Electrical System
Putting together the electrical system in your van can be one of the most intimidating systems you install however it is also the most rewarding. Its important to have a good base of information about your electrical system to ensure if there are any issues down the road you know how to troubleshoot issues. There are a few key components you will need to to build your electrical system. We have broken these components down below and provided our product recommendations.
Tools
Wire / Connections
Solar Panels
Charge Controllers
Inverters / Chargers
Batteries
Tools
We recommend a viratiaty of tools to help make your install a little easier. First is a pair of crimping pliers that are designed specifically for heat shrink connections. Heat Shrink Connections are perfect for van installs because they can handle the demanding mobile environment of a van electrical system. This is because they not only rely on the crimp to secure the connection but also the heat shrink will grip and secure the wire. Next, is a wire stripping / wire cutting tools. These are great for every part of your install whether its cutting wire or making connections a nice pair of electrical pliers makes a huge difference in the ease of your install. Lastly, we have the big lug crimper. This tool is key for installing lugs onto your larger electrical wires in your system. A hydraulic crimper ensures the lug connections is securely attached to your wires. As these are some of the most important and potentially dangerous investing in a quality crimping tool offers a lot of peace of mind.
Wire / Connectors
For wire we recommend utilizing marine grade as it is designed for harsh demanding environment much like the mobile application of a van install. We like the Ancor wire listed below and recommend 12 gauge wire as an all encompassing wire that should support most all your appliances up to 10 amps at 15 feet in wire run length.
