Hello! Log in or Register   |  Help  |  Donate  |  Buy Shirts See all banner ads | Advertise on TheSamba.com  
TheSamba.com
 
Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful?
Forum Index -> Bay Window Bus Share: Facebook Twitter
Reply to topic
Print View
Quick sort: Show newest posts on top | Show oldest posts on top View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
vwwestyman
Samba Member


Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5680
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
vwwestyman is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:50 pm    Post subject: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

My '73 has a BA6 heater and a weak starting battery. I'm going to go get a new battery for it tomorrow.

But I've been thinking about getting a second battery for it, too. Set up to charge like a Westy. And hooking the BA6 up to that. That way I can run the heater without worrying about affecting the starting battery that day. Perhaps increase the run time somehow, too!

But here is what I'm not sure I am wrapping my mind around:

I presume the alternator I've got is the 55 amp version. So while driving down the road on a cold winter evening, I'd have the heater on, headlights, and all that. I bet there are times I'm pushing the limits of the alternator.

Would having this second battery, with the heater running on that, give me any sort of advantage in this situation? Or is the main advantage going to simply be being able to run the heater, potentially for an extended time, without draining the starting battery?

Thanks!
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
busdaddy
Samba Member


Joined: February 12, 2004
Posts: 51057
Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
busdaddy is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

No doubt a second battery will take the load off things during heavy use if some of the loads are fed solely by it and it's isolated. As long as you make up for it with some driving soon after with no big loads on it'll work great.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
vwwestyman
Samba Member


Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5680
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
vwwestyman is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Jun 29, 2021 9:03 pm    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

Cool. I guess I was thinking about the alternator "refilling" both batteries and whether that was different than the alternator having to "refill" just the starting battery.

I guess the fact that it's separate would still mean I could juice that battery up if needed with a charger or, like you said, some more driving.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
richparker
Samba Member


Joined: November 24, 2011
Posts: 6936
Location: Durango, CO
richparker is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 2:21 am    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

I have a second battery that is charged off the alternator, works great!
_________________
__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
busdaddy
Samba Member


Joined: February 12, 2004
Posts: 51057
Location: Surrey B.C. Canada, but thinking of Ukraine
busdaddy is offline 

PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:46 am    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

vwwestyman wrote:
Cool. I guess I was thinking about the alternator "refilling" both batteries and whether that was different than the alternator having to "refill" just the starting battery.

I guess the fact that it's separate would still mean I could juice that battery up if needed with a charger or, like you said, some more driving.

The only time the alternator would be working up a sweat is in a situation where the aux battery was run down to nothing, the main battery was low and you packed up camp on a cold rainy night and had all the headlights, wipers and heaters going full blast.
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

Слава Україні!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
airkooledchris
Samba Member


Joined: January 25, 2005
Posts: 2700

airkooledchris is offline 

PostPosted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 1:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

You can charge up a second battery without stressing your alternator:

https://www.bluesea.com/support/articles/Upgrading..._%5BACR%5D

When your starting battery is full, the current is automatically sent to the secondary battery. If you ever needed a little more help starting, you can also combine the batteries.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
lintbrush
Samba Member


Joined: October 10, 2013
Posts: 269
Location: Campbell, California
lintbrush is offline 

PostPosted: Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=567016

I have dual batteries for piece of mind. I have all my electrical additions running of the deep cycle aux. I’ve never had to flip the switch to help my starter battery (knock on wood), but happy to know it’s there Smile.
_________________
1970 Westfalia Campmobile - SF Bay Area
https://www.instagram.com/campishome/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Instagram Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Alan Brase
Samba Member


Joined: March 28, 2004
Posts: 4532
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Alan Brase is offline 

PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:24 am    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

I've lived with BA6 and DA6 heaters thru several North Iowa winters over the years and yes, they put out some pretty good heat and right now!
But the last thing in the world I want to listen to is that beast when the motor is not driving.
I used to do some service work on Fuchs ML350 and Liebehrr machines used for handling scrap metal. Some had Perkins engines but one had a Deutz air cooled so it used a genuine Espar DL-1 for cabin heat. Wow. they have come along ways since the 1970's.
Just get a Chinese DL1 copy. Or maybe in a bigger size.
BTW, The number in all these is the heater INPUT in Kcals. I doubt you'd ever need 6 kcals in a camper bus.
The BA-6 is great when you start your bus in a snowbank and have to clear the windshield and drive a mad commute to work.
_________________
Al Brase
Projects: 67 sunroof bug, 67 Porsche 912 Targa, 70 Westy
Dec 1955 Single Cab pickup WANT 15" BUS RIMS dated 8/55, thru 12/55
To New owners: 1969 doublecab, 1971 Dormobile
Vanagons:
80 P27 Westy JUL 1979, 3rd oldest known US
83 1.6TD Vanagon, 87 Wolfie Westy daily driver, swap meet home
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
wagohn
Samba Member


Joined: June 24, 2014
Posts: 740
Location: United States
wagohn is offline 

PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:49 am    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

Perhaps not ideal for you but we run our diesel heater from a leisure battery that relies 100% on solar. Our cranking charging system seems lethargic and we wanted a completely independent battery from the cranking battery, so as to not get stranded.
In the winter sun, worse case we can top off the leisure battery with a home charger - though I don't think that will be necessary as the Renogy solar panel seems pretty good at finding watts.
_________________
1976 VW Transporter, 2.0 FI Engine
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
vwwestyman
Samba Member


Joined: April 24, 2004
Posts: 5680
Location: Manhattan, Kansas, USA
vwwestyman is offline 

PostPosted: Fri Jul 30, 2021 6:28 am    Post subject: Re: Thinking About a Second Battery for my BA6. Helpful? Reply with quote

I did go ahead and buy a leisure battery for the '73 Bus. Just need time to get it installed and set up!

I think at first I'll just have it set up similar to how Westfalia did, with a simple relay to open when the engine starts. And plan on some supplemental charging from time to time. That still will be better than having to go out and hook up a charger just to start the bus, and worrying that the starting battery is being slowly run down by the heater running along with everything else in the winter time.

Maybe at some point in the future I'll get a fancier switchover mechanism that waits until the starting battery is charged or something but for now this seems like a good option.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Forum Index -> Bay Window Bus All times are Mountain Standard Time/Pacific Daylight Savings Time
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

About | Help! | Advertise | Donate | Premium Membership | Privacy/Terms of Use | Contact Us | Site Map
Copyright © 1996-2023, Everett Barnes. All Rights Reserved.
Not affiliated with or sponsored by Volkswagen of America | Forum powered by phpBB
Links to eBay or other vendor sites may be affiliate links where the site receives compensation.