Dennis,
Thanks for taking the time to answer my post.  You have given me some very
specific useful information, which is exactly what I asked for, and I do
appreciate that.

On Sun, Jul 2, 2017 at 7:43 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
wrote:

> At 12 years that battery has been out of service for a very long time.
> Luckily it didn't fail in a way that caused a fire or explosion. Yes it
> happens. A battery boiling over and off gassing under the driver's seat is
> not a good thing. What can be a bad situation is that you have a vehicle
> that has many modifications along with some growing wants and desires
> without the technical know-how to maintain these systems or what to do when
> something wrong happens. I'm sorry if I come across harsh but you need to
> get some education and a local knowledgeable technician to guide you with
> sound engineering for your upgrades.
>
> As for staying with an auxiliary battery under the driver's seat the most
> bang for the buck is staying with a conventional group 41.  Wheel chair or
> GoWesty battery solutions are based on Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) technology.
> Due to a combination of bad physics, chemistry, and quality these batteries
> have inconsistent life spans. They also have a higher cost per amp hour
> than a conventional battery. As this is a camper (dwelling) try to find a
> battery that has a connection for a hose for venting-and electrolyte
> overflow. This is common feature as many Audis required this due to the
> batteries being under the rear seat. The NAPA battery has this feature.
>
> The next design decision is charge controlling and isolation of chassis
> and house loads. If you are looking to use solar or charging while
> connected to main power an voltage controlled automatic charge relay is the
> best approach. There are a number of choices. A favorite for  me now is the
> Blue Sea 7601. For the charge line from the alternator you need to consider
> charging current and all connected loads while driving/charging. Usually an
> 8 gage feed directly from the alternator will do the job. Connect the
> starter interlock to prevent the house battery from trying to assist engine
> starting if only using an 8 gauge wire or use a self-resetting circuit
> breaker.
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of PB
> Sent: Sunday, July 2, 2017 7:06 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Wheelchair Batteries vs GW Aux Battery
>
> Now that I have finally succeeded in removing my dead 12-year-old aux
> battery, I'm looking to replace it.  Here's what I had <
> http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i263/edtech2000/Westy%
> 20Batteries/2017-06-27%2015.49.49.jpg.html>,
> and, of course it never fit properly.  Worse, yet - whoever installed it
> simply added a 12 volt socket onto it <http://i74.photobucket.com/
> albums/i263/edtech2000/Westy%20Batteries/2017-06-26%2008.31.33.jpg.html>,
> and it never really functioned as an aux battery. This became clear to me
> when after removing the aux battery, I was able to turn on my stereo
> without the key.
>
> I would definitely like an aux battery that fits properly inside the
> battery box.  It seems that the GW 50 AH battery would be the easiest
> solution, but I also like Ken Wilford's idea of connecting 3 wheelchair
> batteries <https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Power-Group-85952-
> Battery/dp/B001G8FY38?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_
> aui_detailpage_o01_s00>,
> which also fit in the aux battery box.  3 wheelchair batteries have 16 AH
> more than the GW 50 AH battery <http://www.gowesty.com/
> product-details.php?v=Vanagon&id=4295>, so that's a consideration.  If
> possible I would like to see a picture of how the wheelchair batteries  are
> connected and held down.
>
> Ken mentions that wheelchair batteries should be charged regularly, but I
> don't have a way to connect to electricity on a regular basis. (Would the
> GW aux battery have to be recharged regularly?)
>
> If I decide on wheelchair batteries, I would like to choose a 12 volt
> solar charger I could set on the dashboard; one that is small enough to put
> away in the closet or inside the rear seat when not in use.
>
> My goal is to use solar energy to power my stereo, house electrical and a
> 12 volt fridge, which I don't have, yet.  I would like the fridge to run
> 24/7.
>
> I'm not very skilled in battery technology, but hope to learn as I go.
> For now, I would just like to decide on an aux battery solution, but will
> have more questions after that!
>
> Thanks!
> Patti
> 90 Westy Automatic
> Los Angeles
>
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