Al, thanks SO much for mentioning this.
I *knew* AGM batts wern't the 'right deal' normally in a car or van........
So very good to know about the dc to dc charger.

Let's see, you change one part ( the battery ) to supposidly gain in
some way, and then you have to add another ( possibly expensive ? ) part
to make up for the challenges posed by the 1st part .  - about like take
a drug to counteract the negative side affects of another drug.

btw- please tell me what the attration of AGM batteries is in the first
place .
- that they don't have to be mounted upright ?
- more capacity for their size ?
- a weight advantage ?

so far, for my money, for regular use at a reasonable cost there's not
much better than a good ole lead-acid battery  - for either a starting
and running battery, or a deep cycle for a house battery.
scott
www.turbovans.com

Al Knoll wrote:
> It is a general consensus that AGM batteries do not do well when
> charging directly from an alternator.  The powerstream bc1212-15 is a
> dc to dc charger that incorporates multi stage charging it it's design
> and may solve the problem.  Rocket J. notes that this device does well
> charging his Trojan brand house battery.
>
> More to come on this.
>
> On 6/19/08, Frank Condelli <RAlanen@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> In a message dated 18/06/2008 2:03:29 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>> LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
>>
>> I have  an optima yellow top that never seemed to get charged properly
>> from the  alternator.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>        EXACTLY, I've toasted at  least three of those EXPEN$IVE Optimas
>> before giving up on them.  They are  JUNK to put it mildly.  Waste of $$$ in my
>> humble opinion !!!!!
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Frank  Condelli
>> Almonte, Ontario, Canada
>> '87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
>> (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/trainsal.htm) )
>> _Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/busindex.html)
>> - Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
>> _Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
>> (http://members.aol.com/Fkc43/exhaust.htm)
>> _BusFusion_ (http://members.aol.com/BusFusion/bfhome.htm)  a VW Camper
>> camping event, Almonte, ON, June 12 ~ 15,  2008
>>
>>
>
>
>