Hi there! We're Tim and Abi and we converted our Ford Transit into a campervan, filming our progress as we went along. We had never converted a van before so it was an interesting and fun experience. We're now enjoying travelling around in it and looking forward to exploring the UK and Europe... come along for the ride!
We list lots of the products we've used in the build in the video descriptions, and some of the links may be affiliate links. If you choose to click on them we may earn a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase
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Did you guys go for the satin or gloss pvc please ? 🙏🏼
Awesome job! Super satisfying to see all that slot together!
Thanks you for the answer i enjoyed your conversion videos good job
No problem, and thanks 🙂👍
Hey - just wondered do you know which would be the best network provider or setup or how much this would differ for a road trip predominantly through Africa? Thanks!
Hey, afraid we no nothing about the different networks in Africa 😀 But the setup we have would work assuming we could find a decent 4G SIM with enough data for it. We use an IQ Go SIM when we're out the UK which has inclusive roaming in the EU which is classed as zone 1. But countries in Africa are classed as zone 6 or even 7 so wouldn't be suitable. You'd have to try and find a provider (or several local ones) that fits the countries you're likely to pass through 👍
Hi, just wondering why you put the isolator on the positive instead of the negative? Thanks
Hiya, if you mean for the battery bank then generally the red battery isolator switches are installed to switch the positive side and this is also what is recommended by Victron (section 4.7): www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/The_Wiring_Unlimited_book/43562-Wiring_Unlimited-pdf-en.pdf . For the solar disconnect though we have a dual disconnect which cuts power to both the positive and negative at the same time for extra safety 👍
How did you choose between the isolated and not isolated version for the Orion?
The isolated is more expensive but can be used in any install (as you can always just use it in a non-isolated way), but the non-isolated will only work if both your starter and leisure batteries share a common ground. That's the case for most vans, so most people can get away with using the non-isolated one, but when we bought it the difference in cost wasn't that great so we thought we'd go for the isolated. It also means we have no normal current going through the van chassis which we prefer as we find it easier to reason about the system, as we have dedicated wires for both the positives and negatives. Which also means that we can use the amp clamp over them to diagnose any problems more easily. The last consideration is probably that depending on what unit you want, it might only be available in one version or the other. The new XS is only sold as a non-isolated version at the moment, and the 12/12-18 for example is only available isolated. HTH 👍
@@SelfBuiltStories thank for the clear answer! Both my battery has the negative in common so I can buy both, if I buy the isolated version like you can I just concept with a bridge the two negative ports in the Orion and from une of them going to the common negative? Thank you very much
I'm thinking that the stranded mesh around the wire is a perfect wick. Doesn't matter its orientation, it will suck water via capillarity / surface tension. I would have stripped it where the wire exits the habitat to the outdoor, so that the sealant really waterproofs the whole thing.
Yeah it's not a bad idea and we'd probably do that if we installed it again, but we haven't had any issues with it at all as it is after a year on the road and thousands of miles driven now all the way around the UK and up to Norway and back. The wires are so ridiculously tight going through the gland that there's not really any space for water, and we've also wrapped the exposed section in self-amalgamating tape since this video too. It would be nice if they made a gland specifically for it as most of the ones you can buy are too small for the hefty set of cables so we had to improvise a bit!
@SelfBuiltStories thanks for answering and the precisions! I love your content, I'm a big fan. It'd be nice if when you have time you'd make an overall video without a particular topic, but just show how everything goes together, open the bed all the way to the shower, show the inside of the cabinetry as it is now, electric cupboard separation etc. Anyway! Thanks again for the great content!
@@hickscorp No problem at all 🙂Glad you're enjoying it and yep, we'll make a full van tour video at some point for sure!
Why more people don’t do this blows my mind! Why spend 800$+ on an awning that lives outside, deteriorates, and can be ripped off by a low hanging branch… this is brilliant!
Yeah for sure, we're really happy with our setup and it's been working out great for years now! Much cheaper, but also much lighter too. We can put it up and take it down in a few minutes, and it just lives in a small bag in the garage ready to go 😎
Hi both, taken lots of inspiration from your van build. Well done, your van is beautiful 😍 Can I ask what was the final height and depth of your bench seats and the width of your walk way please ? Lee & Tania
Hey guys, thanks 🙂 And sure, we made them ~46cm deep from the front to the slope of the backrest, without the cushions on. The backrest cushions use 5cm foam, but we made the bottom cushions slightly overhang the edge, so we end up with ~43cm of actual sitting cushion space, if that makes sense! The height from the floor to the top of the bench seats (without the cushion) is 44cm. The walkway is ~48cm at the narrowest point between the shower and the opposite seat and wider at the other points (~58cm between the seats). HTH!
Hello! I'm interested to see how you made the wood panel fixed to the top of the rear doors at 11:35! Thanks
Hello! No problem, we made it all in the previous video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/doiuw6OhZ9LUZMY.htmlsi=KmKPgv3ESa_MS9Xz&t=751 🙂👍
Top tip for applying sealant neatly. Run blue masking tape down both sides of the corner you want to seal. Wack a load of sealant in the corner, smooth it down with a lolly pop stick then carefully peel the tape off before the sealant sets and it’ll leave lovely neat edges. As ever, It’s a pain putting the tape on/off but worth the effort.👍
Cheers, yeah we used tape when we ran sealant along the vinyl floor but found it easier doing it freehand with just a lolly stick for the shower with all the curves and protruding tiles. We've tried a whole bunch of different methods but still never look forward to that job! We have a tendency to go back just that one time too many to smooth it out and then end up messing it up and having to start again 🤣
C1 drivers lisence how did you make the max technical weight hyer
Once we had passed the C1 test the actual process to up-rate the van was more of an admin exercise. We used Dee at www.vanweightengineering.com/ who prepared all the forms that we sent off to the DVLA to get it changed 👍
@@SelfBuiltStories thanks for your reply bu i have alsoo transit L4H3 but my maximum technical weight is 3500kg is it possible too make that hyer without changes to the rear axle or the suspension otherwise i have a big problem
@@CBontenbal It depends on the van, we were able to uprate ours without changes, although we beefed up the suspension as well for peace of mind. You have to talk to a company like Van Weight Engineering or SV Tech and see what they say 👍
Nice vid! Have you guys had any issues using ferrules with Victron equipment? I wouldn't think it would affect performance if installed properly on the wire. It seems like it boils down to personal preference (being more tidy and whatnot).
Cheers :) And there's a lot of discussion around ferrules, we prefer them as we find they make for a tidier install that's also easier to maintain, but it's really important to use them correctly and there are a few things to keep in mind beyond personal preference. In a mobile install you are using fine stranded cable, usually class 5, which for a 16mm^2 cable for example will have over 100 individual strands (centralcables.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Class-5-stranding-resistance.pdf ). Then depending on the bit of kit you're using, there's different styles of terminals. Some use a 'rising clamp'/cage which as you screw down gradually compresses down onto the wire, and others use a screw which bites down into the wires. For rising clamp terminals a lot of people will say using the bare wire is best as it will spread out all the wires and ensure a really good surface contact. Whereas with a screw terminal if you use bare wire it will bite down into one section of the cable and might damage the wires or splay them out badly, so a ferrule keeps everything together and makes good contact. Victron's Wiring Unlimited book recommends using ferrules for screw connectors (page 27): www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/The_Wiring_Unlimited_book/43562-Wiring_Unlimited-pdf-en.pdf . But there's also different types of ferrules, with different shapes. For the MPPT and Orion we used a square crimper, which matches up with the square shape on those units and ensures good contact. If we had used a round or hex crimper, we would have only had partial contact. For the newer Orion XS though the terminals are different and a square crimp won't fit, you need a hex crimp: community.victronenergy.com/questions/296481/orion-xs-cable-size-does-not-meet-listed-spec.html . Some expensive crimpers have interchangeable dies so you can change the shape you need depending on what you're doing. You can also get different length ferrules, and you want to make sure it's long enough so that the insulation of the wire is not caught inside the terminal. The most important thing always though is to have a well torqued, secure, and safe connection. As otherwise you can have excessive heat build up at the connections that could ultimately lead to fire if particularly bad and left unchecked. Here's an example of an Orion that was installed badly with ferrules, and ended up just short of setting fire to a boat: community.victronenergy.com/questions/240749/smoking-dc-dc-melted-wires.html . The ferrules weren't crimped onto the wire first just placed on them and then 'crimped' by screwing down into the orion. 😐 We use them everywhere, on both the 12V and 230V side and haven't had any issues, and have had our electrics checked over as well. We think they're great, as long as they're installed correctly. HTH! 👍
@@SelfBuiltStories Thanks a bunch for the detailed response. This is very helpful. I have glanced at Victron's Wiring Unlimited but haven't seen the section on connectors until now. It is such a good reference. And Victron is very clear in their explanations on everything - this is one reason I went with them for my components. Keep up the great vids! Cheers.
I like this idea! We have a plastic tray which turned into a nightmare. I might go this route. Im wondering how is it holding up so far?
Hiya, happy to say absolutely no issues so far with many showers in that time! We'd definitely go down the same route if we were building another van too as having to conform everything to the limited sizes/shapes of trays was too limiting for the layout we wanted. And we don't have to worry about the often tacky motorhome trays cracking or yellowing either 👍
Good job.
Cheers! 😎
Hi, love the videos. You guys are doing a great job on the conversion. I’m about to start installing a grey tank on my van and I’m stuck on how everyone routes the sensor wires into the van. Do you have to drill a separate hole just for the wires and if so, go do you seal/protect it?
Somehow I missed that part of the video lol. Sorry.
Haha no worries, yeah we spent quite a lot of time thinking about that as we didn't want to drill another hole just for the wires if we could help it. We have several wires passing through the toilet vent pipe now and it works well for us and means we can easily add more in future. There are wire glands you can get as well, but with the thickness of our floor through all the insulation we prefer it this way 👍
Thanks for the reply. Loving the videos. I’ve copied a lot of what yous have done. 💪🏻
Did you find bluetooth feature of RUTX11 somehow useful? I just bought RUTM11 which seems pretty much the same, slightly faster cpu but no bluetooth available.
Hiya, nope we haven't used it at all so far actually, we have the antenna plugged in for completeness but it just sits there doing nothing 😛
You two are absolute legends! Love your channel. Please, if youve not done one, could we have a Geeks Guide to what you can do with the router? How to set up text commands etc. I love all that techie stuff but dont know how to do it myself.
Haha cheers, glad you're enjoying it 😎 It's not something we're planning to do right now but off the top of my head some of the things we can do: - Full GPS tracking and history (hooking it up to a third party service) - Text alerts when the van moves - Text commands to query things like current location (as we did in the video) - Failover from one SIM to another, and also quotas on each SIM. We have a SIM for when we're abroad with a 100GB data limit and we've set it up to limit the usage per day so we don't run out unexpectedly mid-month - Setting up an MQTT broker, which basically lets us control our diesel heater remotely using the third party Afterburner controller (so we can turn on the heater while we're coming down from hiking a mountain and have it nice and toasty when we get back :P) - VPN to the van. So from anywhere in the world we can connect to the van as if we were on the local WiFI - Setup an external VPN like NordVPN etc at the router so that all devices that connect through it are automatically going through the VPN tunnel - Connect to public WiFi hotspots from campsites, Starbucks etc and rebroadcast them as the van's WiFi to save SIM data - Remote access to the router settings, automated backup etc - Setup guest WiFi networks for when friends want to use the network - Broadcast WiFi on both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands - If we had starlink, we could hook it up to the WAN port and seamlessly combine it with our existing setup They're cool bits of kit! Loads more features and little things you can do, and in a nice unit that can easily run off 12V. There's lots of different models of their routers too, and new ones coming out all the time with different features/price points. They're not for everyone as there's a bit more setting up that just grabbing a MiFi, but for us it's been great so far 👍
£500 for a plastic bin with a toilet seat on it is insane.
There's a bit more to it than that as they have the vent and fan, retractable solids cover and are made from plant based moulded plastic. But yeah, they aren't cheap. We had thought about making our own DIY setup but in the end decided to just get something ready made this time
Is it going to sound like a church organ? I've had that whistling issue with several tones depending on speed with just one hole in a roof rack
Hmm can't say we've ever noticed anything to be honest, and we've done thousands of miles with it. We did used to notice the maxxfan rattling a bit on the roof but nothing from the roof rack. But maybe we just don't hear it, so YMMV 😅 The bulkhead is insulated and that blocks most of the sound from the back, unless we have to brake hard and things move around in cupboards etc
Abi is so lovely 🥰
Yep she is 🙏
Excellent video! Many thanks
You're welcome, thanks for watching 🙂
use a tripod for your camera you have way too much movement which makes people dizzy
Sorry if you found it too shaky, we can't use a tripod most of the time as we're always moving around the van and want to get close ups of things. But we had the camera on a 3 axis stabilised gimbal instead 👍
This was really informative. I’ve watched a few other YTbrs and was loosing faith as nothing was making sense . Thanks guys
You're welcome! Glad it was helpful and good luck with your build 🙂
Hi, have been watching your video and have learnt a lot, I was wondeing if your setup is able to connect to 5G!
You will need the Teltonika RUTX50 or the new RUTC50 to connect to 5g.
Hiya, yeah the X11 only has a 4G modem inside so it's not possible with our current setup, but since 5G only really exists around bigger towns and cities it's not something we've missed as we spend most of our time in rural, off-grid locations. The Mimo3-15 antenna we have supports 5G bands though, so if we wanted to in the future we could swap out the X11 for the X50 or C50 and benefit from 5G. Although those ones also support even more LTE antennas (4 instead of 2) so to take full advantage of the specs you'd probably want to pair it with an antenna that has the additional LTE connections, something like the Mimo3-17 instead. But that's also more antenna wires to physically route through the roof 😛
Im so inspired! Now time has passed, is there anything you would do differently in your van build? We are at the buying materials stage but still need to iron out our plans. Love your videos!
Glad to hear! 🙂 And we always have a list on the go of things we think to upgrade or tweak, but for the most part they're all pretty small and we're really happy with the van. A few things though are that we'd put in a larger waste water tank as it fills up too quickly for our liking, and we'd also consider getting the slightly larger fridge as well and making the drawers a little smaller to accommodate it. When we laid the floor there's also one area where the very end isn't completely sitting on a batten so it overhangs slightly, which meant the join was noticeable sometimes when you were walking around. Since all the furniture went in we don't really notice it anymore though. We'd also probably use slightly thinner insulation in the roof just because it made it so awkward in places as it stuck down further than the recesses in the van ribs. Great to have the extra insulation but a faff to make it work. Oh and we definitely wouldn't build it outside, in the Winter, in Devon 😅😂🤣 At some point we'll probably make a video about anything we'd change but that's some of the ones off the top of my head right now. Glad you're enjoying the videos and good luck with the build 🙂
@@SelfBuiltStories Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! It seems like such a learning curve. I look forward to any more videos you put out :)
@@OCResearch125 No problem, hopefully there will be some more soon! 😎
An idea for your rear doors on transit. Buy 2 of the upper lock pins, less than $ 50. Us add a extruded cross bar . It secures the doors and you can add a awning at the rear over the doors. The same as the side but no poles needed.
Thanks for the suggestion, can't quite visualise it though. Do you mean a bar to go across from one door to the other when they're open? Any pictures you can link to something similar?
83 w 😂😂😂😂I keep my gas generator 😂😂😂😂but well done for a good video that you 😊
Haha, that was in Winter to be fair. We can easily pull over 500W on a good day in the Summer (like we have at the moment) 😛
hello! do you remember what length bolts you used for the M8 rivnuts on the roof?
Hiya, if you mean for the battens we bolted into the underside of the roof then they were either 40mm or 50mm. More likely to have been the 40mm but can't remember exactly now! 👍
My small 4cylinder van has a 160amp OEM alternator. My house battery will be 460AH Lithium. Can my van handle a 50amp DC-DC like the Victron Energy Victron Orion XS Smart 12/12 50A DC-DC Charger?
Hey, I don't know the specifics of your van and what the available headroom is but ours has a 150A alternator and we wouldn't have a problem running the 50A charger off it. We'll probably upgrade to the XS at some point, we'll just need to make sure the wires are specced to handle the higher current. The nice thing about the new XS is that you can also limit the current in software if you want/need as well 👍
hi! Question: Do you use wall sockets to protect your sockets behind the walls?
Hey, we used berker sockets everywhere which have a plastic back box to them 👍
Thanks for sharing guys! Great job, and a great help for me as I’m building my own van (albeit not as professional looking as yours, I’m still getting it done 🎉😂) hugs from Norway!
No problem, thanks for watching! Glad it's helpful and good luck with the rest of your build. We've just come back from 3 months in Norway and had an amazing time! 😍
Hi Tim and Ali, have really enjoyed watching all your build videos, I am now way less nervous about doing my own van conversion 😊 where did you go on your first trip? Did it go well? One last question, did you ever price up the whole build? All the best for the future, stu ❤
Hey, awesome glad to hear it 😊 And we spent some time travelling around Cornwall first (we love it there!), then Scotland, and most recently we've just got back from a long trip to Norway, an absolutely stunning country! 😍 We'll make some travel videos at some point but we're a lot more up to date with all that on Instagram. And good question, we've kept all the data of how much we spent but we haven't got round to working it all out yet, maybe one day. Cheers!
God I LOVE a bit of excel nerdery! Even if it is all only to discover a 2p difference in running cost
Haha yeah, it took a long time to test it with all the different configurations but it was fun too, for me at least 🤣 It is satisfying knowing exactly how much it costs too!
Beautiful work guys!
Cheers! 🙂
How mach W of solar panel are you able connect maximum to this mppt 100/50 . What's the maximum it can take?
The nominal rated PV power is 700W but the more important thing is not to exceed the maximum input voltage (100V for this model). If there is excess wattage it shouldn't damage the controller, but it won't be useable as the output current will always be limited to 50A. You can see it in the spec sheet: www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-SmartSolar-charge-controller-MPPT-100-30-&-100-50-EN.pdf
You guys are amazing! I am just in the process of buying all my electrical components, and finding this video has helped enormously. Thank you ❤
You're welcome, glad it was helpful! 🙂👍
Hi great informative video, I have purchases the Rutx11 following your video. Just a few questions if yiu could help. 1. How did you screw the mount brackets to the back of the router as there are no holes? 2. Did you earth the route seen the earth point on the router? 3. Do you know how to register the router as I cannot find anything about this in my documents or on the Teltonika Web page? Thanks David
Hi David, cheers :) We bought the optional mounting kit and the little feet slotted into the channel on the back, so we just carefully and slowly drove a screw into it to bite and thread into the metal groove. We were a little surprised there was no threaded hole already as well, but it's held perfectly fine for us. You can run a wire to the earth point on the side, we haven't done that yet but probably will at some point. Not sure about registering as it's not something we've done, although we have signed up to the RMS cloud service (paid subscription) so the details of ours are logged through that. HTH 👍
@SelfBuiltStories Hi thanks for info 👍🏼
@@davidknights866 No problem 👍
Hi can you point me to the links for the Double pole RCD and MCB, I can’t see them in the description? Also the unit they are fitted in. Thanks , great video.
Cheers :) And there should be a generic link to Expert Electrical where we bought them from but not the specific models as the description was too long 😛 We used: RCD: NL1-63-263/30-A - www.expertelectrical.co.uk/chint-a-type-rcd-nl1-63-residual-current-devices MCB: NB1-63B2P10 - www.expertelectrical.co.uk/chint-miniature-circuit-breakers-6ka Enclosure: NX3-4 - www.expertelectrical.co.uk/chint-metal-garage-units HTH 👍
Hi can I please ask if u. An send me. Videos as I’m going to try this myself thank u
All our videos are on this playlist: kzread.info/head/PLaS9zgelfoIiMR5RWctgR_vwCkpu-h0t0 🙂👍
Great video, thanks for posting this. Now I've got more of an understanding of this and needing to use multiple appliances I'll look at going down the RCD route for my build.
Cheers and you're welcome, glad it was helpful 🙂👍
Beautyful cat !!! jaja
Thank you, we think so too! 😻
Thumbs up for being one of the only to mention the different cat spec of different models - not all 4g modems are created equal, and you know exactly what you got!
Cheers, yep it makes a big difference! Very happy with the X11, it's a nice sweet spot of cost vs performance 😎👍
Instead of the PVC, I am thinking of using vinyl sheets for weight sake. Would this adhere firmly to the tanking membrane?
Hey, I think you'd be able to find an adhesive to bond it to the membrane okay, but you might notice the undulations through the vinyl a bit unless you can get a really smooth finish with the tanking, as when ours dried if you ran your hand along I wouldn't describe it as smooth. Personally I'd prefer PVC as it's rigid and a solid piece, but I've seen some people use vinyl as well and there's a lot more choice for styles and patterns. Good luck 👍
Hi there, I’ve just discovered your channel and ‘binge watched’ your series so far. It was really entertaining and very informative with such attention to detail in each episode. I look forward to seeing more. Otherwise I would like to say while watching some things you did…”cut/drill away from yourselves as I was concerned of a potential injury😮 I wish you both every success in your future.
Thank you very much, glad you've enjoyed watching them 😊 We always have safety in mind and try to only do things within our means but you can never be too careful, cheers! 👍
Fantastically explained, very clear instructions, I’m new to van life , and pretty clueless to the electrical side of things , feel more confident after seeing this video, thank you very much for sharing
You're welcome, thanks for watching and glad it was helpful 😀
Hi, loving the conversion videos. Can yiu tell us where you got the pocket hole jig please?
Sure no problem, it's the Kreg R3 from Amazon, have added a link in the description 👍
Interesting to see what other people are doing on their van conversion.
Cheers, yeah we always find it interesting to see how everyones van is a bit different!
13.26 We know!!! We defo know how much a nightmare that is to build. 3 days now on and off we've been faffing around with how to do it. Still haven't done it as gave up in 28 degree sunshine! Going to follow your lead on that bit.....thanks both! What a headache. Here we go again tomorrow!😂
Haha yeah we can relate, that corner took so much work!! Very relieved it's withstood all the stress of being on the road and we don't have to do it again 😂 Did you manage to get it done? 😎
I totally relate to you when you said the worst thing about the projects is the thinking of it - my head is melting with my van conversion. Every problem is unique and different but channels like yours inspire the rest of us to persevere and stumble through, so thanks.
Haha yeah, we can relate! There is so much to digest and get your head around, and the fact that everything about it can be completely customised to your liking is both a blessing and a curse sometimes. Some days it really felt like two steps forward and one step back (or two back 🤣) but keep persevering, you'll get there! Good luck!