So here’s the plan… I’m going to build a fancy pvc box for all the electronics.
I have the following:
2 stainless steel motorized ball valves. One for water. One for SH.
A 2 channel long range remote system. One channel for water, one for SH
A green LED for when SH is on.
A red LED for when SH is off, water is flowing through injector
A blue LED for the 12v pump so I don’t find out I forgot to turn it on while I’m up in a lift. (I’ve done it a bunch)
A fuse and relay box for the 12v and other junk that needs fuses
2 battery cut off switches
A battery tender charger adapter
A 12V battery meter LED display
A bunch of 4 gauge battery cable and lugs
A bus bar for installing the PW, 12v, and other electronics to the big marine battery
It’s all going to go into a hinged PVC outdoor junction box. The injectors are going to go into their own box so there’s no water or SH running through the main box.
Once I get it wired and tested, here’s the next step:
Wiring the big marine battery to a battery isolator with a battery cut off switch mounted in the truck so I can pick and choose when I want to charge it while driving.
I intend to spray everything electrical exposed with conformal coating.
So ultimately the fancy box will
Tell me what the voltage is on the battery at all times.
The LEDs will tell me what’s on and what’s not.
One of the two motorized valves will always be on.
Will have a battery cutoff switch to the box (PW, 12v, and accessories will all be wired into the box) at the box and in the truck. The one in the truck controls charging and the one at the box controls power in the box.
I’m no electrician… sooo…
Am I about to turn myself into a human rocket with lightning that shoots out of my butt?
Or just burn down the truck?
What else would you add to the electronics?
What other considerations should I make?
Should I scrap the idea of wiring into the truck and just stick with the little ring terminal adapter that comes with the battery tender and plug it in every couple days?
@squidskc sounds like fun. I think personally I would probably just charge it with the tender every few days. But it would be nice to have that option in your truck in case you forgot to charge. What about a little solar panel to help top it off during the day?
Awesome project. I’m looking forward to seeing the build. This is the remote I’m using. I think you will need one with more channels.
I have my battery for roof pump jumped to my pw skid with heavy gauge wire. Maybe about once per week I will use the tender but mostly I just let the skid charge both batteries. The majority of the time it’s just running for a few minutes to post treat flat work or get some tough brick or stucco. If I’m running it longer then a 20-30 minutes I keep the skid running.
I did not do any research to see if this was a viable option I just kinda went with it and it’s been working so far. I also have the electronic ball valve and remote on the same battery loop.
Solar is a little finicky and they’re usually require a long time to even trickle charge. I have a small solar panel i was going to use and I checked the battery with a multimeter after 4 hours in the sun and there was virtually no change.
@Infinity this little $12 fuse and relay box is pretty cool. Comes in 3 parts and includes bolts and crimp fittings to put it together just like a cars.
Everything else is in to get started. Looking forward to putting this together except the LEDs are too small for my liking. Not much bigger than a pencil eraser.
So here’s the layout. Still waiting on the battery gauge. I’m going to take the old downstream setup off and just roll it up as a backup to pop back on in case the motorized set up fails.
I think these little LEDs are going to work just fine. I walked 30’ from the truck in sunlight and saw it clear as day. Plus it’ll be shielded with a piece of flashing for shade.
Just waiting on the battery gauge to start wiring everything together and tesa tape to install it.
Lol! I remember those phones. It’s apparently a 1000 meter remote according to specs. If I get 100 meters without extending it I’ll be happy as a clam.
The antenna on the receiver itself it pretty chincy and what I’m more worried about. I may solder on a new one or at the very least extend the one it has with bare wire and wrap it around the tote cage 15 or so times.
Stop and think about what we are posting. 10 years from now we will be laughing about building our own remote switches. 10 years from now when the industry is saturated with companies we’ll be able to buy them for $50. Our industry is just starting. It’s like landscaping 40 years ago. This is our time to become cemented in the Pressure Washing industry.
It’s just a big circle. Remotes have been out for 30 years in the washing industry. Guys used to zip tie extension cords to their hoses with 4 buttons for 2 stepping soaps and rinsing in the fleet industry. I found a post I made on PTstate in 2006 about building remotes. Nothing new under the sun. Just easier ways of doing it.
