Running a 12V Pump from a Charger?

[Lennie]

I bought a 12V bilge pump (Harbor Freight) to use in a CIP system for my Brewhemoth. I had the great idea to use a 12V battery charger as a power source since I was having trouble laying my hands on a car battery that is somewhere in the garage. It ran but the pump didn't seem to be moving that much water, is it because the charger won't work like an actual battery? I'm an electrical moron if you can't already tell.

 

[nukinfuts29]

Battery chargers typically output in amps and trickle or rapidly charge the battery, depending on charger and settings. I'm in no way an electrical guru, but it seems to me that since the charger is not the proper delivery system for the pump you are doing damage to it.

I imagine it was "slow" because it is being undervolted.

 

[RM-MN]

Batteries put out pure DC, always the same. Battery chargers put out a "pulsed" or non-continuous DC. You also may not have enough amperage capability with your charger which would be another reason for it to run slow. I doubt you are doing damage to the motor unless it is running hot.

 

[Lennie]

I'll dig out the battery and give that a go. I figured there was a strong possibility that the charger wouldn't be the same as hooking to a battery. I don't know if the pump is big enough to power the spray ball anyway.

 

[Lennie]

As expected, the 12V battery worked much better to run the utility pump.

 

[WalterAtMarchPump]

You could get it to work if you had a good charger. Most chargers run at or below 1 amp for normal slow charging...if you have a good charger it could have a "fast charge" setting at 10 amps....or a "Start" setting where they can throw 50 amps out for short times. Depending on what the motor needs to run properly amp wise, that will dictate if it works or not. Since yours is not working properly then the charger is too small.

-Walter