Date:         Mon, 27 Oct 1997 22:13:21 -0800
Reply-To:     "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject:      Re: Charging Second Battery
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Larry:

Thanks for your reply.  I am still confused....even after having read all i can
find in the list.  Here's what confuces me:  I thought the #30 post on the relay
under the driver's seat was originally connected to the refridgerator, so that
it only got power when the engine was runing, i.e., the alternator was providing
power.  If you connect #30 to an aux battery, so that the aux battery is charged
by the alternator but isolated when the engine is off, what regulates whether
the main or the aux battery gets charged?  I thought #30 provided steady power
to the refrigerator without interruption...so wouldn't it also do the same to
the Aux battery?  I am obviously missing something.

Why did you instal a second relay?

If these questions are too much a pain in the ... to aswer, i understand.

Thanks!

Steve

Lawrence Johnson wrote:

> Steven,
> If I understand your description correctly, you have used the relay under
> the driver's seat as a switching relay for charging the auxiliary battery.
> If I am correct then it is similar to my setup except that I added a extra
> relay for the job.
> If my assumption is correct, then the relay will close only when the voltage
> of the main (starting) battery equals the charging voltage from the
> alternator; in other words, only when the main battery is charged. In this
> case, the main battery will charge first, regardless of the size of the
> auxiliary (camper) battery and only when the main battery is charged will
> the auxiliary battery start to charge.
> Larry
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Steven X. Schwenk wrote:
>
> > <snip>When I installed the aux battery, I RAN a wire from the #30 post of
> > the
> > relay under the seat to the positive terminal of the battery so that the
> > aux battery would charge while driving. <snip>