In a message dated 11/03/2005 8:47:48 PM Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

Please  excuse my ignorance, but what is an Optima battery? I will be putting
an aux  battery in my van for the first time this year, and would like to
know what  one works best for everybody. I was planning on a marine battery- is
Optima a  brand name?

    Barb, Optima is a brand.  Optima Yellow Top is  the best deep cycle
battery to put in your Westy.  It's the only one with  enough amp hours, 55 amp
hours, to make it worth the trouble and fits  in that hole under the drivers
seat.  Well, almost fits and that's why the  recent discussion.  The best way to
install this battery is to set it  upright with side terminals facing forward.
Cut two large holes in the  battery cover to accommodate the top posts and
the terminal connectors.   Use some protective material on the edge of the
cut-outs to insure there is no  contact made with the battery terminals.  Use the
battery cover and a made  up bracket that bolts to the battery hold down bolt
hole that's already there to  secure the battery in position.  Swivel the seat
and see if the seat frame  clears the positive battery terminal.  If not you
will have to use a rotary  grinder to relive part of the seat frame to insure
good clearance.   Regardless use a piece of cardboard between the battery top
and seat when the  seat needs to be turned as insurance against contact.  Use
the Sure-Power  1315 battery separator as the interface to the Westy electrical
system.  It  will fit in the battery compartment right next to the Optima
near the holes for  the wires.  Connect all camper electrics, interior lights and
 stereo functions to the Optima.  Use a small trickle charger for deep  cycle
batteries connected to the battery to maintain charge while in a  serviced
campground.  It can be mounted behind the drivers seat.   You can also connect a
small power inverter to the Optima for needed  120 volt supply if wanted.
Don't forget to include some 12 volt power  output recepticals to accommodate
anything you may want to run.   I have two in my set-up, one on the dash and one
by the battery compartment  where the Optima is under the drivers seat.  The
one on the dash has been  connected to both batteries through a (SPDT), single
pole double throw, switch  so that I can also use a battery monitor to check
the condition of both  batteries.  The one I'm using is a digital read out one
that plugs into the  12 volt receptacle.  It came from Camping World I
believe but other vendors  may have it or similar ones.  I have seen and tried many
different dual  battery installations in the Vanagon Westy and for me this is
by far the  best.  My opinion only !

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
_BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
camping event, Almonte, ON, June 09 ~ 12, 2005
'87 Westy, '90 Carat &  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