EVC Galley Makeover (and more): Winnebago Nuke & Pave

[kourt]

Papa Bezos provided those. That setup has been great for getting loaves of bread, bags of chips, and jackets up out of the way.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0022ZXO40

kourt

[hcr]

Kourt,

I like mods to rear headliner, where did you source cargo nets?
Reminds me of the nasa inspired Cricket trailers

Charles

[HeyCrutch]

Pretty incredible power setup you've got there Kourt! Seems like you've got just about every conceivable situation covered, in spades.
_________________
-2003 EV MV Wk - Forest - 51k
-2002 EV Camper - Ghost - 82k
-2003 EV GLS - Fluffhead - 176k

-1997 EVC - 12vVR6 (SOLD 5/2025)

[hcr]

Understand, thanks for info provided- it helps think through the problem

Charles

[kourt]

A wiring diagram isn't likely from me. Below is a summary of the electricals in my van.

Any EVC wiring diagram would be complicated by the nature of the load panel existing on the driver side and the battery existing on the passenger side, and things one has to do to overcome that problem.

My wiring is designed to allow the batteries to be temporarily combined to jump-start the start battery from the house battery, which is a problem that involves accounting for sudden large high amperage loads during starting.

On top of all that, my shore power charger can be easily switched via the rotary battery switch on the load panel from charging the house battery to charging the start battery, another complication.

This summary, which does not depict those complications, will have to suffice.

kourt

[hcr]

Ahhh, thanks that is starting to make sense- I never understood the context for an ‘isolator’.

If time allows a wiring diagram would be appreciated.



Charles

[kourt]

The purpose of an isolator is to make sure the house battery does not draw power from the starter battery. The DCDC chargers in that diagram are the isolators, so they are the gatekeepers of the relationship between the house battery and starter battery.

I looked at quite a few wiring diagrams from Victron (they publish several for giving people ideas). What I found was an enormous amount of extras that were not justified, mostly their Lynx products as distribution centers, and a propensity for building systems with large inverters. Inverters are inefficient and produce electrical noise, so I avoid them (I operate amateur radios from my van).

What I've done is the basic minimum to run an intelligent system. I should probably make a wiring diagram to convey the essential details more clearly.

kourt

[hcr]

Thanks Kourt- super helpful to see your system.
I’m still pondering the 110v side of the equation.

To state the obvious, I have minimal electrical knowledge:)

In particular I’m curious why when I look at wiring diagrams for current van builds such as this

It seems ok to power an inverter charger directly from shore power without the ‘sub panel / isolator’ setup in the eurovan?

Charles

[kourt]

The chargers on my van were swapped with Victron units this week.

The old combined Renogy DCDC/MPPT was good, but not great.

The new system consists of the following:

DCDC: Orion XS 12/12 50A DC-DC battery charger
MPPT: SmartSolar 75/15 solar charge controller
Monitor: BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor
Shore charger: Blue Smart IP22 battery charger

All these devices communicate via BlueTooth with each other via their own network, and share voltage/amperage information.

I also wrapped the leads through toroids to suppress noise. The photo below shows the aft battery box removed to expose the DCDC and MPPT devices, now mounted on a sheet of stainless steel.

kourt

[kourt]

You're lucky, I was in there today rewiring things.

It is a challenge to get the wiring from the driver side to the passenger side.

I have used some existing holes to do this.

The hole on the passenger side is just behind the sidecap of the rear bumper:

I've run the smaller wires through this hole. The smaller wires are for controls and displays of various chargers.

The photo below gives a general impression of how the run snakes under the van. It moves forward and stays clear of the spare tire and exhaust:

The photo below shows how the larger red positive battery cable exits through the cabin vent hole, also behind the side bumper cap:

The final photo below is an overview of the Battleborn GC3 battery with the plastic cover removed so you can see what's going on in there:

Where all this re-enters the cab on the driver side is just aft of the propane tank, in the floor space where the original water tank drain was. This whole bundle is tied together and encased in split loom, and held under the van with jumbo zip ties. It's not something you want to come undone easily.

The power from the alternator to the DCDC charger was handled by the OEM charge wire that connects to the solenoid in the engine bay behind the battery.

I hope this helps.

kourt

[hcr]

Kourt,

Would you mind sharing how you ran power from battery to your load panel?
Same for power from alternator to DC-DC charger.
Thanks

Charles

[kourt]

Howdy,

My gray water simply drains out of the sink through a tube to the underside of the van.

If I'm camping on the beach or in an undeveloped campground, I let it drain to the ground. This has never presented a problem in ten years of camping. It's mostly water for washing dishes, and we use a low impact soap. Food scraps are put in the trash.

For developed campgrounds, I place a Prepworks collapsible tub under the van where the gray water drains out. I collect this water and take it to the gray water station or the dishwashing station provided by the campground to dispose of it. This has always met with approval from the campground hosts.

I hope this helps.

kourt

[obnoxiousblue]

Vndlfsn, I think Kourt removed his van's gray water tank. On the EVC it is built into the van and mounted under the body. Water from the sink drains into it (unlike the earlier models which just drained onto the ground) and then there is a cap and trap just forward of the driver's side rear wheel. You remove the cap and pull the handle on the trap to let used water drain from the tank.

I don't use my built in tank much - I'm not sure what Kourt used but I added an outside "kitchen" (they should have called it a prep-station) from SeaSucker. This particular model has been replaced by their new version which - in my opinion offers less space and usability but I do like their new third mounting option, but I digress.

The "kitchen" comes with a sink basin which previously only had a rubber plug and would drain right onto your feet if you were to open it. I bought a sink drain from Home Depot and used a PVC adapter to bring it down to garden-hose-size. Then I used a short run of hose into the top of a plastic container. My local county parks require that containers be marked, though I have never been stopped or questioned before.

_________________
Mike
1964 Beetle
2001 Eurovan Camper

[Vndlfsn]

You noted earlier that you eliminated the gray water system. Where does your sink empty to?

[kourt]

By request, I am posting some photos of some battery box details.

The BattleBorn GC3 battery was mounted in the passenger side rear wheel well enclosure. The original Winnebago battery box was thrown out to make room for the bigger GC3. I added vents to the enclosure (two at the rear as shown below, and one on the forward face) to give the DCDC charger some breathing air.

The DCDC charger is mounted directly behind those vents, vertically, on a piece of sheet stainless steel that came from the old galley lid. I cut and drilled the sheet to fit the DCDC charger, and bent a foot at the base for mounting to the floor.

Opening the enclosure lid, you can see the GC3 consuming most of the space in the enclosure.

Finally, looking down into the enclosure, and slightly aft, you can barely see the DCDC charger vertically mounted in the space.

I hope this gives some detail of my configuration.

kourt

[Blaque Jacques]

Yes, great info and makes good sense! I'm planning on about the same. I appreciate your write-ups and help
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86 2wd Westy GW2200. 97, 99 02 EVC. Lots and lots of bikes

[kourt]

[Blaque Jacques]

next question: I'll be installing a 12v DC fridge while I have everything out. I also Will re-do the house electrical. I love the look of your custom panel. How did you handle the AC power coming in? The stock set up is so clunky, and I don't need the rear 120v outlets so was thinking of using that space for a battery monitor (using a LiFePo 100AmH battery and Renogy 30A DCDC/MPPT charger). I don't need huge capacity, or a large inverter and have a 100w panel. I just need something to plug in the AC-DC victron charger and maybe a line to the AC outlet about the fridge.
_________________
86 2wd Westy GW2200. 97, 99 02 EVC. Lots and lots of bikes

[Blaque Jacques]

Thanks again for this great thread. I'm tackling the floor replacement, as mine is mush in places. I've got the interior mostly out and will take a book out of your page by suspending the galley and cabinetry from the ceiling. First question: I am wrapping a cam strap around the strut pilar for the rear suspension. What did you use to anchor the front?
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86 2wd Westy GW2200. 97, 99 02 EVC. Lots and lots of bikes

[kourt]

January 2024 update: we took a hunting trip to Sonora, Texas with the Eurovan.

The hunting content of those stories requires a special thread. I post those stories on my Ultimate Hunting Vehicle thread in the Vanagons forum.

kourt