Wiring a 24 volt macerator toilet.

[Yakbird]

Sorry for all the questions. I've got a 24 V macerator toilet, and I'm wondering how to go about connecting it to my 12 volt batteries. I believe it's doable, but can anyone give me a basic idea of how to go about wiring it up?

 

Cheers,

 

Steve.

[chris w]

It's only doable if you wire 2 of your 12v batteries in series to give 24v. If the rest of the boat is 12v then your batteries will be in parallel, and your choices are to dump (excuse the pun) the toilet or buy 2 small 12v batteries solely to run the loo.

 

Chris

[Yakbird]

Cheers, Chris. I sort of figured that, but would kind of like to avoid getting any more batteries. I was wondering if I could just use a 12-24 volt transformer.

[alan_fincher]

There are devices called 12 volt to 24 volt DC converters, (not transformers).

 

These will run things like electronics fine.

 

However I don't think any are an option for something like a macerator, which needs power for a 24 volt DC motor.

 

Cut your losses - eBay it, and start looking for 12 volt options, I'd say.

[Yakbird]

Hmm, so more batteries or get something else then. Okay, I'll have a think about that then.

 

Cheers, Alan.

 

Steve.

[twocvbloke]

There are devices called 12 volt to 24 volt DC converters, (not transformers).

 

Also known as an Inverter...

[alan_fincher]

If you do elect to put two batteries in series to run it at 24V, then whilst they are so connected, you'll not be able to charge them both from your 12 volt alternator.

 

So as well as extra batteries, you will also be stuck with a "how to charge them" problem, (you hardly want an unreliable charging mechanism for the electrics that get rid of the poo!).

 

I think you'll be making life very hard for yourself if you carry on with this idea.

 

Any chance you can buy a 12 volt replacement motor, that can be used to replace the 24 volt one ?

 

EDITED: For typo.

Edited April 27, 2009 by alan_fincher

[Strads]

would agree with Alans second suggestion - replace the motor -

 

probably most cost efefctive over time and gets it line with the rest of teh electrics etc..

 

Most of the major names do versions of these - so shouldnt be serious issue - maybe see if they will part ex the 24v versionif its not been used!

[Yakbird]

If you do elect to put two batteries in series to run it at 24V, then whilst they are so connected, you'll not be able to charge them both from your 12 volt alternator.

 

Alan, you might have noticed from my thread about batteries that I don't bother charging them, I just buy new ones when they go flat.

 

Nah, seriously, I do get your point. I'd prefer to keep it if possible as it's a pretty decent and expensive piece of kit, so I'll have a look at the possibility of replacing the motor. I wonder what the original owners did with it then, as they certainly had it running when they were operating as a hotel.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve.

 

 

would agree with Alans second suggestion - replace the motor -

 

probably most cost efefctive over time and gets it line with the rest of teh electrics etc..

 

Most of the major names do versions of these - so shouldnt be serious issue - maybe see if they will part ex the 24v versionif its not been used!

 

Cheers, Strads. Yeah, that sounds like the best option then. I might even email Saniflo and see what they recommend.

 

Steve.

[alan_fincher]

I wonder what the original owners did with it then, as they certainly had it running when they were operating as a hotel.

Dunno,

 

Without knowing a lot more about what you have.

 

Are you sure they didn't ever have 24 volts installed ?

 

What alternator(s) do you have. Could you have one that is 24 volt, for instance ?

 

Can't help really, without knowing more background.

[saltysplash]

Alan, you might have noticed from my thread about batteries that I don't bother charging them, I just buy new ones when they go flat.

 

Nah, seriously, I do get your point. I'd prefer to keep it if possible as it's a pretty decent and expensive piece of kit, so I'll have a look at the possibility of replacing the motor. I wonder what the original owners did with it then, as they certainly had it running when they were operating as a hotel.

 

Cheers,

 

Steve.

 

 

 

 

Cheers, Strads. Yeah, that sounds like the best option then. I might even email Saniflo and see what they recommend.

 

Steve.

 

 

if thats the case are you sure your boat isnt running a 24v system?

[Yakbird]

if thats the case are you sure your boat isnt running a 24v system?

 

Well, it's not running much of a system at all at the moment, as the only things that are connected are the lights and the inverter. But it's wired for 12 volts, not 24.

 

 

Are you sure they didn't ever have 24 volts installed ?

 

What alternator(s) do you have. Could you have one that is 24 volt, for instance ?

 

Only got one alternator, which is 12 volt. But the boat has changed a lot since the original owners had it as a hotel, so they may possibly have had a 24 volt system. I'm still very much at the learning stage with it, and a lot of it is still a mystery to me. Hence all the dumb questions. But it's slowly becoming clearer. Quite a learning curve involved.

 

Steve.

[Tony Brooks]

Cheers, Chris. I sort of figured that, but would kind of like to avoid getting any more batteries. I was wondering if I could just use a 12-24 volt transformer.

 

 

Being an evil git and stirring the pot.

 

Certain Mercedes "white vans" of old and some other vehicles had a big relay box under the seat which changed the batteries from 2 x 12v in parallel for running to 2 x 12v in series for 24 volt starting. In theory you could wire one of these to do this when the loo is macerating but I suspect the rest of the electrics would cut out.

 

I go along with the rest - fix it to run on 12v.

 

 

PS Just been on a yacht with 24 volt engine electrics and 12v domestic & navigation equipment. The 12v stuff was run from an voltage converter (12 amps) so probably not much good for a narrowboat, but just check the engine equipment is not 24 volt because if it is then if you are happy with a few lights then the engine electrics would work the loo so a similar system might just work.

Edited April 28, 2009 by Tony Brooks

[Bridget]

Also known as an Inverter...

 

Why?

[ditchcrawler]

Being an evil git and stirring the pot.

 

Certain Mercedes "white vans" of old and some other vehicles had a big relay box under the seat which changed the batteries from 2 x 12v in parallel for running to 2 x 12v in series for 24 volt starting. In theory you could wire one of these to do this when the loo is macerating but I suspect the rest of the electrics would cut out.

 

I go along with the rest - fix it to run on 12v.

 

 

PS Just been on a yacht with 24 volt engine electrics and 12v domestic & navigation equipment. The 12v stuff was run from an voltage converter (12 amps) so probably not much good for a narrowboat, but just check the engine equipment is not 24 volt because if it is then if you are happy with a few lights then the engine electrics would work the loo so a similar system might just work.

Don't Vetus do a similar thing for bow thrusters.

I found it http://viewer.zmags.com/showmag.php?mid=hg...id=179#/page20/

 

edited to add the following

For some reason when you click the above link it defaults to page 178 You need to change that to 20 or search for series/parallel

Edited to add

I would have thought someone like Gibbo could come up with a fairly simple circuit to make one of these using a couple of LARGE relays so it just switches to 24V when you use the toilet

Edited April 29, 2009 by ditchcrawler

[twocvbloke]

Why?

 

Cos it increases a low voltage to a higher voltage, could be 12-24v, 12-110v, 24-240v etc...

 

Also, the little board that powers the light in a TFT panel is an inverter as it takes the low voltage, say 15v, and increases to something like 20,000v (at a guess, I never really looked it up, but it's how fluorescent lights work)...

Edited April 29, 2009 by twocvbloke

[Gibbo]

Cos it increases a low voltage to a higher voltage, could be 12-24v, 12-110v, 24-240v etc...

 

Actually an inverter changes DC to AC regardless of whether the voltage goes up, down, or stays the same.

 

Gibbo

[twocvbloke]

Actually an inverter changes DC to AC regardless of whether the voltage goes up, down, or stays the same.

 

Gibbo

 

Oh, another thing I've been mislead into believing...