TheSamba.com :: View topic - Auxiliary Battery Setup

Fri Jun 10, 2022 8:38 am

I want to install an auxiliary battery in my ’90 Westfalia. For those of you who have installed an/or are using an auxiliary battery system, do you have recommendations regarding GoWesty’s setup or other available setups I should consider. Thanks for any feedback.

Fri Jun 10, 2022 8:56 am

Man - hot topic - if 20 people answer you're going to get 20 different answers. There are so many posts on aux battery setups it will make your head spin. Many things to consider:
1. What are your power needs?
2. Where do you want to locate the battery?
3. How do you want to charge it?
4. Are you adding solar?
5. Are you adding additional circuits?
6. What will the system power?

Shall I go on?

First determine how much power you need and what location is best suited to how you use your van.

I have two aux batteries, one behind the drivers seat and one under the sink. many people choose to locate it under the bench seat but I like to store my stuff in there.

Sometimes the best way to start is with a vendor kit, then evaluate from there after you live with it for a while.

Good luck!

Fri Jun 10, 2022 9:59 am

Thanks for the quick response. Good questions.
1. power needs are basic. Mainly lights, radio (music), sink water pump and fridge. It might be nice to power the inside outlet for some small misc need.
2. Plan to locate it behind the driver's seat
3. Would like to charge it via the alternator, but am willing to entertain other options.
4. We do not plan to go solar
5. Don't plan to add additional circuits. I need to think about what my need might be here.
6. I think I answered this in #1 but I may be missing something.

The more questions the better. They are great food for thought.

Bottom line, we just don't want to be stuck someplace having run down the battery. I'm 70, and don't need to be stuck someplace.

Many thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:22 am

I think your thoughts are correct. If you just want to power the stock camper equipment while parked, a battery in the compartment behind the drivers seat with a vendor relay kit is the way to go. That's what I had for many years and it worked great. You will need to do some re-wiring to make that work.

Keep in mind the stock fridge was only meant to run on 12v while driving. It is too old and draws too much power to run on battery only. There is a relay under the drivers seat that takes care of this for you.

The interior plug is only active when connected to shore power. You will need to add an inverter if you need to use 120v power.

I would swing by No Name Garage in Eugene and talk to them. They could do a complete install for you. I also know someone in Portland that could do it too.

Fri Jun 10, 2022 11:06 am

Thanks for the additional feedback. That makes sense about the fridge only be powered during driving. That let's the alternator keep things charged.

Thanks for clarifying the power source of the interior outlet. I'm still learning. I can do without powering the outlet.

I'm a bit of a do-it-yourselfer, and would prefer to install this myself if possible. Is the GoWesty kit a viable option for this? Are kits available through other vendors that are worth considering. Or is a project like this best left to the experts who have a lot of experience with this. I want the job done right, and if there is a sizeable risk that I can't do it right myself, I will leave it to the experts.

Just realized you're north of me. Thanks for helping a neighbor.

Fri Jun 10, 2022 11:23 am

You can download the instructions from GW and see if you are comfortable with the install.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/8170/4357/files/AUX-700.pdf?v=1649194072

Van Cafe also has a kit that you can download instructions too.
https://vancafe.com/auxiliary-battery-intelligent-isolator-wiring-kit/
https://vancafe.com/content/instructions/iso%20kit.pdf

I think either would suit your needs.

Fri Jun 10, 2022 12:18 pm

Many thanks. This is most appreciated. I previously watched GW's video, but had not downloaded the written doc.

Happy travels to you.

Fri Jun 10, 2022 11:57 pm

MikeCorbitt wrote: I want to install an auxiliary battery in my ’90 Westfalia. For those of you who have installed an/or are using an auxiliary battery system, do you have recommendations regarding GoWesty’s setup or other available setups I should consider. Thanks for any feedback.

Look at some alternative options before committing to the GW stuff. I had it installed (before I knew any better) and subsequently ripped it all out and had it replaced.

I found the wiring of GW to be too small and just didn't care for some of the components in their kit.

I now have a 100 amp hour Renogy LiPo batt; Victron DC to DC charger, Victron MPPT Charge Controller and 170 Watt Merlin Solar foldable panel (w/15 year warranty) not cheap but way overbuilt for my use of fridge and some LED lighting.

Sat Jun 11, 2022 4:42 am

One thing not mentioned is how automatic you want the management of the new battery to be. If manual, installation is pretty straight forward. However be forewarned that you will need a LiPo4 battery (if you want it under the driver's seat) which is expensive and they require a serious BMS (Battery Management System). Wiring them and having the alternator know which battery to charge is not simple. The Li battery BMS also has the capability of a "fuel gauge"--how much is left in the battery before it need recharging. The simple system would use standard deep cycle batteries which are at least three times the size and would have to go under the rear seat.

Allow a kilobuck for all this, even without solar and shore power charging, which is advisable.

Duncan

Sat Jun 11, 2022 5:42 am

If the OP still has the stock fridge then it can't be run on just battery power but still needs a little battery juice when running on propane.

So considering the above and what the OP said he wants the battery to do a very simple auxiliary battery installation could do the job of preventing the camping loads from ever draining the main battery.

A handy DIY person could easily do this for under $150 including a small battery.
Since he has a 90 full Westy most of the wires needed are already there and only need to be connected in the right way.
No factory wires need to be cut.

It is a shame but I'm not aware of any complete kit that does just what he needs simply and without cutting any factory wires.

Mark

Sat Jun 11, 2022 8:23 pm

crazyvwvanman wrote:
It is a shame but I'm not aware of any complete kit that does just what he needs simply and without cutting any factory wires.

Mark

The original GW kit I had from early 2000's did just that. It rewired the stock isolator relay under the drivers seat to combine the batteries when driving and separate the batteries when stopped. The two camping circuits then drew off the aux battery. It was simple and worked.

When electrical needs and battery technology started changing, it became more and more complicated.

I may have those original kit instructions if I look hard enough.

Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:17 pm

This is my setup:
Battery: 100ah Battleborn battery
Charger: Redarc Manager 30
Inverter: Progressive Dynamics 1000W inverter w/ built in transfer switch

The Manager 30 does alternator, shore, and solar, all in one unit and will also maintain your starting batter once the aux battery is fully topped up. I don’t think there is an equivalent on the market that does all 3. I have my Manager 30 plugged into the under sink receptacle so I can utilize the Westfalia hookup box for shore power.

The Gowesty lithium battery is cheap but their “basic kit” will not properly charge a lithium battery. You’ll need a DC-DC converter with a lithium charge profile for proper alternator charging such as their “deluxe kit”.

Sun Jun 12, 2022 4:54 pm

"Redarc Manager 30" $1,379? EEK!

Sun Jun 12, 2022 5:43 pm

fxr wrote: "Redarc Manager 30" $1,379? EEK!

Yeah. Crazy how far you can stretch your money when you don’t live in California

Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:18 am

i do not use the OG fridge, i replaced with a compressor type which can run on shore power or 24/12VDC. i have a 150aH LiFePo under the driver's seat, which also contains a Renogy DCCS50. it will charge from the alt or solar. i have never needed to connect solar, the battery can power the fridge, internal LEDs, stereo, and fresh water pump for 4 days at 80F, 3 days at 90F stationary.

the Renogy DCCS50 is over a grand cheaper than the Redarc mentioned above. been in place for 2 years and the beer stays cold, the tunes keep bumpin, and the lights, well, it's a rave.

Mon Jun 13, 2022 11:27 am

Raves and ice cream at camp are awesome, but if that's not your style and you're not powering a lot, you can get by with a much cheaper/simpler aux battery setup. I'm running:

* This 35AH deep cycle battery under my driver's seat ($109)
* It's wired with a marine battery isolator like this one from Amazon ($20)
* I switch the relay using the ignition key switch's buzzer wire (so the starting battery is connected to the aux battery only when the key is in the ignition).

Plenty of juice to run the radio, incandescent dome lights, and sink pump all night. I ditched my fridge for a Yeti ice chest cooler, but if you still have the stock fridge, you can run it on propane while at camp so you shouldn't need to buy battery capacity for it.

My battery also has enough juice to run my Chinese diesel heater or my brother's CPAP machine for one whole night.

I've run this setup for about 8 years. I've only had to replace the battery once.

I added solar when I got the diesel heater, which was easy to do later. I have a flexible 100W panel and it charges up the battery until my galley indicator shows solid green after just a couple of hours of morning sun.

Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:48 pm

veloandy wrote: ...you can get by with a much cheaper/simpler aux battery setup. I'm running:

* This 35AH deep cycle battery under my driver's seat ($109)
* It's wired with a marine battery isolator like this one from Amazon ($20)
* I switch the relay using the ignition key switch's buzzer wire (so the starting battery is connected to the aux battery only when the key is in the ignition).

Plenty of juice to run the radio, incandescent dome lights, and sink pump all night.

My needs are basically identical to the OP, and this sounds like a pretty good setup, but my electrical knowledge is close to nil. Does the auxiliary battery charge from the starter battery/alternator?

crazyvwvanman wrote: If the OP still has the stock fridge then it can't be run on just battery power but still needs a little battery juice when running on propane.

So considering the above and what the OP said he wants the battery to do a very simple auxiliary battery installation could do the job of preventing the camping loads from ever draining the main battery.

Still trying to get our fridge to run on propane (next step is to blow out the flue, hopefully that will do the job). Right now it only works on shore power and DC. Does "it still needs a little battery juice when running on propane" mean that you are supposed to move the switch to "battery" when using propane to run the fridge? If so, I overlooked this in the manual... :oops:

PDXWesty wrote: If you just want to power the stock camper equipment while parked, a battery in the compartment behind the drivers seat with a vendor relay kit is the way to go.

Keep in mind the stock fridge was only meant to run on 12v while driving. It is too old and draws too much power to run on battery only. There is a relay under the drivers seat that takes care of this for you.

The interior plug is only active when connected to shore power. You will need to add an inverter if you need to use 120v power.

The original GW kit I had from early 2000's did just that. It rewired the stock isolator relay under the drivers seat to combine the batteries when driving and separate the batteries when stopped. The two camping circuits then drew off the aux battery. It was simple and worked. I may have those original kit instructions if I look hard enough.

Is your battery in the cabinet under the sink or under the seat?

What does the relay do? Does it disconnect the battery from the fridge when the van is turned off?

Where does an inverter go? Does it require significant additional rewiring or cutting of wires?

Did you ever find the original GoWesty kit instructions? [-o<

Thanks to all for the helpful information!

Mon Jul 25, 2022 3:08 pm

Snitty wrote: ...Does "it still needs a little battery juice when running on propane" mean that you are supposed to move the switch to "battery" when using propane to run the fridge? If so, I overlooked this in the manual...

I don't think so. If the little juice is to run the fan and the indicator light - I'd be surprised if no power to those would prevent fridge propane operation.

Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:04 pm

Snitty wrote: What does the relay do? Does it disconnect the battery from the fridge when the van is turned off?

It connects the starting and aux batteries together when the van is running (so the alternator charges both batteries) and isolates the batteries when not running (so you can drain your aux battery to oblivion in the middle of nowhere and then still start up your van to drive home).

My relay is tiggered by the "key on" buzzer wire in the ignition, so my batteries are connected together whenever the key is in the ignition. There are drawbacks to using this as a trigger wire (e.g. if I shut off my van and leave the key in the ignition, I'll drain both batteries; if the aux battery is super-dead it will suck a draw off the starter battery like a jumpstart recipient when I crank up the van), but it was easy to do it this way and good enough for my purposes.

Snitty wrote: Is your battery in the cabinet under the sink or under the seat?

Mine is under the driver's seat

Snitty wrote: Where does an inverter go? Does it require significant additional rewiring or cutting of wires?

My inverter is a box with a cable with a red and black wire coming off the back. I just screwed those wires to my aux battery's terminals, and it kind of hangs out between my kitchen and driver's seat (with its cables gong down under the seat)

Snitty wrote: Did you ever find the original GoWesty kit instructions?

Basic wiring is super easy (people on here go crazy to show of their shmancy setups, which is rad but maybe too much for you). There's no need for a particular vendor's instructions (in my setup the "on" wire in this diagram is the wire from the ignition buzzer):

Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:15 pm

Thanks, VeloAndy, for the quick and helpful information!