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Date:         Mon, 15 Mar 2004 23:31:21 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Second battery, the story on relays.
In-Reply-To:  <90BAEEB0-76EE-11D8-B1EB-000A959B3796@knology.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> I just installed a Hella relay on sunday after fretting > over which route to take for months.

Thank you for the positive report! I remain convinced that for the average user, the simple Hella relay setup is the best way to add a second battery. As it happens, it's also the cheapest (under $20, including wiring and a fused relay).

The only major scenario where the Hella relay setup is not optimal is if you frequently run very high-drain devices until your battery is dead, and then need to recharge it very quickly after only minimal driving. It is not optimal for this use because it 'trickle charges' the aux battery rather than slamming it with a big charge all at once, so if you run it totally dead it may take a few hours of driving (recharging) to bring it back up to full charge.

But few people do this on a regular basis. For the other 99%, this setup does all you'll need. It's simple, inexpensive, effective, reliable, and safe - a rare combination. It's an elegantly simple solution, in sharp contrast to other more complicated "overkill" methods that are available. Perhaps this is why it's the design that Westfalia used on models that came equipped with dual batteries.

Yes, I know some will disagree. (As I've said before, if you put 3 Vanagon List members together in a room, you'll get at least 7 opinions on any given subject. :-) But as someone who tried the more complex options first on my own Westy, assuming that they "must be better" since they cost more, only to get stranded with a dead starting battery more than once due to failed isolator diodes, I've learned the hard way that sometimes simpler is best.

Link to product:

http://busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=1738

- Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW

_____________________________________________ Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT


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