[simp]

Controller packed up this week, so I've just rigged up a simple on/off switch. Does anyone else do this, and will it damage the pump?

[Lee GLS]

Controller packed up this week, so I've just rigged up a simple on/off switch. Does anyone else do this, and will it damage the pump?

Not if your pump has a pressure switch

[simp]

It has got one. Thanks for the reply, I'll carry on without the controller. Keep things simple I say!

[Londoner]

You will probably use a lot more water. The main purpose of my pump controller is to slow the pump down quite a lot. Mine would be like a mini pressure washer without the controller to regulate the flow.
You may well also find that running unregulated the pump cant push all that extra water through the jets and keeps building up pressure and cutting out on its internal switch

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

You'll also use a lot more battery power with it running at full pelt all the time!

[Ian Sheppard]

There are advantages to a flow controller. In the end it comes down to what works best for you.

I would be interested to know what controller you are using? how old it is? and what happened to it? Did it just die?
The controller may be repairable at a lower cost than a possible replacement

1. In running the pump until it hits the pressure switch you are running the pump as hard as it can possibly work. This means that the pressure in the system will be at its absolute maximum. This puts strain on the hoses, on the fittings and on the pump. It therefore increases the chances of split hoses, leaking joints and increases wear on your pump, shortening its life.

2. As the pressure switch cuts out the pump is at maximum, working as hard as it possible can and therefore drawing maximum current from the battery. Hence as the switch opens it too is under great strain. The high current and the fact that the pump is an inductive load (with stored energy) means that the pressure switch contacts are likely to arc and eventually they will fail.

3. Without a controller the pump will not stop until it hits the pressure switch. With a controller with dead end detection properly calibrated the pump will be stopped a long time before this high pressure and high pump load. This means that because the pump is turned off earlier you are saving battery energy and hence increasing both the battery life but also the amount of time you can work on a battery charge.

Cheers
Ian

[mlscontractcleaner]

We've never used one in all the years using wfp.

I couldn't tell you how quickly it runs the battery out as I just bring it in to the house every few days and put it on charge.

If I work alone I use about 400L of water per day.

I like a good, powerful flow of water as I think it makes rinsing easier.

[mlscontractcleaner]

Also never had a pump pack in due to not using a controller; I once blew one by running it with frozen hoses - not intentionally - but that's the only time I've ever had to replace it.

[king marko]

used to work for a bloke who had a similar set-up with no controller.
never a problem running out of water and the pumps were fine - although - they were wired into the loom of the van and ran off main battery, the vans were always conking out, even with new batterys

[Ian Sheppard]

There are benefits to having a controller. That said it is not the only way to work and what suits one person does not suit another.

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

used to work for a bloke who had a similar set-up with no controller.
never a problem running out of water and the pumps were fine - although - they were wired into the loom of the van and ran off main battery, the vans were always conking out, even with new batterys

That's why the van conked out- because the pump was always drawing maximum power & draining the battery unnecessarily! If you'd had electronic controller then the pump would ONLY draw the minimum required to power it at any given setting!

I run my pump all day from my van battery which is 63Ah no problem at all. I've worked this way for years.

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

Just to add to that- I worked for the first two years wfp with no electronic controller & thought I was fine, no problem apart from having to run the van regular to keep the battery topped up!

The first time I used a Varistream I realised just what I'd been missing & couldn't believe how I'd thought I was OK before that!

[mlscontractcleaner]

So what had you been missing?

Like I said earlier, we've ran our WFP for years with no controller. We've never damaged a pump, we don't run out of water and we have a good flow of water. I can't see how we'd benefit from using one now to be honest.

[AS Window Cleaning]

isn't 400 litres a heck of a lot of water for 1 man? unless you work like a Trojan for 15 hours, we use less than that normally for 2 people. even when we push on. but then I have flow controller. can control pressure and flow independently.... works for me anyway. small price to pay to regulate water and lengthen battery and pump life.