In a message dated 16/03/2004 12:10:06 AM Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

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).

Sorry but here goes the  rebuttal.  This system will not work properly with
the OPTIMA yellow top  battery choice.  The 14 gauge wire charging the OPTIMA
does not allow  for sufficient charging on short duration trips and eventually
you will  drain your Optima.  The only way it does charge is if your drive or
run the  engine for longer periods.  The duration of the short and long runs I
 have never verified.  All I know is that using this set up on my '87 Westy
and using the van to go back and forth around town locally, usually under 15
minutes trip duration, over many days with no long trips involved, the  Optima
battery would continually loose its charge with only the radio back  lights
on all the time.  When I installed the Sure-Power battery separator  unit and
used a #4 gauge wire to charge the Optima the problem went away and the  Optima
stayed charged all the time under all driving conditions.  No  other changes
were made.
All that said, this relay system with its 14 gauge  wire charging the aux
battery "may" work with other batteries as I have  installed it in customers vans
using other than Optima yellow top batteries as  the aux battery and have not
had any complaints about how the system  functions.
Now I know your all gonna come back and say why not  just use a #4 gauge wire
with the relay set-up.  Well, that has  its own set of problems, which have
been discussed here infinetum.  I  still believe it allows the main battery to
dump its charge to the aux  battery at start-up thereby eventually destroying
the main battery.  The  Sure Power unit overcomes this small glitch by
electronic monitoring of the  batteries and only allowing charging of the aux battery
AFTER the main  battery is full.
Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 10 ~ 13, 2004
'87 Westy & Lionel  Trains
Member: _Vanagon List_ (http://www.vanagon.com/) , _LiMBO_
(http://www.bcn.net/~limbo/) , _IWCCC_ (http://www.westfalia.qc.ca/)  & _CCVWC_
(http://www.ccvwc.ca/)
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in  the Ottawa Valley
_STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel  Mufflers_
(http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/stebro.htm)
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
or  http://frankcondelli.com