How to power my pumps

[Decker]

Hi guys.. I have my wfp pump system attached to my van battery.  The power is not strong enough.. What is the best way to power the pump system please.. 

Kevin 

 

[ched999uk]

The van battery should provide good power for the pump as long as all the connections are good and the cables are a decent size.

I would say the majority of people with van systems use a second battery to power the pump. Then you need to either mains charge the battery each night or install appropriate battery to battery charging in the van as long as you do decent mileage each day. 

 

[spruce]

Hi guys.. I have my wfp pump system attached to my van battery.  The power is not strong enough.. What is the best way to power the pump system please.. 

Kevin 

In 2007 I kitted my son's Peugeot Partner 800LX van out for wfp. We found that his van's starter battery went flat after 4 days. We work within a 5 to 8 mile radius of home and he was just running a single pump, nothing else. So I fitted a leisure battery, and as his van was parked on our driveway, I bench charged that leisure battery every night.

A few years later, he had to replace his starter battery with a new one. We again tried to use his starter battery to power his pump and found that this new battery also only lasted 4 days before it was flat.

On the other forum was a window cleaner running the same van in the south and he ran his pump off his van battery with no issues of it going flat. He spent more time in traffic queues with his engine idling so his battery was being charged while he was 'pulling his hair out' stuck in traffic.

We tried the same experiment when son-in-law joined us. I thought that as he travelled 10 miles to work and worked the same area as us, that would be sufficient to charge his starter battery. His battery was flat after 7 days. His van was a 53 plate Ford Transit Connect T220LWB. I then fitted a leisure battery to that van which he had to charge from time to time.

A lead acid battery will only accept a low rate of charge. It will deliver a power punch to start the vehicle, but then it takes ages before the battery is fully recharged. The fuller the charge in the battery the slower the recharge rate. I see recharge rates of less than 2 amps in a nearly fully charged battery.

Yesterday was a prime example of battery drain compared to recharge. The van stood the whole day while we did 2 gutter clears, fascia and soffit cleans as well as conservatory roof and window cleans. I ran the diesel heater and we had both pumps going. At the end of the day I had used 21% of my 105amp battery capacity. That equated to 22 amps. I have a Victron battery monitor.

When I started the van, the alternator punched about 35 amps into the leisure battery for a few moments before dropping to 8 amps on the 8 mile journey home. The journey took around 15 minutes, so basically I put back 3 amps into the battery on my way home according to my battery monitor. I was 18 amps in deficit. If I did that for a few days my leisure battery would be down to 50% charged. We shouldn't let the battery charge go lower than 50% or it will impact on battery longevity.

So even with a Sterling battery to battery charger I'm unable to not recharge my leisure battery every night using a diesel heater.

Many years ago I had to drive the 250 miles to London in my van. I purposely didn't recharge my leisure battery after using it the previous couple of days. The leisure battery was at 65% charged the next morning when I checked my voltage reading. When I got to London 5 hours later the leisure battery was still accepting a charge of an amp, but at that rate I called it fully recharged.

An Australian motor home magazine once stated that it would take a road trip of 750 km to fully recharge a flat leisure battery using the motor home's alternator. They didn't say what size the leisure battery was, though.

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Hi guys.. I have my wfp pump system attached to my van battery.  The power is not strong enough.. What is the best way to power the pump system please.. 

Kevin 

What year / age is your van? 

Does it use adblue? 

I'd recommend fitting a VSR - split charge relay or a B2B battery to battery charger 

Also it's worth having a good quality leisure battery charger so you can charge from home also as you'll most likely not drive the distance needed to top your battery up 

 

[Decker]

What year / age is your van? 

Does it use adblue? 

I'd recommend fitting a VSR - split charge relay or a B2B battery to battery charger 

Also it's worth having a good quality leisure battery charger so you can charge from home also as you'll most likely not drive the distance needed to top your battery up 

It's a 2019 Renault traffic so new van.. Yes it uses adblue. Can you give me more details on the relay and b2b charger please mate

 

[Deleted member 7446]

It's a 2019 Renault traffic so new van.. Yes it uses adblue. Can you give me more details on the relay and b2b charger please mate

Sterling is a good brand however quite bulky. I personally use a Victron Energy 12 12 30

Very easy to install providing you understand wire gauge and the correct termination or wiring.

Great price at the moment also.

It requires one positive feed and negative ground with Battery out to auxiliary battery 

https://www.theoffgridengineer.co.uk/products/victron-energy-orion-tr-smart-12-12-30-dc-dc-charger-non-isolated?variant=39822406353075&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxur7xdCn9AIVD-J3Ch1rvg3gEAQYAiABEgLuDvD_BwE