Help with van system equipment

[Ben c]

Hello guys

I'm currently looking at moving to a van based system for my peugoet expert. I'm in the west midlands not too far from the cleaning warehouse so I've been looking at their kit as it would be convenient for spares etc.

I'm very new to this so please excuse any ignorance on my part. If I tell you what I was planning could you please give me some Input or advise?

I was looking at getting:
500l wyedale tank
Frame for 500l tank
V16 pre wired controller and pump
Large leisure battery
Electric hose reel

Other that small fittings/hose etc does this look like a decent set up to you or is there bits you might change or do differently?

I really appreciate any input

Many thanks .Ben

 

[AW Services]

Hello guys

I'm currently looking at moving to a van based system for my peugoet expert. I'm in the west midlands not too far from the cleaning warehouse so I've been looking at their kit as it would be convenient for spares etc.

I'm very new to this so please excuse any ignorance on my part. If I tell you what I was planning could you please give me some Input or advise?

I was looking at getting:
500l wyedale tank
Frame for 500l tank
V16 pre wired controller and pump
Large leisure battery
Electric hose reel

Other that small fittings/hose etc does this look like a decent set up to you or is there bits you might change or do differently?

I really appreciate any input

Many thanks .Ben

Hello Ben,

500L is a massive tank and amount of water. You'll be over loaded
What's wrong with having a standard 350L
You've listed a leisure battery but how do you intend on maintaining and charging it?

You'll need a split charge relay system and also a good quality battery charger at home because short start stop journeys kill van starter batteries and in turn leisure batteries as you'll not being doing enough driving at distance to charge your batteries

I'd also recommend having a separate battery for a hose reel If I were to have one

You need to familiarise yourself with your vehicles weights and payload limitations and read up on how they are calculated

Half a ton of water is too much

 

[Ben c]

Thanks for the reply the van can carry a tad over 1100kg so the weight wasn't a concern of mine to be honest but a 350l tank would be cheaper and allow more room. My thoughts behind going with 500l was it would future proof thing a little if I got really busy or needed to do a long day. As for charging I was thinking of a split charger but as say short journeys may not be enough but I could just connect the battery to a 12v trickle charger overnight in my my garage. Thanks for the heads up on a separate battery for the hose reel I hadn't thought about that.

 

[AW Services]

Thanks for the reply the van can carry a tad over 1100kg so the weight wasn't a concern of mine to be honest but a 350l tank would be cheaper and allow more room. My thoughts behind going with 500l was it would future proof thing a little if I got really busy or needed to do a long day. As for charging I was thinking of a split charger but as say short journeys may not be enough but I could just connect the battery to a 12v trickle charger overnight in my my garage. Thanks for the heads up on a separate battery for the hose reel I hadn't thought about that.

 

[AW Services]

What's your planning for pure water production? Will you be producing it at home or using a spotless water nearby?

It personally think you'd be better with a 350L tank as you'll most likely want to grow and expand your business and services after some time to provide gutter vacuuming, pressure washing to maximise your income and space is a premium then.

I wouldn't recommend a trickle charger as you'll need to dump some amps into your batteries to have them working properly and healthy.

I have a had wired Durite 10amp battery charger in my van and hook up my mains 16 amp lead most night times

A split charge system is also two way so when your starter battery is charged it will switch over to charge your leisure battery.

Having system redundancy is key when doing a van build

Austin

 

[Ben c]

Thanks, yes I'm doing gutter cleaning too so need space for the vac and would also like to get a small petrol pressure washer also so yes I will need the space. I just wasn't sure if 350l would be enough long term.

I'm producing ro at home and storing in a 650l tank currently.

 

[ched999uk]

If your payload is 1100kg then you should be OK with a 500lts tank. Personally I have a 400lts upright and find it enough but I don't do long days. It will depend on your work and how much water you like to use to rinse.
Just to be safe I would check the weight plate (probably under bonnet) for front and rear axle load limits and get the empty van with you and half a tank of fuel to a weigh bridge and check the axle empty weights. Reason being a 500lts tank, frame and water will be close to 600kg, so if that weight is quite forward (up against the bulkhead) you could overload the front axle and give yourself suspension and brake issues.
Size of tank is always a compromise as we want maximum water but need extra space for gutter vac or pressure washer etc.
As for a split charge relay, personally I'm not convinced you need one as long as you can conveniently mains charge each night. Plus depending on the year of your van you might need a battery to battery charger and they are not cheap!
The V16 prewired pump and controller is a good choice.
I have the pure freedom reel and it's big and heavy but very well made, I only have 1 leisure battery (95AH if I remember correctly) and I don't ever get anywhere near using half of the capacity (12v rested). So I would say unless you are running a diesel heater 1 leisure battery will be fine. The advantage of 2 leisure batteries is that if one fails you can re jog things and carry on working but you are carrying an extra 25kg all the time!