Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2020 01:27:18 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: Trickle charger on hard to access House Battery
In-Reply-To: <605439945.2449430.1603587325214@mail.yahoo.com>
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Old Radio Shack analog meter gave Aux Battery a solid 13.5 VDC. I like that, reasonable. Means alternator and relay and all the stuff in the GoWesty Aux Battery setup is working just fine. I think I am good to go. But I am glad I checked. Confidence.
Harbor Freight meter will still be OK for continuity I guess...but not going to trust it much beyond that. Will pack old analog Radio Shack meter in Vanagon and probably delete the Harbor Freight one.
Rich
San Diego
On Saturday, October 24, 2020, 5:55:33 PM PDT, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
I am a little baffled. Just for fun, I hooked up an old cigarette 12VDC plug into the outlet connected DIRECTLY to the Aux Battery. Digital meter said: 16.3 V No way!, I said. Got out a second junk cigarette 12VDC plug and into outlet again. Digital meter said: 16.3 V
Yikes! Any idea of what is going on here? NOTHING auxiliary connected to the House Battery.
(BTW....meter is a freebie from Harbor Freight...I DO have an old analog meter from Radio Shack, yes, I will give that a try later.)
Rich
San Diego
On Saturday, October 24, 2020, 3:07:21 PM PDT, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Mine is an 85 tintop. I added the GoWesty auxillary battery setup 12 years ago with a group 41 Walmart battery. I'll have to check my records to see if I've ever replaced that battery. Here is the kit: Auxiliary Battery Kit [1980-83 Air-Cooled Camper and 1980-91 Non-Campers] | GoWesty
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Auxiliary Battery Kit [1980-83 Air-Cool...
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I added a bunch of cabinetry to my van behind driver seat, making access to the Aux Battery a little hard to get to. I also used a Greenlee sheet metal punch to provide a hole just behind parking brake lever to add a 12 VDC cigarette lighter socket; the idea was to have a convenient port operating directly off Aux Battery (I added an inline fuse). The setup has been working just fine these last 12 years; at least I think so, it always works and I'm assuming the alternator via the relay in the kit is doing it's job; my camping electrical needs are very minimal, but I do run a laptop and some interior lighting; and also for charging phone and camera batteries.
But with Covid, my travels lately have really declined. So....I got this bright idea that maybe I should trickle charge my Aux Battery with a cigarette plug into the nearby outlet and connected to my trickle charge? I assume there will be minimal Hydrogen gas being emitted during the charging process but should quickly rise and ventilate out of garage. I assume all of this would work and be safe...but wanted to pass it by the Vanagon brain trust before I do it.
Rich
San Diego
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