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Topic: Water pump

thambulance

11/7/2013 at 3:54pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: None Entered

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Hi all
Just purchased a converted ambulance, has had all checks etc, i have never owned one before and am quite nervous to say the least. I have a whale water pump and have no idea how to use it !!!!
The van is a an old ford transit 160, and this going to sound really daft would it convert to a hook up any advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks Maria

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Everything in life comes to those that wait

G7ACU

11/7/2013 at 7:06pm
Location: West Mids
Outfit: Swift Ace Statesman & X-Trail 2.0

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Hi and welcome to UKCS.

This too awkward to comment on in my opinion. You have a bespoke converted vehicle and it's simply not possible to provide advice on such an unknown item.

My first thought though is whether you can simply consult the person from whom you bought the van for operation.
The Whale pump will power from a 12v source (usually the battery), but there should be somewhere obvious on the outside of the van to connect the pump to; this is the water inlet housing. You'll probably need to lift a hinged cover to access. That said (and regretably here's the issue of the van being bespoke again), I couldn't advise on whether you need to close a drain valve, flick a switch to allow the pump to run etc.

As for EHU, if the van doesn't already cater for this (is there no hook-up connection point) then there's no real problem with retro-fitting, however there are strict requirements that must be met for mains connection and you'd be best placed speaking with a local workshop on this aspect. I would suspect this to be quite a costly add-on though, and dependent on your electrical needs, I'd seriously consider the use of a solar panel to directly charge your 12v battery.

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Paul

Every day's a school day!

John4703

11/7/2013 at 8:56pm
Location: Glasgow
Outfit: Elddis Avante 454

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I agree with Paul in that with a bespoke conversion advice is difficult as components will be of unknown types.
I disagree about the hook-up. It is not difficult to purchase all the correct parts and fit them yourself if you have a reasonable knowledge of electricity and take the time to carefully read and follow all the instructions with the components. It is essential to have MCBs and a RCCB inside the van to protect the vehicle against faults and protect the people against fatal shocks.
I can remember retro fitting a hook up to my parents caravan in the 1960s and it all worked well.
In general most of the use for the hook up is to charge the battery although it is good to have 230 volts for an electric kettle and possibly water heating.

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We camped for years. In 2019 we bought an Elddis Avante 454. We like it as it is short (6.9m) and fits in our driveway and has a fixed bed.
We had 127 nights away in the caravan in 2023.

thambulance

12/7/2013 at 1:37am
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Thanks guys,
Yes there is an electric hook up,maybe because my head is all over the place I'm probably not explaining it properly, its a proper conversion, i was just concerned how to use the water pump because I can't see anywhere how it would heat it or dispense it, so sorry for being a pain,we are off to silverdale tomorrow for our first outing, can't wait but apprehensive , hopefully will meet like-minded people to give us a good start. thanks again will repost on Monday letting you know how Bessy and family faired.

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Jax365

12/7/2013 at 10:30am
Location: south cheshire
Outfit: VW Caddy Maxi

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I hope you get on ok!

Re the water pump - this needs to be inserted into a water carrier of some sort, connected somewhere to the van, then there will be a switch or tap which will operate the pump and pump water to the tap at the sink. You may not have a heater for the water, it might only be a cold pump system (so you might need to use a kettle for hot water) - usually heated water comes through a small tank underneath a locker seat - and there will be a switch somewhere to turn it on.

If you are not sure how this works, just take a water carrier (a few 4ltr bottles of spring water from the supermarket, which you can refill as required) just in case. If you haven't sterilised the water tank/taps/pipes, it would be best to use the bottles for drinking water anyway, until you can get something like puriclean into the system.

If you have EHu, do you also have an EHu lead?

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