Dawn wrote: > Hi everyone, I'm a delighted new owner of a '91 Vanagon Westfalia. > > I have been doing a lot of research on auxiliary batteries. I'd like to = > install one to run the kitchen, camper light, and car stereo. I've read = > several articles and seem to have found conflicting information. > > So please, can someone point me in the right direction? Deep cycle = > battery or regular car battery (my VW mechanic says to use a regular = > battery)? Battery Isolator or relay (and really I don't understand the = > difference in detail)? What about Optima batteries (and which one do = > you use?). =20 > > Sorry if this subject has been beaten to death in the list. Feel free = > to refer me to the appropriate archives.

Dawn:

Congrats on your new Westy. Enjoy it!

Indeed aux batteries have been beaten to death. Fat wire, thin wire. Relays, isolators. Optima, starting. This topic is like religion or politics--or tires--go with what you believe and call all the others wrong. ;-)

As Chuck pointed out, marine electricals are where the real deep-cycle stuff is.

To give another alternative, I'll describe my setup, which I did not design or install. It was done by a PO.

I have a battery switch behind the driver seat and a second battery under the driver seat. The positive wire to the electrical system is switched. Only the main battery under the passenger seat has the BIG wire going to the starter.

Operation: normally the main battery is selected and drives everything. To charge the aux battery, "both" is selected. When camping, the aux battery is selected and drives everything. In my case, the aux battery is a regular group 41 starting battery like my main.

Drawbacks: It is a manual system and I have to remember to turn the switch; I have forgotten a time or two. Because the wire to the starter comes from only the main battery, it starts the car unless the switch is in "both" in which case, both do. When running, charging comes back only to the main battery, so "both" is the only way to charge the aux battery.

Advantages: the battery fits under the driver seat with no mods so no space is lost anywhere else. The switch switches everything--lights, stereo, etc --with no wiring mods other than the switch. The battery switch is "on before off" so there is no loss of power when switching and my stereo doesn't forget anything. I switch to charge while driving--unless I forget!

I don't consider a starting battery as the aux a drawback. It doesn't go down much in 3-4 days, which is about the max I camp without driving (and charging.) It will probably last several years this way.

If I didn't have this setup, I'd probably wade into the archives and web pages, pick my religion and swear it is the best--and the others can't really work. [There is plenty of that in the archives....] As I say, I didn't design or install this system but inherited it. I like it.

Good luck!

Richard A. Jones Boulder, Colorado '81 Vanagon Mr Bus '87 Syncro Westy El Jefe