Autotrail. how to get water when the engine is running (1 Viewer)

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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It came as a bit of a shock to the system+going from a proper Eurobox to a brit built Autorail

Why so ?

Because as many will know, as soon as you start the engine everything in the had area switches off..

99% of the time it does not really matter, but the one thing we really did need was the ability to draw water whilst running ( several reasons, not the least being to flush the loo if we are on a long haul stint )

After various false starts I decided to go back to absolute basics and forget trying to modify all the ruddy Sargent system

So starting with what I needed to happen:

1) I wanted the water pump to work when the engine is running

2) I did not want a permanent live feed.
If the water dumps that would mean the pump would keep on pumping for ever even after the water has run out !
If a leak occurs I did not want a van full of water.


So..
I fitted a DPST ( double pole single throw ) relay that activates when there is a voltage coming up from the engine to the Sargent panel ( this wire is usually orange and white )

Find the orange wire with the white tracer and 'T' off of it to one side of the relay coil

I found the feed wire to the water pump and cut it ( on Autotrails it is usually green with a blue tracer ), putting the normal feeding wire end on one side of a 'normally closed' pair, and the other cut end to the common of that side of the relay.

That ensured when the engine is not running the feed to the pump works as Autotraill intended and only comes on when it is switched at the control panel

On the second set of poles I linked a wire from the from the same pole as the wire that goes to the water pump, and on the normally open side of the second set of contacts in the relay
On the normally open contact I put a +ve feed wire ( via a 10amp fuse ) to the leisure battery feed wire.

Lastly I added an earth feed to the relay coil

Now, when the engine is running, the relay kicks in, disconnects the water pump feed wire from the Sargent unit, and connects a +ve feed to it straight from the battery.

Attached is a wiring diagram that may be easier to follow than my explanation :Smile:

Doing it this way ensured I did not 'back feed' in to the Sargent livening up other circuits which I may well not want live !

using this method I suppose it would be easy to change other feed circuits in the same way.. to the 'entertainment centre, or the lights for instance..

But that may be for another day.. At the moment I am just happy to be able to flush the loo whilst on the move !! :winky:
 

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Jaws

Jaws

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Not needed on sideways facing seats so she always sits in the back in case of 'emergency' :winky:
 

sean n maggie

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Apr 29, 2014
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Bloody hell its hard enough peeing in ours when stopped with this metal lump of a leg,,,never thought about trying it while on the move....but as wifey wont drive our MH, guess i wont be peeing on the move unless i want a wet seat :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

TheBig1

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many many years! since I was a kid
the other option of course would be to put a switch on the feed to the cutoff relay, which is powered from the same ignition feed. that would allow all the 12v bits in the hab area to be used with the engine running. then you could charge the laptop etc whilst driving

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Jaws

Jaws

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That cannot be done as it means:
Either you have to switch it over every time you want water
or if you leave it switched over then the leisure batteries do not get a charge and the fridge does not switch over

That was actually the first thing I tried ! :winky:
 

Allanm

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I tried going to the toilet in a coach once just as it was pulling into Gatwick airport. When I came out, it looked as if I'd had a shower with my clothes on ( note, never wear khaki chinos when travelling!)
I think I would rather stop the van than risk that again, long trip or not.

Allan
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Try sitting down ! That is what ladies do and they seem to manage without covering them selves in errrr... well ... stuff !

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davejen

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Would it not be easier to just STOP for a few mins? that's what we normally do in such circumstances!, much safer for all concerned.
Imagine having to do an emergency stop when someone in mid-pee!
Cheers, Dave:thumb:
 

laneside

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John why do you not apply for post of advisor at Autotrail they may start to make good vans from the start.
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Would it not be easier to just STOP for a few mins? that's what we normally do in such circumstances!, much safer for all concerned.
Imagine having to do an emergency stop when someone in mid-pee!
Cheers, Dave:thumb:

Hang on.. I simply passed on some info that I have been asked to report on if and when I came up with a solution
..
Judgements on my or my wifes behaviour is neither warranted or asked for

What you do is up to you.
I dare say you do not do an average 500 miles a day either ( MH.. car or bike 900 to a 1000 if needs be )
I doubt you ride a motorcycle at silly speeds on race tracks
I doubt you jump off perfectly safe bridges attached to a bit of elastic..
To mention just a few weird things that I might or might not get up to. :winky:

And believe me, if you have to do an emergency stop on a motorway the last thing anyone is gonna worry about is having to stop mid-pee, cos its highly likely that things are gonna get a lot more lively than is healthy for any one trying to haul up five and a half tonnes of motorhome in an emergency stop

Woman does not drive and if I need a 'rest stop' then yes, we have to stop.. If woman wants the rest room then no, we do not need to stop and why would we want to ?
If we wanna get to x point on the map that day then stopping for a loo break every 30 to 40 minutes ( yesssssss..... it really is that often not that it is any one elses business ) would add an hour on a journey or reduce travel distance by 40ish miles

John why do you not apply for post of advisor at Autotrail they may start to make good vans from the start.

LOL !!! All in all I reckon ( contrary to what is oft posted ) the autotrail is pretty well built :thumb:
The things that I did not like ( such as the daft tube lights that draw a huge amount of juice, and the lack of elektrickery in the hab area with the engine started ) I have pretty much sorted out.


Since I mentioned it when we got the MH a few folk said they too would like to have such and such working in the back and its a pain..

I post up the info ( inc a wiring diagram ) and all I seem to have got for my trouble is wellll, advice on what is safe to do..

For those who who injected humour I thank you

For those who offered alternatives and other ideas, I thank you

For those that know me you will know what comes next.. :ROFLMAO:

For those that do not know me and think they know better than me what I want or want to do..

Nahhhhhhh .. cannot post it cos I will end up getting a red card !!!!!

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Nov 14, 2009
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normandy
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hi , i cut one wire (i think the orange and white that you mention) and taped it up and everything in the hab end works now with the engine running. :Smile:
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Which Sargent panel have you got ?
When I did it I got no charge and the fridge never switched over
 

Chris

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Hang on.. I simply passed on some info that I have been asked to report on if and when I came up with a solution
..
Judgements on my or my wifes behaviour is neither warranted or asked for

What you do is up to you.
I dare say you do not do an average 500 miles a day either ( MH.. car or bike 900 to a 1000 if needs be )
I doubt you ride a motorcycle at silly speeds on race tracks
I doubt you jump off perfectly safe bridges attached to a bit of elastic..
To mention just a few weird things that I might or might not get up to. :winky:

And believe me, if you have to do an emergency stop on a motorway the last thing anyone is gonna worry about is having to stop mid-pee, cos its highly likely that things are gonna get a lot more lively than is healthy for any one trying to haul up five and a half tonnes of motorhome in an emergency stop

[HI]Woman does not drive and if I need a 'rest stop' then yes, we have to stop[/HI].. If woman wants the rest room then no, we do not need to stop and why would we want to ?
If we wanna get to x point on the map that day then stopping for a loo break every 30 to 40 minutes ( yesssssss..... it really is that often not that it is any one elses business ) would add an hour on a journey or reduce travel distance by 40ish miles



LOL !!! All in all I reckon ( contrary to what is oft posted ) the autotrail is pretty well built :thumb:
The things that I did not like ( such as the daft tube lights that draw a huge amount of juice, and the lack of elektrickery in the hab area with the engine started ) I have pretty much sorted out.


Since I mentioned it when we got the MH a few folk said they too would like to have such and such working in the back and its a pain..

I post up the info ( inc a wiring diagram ) and all I seem to have got for my trouble is wellll, advice on what is safe to do..

For those who who injected humour I thank you

For those who offered alternatives and other ideas, I thank you

For those that know me you will know what comes next.. :ROFLMAO:

For those that do not know me and think they know better than me what I want or want to do..

Nahhhhhhh .. cannot post it cos I will end up getting a red card !!!!!


You don't need to stop Jaws.

Just find a straight bit of motorway and stick the cruise control on.

You can then nip back, do the business and probably have covered about 2 miles by the time you get back in the seat.

If you think about it, that will probably save you about 30-40 minutes a day assuming you stop about 3 times.

If you haven't got cruise I think Dave Newell does retro fits:thumb:
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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In that case.. SOME folk seem nice enough.. then there is Dawn :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: ( sorry ! Could not resist !! )
 
Nov 14, 2009
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normandy
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Which Sargent panel have you got ?
When I did it I got no charge and the fridge never switched over

hi , i have a 56 plate scout with a sargeant PSU 2007 DLX+

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Jaws

Jaws

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Ahhh.. I believe that is the smaller panel.. To my mind FAR better than the overly complex thing fitted in the Chieftain ( 225 or 325 or 328 on later models )
 

motorhomer

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Ignoring the question about loos on the move,

It seems that ENGLISH built vans (at least Autotrail and my auto sleeper which is the same in this regard) switch off power to the hab area when the engine is running, so it needs to be switched on again when you stop.

Continental vans (I have had 3) do not do this, the 12 v power to the hab area stays on.

Anyone know why they are different????

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Jaws

Jaws

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No idea really, but it is a bloody pain in the bum !!
 

Forestboy

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Hang on.. I simply passed on some info that I have been asked to report on if and when I came up with a solution
..
Judgements on my or my wifes behaviour is neither warranted or asked for

What you do is up to you.
I dare say you do not do an average 500 miles a day either ( MH.. car or bike 900 to a 1000 if needs be )
I doubt you ride a motorcycle at silly speeds on race tracks
I doubt you jump off perfectly safe bridges attached to a bit of elastic..
To mention just a few weird things that I might or might not get up to. :winky:

And believe me, if you have to do an emergency stop on a motorway the last thing anyone is gonna worry about is having to stop mid-pee, cos its highly likely that things are gonna get a lot more lively than is healthy for any one trying to haul up five and a half tonnes of motorhome in an emergency stop

Woman does not drive and if I need a 'rest stop' then yes, we have to stop.. If woman wants the rest room then no, we do not need to stop and why would we want to ?
If we wanna get to x point on the map that day then stopping for a loo break every 30 to 40 minutes ( yesssssss..... it really is that often not that it is any one elses business ) would add an hour on a journey or reduce travel distance by 40ish miles



LOL !!! All in all I reckon ( contrary to what is oft posted ) the autotrail is pretty well built :thumb:
The things that I did not like ( such as the daft tube lights that draw a huge amount of juice, and the lack of elektrickery in the hab area with the engine started ) I have pretty much sorted out.


Since I mentioned it when we got the MH a few folk said they too would like to have such and such working in the back and its a pain..

I post up the info ( inc a wiring diagram ) and all I seem to have got for my trouble is wellll, advice on what is safe to do..

For those who who injected humour I thank you

For those who offered alternatives and other ideas, I thank you

For those that know me you will know what comes next.. :ROFLMAO:

For those that do not know me and think they know better than me what I want or want to do..

Nahhhhhhh .. cannot post it cos I will end up getting a red card !!!!!


Quite bloody right it's your van and you don't have to justify how you use it.
Like you we regularly do 500 miles or more in a day and Jan uses the loo while we're on the move. Oh shock horror we use the inverter and Remoska to cook on the move as well and run the inboard genny if needed :Eeek:
 

daisy mae

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I`m a newbie, now 1 year
Well I cannot see why you didn`t do what I did when my toilet flush wouldn`t work ..the repair man didn`t turn up when he said he would, as I was going away two days later, I had an empty plastic 2 litre milk container, filled with water and small amount of flushing rinse , kept in toilet compartment, after using toilet, just put the rinsing water round the bowl, job done, the container was put in a small basket to keep it upright, it worked a treat, ideal for emergencies or travelling and not wanting to stop. no expense or work required. :thumb::thumb:

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Dec 24, 2009
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In answer to Motorhomers question why does the 12v go off when the engine is running, it's because all British vans are built to the British caravan Council's guide lines on construction.

I have no idea why they adhere to these "to my way of thinking" set of rules regarding construction.
 

Jo n Steve

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Dec 2, 2016
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Hi Jaws
Thanks very much for taking the time to reply to my question, you have been a real help and my Tech chap will also find it a lot of help.
I do have to cast my mind back to the good old days in the early 70's, when as a kid seat belts were never used, you built and raced your own go-carts, played conkers, and shot your friends with home made bows and arrows, and had an air gun at 8!! We do have a lot of red tape today some good and some bad. I too living with a wife and two daughters, and two female dogs, also working with several excellent ladies in my office have a larger amount of female genes and also squat to pee!! A lot easier on the trousers, carpet and ear.
Again thanks.
 
Nov 3, 2013
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Hi.
" We ?" have to use the loo at a moments notice,so as the loo is rear facing i can drive along quite normaly,and give a running commentary to the person in the toilet,this need to go,can arise in seconds,weeks apart,so needs must.
I often wonder,if people who man OOOOPs...Person ? the M/way camaras,say...."Now you see them,now you don't ?":xrofl::xrofl:
It is a lot easier to drive reasonably steady,than to deep clean the cab seat.
We ALWAYS travel with the rear hatch open and the window in the front of the..........................................Caravan open:xrofl::xrofl:
So "We?" can get to the loo without stopping......................................:xeek::xeek:
Tea Bag

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