Date:         Tue, 15 May 2001 21:42:30 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@attglobal.net>
Subject:      Re: Battery Disconnect
Comments: To: Jay L Snyder <Jay.L.Snyder@usa.dupont.com>
In-Reply-To:  <85256A4D.00563785.00@CDCLN08.LVS.DUPONT.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 11:50 AM 5/15/2001, Jay L Snyder wrote:
>To completely isolate the second battery I put under the back seat, is
>disconnecting  the (-) cable sufficient or should I disconnect both (+) and
>(-)?  Both batteries are tied together right now.  The "second" battery is

Disconnecting either lead will remove the battery from the circuit. I think
it would be ordinary practice to unhook the positive lead, but I can't at
the moment see how it would make any practical difference either way except
for convenience in switching between batteries.  Actually, if you unhook
the positive lead you still have danger from a short btw the pos terminal
and the vehicle body, but if you unhook the negative the danger is much
less because any short (from neg terminal to chassis) would have to pass
through any load circuits connected to the battery instead of straight to
ground.

david


David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"