van to the main vehicle battery under the floor of the driver’s seat. It was intimidating, but the installation went smoothly. 

I can now charge the system with 400 watts from solar panels, 800 watts from the alternator charger, or 1,600 watts by plugging into a 120-volt “shore power” outlet. I have achieved energy abundance. Along with water abundance, which was my goal all along. I made my first cup of coffee in the van this week, and it is quickly becoming my happy place.

What I’m most proud of with this build is that I had expected coming into it that I would probably have to hire someone to do parts of it. Like installing the roof fan or the electrical system. But I have done this build 100% by myself. Even the things that should have been a 2-person job I have figured out how to do by myself. No one has even held up the opposite end of something while I attached it. The only help I’ve gotten is the occasional random man in a Home Depot parking lot who can’t bear to watch me load a sheet of plywood into the van by myself.

With the electrical system sorted, I could turn back to the physical build. I made a closet that is about shoulder-high, and then a cabinet above the closet where my combination air fryer/microwave will sit. While I have definitely gotten faster at building things, carpentry in the van is very challenging because literally nothing is square. 

Today is the first of May, and I’m thinking about how I can wrap up my Florida operations and head north in the next couple weeks. I still have to build the bench seat between the closet and the back of the driver’s seat. This will be my primary seating area, with the swiveled passenger seat as an alternate. I’m trying to do everything that involves plywood and lumber before I hit the road, knowing that I might still have painting or installing small things to do when I’m back in the northeast.

I’m ready to head north. Florida grew on me, for sure, but it’s starting to get really hot during the day and I miss my family. The van may not be finished for a while, but it will be finished enough to live in soon. Close enough to head out, and the rest I’ll figure out on the road.