u/glaeyr

I'm currently working on a Van conversion for living in it.

I'm currently struggling with hot water production.

Basically I've got the engine coolant loop running through a webasto heater, then to a water/air exchanger and a water/water exchanger.

Basically the water comes from a tank, then to a pump with a pressostat. I've also added a expansion tank.

from there it branches of to the heat exchanger, then to a thermostatic valve, then to the shower part.

Any tips or things I've overlooked? do the non return valve between exchanger and the cold branch needed? also do I really need an expansion valve?

Schema of the planned installation:
https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1HhxlFv4ejJ2A-09M0Fll6TNtfT7151BdkcM55rhxg3o/edit?usp=sharing

Title: Finally pulled the trigger on a VW T5 L2H1 — first van build. Any advice before I overengineer this thing?

After months of lurking, I finally bought a 2009 VW T5 L2H1 with ~200k miles on it 😅

Found a surprisingly good deal… only catch was it was ~800km away from home.

Our very first “vanlife weekend” was actually done in a standard car, trying to get to the seller... so this already feels like a massive upgrade.

The build

The van definitely needs some love, but I have access to a really solid workshop with tons of tools and people who actually know what they’re doing mechanically, which feels like a huge advantage for a first build.

So far:

Added 2 side windows + a roof window
Started treating rust on the chassis
Trying to revive the factory Webasto heater
Planning to make it road legal as VASP in France

The plan is basically to build something simple and reliable enough for road trips and remote work, while still being comfortable enough for longer trips across Europe.

First destinations on the list:

Italy this summer (very hot so)
Pyrénées soon after
and hopefully northern Europe next winter for aurora hunting (very cold, sooo given I can get the webasto running !)

Biggest thing I’m struggling with right now is the water system / hot water setup. I plan to take the coolant loop from webasto/engine to the back compartment for other uses (heat exchanger to air for heating)

Now I’m wondering if I’m massively overengineering this for a first build.

Would love to hear:

what you regret doing on your build
what you wish you planned earlier
smartest “small” upgrade you made
and especially how you approached water systems in smaller vans

Will definitely post build progress if people are interested.

Van conversion and heating water

Finally pulled the trigger on a VW T5 L2H1 — starting my first van build. Any advice before I do something stupid?