[Dave Turley]

sorry,my point was ...don't you run the same risk of damaging your varistream wether you get your power straight from the vehicle battery, or from a battery which is regularly subjected to more than 12 volts in order to charge it up?

[MJH]

This post is interesting, from the general answers i might just run it straight from my van battery if most you have for x amount of years without problem!

[jeff1]

sorry,my point was ...don't you run the same risk of damaging your varistream wether you get your power straight from the vehicle battery, or from a battery which is regularly subjected to more than 12 volts in order to charge it up?

Dave you would have to check with williamsons but I would have thought that the varistream has to be operated with a regulated power supply, ie a constant 12v and not a voltage that fluctuates up and down.

All electronic components have a +/- voltage tolerance, but if a manufacturer states there systems must be run on a regulated power supply, then not one of us has a warranty with williamsons, or should I say they have us by the goolies if they wanted to.
Unless we install a regulated power supply.

I run my own pump and varistream straight from a leisure battery, that is taken off every night and charged separately, with an intellegent charger, its just the way I prefere to run and look after my equipument.

[Dean Aspects]

I am no auto electrician but my power supply from the battery to the varistream has a fuse on it then another between it and the pump
if their is a power surge surely the fuse would pop and no damage would be caused to the pump
is this right??

[jeff1]

I am no auto electrician but my power supply from the battery to the varistream has a fuse on it then another between it and the pump
if their is a power surge surely the fuse would pop and no damage would be caused to the pump
is this right??

If you had what they call a surge fuse fitted then you would be correct, if you look at your fuse it will give you a figure of 10 and that is amps and not volts.

[Paul Coleman]

Run it off a seperate battery. get yourself a 1ooamp leisure battery (about £40- £45) Then get a split relay charger (£11.75 towsure)that will run form your main battery through and connect through the relay. This will charge the battery whilst the engine is running as long as youyr main vehicle battery is chargerd. You will never need to remove and charge second battery or carry a spare.

That's what I thought but recently I have found myself having to remove the leisure battery for a charge up sometimes.  I also carry a spare to get me out of jail.  Maybe I'm not putting in enough miles to charge the leisure battery via the relay or maybe the leisure battery is starting to get a bit older.  I've only had it about a year or so though.  If I am doing a lot of cleaning and low mileage, I sometimes take a spare key out with me.  This enables me to run the engine and lock the front of the van while working thereby supplying charge to the leisure battery while I work.
The gradual demise of my leisure batteries has surprised me as I would have expected maybe three years from them.  One is about a year old and the other is about 20 months old (not sure about the 20 months as it came from a system I bought.  It may not have been a new battery with the 2nd hand system).

[Paul Coleman]

I am looking at running my pump directly from my van battery, is this the best method? or should i run it of a seperate battery to avoid my van failing. i have a varistream installed aswell.
Cheers Matt

I wouldn't fancy running it from the van battery.  Too much risk of becoming stranded.  Even if you don't want to get involved with split charge relay, at least consider using a leisure battery and recharge each night.

[Moderator David@stives]

Does any one use a solar powered trickle charger to charge their leisure battery

[JM123]

the problem with varistreams is like jeff has said, they are set up to operate from a regulated power supply, a battery is not a regulated supply as it can discharge at a high rate and provide over 12V, a fully charged battery will actually supply about 13.6V.

Jeff's also right about the inline fuse, its to protect against a surge of current,Amps - not volts.

Jeff, if someone was to use a discharge capacitor for say, an amplifier, then surely this would validate the warranty?

[jeff1]

Does any one use a solar powered trickle charger to charge their leisure battery

Don't bother Dave, you would need one twice the size of your van and even then I wouldn't  Guarantee it.


My leisure battery is 8 years old and still going strong, its used most days, taken off, every time I've finish useing it, and charged with an intellegent charger, I even leave it on charge over weekends and bank holidays.

Look after a battery and it will look after you.

[riz]

Ionic's fit all their systems straight from battery so surely it's fine??

[jeff1]

Jeff, if someone was to use a discharge capacitor for say, an amplifier, then surely this would validate the warranty?

No John, nothing we can do or build will validate a manufacturers warranty without there approval.
Example
If you built me a trailer with a 50mm tow hitch and I only had a 40mm tow ball but told you I could adapt it to fit, would you still give me a warranty without seeing or testing it for your self?
You would be mad to say yes. and the same would go for williamsons.

The 12v pumps and varistreams we use are capable of operating within a tolerence voltage of +/-  of a couple of volts, but if we run them with a car/leisure battery even with a split charge relay our voltage supply is not going to be constant, so williamsons are well within there rights to void any warranty's we have with them.

I'm just looking through the maplin catalouge to see if I can find a 12v operated regulated power supply.

Also does anyone have the link to williamsons pumps please.

[jeff1]

Ionic's fit all their systems straight from battery so surely it's fine??

All's we are saying is that if williamsons wanted to get funny with us, the could invalidate are warranty's to our pumps and varistreams if they wanted to.

Just out of interest how do the re-charge the battery? is it via a split charge relay?

[Paul Coleman]

Ionic's fit all their systems straight from battery so surely it's fine??

From the van battery?  Are you sure about that?  I would be surprised if that is so unless they do something as a get out of jail card with it.

[Spursboy1972]

My split charger runs at about 14v and I have been informed by towsure that is fine for the 110amp leisure battery. It is fused from the relay to the battery and also as it comes off the vehicle battery as an extra safety measure. It works great and I have total peace of mind.

[Moderator David@stives]

A solution to this would be to ask an auto electrician, thats what i did, he said a van battery can easily run the pump with no adverse effects.

He said the ampeage was quite low so no real need.

[JohnL]

jeff1-

I am in the market for a battery so what is the spec of the one you use ?

[riz]

Ionic's fit all their systems straight from battery so surely it's fine??

From the van battery?  Are you sure about that?  I would be surprised if that is so unless they do something as a get out of jail card with it.

Pretty sure unless i have a hidden battery i haven't charged for three years! 

[jeff1]

jeff1-

I am in the market for a battery so what is the spec of the one you use ?

Blimey John mines 8 years old   and its a 100ampH leisure one.

[NWH]

It`s to cheap to risk it,battery £50 and someone said split charger about £15.It would cost you a lot more if you broke down and couldn`t work that day.