Passenger Van as Production Van advice?

Capt Quirk said:
That little inverter isn't going to do much for you at all, aside from charge a laptop and phones. For $100, you could get a couple of the same size from Wal Mart. I would look at something like a 1k watt inverter or larger, especially if you want to run lights.
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They provide small inverters in vehicles because the power drain on the battery and electrical system has issues at higher power draws. A 1000w inverter running at a full 1000w would draw about 1200 watts from the battery. At 12 volts, the draw would be about 100 amps. It requires large gauge cable (#3 gauge, about 1/4" thick). The battery, with the engine off, if it is a good quality battery, will only be able to provide that for perhaps 20-30 minutes if it can do it at all (car batteries are not rated at that draw for that period of time). If the battery is not immediately charged again after such a deep discharge, it will live a short life. The more times it is used that way, the shorter its life will be. That means if you do a deep discharge you need to run the vehicle right after you use the inverter (if it starts after having been drained). Then you need to DIY the wiring, outlets, and find a place for the inverter; or have a pro do it. If you run the engine while using the inverter, then there is no point is having an inverter(1). Then there is the matter of running stingers from the vehicle to the set. Is the vehicle within 100' - 200' of the set?

You're likely better off running a small quiet generator at that kind of wattage. You can place the generator anywhere it is needed.

(1) - Running a 150-300hp engine for a 2hp function is a waste of fuel and an expensive engine.
 
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I was running a 1500 watt inverter off of a 8 12v deep cycle bank on my homestead. For a van like this, he wouldn't need 8 batteries, but at least 2, or a good genny. Going to a camping specialist would be the way to go. They are often set up with genny, batteries, and an alternator that has more power.
 
Maybe something got lost in translation from the Netherlands. Publimix means that some inverters don't put out a proper sine wave. Not all electronics like this.
 
Tremendous thanks to you all.
I think I'm going to skip the wimpy factory inverter (150w) but get the HD alternator and dual batteries for future needs.
I see now that a proper sinewave inverter will need to be wired in and installed.
Right now I don't have a need for powering more than some electronics and LED lights (80W each) but in the future things could change.
I'm trying to think way ahead and was advised to get the tow hitch if there is ever any remote chance of needing it else they leave out all wiring and it costs much more later to install.

I'm still working on how to configure the seats and gear storage as well as dealing with the side air bags and barriers for windows and crew, reviewing advice given earlier.
That is going to take some time and work. Probably have to work that out in stages.

Regarding the outside of the vehicle, I don't want it obvious that it has those big side windows, inviting someone to break in.
So I am wanting to decal over the side windows to make it look more like a cargo van. What do you guys think about that?

I also had the idea of installing bomb resistant window tinting on the side windows and then decalling them. I produced a video for a guy that sold it years ago and you could shoot it with a gun and then smash it with a bat and it would shatter but not fall out so you still couldn't get through it without a lot of extra effort. We even exploded a bomb and it didn't blow the windows out.
 
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When you go to install the dual batteries, get some of the heaviest 6v batteries you can find, such as Trojans. Hook them up pos to neg, and you will end up having a huge 12v. The reason I say get 6v, they have heavier plaes inside, which hold more charge and last longer.
 
On breaking in. My van got done recently - it was empty apart from a couple of stands which our crim didn't apparently want.

Well - no bother with breaking the glass - a neat hole under the door lock did it - now I have some steel plates put in - but ideally do that first before a break in "securiguard"?was the brand
 
From running a news live truck, I can only say that batteries MUST go in a part of the vehicle that is not inhabited. They also MUST be in proper plastic battery (box) container to prevent explosion from damaging other things (like people). We had more than a few extra batteries blow up, and they were maintained meticulously, always had the correct water level, always used de-ionized water, etc.

Also, since my brother has no power connection at his house and lives off solar and wind, the same applies to the batteries he uses. They must be in a proper location where they won't do damage to people or pets when they blow up. This is not an if case, it's a when case for lead/acid deep cycle batteries. Not sure about the lithium based power storage type of cells that are coming out.

The SLA type in all my APC brand UPS have regular problems, they are on a 3 year replacement cycle because after that they start to expand and crack the case. Now you are dealing with the "dry" AGM matts coming out through the cracks and the acid that is held in them. Huge pain when you can't even slide the battery tray out of the chassis and need to drill all the pop rivets out to get the tray out for replacement.

I guess what I'm saying is that if you need power, I'd add a little invertor generator to the van chassis somewhere and if possible run the exhaust pipe up above the roof. You can get a few that have fuel connections from the main vehicle tank, normally leaving about 1/3 to 1/4 tank for the vehicle to get to the filling station.
 
One dangerous failure mode of the lead acid (sealed or not) batteries is that one or more of the cells may short out and yet they continue to work properly. But then, when they are charged, because of the shorted cell, they get too many volts across the remaining cells and put out large volumes of hydrogen (as much as a gallon per minute). After a building blew up due to hydrogen gas from batteries, a particular industry made new requirements that the batteries had to be in their own container and have enough air blowing through to keep the hydrogen concentration below 1% during failure condition.

So if you want to be extra cautious, you want to vent the batteries as well. You don't want a hydrogen bomb in your van.
 
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