On 8/24/11 11:55 AM, Dave Mcneely wrote:
> It has been brutally hot here (central Oklahoma) this summer.  Heat is hard on batteries.  But heat adds another dimension to battery problems with the camper (1991 Volkswagen Vanagon GL Campmobile).  When the van sits in the sun the refrigerator exhaust fan runs.  I've noticed it before, but this summer, with days and days of 110 F temperatures, it has run a lot.  (1) How much of a drain on the battery is that, and (2) would it make sense to disconnect the fan if the thing is going to sit for a while.  Actually, I can't think of anything in my van that needs to be "online," so would it make sense simply to disconnect one battery post (easier to get to than the refrigerator fan).  Or, I could just pull the proper fuse.
>

When I lived in the Arizona desert, the fridge fan would run my battery
down below the level needed to start my diesel Westy in a couple of
weeks.  I learned to disconnect the battery if I wasn't going to drive
it often enough.

Mike