House batteries - how many is too many?

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jhoog

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Jul 5, 2018
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I am new to the Class A scene, my last class C had one 12V battery to power the house side and one for the chassis and starting power.  my Class A has one for chassis and then it has 6 12V house batteries. I have never seen 6 12V batteries needed for the house side? is that normal or little overkill?
 
Suggests to me that this rig was optimized for boondocking, as opposed to a rig that spends most of it's time plugged into shore power.  Did it, by any chance, also come with solar panels?
 
I don't think it's possible to have too many batteries!  ;) Only partly kidding. If your battery bank was large enough relative to your charging source(s) (converter and/or solar or even wind) that the batteries didn't routinely reach the "float" stage, that wouldn't be good for battery life
 
it did come with 2 pretty decent sized panels.  All 6 batteries are 7 years old and no good anymore.  I was going to replace them all this weekend and was originally going to just replace them with all new 12V but it seems a little overkill, I typically only dry camp but for maybe 2 days at a time.
 
jhoog said:
I typically only dry camp but for maybe 2 days at a time.
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I'd get a pair of 6V golf cart batteries.

Alternatively, but won't last as long, a pair of "deep cycle" (they're not really) 12V batteries at Walmart/Costco/Sams
 
thanks for the advice, I may tape off the other 4 connections and drop to 2 6v golf cart batteries and give it a shot.  I can always add more in sequence if needed.
 
Great Horned Owl said:
Too many batteries is when their weight causes you to exceed your GVWR.

Joel
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Well, if money is no object, I guess.  But after a certain number, you do hit a point of diminishing returns . . .
 
Your Bounder came with two 6 volt house batteries. The other 4 were add ons. Your 17,000 lb chassis has very little cargo carrying capacity. The numbers are inside the closet door on a 8?x11. It's so close that you can't carry a full 100 gallons of water (833lbs) with out being over weight. Don't buy rags for tires. Your coach came with 235/85R16 Michelin XPS all steel cord tires. The only equivalent tire is the Bridgestone Duravis R250 all steel cord. Composite cord tires have too much side wall flex, that you will feel in corners. Off soap box.

 
rls7201 said:
Your Bounder came with two 6 volt house batteries. The other 4 were add ons.
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That is what I was trying to figure out.  Thank you.  yea ditching the 4 others this weekend.  As my tires are shot, a bunch of recommendations have come my way for Hankook Dynapro HT that they are a solid tire.  Should I look elsewhere for better tires?
 
Great Horned Owl said:
Too many batteries is when their weight causes you to exceed your GVWR.

Joel
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and I would add that the more you have the longer it takes to recharge.... that could be a factor depending on your charging capability and habits
 
Take pictures before you disconnect anything.

Are you familiar with series and parallel wiring and do know how to connect two batteries correctly to get 12 volts output?
 
Arch Hoagland said:
Take pictures before you disconnect anything.

Are you familiar with series and parallel wiring and do know how to connect two batteries correctly to get 12 volts output?
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I am not, I was going to take pictures of the current layout and label the ones I do not use  any longer when I tape them off but as far as correct series and parallel wiring.  I am not familiar with it.  I had planned on taking out one battery and inserting the second using the same connections the previous one was using.
 
First we have to establish if the six batteries are 6 volt or 12 volt batteries.

Do they have 3 water holes on the top or 6 water holes on the top of them?

 
Not a fan of 12 volt MARINE/deep cycle batterries would rather replace them with 6 volt Golf Car. unless that is those are TRUE deep cycle.. (rare in a 12 volt package) but.. That said. Don't repalce till you need to.

IF you ever have to live "off the grid" power wise. (We had 4 hours of no power here last Sunday AM) the more battrery the better you are.. However batteries are HEAVE and take away from your cargo carrying capacity (especially in a gasser) and cost more money to haul around.

Do an energy audit. When you are not plugged in note the LOWEST state of charge.

IF the batteriesd are always over 80 percent.. Well then when you replace 'em cut back a bit.. and go to six volt golf car pairs (you need two six volt in series to make one BIG 12 volt battery).
 
To answer your question, if you have six Volt batteries (and you will save with them) they connect: chassis ground to 1st  battery negative, then the positive on that battery to the negative on the second battery and finally the positive on the second to house positive. That  gives 12 Volts  total (six plus six in series).

Ernie
 
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