A lot of information about building camper vans is from people who “don’t know what they don’t know”. Many ideas take on an "air of truth" simply by being repeated over and over on the internet. This list originated from a discussion on the ProMaster Forum where we collected a number of Myths and Best Practices from experienced van builders. My goal was to take the discussion and consolidate it into a one page report that could be helpful for novice van builders.
Myth: Sheet-foam insulation (Poly-iso, XPS, etc) under a plywood floor will get crushed. Best Practices:There is extensive experience and published material refuting that notion. If you look up the compression pounds per inch (psi) of the product and multiply it by the surface area intended, it becomes quite clear, but it is hard for people to accept the fact that the floor foam will not be compressed enough to matter. For instance, it might be compressed by only a 1/16th of an inch, which is trivial compared to the other problems that come from an extensive floor framing made out of wood or metal. The downsides include loss of insulation value, squeaks, trapped moisture, mold and extra cost in materials and labor.
Myth: The floor valleys have to be filled. Best Practices: This is a followup to Myth # 1. It is helpful to leave the valleys empty. If you design the floor properly, this can allow any moisture to drain out the back door if you are parked on an incline. Sheets of XPS/NGX solid pink foam insulation is preferred for floors, since it does not absorb water. Sheets of polyiso is better for walls and ceilings because it withstands the higher temperatures needed for vehicles in the direct sun on a hot day. Hydrophobic batting (Thinsulate or Havelock wool) can work as well on walls and ceilings but they have drawbacks related to moisture.
Myth: Framing out the walls and ceiling with a lot of wood is necessary. Best Practices: Framing can reduce valuable interior space. Finish walls/paneling and cabinets can be attached directly to the van's ribs and channels. Select finish wall materials flexible enough to conform to the slight wall and ceiling curves. Without framing, you would attach your shiplap directly to the van's metal ribs, channels, and pillars the same way you were going to attach the framing, with sheet metal screws, or bolts and rivnuts, or something similar. Minimal framing also helps keep the overall weight of the van lower.
Myth: Leveling the van before beginning the conversion is necessary. Best Practices: Unlike a house, the van will not stay level during the conversion process, or afterwards. Instead, use the van’s floor as your reference plane and square everything to it (cabinets, etc). Likewise, suspension alterations to compensate for the van's original rake, i.e., the back being higher than the front, should NOT be undertaken before the conversion is finished. Added weight from conversion materials and equipment will reduce the rake. Plus, a perfectly level van will only be level on perfectly level campsites, which are rare.
Myth: Insulating the floor is unnecessary and is not important for reducing heat loss. Best Practices: You might be thinking that it is not worthwhile insulating the floor on your camper van conversion. This question comes up regularly on van forums. Here is a test to determine how worthwhile it is to insulate the floor of a van. The bottom line is that if you have a van that is well insulated, and you don’t insulate the floor, the heat loss for the whole van will be about 40% more than the same van with an insulated floor!
Myth: You need a roof rack for solar panels. Best Practices: There are lots of options for mounting solar panels that don't require a roof rack. You can bolt through the roof or mounting panels directly to the roof with 3M VHB tape alone has worked for many. With proper surface preparation and temperature, it's an industrial-strength bond. You may want a roof rack, but you do not need one for solar.
Myth: You need full overlanding gear (roof rack, side ladders, rear door boxes, lift kits, roof decks) for a legitimate van conversion. Best Practices: A camper van is not a Jeep. It is nice to explore off the beaten path, but you should be realistic. Each of these items have their own issues. Here is a test to show how much MPG drag they can add to a van project. In this case it reduced the van efficiency by 2.5 miles per gallon when driving at 65 mph and at 75 mph it could reduce efficiency by 10 miles per gallon. Lift kits greater than 1.5 inches have been known to damage to front drive axles and CV joints.
Myth: Van builders need a second alternator to provide enough power for your electrical system. Best Practices: Nearly all van builders are happy with just one alternator.
Myth: You will finish your van completely and never change anything ever. Best Practices: This myth is the granddaddy myth of them all. Most DIY van builders continue to refine their creation for many years.
Myth: Blind Nuts (plus-nuts and rivnuts) are essential for a van build. Best Practices: They can be helpful for some applications, but they are not essential. It is best if you design so the force will operate in “Shear” rather than “tension” or commonly referred to as “pull out” that fastener is much much stronger.
Myth: It is important to create a moisture barrier for each surface of the van build. Best Practices: Vans are built and behave differently than houses. Some house building methods and materials, like vapor barriers, can actually be counterproductive in vans. Since you have a vapor barrier outside (van sheet metal) then creating another vapor barrier inside with the insulation between is not good practice. If moisture (water vapor or liquid water) gets into the space between the two vapor barriers, then it has no way for it to dry out. It is almost impossible to make a perfect water vapor barrier and studies show that even small holes in the barrier can admit a lot of water vapor. If using a water impermeable insulation like Polyiso or XPS, then it probably does not make much difference since any water vapor getting through the inside water vapor barrier would not penetrate the Polyiso. But, Thinsulate or Havelock Wool is highly permeable to water vapor or liquid water and the whole insulation layer could get damp or condense liquid water as the water vapor makes its way out to the cold van sheet metal. Here is research done on different kinds of insulation and how it reacts to moisture.
Myth: Never drill any holes in the van. Best Practices: It is helpful to avoid drilling more holes than necessary in the van, but any competent van builder needs to learn how to create and waterproof any holes that are made. It is scary to drill or cut through the van metal, but many holes and openings are essential for a functional and safe van build.
Myth: All propane heaters causes moisture in the van. Best Practices: Burning all fossil fuels create moisture. That moisture can go out of the van, if you use a heater with an external vent for combustion. This myth likely comes from the Mr Buddy heater, which is just one brand of heater that uses propane and doesn't have an external vent.
Myth: It is practical to install tankless water heaters. Best Practices: Tankless hot water heaters need to be vented, therefore they are usually mounted on the back door and function when you are taking a shower outside the van and have the door open. They waste a large amount of water when they start up. Usually camper vans don’t have enough water on board to make them practical. An outside shower may sound like a great idea, but is not very practical for most van people except for some remote camping locations in the summertime.
MYTH: You should insulate the areas under the black plastic triangles running along either side if the floor of the van. Best Practices: The areas under the holes covered by the black triangles are called rocker panels. The holes are meant to drain moisture from inside the van. Water can enter the rockers through body gaps in wheel wells (etc) and around the fasteners holding the black plastic trim panels on the outside. Insulation can catch and hold water preventing it from evaporating or draining freely, which can create mold. Just like on a house window, you seal at the top and sides so water will shingle off, but don't seal completely on bottom because WHEN water gets in, it needs a way out. Most of the rocker surfaces are below floor level, where insulation is pointless . It can be helpful to insulate over top of the black triangle holes, but not inside them.
Myth: There is only one truth in converting vans. Best Practices: Different people have different needs, and what is sensible for one person's needs is overkill for another, and insufficient for a third. So despite what so many people like to claim, there is no ULTIMATE VAN CONVERSION. We each have a unique combination of priorities, budget, and skills.
Myth: You need to spend large amounts of money and build a very complex camper van. Best Practices: You can enjoy nature and travel (maybe more) by keeping it simple and covering your basic needs. Yes, if you're into building and creating something high-tech and beautiful, then go for it, but it will cost you a lot more to initially build, break down more often and cost more to repair in the future. This link has a lot of good suggestions about How to Build a Quality Camper Van on a Budget.
Myth: You don’t need to worry about how you are anchoring the cabinets and/or gear in the back of the van build. Best Practices: It is important to have nearly everything secured in the van to keep the cabinets and contents from becoming “missiles” in a crash. A pillow or sweatshirt isn’t the concern, but a cabinet with 50 pounds of contents in a 30 g crash has 1,500 pounds of force trying to rip off the attachments to the van. A scary visual is the common photo of a galley backsplash with kitchen knives mounted on a magnetic strip. After an accident, just imagine the knives flying toward the driver and passenger in the front seats.
Myth: A certified electrician knows how to build your electrical system. Best Practices: If they don’t have a lot of experience with 12-volt van systems already, it probably isn't a good idea to have a commercial/residential electrician wire your van. One excellent source for recreational vehicle electrical design is Explorist Life.
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