Sprayer behind my Club Car

[BobbyT]

Hope everyone is having a great summer. Here is tonight's big question. This is for our electrical gurus. I bought a towable garden sprayer to control the vegetation in my driveway. The sprayer is equipped with a 12V pump motor. When I checked the voltage coming out of the 12V adapter on my cart it showed just over 15 volts. Here is the question........is the indicated 15V normal and second will the voltage harm the pump motor on the sprayer? Any and all advice and or recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

[Gregorio]

Hi Bobby - We run a few of those tank sprayers with Sureflo pumps and have powered them with a pickup truck, ATV, UTV, golf cart or just a garden battery. 15v does sound a bit on the high side but I doubt that is going to be a problem. The golf carts do have trouble with our one high pressure sprayer but I think it draws almost 20 amps which might be more than the voltage converters can handle. It blew the fuse on the ATV as well so we make sure it goes on the truck or UTV which have bigger electric systems.

If in doubt, the manufacturer of the pump should be able to tell you exactly what voltage is appropriate.

what are you using for the 12v plug ? a reducer or a single battery ?

[ThreeCW]

We also run a 30 gallon garden sprayer (SHURflo 8000 series diaphragm pump at rated at 1.8 gpm, 8.5 amps maximum, 12v) behind our quad or Cushman 48v cart. For spot spraying, I usually strap a freshly charged old automotive 12v battery on the quad rack or put it into the Cushman box and run it for a hour or two with barely taking 20% from the battery. For continuous spraying with the quad, I also have a direct connection to the quad electrical system, but I have never thought to check the operating voltage of the system. When continuous spraying, I have noticed the wiring connection getting hot, but have not check the motor temperature.

The SHURflo manual does not talk about the rated voltage ranges for the 12v pump, but they do mention that certain operating conditions "would cause the motor to reach its maximum thermal limits. Once the maximum thermal limit is obtained, the motor must be allowed to return to ambient temperature before resuming operation."

More voltage may mean more pump speed and more heat, so if you do decide to run it at 15v, monitor your motor, wiring and connection temperatures as you spray to ensure you are not overheating. If you don't feel comfortable in putting 15v through the pump motor, a stand alone 12v battery will likely result in lower operating temperatures.

Let us know how you make out with your new sprayer.

Regards, 3CW

[yawood]

If you've got a 30A converter it should be up to the job as long as you've got appropriate connectors and cables for the 20A it will pull.

My 30A converter (48V to 12V) shows 12.5V consistently so, if you are using a converter, I'm surprised it's putting out 15V.

I'd be inclined to run the sprayer on a separate 12V battery as ThreeCW does. It'll save wear and tear on your converter and your battery pack.

[BobbyT]

Thanks for the info and suggestions. The voltage readings are coming from the back of the headlight switch. The ground I am using is the ground wire terminal block under the seat and the power is checked at the back of the switch. Is there somewhere else I need to be checking for voltage? I admit that the 15V seems a bit high but I not exactly where else to check for converter output. I have considered the stand alone 12V battery option but being able to just plug the sprayer into my cart and go was the goal. I certainly do not want to damage the pump motor or possible my cart. So if the separate battery is the best option then so be it. Thanks again for all the information.

[dundeebarnbuggy]

Shouldn't be a problem. Most all electrical systems on cars/trucks/tractors and atvs operate at 13.6 to 14.5 volts with the engine running/charging. 15 volts on your cart will probably come down a bit with a load on it.

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by dundeebarnbuggy

Shouldn't be a problem. Most all electrical systems on cars/trucks/tractors and atvs operate at 13.6 to 14.5 volts with the engine running/charging. 15 volts on your cart will probably come down a bit with a load on it.

Agreed - I run this in the bed of my gas cart for hours and it puts out 14-15v no problem... sprays like hell

[ThreeCW]

BobbyT,
I started up my quad today and found the operating voltage to be 14.4v. I use the quad for continuous spraying (takes 30 minutes to empty the tank). As I stated before, I have noticed the wiring connection gets a little hot, but have not checked the sprayer motor temperature. I would hazard to guess that your 12v sprayer should be able to survive the 15v circuit in your cart. Monitor your motor, wiring and connection temperatures as you spray to ensure you are not overheating.
Regards, 3CW