Nearside Unit 23/01/22

First Cabinet finished

Hassles with the plastic trim, along with company only sent me one pack of it for 2 units!

All fitted well, mostly ! But when trim fitted to doors they do not shut properly in corners! 

So had to sand out about 2mm  in a couple of corners! 

Also where the hinges are attached to wall part of the hinge sits very close to the edge of panel which then interferes with the edging again! Doors shut but the edging is raised a little. So will need to remove a small amount of the " tongue" so the the edging sits flat!.

Next up get it into van to see what needs removing around the wheel arches.

First cabinet build

Went together fairly easily, instructions supplied were basically generic covering several of thier units in particular the 3 cupboard one. 

So had a few head scratching moment ! In particular by the drawer, one side of the cabinet had a wooden extension to allow drawer of runner, but no mention of left side! It wasn't till end of build that I found a random piece of ply, which had 4 punch marks for screws. Which thankfully was the width and depth needed to bridge gap for second drawer runner. 

Took a little be fettling to get it all to work but got there! 

Next up prime and paint the unit and fit that black trim around drawer and cupboards as well as the panels. At this point looks a bit tight but we'll see! 

Managed to get a couple of litres of matched Paint (to the leather of the seats ) 

It going to take a few coats, although I'd sanded the wood panels there is still grain/ imperfections showing  which is a little annoying! 

16th January 2023

Building the first unit: 

Still think it's rediculous that it's cheaper to buy flatpack kit including all sundries than make your own! 

Bought 2 the same, one for cooking, one for clothing etc. Adapted to our needs if needed! 

First one finished, but no interior shelving! I've some MDF same thickness that I can make a shelf with fortunately. 🙄

Finish is reasonable but edges need sanding and instructions are for a larger unit so some guess work was needed. 

I followed instructions but had to move the centre partition over by an 1" to accommodate the drawer.

Giving it a undercoat of paint , as going to match units to the seat leather to brighten up the back a little. Trip to B&Q tomorrow methinks!

Leisure battery / main battery

27/11/22

Decided to fit the main battery isolator into lower side panel of driver's seat.

That way I'll see it when I get in and it will be easy to switch off/ on etc. 

24/01/23

Was worried about the smart alternator start up current being to much for the Victron unit when driving if both batteries where still " inline" 

Yesterday I moved the van around to our driveway to load the new unit in, and forgot to disconnect the main battery! 

Realised about an hour later so checked via the Victron app! All OK ! 

I have set parameters on the app to not charge over 14v so as the alternator puts out 15+ volts on start up then settles back to 12v once startup power is replaced it would appear to be fine to drive whilst both batteries are linked!

Just checked again 

Batteries showing 12.82 v

Solar panel 100w charging at 16.7 volts! Day is overcast 

Looks like the problem is solved 

We have LED lighting.

12v Propex Heater takes 10 mins to heat the van on a morning during an autumn trip to Durham which is the only " power hungry" 12v item we have on board. 

We have just replaced standard 60 ltr fridge with a chest fridge, more efficient will run in 12v or 240 mains. 

Battle of the batteries 13/12/22

As the vehicle battery cables are still in cab, I thought I'd see if the solar panel will charge it direct without to much hassle! 

The small 5 amp dashboard solar panel cannot keep up with the modern demands of Euro 6 engines with all the ancillary electronics working in background when vehicle is not in use.

Now that I'm retired the van sits for periods and I need a way to use the solar panel on the roof (100amp) which currently is monitored via Victron MPPT unit charging the liesure battery and does its job keeping it topped up! But I also need to keep the vehicle battery topped up!

The battery cables that run from vehicle battery to liesure battery and in turn the 12 v system in van, fridge, Propex, lights etc. Are still in place albeit tucked away! 

So I reconnected the fuses to the live cable from main battery checked voltage via meter 12.19 ! Not good! Then temporarily connected the live vehicle battery lead to the busbar. 

And opened the Victron app! 

Went haywire 🤣 

Settled down but realised that it was trying to equalise the 2 batteries. So disconnected the leisure battery live. And it settled down! 

Monitored it for 15 mins, not a lot of sun but the solar panel was putting out 15 volts enough to show it was charging the main battery. 

20 mins later vehicle battery had gone from 12.19v to 12. 35! 

So it worked!

I'll leave the leisure battery  disconnected till the vehicle battery is topped up!

It would appear that the MPPT charger will charge 2 batteries wired in parallel. But no info re smart alternators etc. So best leave it as smart alternator can charge at over 15v at start up! Don't want to knacker the Victron unit as they cost a lot of money! 😂

So I'll just wire in a battery isolater switch I already have and reconnect leisure battery! With a note on dash board 😂

major U Turn

The bed thing is nothing but hassle and as Birch ply prices have gone thru roof 2 x sheets £300 delivered, plus hinges, runners catches etc etc.

It's cheaper to buy ready made Birch/ lightweight ply units from suppliers! Even including delivery! 

So we revert to standard layout set up!

2 units purchased, should turn up by mid January 

19/11/22 Rear Bed

Bed build started today

Turns out the main section will be 4' 6" square to enable full use of RIB bed seats below it as beds as well.

A pull or fold out section of main bed will be slightly over the RIB beds but will allow sleeping to be either head or feet under main bed. With poptop bed giving sleeping for 6 possible!

24/11/22

Basic 4'6" sq frame made for bed. 

Measurements taken for legs to give correct height.

Weathers rubbish again so waiting on dry day I cut the legs. 

Also removed the interior LPG pipework. When weather is dry I'll be able to remove the tank and pipework under the van. 

Decision made to use portable hobs that use Campingaz CP250 Gas Cartridges we have one unit so will buy another to give us 2 hobs. 

Not sure about the oven at the moment but we will need a small 5/6ltr refillable Gaz bottle for the Propex Heater so that would double for the oven use. 

Quick release connections will make it easy to swap. Propex is only used late in the year camping.