[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guiys

Thanks for the info.

I believe the pumps use charge but a heavy duty van battery would not be affected unless you ran the TM for a long time without driving in between jobs.

Cheers

Doug

[Craigp]

Wish I did it when my regulator went.

I'm sure I paid a lot more for the regulator than mentioned in earlier posts, I thought it was £180 or was it £80  

[Mike Halliday]

I've never used a fuse before, its just that when i had the van supplied new the Auto-electrician said he had to fit a fuse to protect the electrical system so as not to void the warranty,

but on other vans  I've twice had the supply wire rub through and ground its self, (which like I said) burns off all the plastic coating of the wire and fills the van with smoke.

[Craigp]

Mike Regarding the fuel line, the line might be  pressurized after the pump but the tank wouldn't be would it. So a line could be dropped in there.?

[richie]

Im not sure about what fuse to have inline but to be honest i wouldnt bother.  Like Kev said as standard there isnt a fuse inline so why bother.  Best thing to do would consult a auto electrician if you really want to fuse inline.  It may not be as simple as thinking 20amp been enough because you may have to go higher due to the cranking amps from the starter motor.....

[AshWhite]

I like the sound of this, my van is a Citroen Relay, the battery is under the bonnet, offside, so I suppose coming through the cab (or under it) would be the best option.

Is 50mm wire overkill?

[Nick Attwood]

I was think more around 80-100amp possibly more. The only thing that bothers me is if you do not have it fused and something went wrong there is just no way and insurer would pay out due to incorrect wiring. The wiring for a caravan towbar socket must be fused and is now part of the MOT where fitted and for good reason. All these electrics are tested and for good reason.

There is no way I want a permanent live cable that is not fused possibley running through or under my van. Could be fatal! And would highly recommend it be fused as close to the battery if anyone does this.

[AshWhite]

£180 for the regulator.

I'm concerned that if I ditch the battery, a faulty regulator might cause a big drain on the van battery if the machine is in use for a longer period - has anyone bypassed the battery while still keeping a knackered regulator?

[AshWhite]

Nevermind, I'm guessing that a split charging relay would bypass that problem.

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

you would still need to replace the regulator otherwise the tm would be drawing all the power from the van battery and that would be embarrassing not being able to start the van on a customers drive.

[AshWhite]

Goron, I was under the impression that a split charge relay would 'break' the connection once the van battery dropped below a certain level?

[Mike Halliday]

why would it keep drawing power from the van? I thought it only used power as you turned the key to turn the starter motor,once the the t/m is running  it doesn't keep using power.

[AshWhite]

Mike, from my understanding (and the problem I've had), the pump supplying the header tank from the fresh water tank is powered directly from the battery, not the engine.

In fact, that's definately the case as the pump fills the tank before starting the engine.

[Mike Halliday]

yes you are right I forgot about the demand pump, this will constantly take power from the battery but how much  does it use? it will only operate intermittently

[AshWhite]

Enough to cause me a problem on Friday - engine was running but no water supply, switched the engine off and had to jump it to restart, few minutes later exactly the same thing happened. Even if its a low draw, a big job close to home (ie not much charge put back into battery) would still give you issues so its worth getting it right.

[Kev Loomes]

Surely the demand pump only draws from the battery once the TM key is turned to its first position, thus filling the header tank prior to starting the engine. If its in the off position nothing happens 

[PaulKing]

Honestly all these way to get out of having a small battery for your TM, I can see why MIke does it he builds his own but the rest of us, come on  Its less than £100 for the part, get it fitted, if you skimp on maintenance and repairs, it will always bite you in the bum.

One of my van has three batteries in it one for the night heater one for the TM and one for the Van, Left my light on once was spoilt for choice which one to jump the van from.

[CARPET KNIGHTS]

Kev the pump cuts in and out all the time the machine is running plus anything else that uses 12v on the machine will be drawing from the battery and if your van is switched off and you have no regulator that battery is not going to be topped up.

Do it right keep the tm separate and fix the regulator.

[AshWhite]

Paul, the part is £180+vat, on top of the battery I bought last week, the charger,and a booster pack! What also concerns me is that this is obviously not a part that goes once in a blue moon (judging by the amount of others that have had the same problem).

Kev, as Goron mentioned, the pump also drains the battery to keep the header tank topped up when you're working. Normally this drain would be compensated for by the regulator, or a sufficient charge when you're driving around between jobs if you've got a split charging system.

[elliott cleaning]

£180 for a Briggs regulator   Where was that from??.    Should be nearer £50.  Search Briggs regulator on EBay

Regards