WICKERMAN

Hi all,

I had a breakdown today where a large diesel generator shut down due to flat battery as charge alternator had failed I didnt have a replacement unit at hand and the only thing I could find left in my van was an old tatty lucas regulator which I didnt know if it was 12 or 24 volt as the info had rubbed off with an irate customer breathing down my neck and maybe several hours trek to the depot for a new spare I fitted the part I had which i think was 24 volt ?

Fitted and boosted the battery and charge alternator worked quick flash charged at 14 volts and then dropped to 13.5 volts its charging and allowing the machine to run

Question is whats the difference inside the regulator resistance ?

Is this going to fail premature or stress the worn alternator to fail on another fault ?

Going to get replacement part tomorrow to renew later in day to keep customer happy

Scratting around at home in the garage toolbox of spares I found another regulator which states 12 volt so I definatley fitted a 24 volt to 12 volt system but it works

Is the best voltage its going charge at 13.5 due to its design ? I assume 2 x 13.5 = 27 volt ?

Not a sparky so thought I would ask on here

Cheers for replys

After 3 years of struggling with a 2800KG transit with keeping it legal with weight as I work as a field service engineer over a larger area 200 miles across the north my employer is buying me a new 3500 transit with a digital tachograph

As I work many hours more than I should really 12+ hours a day mixture of driving and site repairs how is the new tacho going to affect me ?

Van arrives in 5 days and I dont have a tacho card only a old paper licence (bit short notice)

Do I need to upgrade to a photo licence ? as well as buy a smart card / tacho card ?

Can I use my van legaly ? as read on DVLA can use up to 15 days without but I need print offs ?

I rarely would tow a trailer but van would wiegh under 3500Kg normal everyday jobs

Do I drive under or qual;ify to work under domestic law ? or EU law or am I exempt

Basically every day under 3500kg do I need to use the tacho and abide by driving max hours law

Or as under 3500kg is classed as out of scope or other work ?

When towing use tacho ?

Just how is Mr policeman going to know if I was towing or not a few hours before ? and not used the tacho

Hence why I ask if its there use it whether towing or not ?

Done a little reading on vosa ... but I cannot make any clear sense of it ?

Also van is fitted with a tracker restricted to 62mph and has a telemetrics system fitted that monitors engine rpm / speed driving style

Every day is going to be a long day

just panacking about law order and infringements just doing my job !

Thanks in advance

Hi,

Yesterday I started my work at 8am 2/2/2012 and finished 0830am 03/02/2012

Mixture of driving and mechanical engineering ( generator field service engineer )

I have been on call and been doing deployments for electric board after power failure

I have just got up and my head is in a daze.. its going to take a few days to recover from this

I have been on call all week and done a 17 hour spell and a few 13 hour spell

I am totally shattered

am I legal ? to work these hours

If i hurt someone in a traffic accident I am to blame ? correct ?

I slept in a layby at 8 30am and awoke at 9.30 with a passer by banging on the window ? are you OK do you need help as I looked physically shattered

I phoned my employer to inform them I am home and although my van is live tracked I still have to phone in ... which then they rang me back about the jobs I had just done which was another 20 minutes

Going to be about 27 recorded at work on my company PDA

Whom should I seek advice to see where I stand as this job is killing me

They wont employ more staff due to the recession but we have work up to our ears

Profits before people

UK company

Any advice or opinion please

Hi,

been on call this weekend and been disturbed by phone calls only for technical help on saturday so had disturbed sleep.

on Sunday I was out of the house from 9.30 am and driving to work in company van ( I repair diesel generators ) to deploy an order for a customer and inbetween leaving depot to respond to breakdowns and return to depot to get ready another deployment my manager has agreed to hire to a customer. I left work at 22.00 and got home at 22.45 and just got a cup of coffee and a buttered scone and the phone rang for another breakdown..

I responded and due to requiring a part I dont carry on the van I had to return to depot (100 miles ) and get spares and return to fix the machine so the customer was up and running as it was declared urgent.

5.00 am in the morning I left site and headed home...... 6 30 I was home and diverted my phone to my On call co-ordinater as I was shattered and needed sleep

after three hours rest I cancelled the divert and made a call to a daytime engineer to inform him .. which he states he is on road doing breakdown.

12.30 dinner time the depot manager is ringing me to say I have no right to divert MY phone to on call co-ordinater and should still accept any other breakdowns or queries

I thought she was out of order ... and think I was breaking UK law anyway doing too many hours

I am a second engineer, as the first engineer was out from 8.00 am and got home at 4. 30am and was so tired he had left his phone in the van and did get back in touch with the depot till 17.30pm

He has been read the riot act down the phone .

I was given the riot act too, but didnt accept that I was OUT OF ORDER so have demanded a meeting with my service manager, depot manager and regional manager on Tuesday .

They agreed and reported to depot for meeting ... after 30 minutes wait ... they state they are too busy and ajourned the meeting for another day

Who is right here ?

Was I breaking the law .... I think I was

Am I entitled to a rest ?

My on call co-ordinater can authorise overtime for other new engineers ... I cannot

If I had an avoidable accident coming home or even trying to respond to more work .. I would be to blame

Your thoughts please

( apart from get another job )

Why can I smell the gas more , when I am gloss painting ?

I assume the fumes react with the gas ... ( when the flame is in use cooking ) but whats the reason

I am no scientist........

So please fill your boots with an answer

I am confused..

My employer wants me to work 42 hours a week from my original contract of 39 hours

This means I get a pay cut of £1.41 an hour

Is this legal ?

have employers got you by the short and curlies ?

They wont make me redundant

They have no other option available than this new contract

They will offer me £2000 compensation for my old contract but I have to stay with the company 12 months or pay buy out back at a pro rata percentage if I leave

Seems like a scam to me

Doesnt seem legal ... but they say it is ?

Any one know anymore ?

Hi,

I have been with a company for seven years, and jumped ship within this large UK company to a better division, more pay less working hours, or when you do work you get well rewarded.

The new division was an old company that was a rival to my employer but bought them out.

Now three years later they want to BUY me out of my original contract of 39 hours.

They want to offer me three thousand pounds less tax to increase my hours to 43 to fall in line with the other divisions in the group.

Sounds tempting, but I will loose in the first year, if break even with this pay offer, and they want to penalise me if I leave the company within 18 months on a percentage refund.

If I refuse to sign .......... will they offer me redundancy ?

Is it legal they can buy my contract but have a clause to keep me there for 12-18 months

I know that they will introduce the hours anyway .. but will they try and fire me at the first chance ?

I awaiting for my 1 2 1 chat with the management

Do I need to seek legal advice ?

What hurts is those that joined later in the company whom are under the new contract under a year, and the original companys division thats is paid on the new contract that are going to merge into one, are getting a £250 gift voucher as a good will gesture for nothing ? whom dont have a refund clause if leaving the company

Its always been a them and us company , and the new owners have slowly wittled all the us brigade

There management quote is ourway or the highway ......... you choose ?

Any thoughts help would be appriecated

UK company UK law please

Hi,

I am looking to buy a digital camera with an onboard panoramic stitch so I can take three shots or more viewing through LCD

I would like opinions of new cameras on the market, I have tried a search on the internet but reviews are of cameras two years old

I have set a budget of £150 and need a compact camera

I own an digi slr but dont want to use photo shop tools to stich on PC

Have you bought a camera recently with this facilty ?

I know my samsung phone has it on, but tried Samsung website for models but very poor

People in Currys just want a commision sale, and dont know all specs on models...

Just thought some people on here could add suggestions ?

Hi,

after reading the rules... I found out that KERS was optional.... I thought it was mandatory!! in 2009

Anyway... would 80bhp and seven seconds boost allowed be worth running for the teams with the extra wieght ?

I cannot see Ferrari running KERS

can you opt out or in during the season ?

Seems all this money spent last year on KERS is now going to be wasted and dumped

If teams whom run Kers are last on the track or have reliabilty issues to put the car out of the running

and cars that dont have KERS are getting points

How long will KERS be junked ??

Will F1 be a hit or a miss this year ?

Seems FIA have bent a few rules for teams to get on the grid

Will I be watching ? YES

HAVE I LOST INTEREST ? YES

LETS HOPE THE BBC make it worth watching again ?

Lets hope BBC get interactive ? for more coverage

I would rather watch everthing on interactive... than spoil someones soap fix

Hi all,

I work with big generators and recently I have noticed that when these beasts are running and producing power, and I get close to alternator

It feels like I have a mobile phone ringing in my top right hand pocket

But I dont carry a phone ??

Whats going on ? am I going to get hurt with magnatism ? or should I report this matter to my manager ?

Not going to trigger off a heart attack ??

Serious answers only if you please ?

Hi,

Just been asked a question on Ebay....

Sadly I dont speak Italian, but would like to answer the guy ??

Message as below :

se spedisci anche in italia"lombardia" le compro

aspetto risposta ciao grazie

Hi all,

Bought an donor 2 litre engine PINTO ( UK SPEC) and was running on twin 40s, but guy had removed them so I got a nothing

I bought a new type pierrburg carb and manifold off a modern sierra but was a 1600cc engine

The ford breakers didnt have a Dgav or mainfold, so I bought the above, and he said it would fit an run OK

I fitted it and the engine run as sweet as a nut, but I dont have ECU so this carb would be no good due to all sensors on and auto choke

I hoped the manifold would accept a DGAV and it doesnt...

Anyway, bought a mainfold off ebay, and saved up to buy a new manual choke WEBBER 32/36

It runs on choke, and on tickover, but when I rev it , it splutters and dies a death , popping and banging

I checked the timing and set it at 8 degrees with vaccuum pipe disconnected

The seller... dealer allegedly jetted for 2 litre so I though I would ask on here first ? if I have done something wrong or advice before I blame the carb / dealer

Seems strange how the other carb worked fine... and this brand new one doesnt want to know ?

HELP ?

Thanks in advance for answers

Hi,

I hate the "new style listing format" and find browsing it awful

Every time I get this style I opt out , Today I cannot ? WHY ?

Dont tell me ebay have gone this way permanent ?

Or is there a computer cligtch on ebay software ? for today ?

Can you opt out permanantly ... ? and how ?

Hi All,

I have an atlanta 215kva generator with a big Cummins diesel

Engine runs perfect at 1500 rpm

The alternator only produses 210 volts between the L1 L2 L3 and only 110 between the L and neutral

I have checked the alternator internals and seems to be fine

I have checked all the wiring and this seems OK

I have checked the AVR and this seems ok

When I switch one of the AVR sensor wires to a different location on the avr board to U I get 400 volts but the engine surges and the voltage drops out and picks up again

So ... do you think the AVR is at fault ? as this is an old machine and dont think I will be able to buy a replacement

I was wondering if anybody has any suggestions ??

Any body know how to fix generators ??

Hi,

We have a canteen room that men provide there own food and prepare meals, but within this room, there is the toilet that has a door but actually you have to enter it from the canteen, and it has a poorly fitting door and no extractor

Obvoiusly... no matter what... it stinks ... and yes sometimes gets worse

Do workers have to legally eat there meals within the smell of the toilet ??

Its the final week, and has Darnell changed to suit the public vote ?

Has he realised that Sara is loved by the public over Lisa whom he thought was going to win ?

Now Darnell has latched onto Sara , and hoping to win the viewers votes ?

Will his new game plan work ? or will it backfire ?

This next week is when we see all the game players , go into top gear

Who wins ? time will tell

My 2.0l pinto block is u/s so I need either a donor pinto, but they are like hens teeth and all the ones on ebay are 300 miles away

Also parts are getting hard to find, so maybe its best to ditch it for something new

What can I bolt directly onto a type nine Ford gearbox ?

I know a few kit car builders are using zetecs but I dont really want fancy ecu and stuff injection ?

Is there any donor engines I can fit ?

Oh, and I dont want to go down the motorbike engine route either

I could get away with a 1600 pinto if anybody knows where there is one complete with carb etc

Hi,

I would like to see them do better tasks

I maybe wrong, but if this is the last BB why dont they set a retro game from BB1 and compare the results ?

I think they should be made to work hard for there supper

Maybe they should have a victorian or 50 60's theme all dressed up from that era and with the food to match

What do you see ?

I normally see stars or snowstorm, but recently its been straight steel gates closing ?

Wierd ??

Is this normal ?

I remember my mother saying I couldnt go to swimming because my trunks are wet !

or the silly ones you get as a parent... dont come running to me if you break a leg falling from that tree !!