New VentLine VanAir Installed in Van: How to wire it up??

[Surviver76]

Hi Guys, I'm helping my wife to convert her 1998 Ford Windstar window cargo van and so far we've installed solar, the Ventline roof vent and currently working on the bed platform etc. We have not yet set up the Charge Controller or the AGM battery but I'm a bit puzzled as to were to safely get power for her Ventline vent. It has tiny gauge wires for plus and minus and I've set them up with plenty of run to reach the battery and controller area we have planned in the rear of the van. My thoughts are, can anything be connected to either the solar panel or battery terminals on the controller or should I just run the vent pig tail directly to the battery terminals. I've also considered splicing into an existing power source that is powering something already in the van like the rear wiper or dome light but have never done anything like this and need guidance before proceeding.. Also wondering about an inline fuse for the fan positive line??
The Ventline fan has a nice little switch on it so we just need a power source.. Any help appreciated..

[Surviver76]

Hi Guys, wow.. lots of excellent responses as always.. I think what Johno02 suggested would probably work just fine and be the quickest install however I love the idea of a 12V fuse panel so that's the route we'll take.. if possible, can somebody post a link to some ideas of where I could buy one of those on line... that would be great...

[Johno02]

I installed a fan vent in a van years ago, and just used the existing wiring for the interior overhead light. Worked fine. They did not have dimmers on the interior lights back then, but I could turn the fan on and off with the light switch. Which worked pretty good, actually.

[DrewE]

Any circuit absolutely should be fused as close to the source of power as possible, the fuse rating being determined mainly by the ampacity of the wire. Fuses (or equivalent protection devices like circuit breakers) are fire prevention safety devices.

Standard practice, as others have said, is to have a 12V distribution panel/fusebox for the house loads connected to the house battery and individual circuits as appropriate for various devices. There are many RV specific power centers available, containing both 120V and 12V panels and often a converter/charger (to run the 12V items when connected to 120V power and to charge the house battery under the same circumstances). If you'll be having a 120V system, one of these would probably be the simplest and handiest way to set things up. The Progressive Dynamics Mighty Mini power center might be a good choice.

It is a good idea to have a separate battery and electrical system for the house loads and leave the chassis electrical system largely unchanged. There are a couple of reasons for this--the most important being that you can't strand yourself by running the starting battery too low with house stuff. There are various isolator devices that allow at least one-way charging so that the house battery can be charged by the vehicle alternator while driving. Some of the more sophisticated setups also allow the chassis battery to be charged from AC power by the converter, but that's less of a necessity in a lot of cases.

[Bill_Satellite]

I would assume that you are going to have a number of items in the van that require 12V power and not just the vent. If so, then you should run power from the batteries to a 12V fuse panel and then you would have a source to make all the necessary connections plus the safety of the connections being fused.

[Mandalay_Parr]

I would run it to the battery or power distribution panel.
Yes, it should be fused.
Did Ventline supply any installation instructions?