6 volt batteries ?

[kluther]

i have two 6 volt batteries in my trailer. my question is can i also use two 12 volt batteries also? i will be dry camping without my gen(getting repaired). for 5 days and will want my heater. thanks in advance. ken

 

[radar doctor]

If Your 6 Volt Batterys Are Hooked Up In Series For A Total Of 12 Volts. . Then You Can Hook Up Two 12 Volt Batterys In Parallel. Giving You A Total Of 12 Volts And Lots More Current To Use ..... Happy Camping ... . Radar Doctor In Kansas...

 

[Slow Six]

Better yet if you have room hook up 4 six volt golf cart batteries.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Big difference in power capabilities and longer term reliability of a DEEP CYCLE battery as supplied for RV use - usually a pair of 6 volt batteries in SERIES (tho single 12 volt jobs are also available - I use one on a trolling motor) and a 12 volt automotive storage battery as used in engine starting service.



IF you are considering a 12 volt automotive battery for your RV use, be aware it is NOT designed for long periods of even moderate current draw and subsequent discharge, and will suffer a very early death in that use. The typical RV deep cycle battery is designed for that type use - and can go thru MANY complete discharge/recharge cycles without any ill effects...

 

[Rman]

6v batteries are the way to go. There really is no such thing as a true deep cycle 12v battery. I'm sure folks will have plenty to say to that but I don't really want to get into it. If you hooked those 12v batt's in parallel you'll be ok. It'll add to your total amp hour capactiy. As stated before, if these are not "deep cycle" batteries they will sustain damage.



The 6v trojan batteries are undeniably the best RV batteries made I think. There amp hour table is obscene.

 

[kluther]

they are all deep cycle. i didn't know if discharging or charging rates would be an issue or if i should run on set down then hook up the other or hook all up and run down together. ken

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"The 6v trojan batteries are undeniably the best RV batteries made I think. There amp hour table is obscene. "



I believe I saw a Trojan listing for a 12 volt deep-cycle when I was checking out batteries for my electric trolling motor. I agree, the Trojans seem to be the best of the deep-cycle batteries.

 

[DaveK98]

Before I take a long road trip where I won't have hookups I will replace the "car battery" that came with my used 5th wheel with 2 trojans.



Seems everyone goes with the t105's, why not the t125 or t145's?



Yes they are heavier, taller and cost more but they have the same footprint and will have more power.



My 5ver has a plastic box for the battery. I think this would have to be removed and some other kind of box fabed up to fit 2 batterys in. I guess the reason for the "box" is to vent the battery.

 

[Rman]

Dave, you're right on the trojan's. The 105's must be more popular because they are a bit smaller, in an RV space is VERY limited. The 125 and 145's offer better numbers across the board. The cost I'm sure reflects it.



Gary,



Check the numbers on the trojan 12V batteries (yes they do make them).



The 12v AGM battery puts out 110 AH at the 20 HR rate. (this is the group 31 size)

The 12v acid battery puts out 130 AH at 20 HR rate, with 57 minutes of reserve at 75 amps.



Now look at the 6V battery's.



115 mintues at 75 amps of draw, and 225 AH at the 20 HR rate. Couple 2 of thos ebabies together and you have some serious power.



The 12V batteries just do not hold a candle to the power of a 6V. This is why I say there is no true "deep cycle" battery. They cannot hold up to the constant charge and discharge as well as a 6V can. 12V's have their place, but in my opinion, if you have the money and ability, use the 6V's they're awesome.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Dave, you're right on the trojan's. The 105's must be more popular because they are a bit smaller, in an RV space is VERY limited. The 125 and 145's offer better numbers across the board. The cost I'm sure reflects it.



Gary,



Check the numbers on the trojan 12V batteries (yes they do make them).



The 12v AGM battery puts out 110 AH at the 20 HR rate. (this is the group 31 size)

The 12v acid battery puts out 130 AH at 20 HR rate, with 57 minutes of reserve at 75 amps.



Now look at the 6V battery's.



115 mintues at 75 amps of draw, and 225 AH at the 20 HR rate. Couple 2 of thos ebabies together and you have some serious power.



The 12V batteries just do not hold a candle to the power of a 6V. This is why I say there is no true "deep cycle" battery. They cannot hold up to the constant charge and discharge as well as a 6V can. 12V's have their place, but in my opinion, if you have the money and ability, use the 6V's they're awesome.

ACTUALLY, in our 5er, we use an 8 volt golf car batter in series with a 6 volt one, for a 14 volt system - this provides no problem with various devices inside the rig, but DOES provide more overhead, steady static voltage after the initial surface charge bleeds off the system - with the seriesed 6 volters, static voltage ran 12 volts and under - and dropped lower when a few lights were on or other similar drain. That became an issue with some of the Ham radio gear I take on outings, as well as some other voltage sensitive solid state stuff.



The 14 volt setup typically hovers at 13. 5 volts after surface charge bleed down, and stays there for hours - makes for lots better operation of the voltage sensitive stuff, and the rig's charger does a decent job topping the battery at the higher voltage, but I also built up a charger that puts out a somewhat higher voltage than the stock unit to really top them off and avoid sulphation...

 

[SnoKing]

Don't mix and match. If you have 2 6v that are fairly new, you could add two more like batteries. If they are older, the new ones will soon be the same as the old ones. That is partly used up. SNOKING

 

[RCook]

Comparing alternative combinations of batteries, you probably want to understand how the numbers mash together.



If you put two 6v batteries together in series to get 12V, you don't get twice the amps, amp hours, or reserve minutes - only the same numbers as a single battery at 6v.



On the other hand, if you put two 12V batteries together in parallel, you still have only 12V, but you do get twice the amps, amp-hours, and reserve minutes.



So two 6v-ers mentioned above in series produce 12V, but still only 225 AH.



Two 12V AGM's mentioned above would produce 12V, and 220 AH.



6V GC's probably have an advantage in the number of discharge/recharge cycles they can handle, according to the battery manufacturers - if you don't abuse them. They're also less expensive.



AGM's have advantages in that they need no maintenance, they don't leak or gas (unless horribly abused), they can be discharged lower without damage, and they tolerate vibration, cold, and sitting around unused and without charging better than flooded lead-acid batteries.

 

[Rman]

ACTUALLY, in our 5er, we use an 8 volt golf car batter in series with a 6 volt one, for a 14 volt system - this provides no problem with various devices inside the rig, but DOES provide more overhead, steady static voltage after the initial surface charge bleeds off the system - with the seriesed 6 volters, static voltage ran 12 volts and under - and dropped lower when a few lights were on or other similar drain. That became an issue with some of the Ham radio gear I take on outings, as well as some other voltage sensitive solid state stuff.



The 14 volt setup typically hovers at 13. 5 volts after surface charge bleed down, and stays there for hours - makes for lots better operation of the voltage sensitive stuff, and the rig's charger does a decent job topping the battery at the higher voltage, but I also built up a charger that puts out a somewhat higher voltage than the stock unit to really top them off and avoid sulphation...

Gary you don't burn any bulbs faster then normal do you? I guess the 1. 5 volts really isn't significant enough, how did you manage to boost your charge level to accomodate the increase in voltage?

 

[Rman]

Comparing alternative combinations of batteries, you probably want to understand how the numbers mash together.



If you put two 6v batteries together in series to get 12V, you don't get twice the amps, amp hours, or reserve minutes - only the same numbers as a single battery at 6v.



On the other hand, if you put two 12V batteries together in parallel, you still have only 12V, but you do get twice the amps, amp-hours, and reserve minutes.



So two 6v-ers mentioned above in series produce 12V, but still only 225 AH.



Two 12V AGM's mentioned above would produce 12V, and 220 AH.



6V GC's probably have an advantage in the number of discharge/recharge cycles they can handle, according to the battery manufacturers - if you don't abuse them. They're also less expensive.



AGM's have advantages in that they need no maintenance, they can be discharged lower without damage, and they tolerate vibration, cold, and sitting around unused and without charging better than flooded lead-acid batteries.

This is correct, but I'd also like to point out another scenario. One advantage of 6V batteries is when a cell fails you don't lose your other battery's while they try and charge it. The failed cell will show itself in decreased voltage because of the increased resistance. The current in a series configuration is much more stable, passes through your system equally (drawing the voltage equally), and prevents internal current loops that occur in parallel systems.



There are compromises that must be made when choosing which type of system to use. If I had the room I'd put 4 6V's with 2 of them in parallel.



But that's a lot of weight, space, and money :-laf

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary you don't burn any bulbs faster then normal do you? I guess the 1. 5 volts really isn't significant enough, how did you manage to boost your charge level to accomodate the increase in voltage?

Nope - no bulb failure problems to date, and we've been running this setup for 2 years now. We seem to have more than our share of wiring voltage drop in our rig - I've reduced it a great deal by soldering all the formerly crimped-on connectors at various points, and picked up nearly 2 volts at some points in the rig - lots of corrosion and resistance losses in those crimped on connectors after a period of time and weather...



The rest of our voltage drop is apparently caused by the wire size being to small, and no easy fix for that, other than boosting primary power to comphensate as I have done.



The built-in charger will top the 14 volt system to 14-14. 5 volts - not bad, but my outboard charger will put in another volt, somewhere around 15. 5 volts no load. But this setup, like the stock 12 volt one, WILL drop pretty rapidly as the surface charge is depleted - and it's the steadty state static voltage we were really after - and the 14 volt setup accomplishes that nicely, with no ill effects to date.



OH, and that 8 volt golf car battery is the exact same physical size as the 6 volt job it's in series with...

 

[SnoKing]

This is correct, but I'd also like to point out another scenario. One advantage of 6V batteries is when a cell fails you don't lose your other battery's while they try and charge it. The failed cell will show itself in decreased voltage because of the increased resistance. The current in a series configuration is much more stable, passes through your system equally (drawing the voltage equally), and prevents internal current loops that occur in parallel systems.



There are compromises that must be made when choosing which type of system to use. If I had the room I'd put 4 6V's with 2 of them in parallel.



But that's a lot of weight, space, and money :-laf

That's what I have in my boat - 4 6V Dyno 260 amp hr batteries. 520 Amp hours with 260 usable at 50 percent discharge. On a lead acid battery 50 percent is the max amount that you should draw them down. They have been in the boat for 8 years and still going strong. I have a 140 Amp alternator and smart regulator on one engine to charge them while underway and a WM/Heart Inverter with 75 amp charger for shore charging.



In my trailer, I have two 12V 110 Amp Hr RV/Marine batteries. I installed a 15A power inlet above the 30A shore power cable and put the convert on a switch so that I can select the 15 inlet from my Honda EU1000i generator. I have an old Freedom 10 Heart inverter that receives the 30A inlet and switches the main input to the line input. Honda EU1000i will not fire off the inverter input. SO! when dry camping I can setup the generator and charge the batteries with the converter and use the inverter to run the Microwave etc coming off the discharge side of the batteries. Sorta a serial arrangement. Generator - Converter - Batteries - Inverter - AC loads. With good AC input, I just use the inverter for charging in place of the converter. SNOKING

 

[Motofreak]

What do you recommend when trailer is idle for a month or so. Leaving it plugged in to keep it charged or just charging it when you need it?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

What do you recommend when trailer is idle for a month or so. Leaving it plugged in to keep it charged or just charging it when you need it?

The "secret" of long life in a lead/acid battery, is keeping them properly charged - and properly recharging them after significant drops in power. Sulphation from sitting idle after being discharged is on of the biggest killers of batteries.



A month of storage with a fully charged battery in good condition is no big deal, at least in moderate temperatures. I put ours on a timer set to apply power for about 2 hours a day to maintain a full charge.

 

[GaryCarter]

My 5ver has a plastic box for the battery. I think this would have to be removed and some other kind of box fabed up to fit 2 batterys in. I guess the reason for the "box" is to vent the battery.

Yes, and it's important. Batteries make hydrogen gas; hydrogen + spark = BOOM!



Gary

 

[DaveK98]

You mean like the hindenburg?



How much venting is really needed? Anyone seen klengers battery setup? Looks like his are in a compartment and the compartment seems to have a vent on the top.