The previous owner converted this school bus into a custom skoolie camper with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, couch, closets, and roof-top deck. It also included a basic DIY power system containing four 6V gel batteries to power the lights, USB ports, and ceiling fan. A rooftop air conditioner unit was also installed along with a shore power inlet and some basic 120V wiring, albeit without proper circuit protection or grounding. The new owner enlisted our services to help upgrade the safety and capacity of the power system to be suitable for full-time living.

We opted to keep the system installation location under the couch. We used 75% of the space for the power equipment, while leaving the remaining 25% free for a hidden litter box compartment to be installed in the future for the owner's cat! After removing the existing batteries, we were able to strategically fit three lithium iron phosphate batteries (with room for a fourth), a 5,000VA inverter/charger, and all the other necessary converters and chargers. Two temperature controlled fans were also installed to make sure the equipment gets adequate airflow. The 120VAC wiring was redone; upgrading the input wire size and circuit breakers. Additional receptacles were installed and wiring issues were fixed with the existing outlets.

As for the solar panels, we wanted to maximize the roof deck real estate for both solar production and outdoor enjoyment. We opted for bifacial solar panels mounted on manually adjustable tilt brackets. This helps maximize solar production whether the panels are flat while traveling, or when lifted up out of the way to use the deck while boondocking.

This is a huge upgrade over the previous system, both in terms of functionality and safety. This skoolie is now ready to comfortably go anywhere!