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Choosing a spare backpack

Max

Member
Messages
63
Location
bucks
Hi,

I currently use a Gardiners backpack but if it went wrong I would have to use the trad gear that is always with me, so I think I should get a spare backpack. unsure whether to bite the bullet and get another Gardiner one or a slightly cheaper one like the Water Genie. What do you think? What's your back up?

Cheers in advance for your reply's.

 
The old conundrum. If its your only means of cleaning (without going back to trad) then I would get another backpack and alternate using them.

Gardiners were out of stock of backpacks for about a week last week. If you needed one then you would have had to wait until new stocks arrived.

We have just ordered a new one as our old Proback has packed up for the second time (failed speed controller). We could afford to wait as my son just used his hose reel.

We carry a variety of spares now. I still have a new pump and controller as well as a new shaft and bearings for our hose reels. Even although most things are a day away (next day delivery) this can still mean downtime and loss of earnings.

My experience was learning the hard way. The first part that I broke when just starting was the Y piece on the brush head splitting the water to the 2 jets.

I tried to find something locally before ordering from a supplier by first class post. The first class post arrived 2 days later. I part that cost £1 cost me 2 days work. From that day on I ordered a replacement for virtually everything - excluding r/o membranes.

-

 
Another vote for the Gardiner's.

Just to e go what spruce is saying...A few days ago I spent 60quid on spare bits just to keep in a tool box for running repairs. There's a lot of potential for things to go wrong and waiting and paying for delivery on separate occasions is pointless imo. I'm not done yet either, I'll probably blow another 40quid on bits once I get my van mount and know what I'm dealing with.

 
If you like a bit of DIY then it might be worth getting a second hand Freedom trolley.

Get rid of the Sureflo pump and and big battery and battery box, (these are very heavy). Fit a backpack pump (£15 ebay), a 7ah battery (£25 for two, eBay). I use a PWM controller (also cheap on eBay) for mine as the digital one didn't like the backpack pump and kept shutting down. I had an old Freedom trolley so I used the controller off that. I also fitted pneumatic tyres as these are lighter than the solid ones. Also £25 for four on... guess where?

I primarily did it to get the weight down. The trolley is now really light (half the weight) and because everything is easy to get your hands on (literally), any part can be fixed / replaced real quick if you have spares on board. I carry a spare pump, battery, wheel, fuses and hose fittings for the trolley. The battery can be changed in less than a minute, and the pump can be changed in under 10 minutes. I've used 8mm minibore for the hose as it just pushes onto the pump and a Claber 8mm Hozeloc connector from Gardiner's. See pictures

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This setup gives me a good day of work. However, it does need to be charged everyday. I keep the spare battery on board just in case. I have had to swap it out once during the day when I was running it flat out all day. But the pump I'm using is a 5lpm one and I don't usually run it flat out. I normally set the controller to 6/10 though I often find even 4/10 works well. It depends how dirty the windows are. I think most backpack pumps are more like 4lpm and will use less power.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you like a bit of DIY then it might be worth getting a second hand Freedom trolley.Get rid of the Sureflo pump and and big battery and battery box, (these are very heavy). Fit a backpack pump (£15 ebay), a 7ah battery (£25 for two, eBay). I use a PWM controller (also cheap on eBay) for mine as the digital one didn't like the backpack pump and kept shutting down. I had an old Freedom trolley so I used the controller off that. I also fitted pneumatic tyres as these are lighter than the solid ones. Also £25 for four on... guess where?

I primarily did it to get the weight down. The trolley is now really light (half the weight) and because everything is easy to get your hands on (literally), any part can be fixed / replaced real quick if you have spares on board. I carry a spare pump, battery, wheel, fuses and hose fittings for the trolley. The battery can be changed in less than a minute, and the pump can be changed in under 10 minutes. I've used 8mm minibore for the hose as it just pushes onto the pump and a Claber 8mm Hozeloc connector from Gardiner's. See pictures

conversion_06.jpg


conversion_02.jpg


conversion_07.jpg


This setup gives me a good day of work. However, it does need to be charged everyday. I keep the spare battery on board just in case. I have had to swap it out once during the day when I was running it flat out all day. But the pump I'm using is a 5lpm one and I don't usually run it flat out. I normally set the controller to 6/10 though I often find even 4/10 works well. It depends how dirty the windows are. I think most backpack pumps are more like 4lpm and will use less power.
have you got a link for the pump? please.
 
If you like a bit of DIY then it might be worth getting a second hand Freedom trolley.Get rid of the Sureflo pump and and big battery and battery box, (these are very heavy). Fit a backpack pump (£15 ebay), a 7ah battery (£25 for two, eBay). I use a PWM controller (also cheap on eBay) for mine as the digital one didn't like the backpack pump and kept shutting down. I had an old Freedom trolley so I used the controller off that. I also fitted pneumatic tyres as these are lighter than the solid ones. Also £25 for four on... guess where?

I primarily did it to get the weight down. The trolley is now really light (half the weight) and because everything is easy to get your hands on (literally), any part can be fixed / replaced real quick if you have spares on board. I carry a spare pump, battery, wheel, fuses and hose fittings for the trolley. The battery can be changed in less than a minute, and the pump can be changed in under 10 minutes. I've used 8mm minibore for the hose as it just pushes onto the pump and a Claber 8mm Hozeloc connector from Gardiner's. See pictures

conversion_06.jpg


conversion_02.jpg


conversion_07.jpg


This setup gives me a good day of work. However, it does need to be charged everyday. I keep the spare battery on board just in case. I have had to swap it out once during the day when I was running it flat out all day. But the pump I'm using is a 5lpm one and I don't usually run it flat out. I normally set the controller to 6/10 though I often find even 4/10 works well. It depends how dirty the windows are. I think most backpack pumps are more like 4lpm and will use less power.

Interesting mod. Wouldn't have thought about doing it myself tbh. But it makes sense.

 
My reasoning was, with so many of us using backpacks and doing a days work with them, using the innards of one to make my trolley lighter must work. Most backpacks were using 7ah batteries at the time so that was my first change and even with the Sureflo pump I could do 4hrs on compact residential work with no signs of it giving up. My next change was the pump. At 1/4 of the weight of the Sureflo that seemed a no brainer. I ordered one from Gardiner's. and it bolted straight on which was a bonus. Then I hit my first snag. The digital controller didn't like it and kept shutting down. I still had my old analogue controller from my first Freedom trolley. So I put that on and since have had no problems. I've since put a 5lpm pump on but had to switch over the pressure switch as the fixed 115psi one on the pump I got was too high for the univalve and made it hard to operate.

This is the one I'm currently using though it has the pressure switch from the Gardiner one on it.

115PSI 300L/h High Pressure Diaphragm Water Pump 12V 60W Yacht Boat Car Marine

However, this one should do it without messing around with the pressure switch.

New 80PSI ( 70) 5 L/min Diaphragm High Pressure Water Pump 12Volt DC

Even if I went through one a year I wouldn't consider it a problem.

The wheels were also worth changing to reduce the weight. The whole thing has a more robust feel than a backpack on a sacktruck and is nice to operate.

By saying that it is not my intention to knock backpacks as I'm considering getting a small one for jobs where I have to go through properties.

 
cheers for the links. is 5 litre a minute not a bit much for a backpack.?
I used to run my Sureflo on full power for really dirty first cleans so I missed that option when only using the lower output pump. This is why I fitted the 5lpm pump. However, if you're used to working with a backpack then the smaller output pump should be no problem.

 
Great idea markThe PF trolley is a robust beast but weighs a ton
The weight difference is so significant that you feel like you have run out of water when you still have half a barrel full, and getting it in and out of the vehicle is a breeze.

Another idea I had to lighten it if you don't like pneumatic tyres was to drill large holes through the sides of the solid tyres in effect creating spokes. However, I've not tried this yet and don't know how it would affect the integrity of the wheel. They certainly feel solid enough for it to work. I will do it one day as I have a pair lying around in my shed.

 
Or just don't buy an over priced heavy trolley in the first place and make a lightweight one instead. Mine cost about £60
Tis why I suggested a second hand one. I've seen em go quite cheap on eBay without the guts as they have been used in a van mount. I know it won't be for everyone.

I've seen some very good home built ones on here that I would be proud to say I'd built. But almost all have lacked one thing that was crucial to me and that is how compact they are. I didn't want a van as I had a perfectly good and reliable car at my disposal and the trolley needed to fit in the boot with six barrels of water. A backpack on a lightweight sac truck would get destroyed in no time on the pavements on my round as my trolley is on the ground and being used from the time I start to when I finish. As far as I know, the Freedom trolley is the only one that will fit my car. There are some very similar ones but they are all too tall even when folded down.

 
The pump on the ESR505c backpack is a 3.1 litre, 75 psi pump that draws 2.2 amps, so half the amount that the ones @Marko067 has linked to. (60 watt at 12v = 5 amps.)bilge pumps, diaphragm pumps, RO booster pumps
ive got the ws18 back pack 2.6 lpm & find that about right. might just get the 2.6lpm replacement pump. just when he said pump for 15 quid off ebay thought i could save a few quid.:laugh:
 
got another pump the problem i have now is how to wire it up to battery & a switch. as i pulled all wiring out backpack when pumped knackered & ive not a clue where all wires go. two wires from pump straight to battery works but cant turn it off obviously. any help appreciated thanks.

 
Search jimmyboots thread "homemade alternative to backpack "

Shows how to wire it all up on there

 
I have a spare backpack pump and battery connected up with charger port..fuse..switch

Not in a backpack but still connected up and working

I'll dig it out the shed tomorrow and take a pic so you can see all the wiring

 
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