"continuous duty solenoid" - please elaborate

[TruckingToolMan]

Greetings fellow Explorerman!
In the tip section of this website I found the article about adding a second battery. Sounds like a great idea but unfortunately I'm not in good terms with electricity. The article mentions some "continuous duty solenoid". Could you please explain to me what that thing does, HOW and WHERE I hook it up, where do I buy it from and what type (capacity), and also about that three-way switch. Thank you very much, any input is greatly appreciated!

P.S. I got a '92 Eddie Bauer

 

[ryf]

solenoids, motors, etc have a duty rating, meaning they are meant to be left on (continuous), or meant for being used for short periods of time and clicked on and off often(intermittent)

you can get a battery switch at an RV, boat, or 4x4 shop, put it where it suits you, run the cables and follow the directions. if you don't know what it takes to do it... I would pay someone else who does... you could do alot of damage to the computer and and lord knows what else if you double up your voltage by installing it incorrectly... I can only imagine up to and including a fire depending on the wiring.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

I got mine at NAPA. It's originally designed for electric golf carts. It is rated at 200 amps and is specified as a continuous duty solenoid. They will have to break out the book to find it, but they can get them.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

do you still have the part number... i was going to do the same...

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

No, I sure don't. I went to NAPA and they pulled out a book that had tons of relays in it. It looks exactly like a starter relay, just a little bigger. As I said before, it is a golf cart relay and it is rated at 200amps continuos duty. Their book will give that info.

 

[TruckingToolMan]

Hey, Diff Whack Daddy, I see you are from Mt. Vernon like me. Which NAPA did you get the relay from? The one down by the Food CO-OP or the one in Burlington. I know that NAPA are pretty independent from each other and not all of them carry the same stuff like Schuck's does.

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

I actually got it when I lived in Arlington at a NAPA in Everett. They are independent, but they all have the same books and can order just about everything you want.