Batboard

I am looking for some type of device like a surge protector, were 2-way radios, siren box and other computer equipment is wired into and it would protect it when a vehicle is jumped. Thanks Richard

search for a medical load isolator, or put a module disconnect switch / solenoid in so that when the vehicle goes in for service, or needs to be jumped, you can physically disconnect all the expensive goodies so the power surge does not let the smoke out.

It's also a good idea to have a module disconnect switch, so that when the vehicle goes somewhere for repairs, only the OEM stuff is on...that way they don't have to worry about wires they may not know the origin of being charged.

Anytime...ANYTIME you jump an Emergency Vehicle...you should have any and all toys shut off and isolated. This goes the same for when you are using it to jump another unit....

If you want something cheaper, a manual-reset circuit breaker with disconnect button will work as well.

Phish is right - always isolate before jumping, getting service, etc. You can't protect against the kind of surge a jump will create - you protect by disconnecting.

You are correct, I have that option installed were everything is installed on a master switch and it controls relays were everything is connected into. The problem I am running into is some of these vehicles (ambulances) get use for 16hrs. a day and they get parked at night and the crews don't turn the master switch off and/or don't plug the truck into a shoreline at night, for a slow charge. The next morning a new crew comes in and it's dead and they just jump it without checking anything. I had a crew jump a truck the other day and I was told it looked like the 4th of July when it was jumped.. NOT Good..

Training issue. If the old crew fails to drop the master, they need to be written up. If the new crew jumps the thing without dropping the master, they need to be written up.

If they're competent to perform ALS (even BLS) procedures on humans, they should be competent to perform basic procedures on the box.

I have all aftermarket addons running of a fuse panel which is powered by a manual reset/trip breaker underhood by the battery. If i need to jump start it i just trip the breaker and its good to go.

On a similar note, i never jump anyone with jumper cables anymore. These days $30 will get you a battery booster at Wal-Mart, while the smaller units may not be powerful enough for some larger engine vehicles there is larger units available for a few dollars more. A lot cheaper than repairing damage to a vehicle that takes a transient surge from jump starting something.

On a similar note, if the radios and added equipment are protected but you end up frying the engine management computer it doesn't matter much since you can't go anywhere. I hear about this more and more from a few local mechanics that i trust, they tell me stories almost every week about stuff like this. What sticks out in my mind is how many times they get a vehicle in that was damaged when they tried to be helpful to someone stuck on the side of the road with a dead battery. Makes one of those rechargeable battery boosters look cheap. And most if not all of them have smart chargers built in so you could have it being float charged 24/7 from a cig plug without significant drain on the vehicles battery overnight.

Those battery boosters work OK. But they're not enough if the battery is significantly dead (lost a cell and been sitting for quite awhile), nor are they enough for a high-compression motor like a diesel, with its glowplugs and massive started.

I've got one of the bigger battery boosters. I highly doubt it would do squat for my 6.0 diesel.

If I do need to jump someone, I set the cables up, then put the truck in charge protect. With a heavy load, that'll usually spin the motor up to 1800-2000, and get the dual alternators (260A combined) spinning. That tends to bring the receiving battery up quickly, making the surge across my truck significantly less.

The box drivers should be smart enough to operate as switch and a shoreline plug, obviating the need for boosting on a routine basis. If not, find someone who can. Making significant changes to the box because the guys driving it are too stupid to follow basic directions is assinine.

Also, if the need for boosting is at the ambulance shack, buy one of the nice, wheeled, starter-booster units that plug into 110 and use that.

tvsjr wrote:Training issue. If the old crew fails to drop the master, they need to be written up. If the new crew jumps the thing without dropping the master, they need to be written up.

If they're competent to perform ALS (even BLS) procedures on humans, they should be competent to perform basic procedures on the box.

agreed. Our company has standing orders for discipline if the vehicles are left on overnight...they should not be doing it. Another agency i work for has the same for the garaged vehicles that are not shore-lined at E.O.S. parking. That same one also goes and gets people who leave the mod turned on all the time, with the dome lights, and A/C in the box going when the vehicle is not running...if there is no one in the back, the heat should be set at 60', the A/C at 80 and all the lights and stuff should be off..

That point about charge-protect and the cables for 5 minutes is a great point to bring up, too many people i know just sit there and give the engine all the pedal it needs for like 5 seconds and wonder why the thing won't turn over right away...when you are doing that, all your are doing is charging a dead battery AND trying to start a cold diesel engine...good luck. We're packing the same 260A alternator set in our trucks and that WILL NOT WORK. Charge-protect a running diesel, hook up the lifeline and sit there and drink a coffee...give it some time to run up to 3K+, put a cursory charge in the other dead vehicle, and then turn it over...betchya it starts up.

I harp on people on proper care of electrical systems in our vehicles, and you should too...it someone sparks off a battery by being a cockspank and jumps it wrong, gig them...IF THEY DON'T KNOW...THEY DON'T TOUCH...."outside the scope of practice"

Our local philosophy is nice, if you were not trained to do it...then you don't.

And yes, also get a booster cart. Nothing says i love you like 600A w/ a 15 minute boost charge timer. Those little battery packs are cute....cute for gassers...if you're gonna be boostin a diesel, go big or go home.

Hey, there is always AAA!

I did say for larger engines that those boosters may not be sufficient. With a diesel you almost always need a larger unit that requires being plugged into an outlet. Out on the farm we used to have a small cart with a couple large batteries in parallel and a set of jumper cables, cheap but effective, and once the tractor was jumped you could then put those batteries back on trickle charge. This was usually due to batteries that became too weak to start in the dead of winter and 20 below zero or colder.

However, i think just about everyone should have one of those battery boosters, even a smaller unit, tucked in the trunk or behind the seat for helping someone with a dead battery along the roadside. Or to help yourself if something goes wrong and you leave a drain on the battery overnight.

Also, if you have a good booster a vehicle with a stone dead battery can be started, i've done it more times than i can count. Put the booster on the battery and turn it on, walk away for 10-15 minutes and let it bring up the vehicle battery a bit first.

And in the situation suggested by tvsjr, if you have a battery with a dead cell then ya know what? Buy a new battery and stop trying to "get by" with jumping it every day. My policy when it comes to vehicles batteries is this, if it won't start boost it to get it running and charged up and go to the nearest auto parts store and have them load test the battery, if it don't pass with flying colors then replace it then and there. Batteries are not so expensive that you can't afford to keep a good one in your vehicle.

When the current battery in my vehicle dies, most likely the first below zero day this winter, it's getting swapped for a Optima, the best battery on the market in my opinion.

How about a big 'ol "DID YOU REMEMBER TO TURN OFF THE MASTER?" sign where you keep the buses parked?