[Spruce]

Hi All,

Son in law is joining us part time and we just finished his van today. Full tank and first day out in it tomorrow.

It's a 2004 1.8 Tddi Ford Transit Connect LWB L with 43k on the clock. We put a 500l tank in the back, Varistream and Shurflo pump. I'm running the unit off the van battery to see how it goes.

Spruce

[AS Window Cleaning]

Nice one.  Would suggest putting in split relay charger and buying a leisure battery.  Your vehicle battery will last longer this way, and can still charge leisure battery as you go along, without risking running your main battery down.

But otherwise I am jealous!  Very smart looking interior.  I like the use of gutter brackets!

[Frankybadboy]

spruce

do you think you get air locks with the pump that high?

[bobby p]

those blue ettore handles are cool

[Spruce]

Nice one.  Would suggest putting in split relay charger and buying a leisure battery.  Your vehicle battery will last longer this way, and can still charge leisure battery as you go along, without risking running your main battery down.

But otherwise I am jealous!  Very smart looking interior.  I like the use of gutter brackets!

Hi A,

I'm fully into Leisure batteries as a supply with a split charge relay - I have them on both my son's and my van. But some on here are adamant that you can use the van battery so I thought I would give it a try.

I will take a set of jump leads out just in case.
Trouble is we do very little mileage so I can't see it working for us.

I will follow this up thread up and report back one way or another.

Spruce

[Spruce]

spruce

do you think you get air locks with the pump that high?

Hi Franky,

I've never had a problem with air leaks. This pump has been mounted at a similar height to my van and with my son's van it is higher.

I use o clips on the couplings and always nip the plastic wingnuts into the pump and onto the strainer a little bit more with a spanner. I also think its important to put the ends of the hose in hot water to soften it before pushing it onto the connectors and crimping the o clips.

Another reason for the height of the pump is so we can drain the pump to prevent damage during the freezing winter period. This van won't be heated.

Spruce

[Frankybadboy]

thanks for the reply spruce,and a few good tips there



hope all goes well

[idealrob]

Hope Chris likes it, he has just started at the right time, especially with the North East winds , and the winter coming up. Van look smart and proffesional

idealrob

[TomCrowther]

It's far too neat.

[clean]

Nice and neat,but iv`e never seen a tank positioned that way before they are usually width ways not length ways may be someone can answer that

[AS Window Cleaning]

Would spread the weight out better i think, mine is along bulkhead width ways but does overload the front axle slightly when up to maximum load.

But less usable space this way i think.....

[Spruce]

Nice and neat,but iv`e never seen a tank positioned that way before they are usually width ways not length ways may be someone can answer that

The 500 litre tank is nearly 'square'. The length is not that much longer than the width. He had the choice of it either way and opted for it length ways. Had I put it across the width of the van, then the tank would have had to sit a bit further back to distribute the load more evenly over the axles. (My son also has a 500 litre tank in his Partner van, but has it width ways. There wasn't much room down the side - he couldn't put my step ladder down the side - just a couple of warning notice boards on the one side and his pole on the other.)

At the time, S.I.L. wasn't sure what ladders he was going to get, so he decided he wanted a bit more space down the side for a pair of combination steps ladders similar to what I carry around. The ladders he ended up with are much shorter as they have collapsable sides as well - but he's happy. He has enough space at the back to put his hose reel in.

It was actually ideal having it length wise in the end as I didn't have to drop the diesel tank to fit the spreader plates I bolted the frame to, which I would have had to do if I bolted it side ways.

Spruce

[Dave Willis]

How do those metal bands prevent for and aft movement of the tank particularly in a shunt?

[Spruce]

How do those metal bands prevent for and aft movement of the tank particularly in a shunt?

They are actually welded to a rectangle frame made of 40mm angle iron. The angle iron frame will prevent backward and forward movement of the tank.

[Dave Willis]

arr, I see.

[Spruce]

Nice one.  Would suggest putting in split relay charger and buying a leisure battery.  Your vehicle battery will last longer this way, and can still charge leisure battery as you go along, without risking running your main battery down.

But otherwise I am jealous!  Very smart looking interior.  I like the use of gutter brackets!

Running off the van battery is not working, so we are going to fit a Leisure battery and a split charge relay which is the way we run our vans. Again the split charge relay won't fully charge the leisure battery, but its a backup. We just don't do enough mileage.
We will 'bench' charge his battery every couple of days.

Spruce

[AS Window Cleaning]

had some flat batteries?! I haven't got around to putting split relay charger into mine yet, but don't imagine will need charging every couple of days from mains tho?

I have 1 110 amp leisure battery, and it lasts 2 pumps about 7 to 9 working days between charges. if yours gets topped up inbetween would imagine a weekly mains charge would do it easy enough.

mind u I used to carry spare battery for when it goes flat as I work 35 miles from home and don't want to loose work time

[GB Window Cleaning]

very tidy van that, i like it

[Spruce]

had some flat batteries?! I haven't got around to putting split relay charger into mine yet, but don't imagine will need charging every couple of days from mains tho?

I have 1 110 amp leisure battery, and it lasts 2 pumps about 7 to 9 working days between charges. if yours gets topped up inbetween would imagine a weekly mains charge would do it easy enough.

mind u I used to carry spare battery for when it goes flat as I work 35 miles from home and don't want to loose work time

its actually quite easy to fit a split charge relay as there is a power point take off in the rear of the LWB van which is used in the people carrier I'm told.
There wasn't a fuse in the fuse box for it, but if you do use it, then it is a 15amp one. In my experience we haven't blown a 15 amp fuse on any of the other split charge relays so this should be ok. It's easier to fit an intelligent split charge relay - you just need a positive and negative to earth will do fine.

We were using this point to supply current to his pump via a Varistream to begin with.

I have just finished painting a modified battery holder frame which I will bolt on and connect up this weekend.

A couple of small teething problems - the outlet from the tank started to leak and needed to be given a bit more thread tape ( a bit of a pain as the tank needed to be drained and lifted up but sorted now.) The only other issue was a push in pipe fitting to the brush which broke.

Otherwise, works well.

The Transit Connect carries the payload well - it doesn't look overloaded like the Berlingo/Partner vans do, and seems a really solid van under load.

Couple of niggles with the van that need attention, but we will get round to that in due course. The van blip remote will unlock the van, but won't lock it and the courtesy light won't switch off on the door switches - perhaps a short to earth somewhere.

Spruce

[[GQC] Tim]

I've found a split relay charger is overkill. I had it for a long time but now I run the pump from the van battery after David St. Ives told me he has run them for years.  I run with my lights on all the times, radio on, and do plenty of jobs, not many miles. Also have got 12v solenoid in the van for the 4040. Never ran out and have been doing this for over a year now.