Van-Life Electrical Revamp - Pt. 1
Sometimes we just wish things could go more smoothly. That was the case for this client, where we realized that a ‘simple upgrade’ was going to require a complete system revamp. They just needed some extra power for their batteries, and thought a DC-DC charger plus a foldable solar panel would do the trick. And while this was the right idea, the extra pieces to make it happen just wouldn’t fit in the tiny space we had!
Electricity in a van is typically compacted into a tight space, and this was no exception. We wanted to fit an extra MPPT plus a DC-DC charger into a tiny little corner which was already crowded from a 2KW inverter, another MPPT, batteries, wiring, fuses, and other cargo. Plus, we were in a bottleneck situation.
Why not just add the second solar panel to the existing MPPT? Because it was already at its limit. Upgrading to 24V would fix that. But putting the two batteries in series would require a new inverter. It quickly became a snowball effect of if-then scenarios, where ‘just one more thin mint’ wouldn’t quite fit because of all the limitations.
The solution? We reconsidered everything to make a system optimized for safety and space-savings.
“That 300A fuse that seemed ‘good enough’ was oversized and might not even blow in an overload situation” (spoiler alert - it didn’t)
“Let’s rearrange the storage so we can have the space for all these components.”
“If you do the carpentry and mounting, I’ll offer the installation to keep costs down.”
“$100/hr too much for a tight budget? Let’s do a DIY coaching session. I provide installation oversight, while you get the hands-on experience, all for $40/hr.”
That’s what adaptability looks like in the real world - coming up with solutions on the spot to make the most of every situation.
