Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

Jeff i used to run the fatboy off a separate battery but hooked that battery up in parallel to the battery on the pw. I never had a problem with the charging unit.

I must tell you that we switched over to the booster pumps ( still have a 12 volt for back up) but they are really reliable and spray a very consistent pattern. You just need to carry a generator around with you which is no big deal. The 12 volt pumps just got to be be too much of a pain especially when they would just die in the middle of the job. This combined with the proportioner we are able to go from roof cleaning right into house washing. We only use the pw for rinsing( 2 men on the job). Sometimes we will use the pw with downstream but not very often.

Thanks Mike,..I was considering the parallel idea as well. Thank you for the input,...makes me feel better about doing it. Not sure why pulling more amps than a charging system cn put out would cause damage,...gotta wonder if there wasn't something else going on there with the person who had the issue and blamed it on pulling too many amps? Could be though,..and is why I sked.

I don't doubt the booster pump works well,..I just prefer DS'ing and one hose with a wider range of PSI,..especially during windy conditions. I'm sure they are great for roof spraying,..I don't doubt it,..but the AC current and the life expectancy doesn't warrant the cost per piece at this point. Would be different if there weren't options. And,.. I hardly have room for me,..let alone a generator, Ha,Ha,.. These 12V will only be used sparingly,..like during the colder months on roofs.

Thanks Again,
Jeff

I also run a marine battery for my pumps and plug it in at night. I find the 5850 doesn't like the cold' I have to prime it at times to get it going

Diamond Roof Cleaning wrote:

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The Booster Seems to work well in the cold and heat. The goulds booster pumps can be rebuilt and most do that after each yr. I found one from northern tool. They are about 400 a piece. I have had one last almost 2 seasons. I haven't tried rebuilding them but you may be able to. I used to go thru 3-6 12volt pumps a yr until I switched over.

I have a 1hp booster that sprays much stronger than the 3/4 hp but uses a bigger generator. I also have these attached to a remote control to turn on and off so that my plumbing is still kept simple. We are able to still use these for house washing even in windy conditions.

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What pump are you using from Northern Tool? I tried one and when I went to rebuild the impellers and diffuses I found everything to be plastic. Also, I haven't found one that is SS, just cast iron. I'd love to save $400.00 a pump!

I've had my 12v battery hooked to both my 12v pump and my charging system on my GX630 for three years with no problems at all. We apply chems with the 12v and rinse with the PW so the battery stays charged. I've used both Fatboy 3 and Flo-Jet Versajet pumps.

Thanks for the input Bryan, glad to see you're still around.  I will definitely be good then,..all I will be using the 12V pumps for is applying roof mix.  Every now and then I will get into huge flat work that requires a higher percentage to clean, and will use it for that also.  So my PW will keep the battery charged with no issue.  

It was Ed Thompson who stated he had an issue,.and was told by one of the vendors that it was due to the Fatboy pulling too many amps. Didn't sound right to me,..and is why I asked the board. I trust Ed Thompson as well,..just wonder about how his issue was diagnosed is all.

Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Saturday 8th of December 2018 06:19:30 AM

Ray yes you can do that you just need a relay or on /off switch for when you turn the vehicle off or it will drain the battery.

SprayWash wrote:

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Jeff, I've read somewhere about people pulling power off their wiring harness from the truck to top off the battery while driving? Does this make sense to you? I'm quite unsophisticated (re: stupid) when it comes to electrics.

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 Hey Ray...that's the route I was going to go if there was a possibility of running it off the PW would mess up the charging system.  I read Ed Thompson had an issue,.and Bob at PressureTek told him it was due to the pump pulling too many amps?  As I am also no genius when it comes to this I thought I'd ask the board. I think Ed Thompson may have had an underlying issue?   Aside from the actual experiences of the guys here which I trust,...I also didn't see why it would burn up the charging system in the PW engine.  

 

*Regarding pulling charge from my van,..I actually do that already,..I have three battery operated sprayers with small 3AH batteries,..and I keep them plugged in and never have to manually charge them. Works very well. 

 

Jeff

Michael Hickey wrote:

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We do the same as Bryan, but we have a small switch to turn off the current from the power washer battery to the leisure battery to stop it draining it if the power washer is not being used.

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 Hey Michael,..sounds like an isolator and is a good idea when running without the washer being on,.I don't really foresee me running it that way,..Never say never though!

I also read on here where you mentioned a few times about using a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control the speed of you 12v motor.  My question to you is: If I have say a 5 GPM 12v pump running at 60@ PSI,..and you turn the motor down with the,...to say 2 GPM how does that affect PSI if you use the nozzle for a 2 GPM pump?  Is it basically like having a small pump?  If so,..that would make a pump like a 5850 or Fatboy more versatile.  I actually have the same PWM you highlighted in one of your posts,..and when I hooked it up to just the motor it did effectively turn down the speed,...just like a heater fan or a trolling motor....But,..I am tore down at the moment and didn't get a chance to test it through 200' of hose yet.  

Jeff

Thanks Michael,..I've seen a few that looked more sophisticated than the one I have. They were made for you window guys. The issue I did see with them though was the amp rating. At least the one I have now does have a 30 AMP rating. I'm going to experiment at some point jut for the fun of it and see what I come up with. And anything you could provide would be helpful. Would be nice to make a larger pump more versatile with a dial.

The little bit of reading I've done on PWM is they regulate the speed of the pump,..but the torque stays the same?  Which,.I think would allow for a simple downsizing of nozzles to get the PSI and spray pattern at the lower speed of the pump?  I've also seen where some of the better ones want you to bypass the pressure switch and allow the PWM to control that stop and start?  

* I don't have a serious reason for this to work,..but I do like versatility in any tool.

Jeff

-- Edited by Jeff Wible on Thursday 20th of December 2018 05:45:21 AM

Update on this idea: The DC motor controller,..(PWM) works very well at controlling the speed of the motor thus controlling the flow. But,..although the Fatboy can be turned down,..it can't be turned down to 1 GPM,..it likes to see more juice than that,...But,..it can successfully be dialed down to around the output of a 5850,..which is still handy. Gives an option to slow the flow down on smaller jobs,..but can still use it as the Fatboy. I think the relay is the reason it can't be dialed down that low,..just kinda' buzzes at the lower voltage?

Using the PWM on the 5850 can be dialed down to a trickle. You can dial it down to where the flow is almost nothing,..I messed with it for about an hour,..and I didn't see anything weird happen. Does sound odd though to hear a motor run so slow,....I was using the nozzles I use with my 1 GPM units,..and it worked really well,..nothing got hot or anything like that. I think any pump without a relay can be dialed down to very slow.

I still have my AODD,..and it is nice to be able dial way down on fences and other certain jobs where the flow needs to be less,....but,..I think anyone with a 12V 5850 or equivalent has the option with a simple PWM. I will be using it especially during the cooler months when the AODD pulsates terribly.


Jeff

Hey Chris,..I don't use or advocate the use of booster pumps,...just doesn't interest me. But,..I think the answer to your question is likely simple,..most likely why some have terrible luck with 12V while others run them a year without issue,..I would guess,..User error in both cases. Not setup properly or as you mention,..too damn lazy to rinse. But wiring and rinsing are both user error,..along with simple lack of understanding the tool and application.


Jeff

On the importance of rinsing,..Brett is right,..many just don't get the importance,..I rinse anytime I can as long as it's not taking away from the job. For instance: I use 12V dedicated spot spot sprayers that run 12.5% straight,..as soon as I use them,..I pull the pickup hose out and simply use a small container of water and rinse the pump right away,...very simple,..and makes a pump last literally about 5 times longer,..if not more.

*The 12V I use for my DS setup doesn't get that lucky,..just not practical to rinse everytime between applications. But,..as soon as the last DS'ing is done,..the water valve gets turned,..and gets alot of water run through it.

I gave my boat bottom cleaning business to a buddy of mine,..and I set him up with 12V,..and told him to rinse,..well he learned the hard way,...and admitted it,.Ha, Ha,..

Jeff

Chris wrote:

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Thanks for the great information guys.

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 See what you have been missing Chris? Good answers without the smart ass remarks, lonely (selfie) videos and not one newbie telling you his best guess!