Campervan Electrics
The short version
- What’s the job?
- Campervan leisure electrics, 12V and 230V mains hookup. A whole system from scratch, or putting right one somebody else fitted. What I supply is Victron.
- What do you need from me for a quote?
- Every van is different, so the best thing is to get in touch and talk it through. Diagnosis and fault-finding are charged for.
- How do I get in touch?
- WhatsApp is the best way to get hold of me. Or ring 07584 865427.
Electrics are the work I do most of. 12V systems and 230V mains hookup, all of it at my workshop in Llanfairfechan.
Some vans arrive empty. Others already have a system in that needs adding to, or one that keeps letting them down. You’re welcome to ring and talk it through before you commit to anything.
Can you design and fit a whole system?
Most electrical trouble in a campervan comes from a system that was bought a piece at a time and never designed. The charger doesn’t suit the battery, and the cable between them was never rated for either.
I work the whole thing out before anything gets fitted, starting with what you want to run and how long you’ll be away from hookup. The charging gets sized from that.
The work covers:
- Full system design and installation from scratch
- Solar panels and charge controllers
- Inverters, for running 230V appliances off the battery
- Split charge and DC-to-DC charging from the alternator
- 230V mains hookup
- Distribution, fusing and correctly sized cable
- Battery monitoring, so you can see what’s happening instead of guessing
- Fault-finding
- Putting right installations that were done badly
Why do you only supply Victron?
I use it because it’s the best equipment available and it’s reliable.
Victron carry a five year manufacturer warranty, which is longer than anything a one-man workshop could sensibly offer on its own. My two year guarantee covers the installation work on top of that.
The other reason is safety. You sleep in this van, and the system runs unattended while you’re out of it.
A system built up on its board before it goes in the van. MultiPlus, two SmartSolar MPPTs, distribution, fusing and the 230V side.
Will you work with what’s already in my van?
Plenty of vans arrive with other brands already fitted.
If it’s safe and it does its job, I’ll build around it, so you’re not paying to replace something that works.
Where it isn’t safe, I’ll tell you, and I’ll tell you why.
Can you fix an installation somebody else did?
A lot of what comes through the door is somebody else’s installation that never worked properly or has stopped working. Some were never safe.
The faults I find most often:
- Missing safety provision
- Wrong wire sizing
- Wrong fuses
- Incorrect wiring
- Unsafe 240V systems
Get any of those looked at, the last one especially.
BEFORE
AFTER
A real job. This van came in with an existing installation that needed cleaning up. I replaced the battery and re-did all the wiring.
The inverter in both photos is a PUGU, not a Victron. It’s the customer’s own. It was working and they wanted to keep it, so I built the new system around it rather than charge them for a replacement they didn’t need.
Fault-finding starts with finding out what’s actually in there, then deciding what needs replacing and what can stay. I charge for diagnosis and fault-finding. What it comes to depends on the issue. Some faults show themselves in ten minutes and others take real time to chase down. I’ll tell you which one you’ve got.
Do I need to know anything technical?
People turn up apologising for not understanding their own van. There’s no need.
Nobody expects you to know what an MPPT is. Tell me what the van does that it shouldn’t, or what you want it to do that it won’t. That’s enough to start with.
I explain faults in plain terms to people with no electrical knowledge at all. You’ll know what went wrong and what your options are.
Do you work on the vehicle’s own electrics?
Campervan leisure systems only. I don’t touch the vehicle’s own electrics, so nothing on the engine side and nothing in the loom. That’s a different trade and it isn’t mine, so I’d only be guessing.
Will you fit new parts I’ve bought myself?
Unless they’re Victron, I don’t fit them. This is different from working around kit that’s already in your van.
There are exceptions depending on the job, so ask me rather than assume either way.
Do I have to bring the van to you?
The van comes to my workshop in Llanfairfechan, because that is where the tools and the space are.
Customers come over from Wrexham regularly, and I’ve had vans from Manchester and further afield. If you’re stuck somewhere, ring me and I’ll see what I can do.
Lead time varies depending on what I’ve got in. Ask me and I’ll tell you where I am.
Jobs like this
Fiat Ducato, full off grid conversion
An empty Ducato turned into a van you can live in off grid. Shower, toilet, hot water, gas hob. Sleeps three.
Ford Transit mk8, wiring in before the lining
Every cable in a campervan has to go in before the walls do. A Transit at that stage, with the solar already on the roof.
Vauxhall Vivaro, full conversion
A Vivaro converted from empty in birch ply. Galley, sink and water down one side. Off grid, sleeps two.