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  • Waterpump seems to be chewing up battery...

    helllo all,

    The waterpump on my RC seems to be chewing up my 700cca battery...but is this normal?

    I switch it on then use the tap and switch it off every time I use it, just a few seconds and not much during the day...
    It's connected to a new start battery rather than the deepcycle. With the old start battery I inadvertantly left the pump on and by morning the old battery was pretty dead.
    With the new battery, the voltage will drop .03 but doesnt slowly recover. Successive operations of the tap continues to step the battery down .03 volts to the point that using the tap frugually to attend to a meal the battery will drop .10 volts....and it never goes slowly back up a point or two like they do when recovering from a load...
    Im not sure of the flow rate, but it is very good and easily runs a shower rose easy....


    Im sorry i dont have more detail about the pump but is it normal for them to have that effect on my battery?

  • #2
    The problem is the start battery you really need a deep cycle and a big one.
    NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

    [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

    [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

    [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

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    • #3
      Agreed you are using the wrong tool for the application. How is the battery being recharged?
      MSEE, PE

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      • #4
        I'm making the assumption here that yor running a 1/4 mi drag car with no alternator and an electric water pump to save weight and remove power losses. Then charging the battery when back in the pits.

        If so, what you're seeing is pretty normal. You can work around by getting a larger Marine starting battery. Getting a true deep cycle may have problems in starting the car.

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        • #5
          sorry for the typo everyone - RC should have read RV and the pump is the one that runs my tap and shower...i'v not had this sort of pump before...

          To test this situation I charged the battery of the vehicle alternator for a few days, then fully charged it on a charger along the way testing it in its differant states.

          The crank battery that runs it is a Marshall which claims to have given the battery some "deep cycle" capability/characteristic...but i guess we cant believe everything we read...

          the reason the pump was swapped from the deeps to the crank was that i was afraid of leaving it on and it ruining my deeps.

          Because it has the potential to run down my batteries if left on, im not the only one that uses the bus, I am considering giving it it own closed circuit by taking a panel out of the loop and putting it to a small VLSA battery. SUre, it's operation wont be as powerfull and it will run out of steam but at least if it is left on i won't loose my fridge or start batteries...
          I could put a timer switch on it but the potential of the switch to fail will leave me in the same circumstance...

          im not sure what to do, maybe best to replace it with a handpump
          many thanks for the advice

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          • #6
            Does the pump run continuously?
            I have had similar pumps on many boats before and never had a problem with the pump draining the battery. That is unless there is either a leak in the system or the pressure switch was bad and the pump doesn't shut off. these should only cycle when in use.
            NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

            [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

            [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

            [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

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            • #7
              Not sure what the problem is? If you use a battery, it discharges as it is suppose to do. If you do not recharge daily or after use it will continue to discharge. Pumps are fairly large to extremely large loads. Are you not recharging the battery daily or after use?
              MSEE, PE

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              • #8
                Hi Naptown,

                the pump is a total unknown quantity to me, ill have to excavate it from the vehicle's innards to find its specs...

                There is a switch to turn it on. When it's turned on and the tap is closed I hear the pump putting preassure into the water line, preasure builds and then the pump sound stops. Open the tap and the pump can be heard working, close the tap and it stops...

                For all intensive purposes i've thought the pump was constantly on and that the pumping noise only stop because of the pressure build up...

                I realise now there may be a pressure switch on it because....
                When i do leave the pump on, every 15 minutes the pump goes do-do-do-dooo for a few seconds. This is a tiny leak at my hotwater system hose join.
                If the pump was constantly on and there was no pressure switch then it wouldnt be doing the little catch-up..

                If my pressure switch is faulty would it be doing this little catch-up, i reason not, but i;ve really got no idea...

                from what i can gather so far the preasure switch also turn the pump on and off and based on my leak it may be working properly?

                but then the effect on the battery is still pretty dramatic, the battery in question recovers well after other loads but the waterpump seems to really put a dent in the charge, even if used by the main switch for only a few seconds it's worring me there is some sort of short and the battery is being damaged....

                im now thinking of putting a bladder in one of the overhead cabinets and handpumping it up there and letting it gravity feed to the tap.... there is just nothing more frustrating than putting in a system, like this pump, that has no redundancy

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                • #9
                  Hi Sunking - many thanks for your post, your exactly right, im not sure if there is a problem...

                  the battery is new and i am attempting to look after it like a baby.... After joining this forum I have much more respect for batteries than i have before.... Other forums go nowhere into the depth that this one does...
                  I have gained that much respect for my batteries i have completely redesigned there position for ease of regular access and maintenance..

                  im worried if there is some sort of fail somewhere because the effect on the battery is pretty dramatic. The battery in question recovers .01-.03 volts well after other loads but the waterpump seems to really put a dent in the charge, even if used by the main switch for only a few seconds, it drops .03 and never recovers...

                  it's worrying me there is some sort of short and the battery is being damaged....
                  but you;ve mentioned they are pretty intensive....

                  I may also be realizing and not fully realized, that a water pump is one of the most demanding electrical items that a battery can be asked to run

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                  • #10
                    please check on the pump model We will get to the bottom of this. Also the battery brand and model#
                    NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

                    [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

                    [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

                    [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

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                    • #11
                      many thanks and will start excavating it soon, maybe a day or two but i will get back with details...

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by robertbruce View Post
                        it's worrying me there is some sort of short and the battery is being damaged....
                        but you;ve mentioned they are pretty intensive....
                        Real easy to tell if a cell is shorted out. Just measure the voltage of the battery. If you have 12 volts or more there is no shorted cell. Each cell is 2 volts, if one was shorted you would measure 10 volts or less.

                        I cannot tell if you have a problem or not because I do not have enough information to base a conclusion on. So help me out here.
                        • What size is the battery, and what type is it? By that I mean something like a flooded lead acid 12 volt 100 AH battery.
                        • What are the power requirements of this pump motor? The name plate should have it listed in some form listing a voltage, current, or horsepower.

                        What you describe so far does not set off any alarm bells in my head yet. If you have a fairly small battery trying to power a large motor would do exactly what you have described. So don't panic yet, just provide the needed information and I can help you. For now I don't see a problem.
                        MSEE, PE

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