Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 12:37:41 -0500
Reply-To: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject: Re: Is battery isolator better than a relay?
I got the idea...like if you camped for the weekend a couple miles from
home, and the house battery only got 5 minutes of charging on the ride
home.
Makes me more comfortable with the solenoid, as if we use the camping gear,
we are a couple hours from home, and the batteries would charge to capacity
on the trip home.
Thanks
G. Matthew Bulley
Director
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark McCulley [SMTP:transporter99@HOTMAIL.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 11:39 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Is battery isolator better than a relay?
I can't give any real quantitative evidence but what I've noticed is that
with an isolator there is no longer any impact to my starting battery when
the aux battery is heavily discharged. My starting battery now always stays
fully charged. Previously, with a solenoid, the depleted aux battery would
draw down the charge on the starting battery until both were fully charged
again.
MM
>From: Bulley <gmbulley@bulley-hewlett.com>
>To: "'Mark McCulley'" <transporter99@HOTMAIL.COM>,
>"vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM" <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Subject: RE: Is battery isolator better than a relay?
>Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 11:11:42 -0500
>
>What do you mean by "better job of charging both batteries"?
>
>The reason I ask is that the isolator and fittings for futzing with the
>Bosch alternator to force it to work with an isolator came to more than
>$120, while the solenoid was $18. How much 'better' can batteries be
>charged?
>
>G. Matthew Bulley
>Director
>Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
>www.bulley-hewlett.com
>Cary, NC USA
>888.468.4880 tollfree
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Mark McCulley [SMTP:transporter99@HOTMAIL.COM]
>Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 10:23 AM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Is battery isolator better than a relay?
>
> >I have heard that some folks have located the remote sensing connection
>in
> >the alternator regulator and added a wire to remote sense.
> >
>
>The SurePower isolator is designed to be connected to remote sense for the
>voltage regulator. This requires a modification to the regulator, but it's
>not very hard to do.
>
> >The good news is that the relay is not as bad as it first sounds. Lead
> >acid batteries have charging characteristics that allow them to charge
in
> >parallel and share the charging current fairly well. And, connecting a
> >discharged battery across a charged one isn't all that dramatic either.
> > Again, they quickly adjust to one another and as long as you drive
long
> >enough to charge the low battery there should be no problem.
>
>I've used both approaches and the isolator definately does a better job of
>keeping both batteries fully charged.
>
>
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