Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 16:00:46 -0700
Reply-To: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Vitrifrigo trip results, wiring, battery life,
charging issues, etc
In-Reply-To: <E31A2366-1CC9-4A3C-B5E4-15157B022099@vickersdesign.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
No, on this van I am using a Stancor 100 amp relay controlled by the X
circuit of the ignition switch. I have a manual battery switch that can
bypass it. This was all done years ago before the 1315 was invented.
Same relay as the 1315 uses. I ran the new wire to the main battery side
of the relay/switch. I expect to install a current meter on the aux
battery ground and will probably upgrade the charging wire size after I
see what is happening during charging of a deeply drawn down battery.
The important lesson for people to understand is the voltage can seem
fine when little charging is needed but after the battery gets run way
down you find out the wiring can't fill it back up fast enough because
the current flow is low. Like trying to fill a swimming pool with a
garden hose. It will do it if you have enough time but a much bigger
hose can do it faster.
Mark
Jeffrey Vickers wrote:
> Nice write up, Mark.
>
> Are you using a 1315 Sure Power Separator and are you going from the
> alternator to the main or aux side of the separator?
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff / 87 Subie Syncro Westy
> On Aug 5, 2009, at 2:30 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
>
>> Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 13:14:42 -0700
>> From: mark drillock <mdrillock@COX.NET>
>> Subject: Vitrifrigo trip results, wiring, battery life, charging
>> issues, etc
>>
>> Anne and I just returned to San Diego from a 3 week camping trip in
>> the PNW area. Just before starting out I installed a Vitrifrigo in place
>> of our working Dometic 182A. Due to time constraints I pretty much
>> slapped it in and hoped for the best, making no changes to our existing aux
>> battery setup other than new Group 48 batteries for both starting and
>> aux positions. I realized this rushed install might bite me and
>> eventually it did. I also brought one of those battery voltage
>> display/alarms that plugged into the cig socket, planning to wire it
>> directly to the aux battery at some point since it gave lower than
>> true readings while plugged into the cig socket powered by the aux battery.
>> After about a week on the road I knew I would HAVE to do something to
>> improve the battery charging. The battery voltage would drop lower and
>> lower each night, rising some of the way back up during driving each
>> day. Finally one night the fridge stopped running because the battery
>> was too low.
>>................
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