Heavy Duty Van Rebuild-HELP!!

Thanks so much Cam. Very interesting reading. Which "glue" is best. Friends used Bunnings ply with glue, and glue has come through...am hoping by using a better wall product this won't happen. We've worked out where we want electrical stuff, and are planning on that getting done before we line the van. Unfortunately the outside has to stay on, which may make things more difficult lining the inside....we'll see.
Is is ok to run electrics under van and just "up" to points, switches etc? The van has a steel frame which will mean we'll have to run wire through 25mm steel bars - bit fiddly and lots annoying.
Wouldn't plumbing come up underneath sink, shower and vanity, rather than through the wall?? We were going to do that after we'd lined the van. Any advice?
We are definitely willing to "suffer your writings". Sounds like you'll have plenty good advice!!
Sharon

Also Cam, What plumbing is your recommendation. As far as pipes and connectors. We were thinking of copper pipe with some flexible sections to allow for movement.
Sharon

On plumbing I can reccomend the JG (John Guest) range of plumbing. Poly tube lines in blue and red, and push on fittings with security locking clips.

All available from Camec.

In 10 years of building 46 motorhomes have yet to get one to fail or even leak.

Great stuff.
Not cheap at about $4 per fitting, but nothing good is.

On Plywoods, I can reccommend one particular type of ply they sell at Camec, it's polyester lined with a textured surface. Not sure of the name of the top of my head, but you'll see what I mean if you go there to have a look around.
It's the ply that Phoenix Caravans used to build the intire insides of their offroad vans out of. Cupboards and all, doors the lot.

I have used it as ceiling ply in motorhomes because of it's longevity, but have since changed to their 'snowflake' ply because of asthetics.

Liquid nails is ok but use Sikaflex adhesive if you want it to stay there forever!

Camec's address as you are probably aware of is
crn Kerry Road and Beaudesert Road, Archerfield or Acacia Ridge or one of them suburbs anyway.
07 3710 9000

Good luck and have fun.

HUGO

Thanks Hugo. I'll look into the ply from Camec. Do you mean the 3mm ply that has a poly finish? I didn't notice any varieties in their finished ply, but perhaps I need to ask them rather than just rely on the website catalogue.
Do you know of the website for John Guest products? I found a few fittings on ebay, but wanted to find some more product information.
What sort of pump is the best? We will be running the van on 240 volt power and having watertanks mounted under the van - high clearance makes it quite easy. We'll have a shower, sink and vanity basin. We figured a two tap capacity would be fine.
Also, any advice from anyone on a reverse cycle air conditioner. Interior is 5.9m x 2.3m x 2m high.
I'm loving all the help you guys are offering.
Thanks again.

Hi Sharon,

The JG plumbing as mentioned by Hugo is the bees knees. For a cheaper alternative you could use hot water washing machine hose as it's heat rated and pressure rated and doesn't rattle of chafe. I am not a fan of hardline plumbing in mobile units (ie: copper). LPG on the other hand is run by gas fitters and they ensure there should be no issues with movement and stress.

We use a "Shureflo" 12v pressure pump from Camec and that is more than enough for our shower, sink simultaneously. We also use it to pump between tanks via an isolator manifold.

Sikaflex is also the best but if you do go liquid nails, spend a bit more and get the pro stuff.

You are correct with the plumbing underneath, however we have a shower that I built and I ran it through the walls as well.

With your electricals, you need to grommet each point passing through the steel frame to prevent chaffing. We have both 240v and 12v throughout. Be careful where you choose to run the holes through the steel, as you don't want to weaken the structure. You may choose to run more cable as a sacrifice for structural integrity by running primarily overhead or underneath.

I expect Hugo is a pro caravan/mh manufacturer and thanks very much to him for sharing. Most pro's like to let us non-pros find out the hard way. His lessons would be invaluable.

For the A/C we have a Dometic unit roof mounted. It is reasonably quiet and very common. It is not RC however but has a heating element that works very well, but the power consumption would probably be high, but I haven't been worried about that as the 240v is not metered whenever it is used.
You could also checkout domestic split system RC AC's. I have heard many good stories about them but there are also drawbacks regarding mounting etc for most caravan styles. Yours however may be the exception. The biggest fear most have with them is the components used and their reliability with vibration. Once again, I expect there should be no issues if the mounting is isolated and secure and you don't travel the GRR. It would be possible to use braided lines for this type of installation but the cost may prevent that.
Your interior sounds much like ours for size. Ours is 5.5 x 2.3 x 1.9 internally. The biggest thing with AC is not so much the size, but the insulation. I have insulated all walls, ceilings, floor with 25-50mm polystyrene panels where possible. The AC doesn't need to work to maintain temp once it has reached it and the sound baffling is great as well.

Cheers Cam.