12 volt or 6 volt

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alane527

alane527

Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Posts
15
Location
Pahrump,NV
I recently spoke to a retired RV service manager. He said that it is better to use 2 six volt deep cell batteries in series then using one 12 volt any truth to this?
 
Not quite apples to apples. You wire up 2 6v batteries to give you 12v, but you'll have more than twice the battery capacity than 1 12v.
 
I would say yes to most RV applications where there is considerable 12 volt dependancy, especially in boondocking situations. We have a service truck that has very little 12 volt installed, a couple of lights, a couple of exhaust fans, and a radio for the most part. Everything else runs on 110 volt, overhead lights, microwave, fridge, dryers, and hand tools. We use a hybrid 12 volt in it, mainly for starting the generator, and two deep cell 6 volts in the RV.
 
alane527 said:
I recently spoke to a retired RV service manager. He said that it is better to use 2 six volt deep cell batteries in series then using one 12 volt any truth to this?
Click to expand...

We used to be able to say that 50% of married people were women, too.  No longer.  More information must be known about the size and specifications of the people batteries involved.  In the majority of educated installations, your statement would prove to be true.
 
Though the gap is narrowing,, Two six volt Golf Car batteires will run less than 150 bucks total at Sam's Club and give you 220 amp hours of battery.


Two good size 12 volt will run you just over 160 bucks at Wall mart and give you 200 amp hours.

Not only that but they may not last as long.

So the bottom line is:  For the best Bang for your buck.. Six volt from Sam's club.
 
I believe the man was comparing two 6s with ONE 12,,no contest.>>>Dan ( The two 6s will also take more of a beating over time than one 12)
 
I see the OP has a 1973 Dodge B300.  Before spending bucks on a couple of 6 volt batteries, better take a close look at the battery compartment.  Two 6 volt batteries may not fit.  In fact one 6 volt battery might not fit.
 
you are correct the battery box is very small and with the  modern batteries a little to short ,so I am relocating the batteries to the spare tire hole tons of room there . The other thing I plan on doing is converting to a inverter for exactly the reasons mentioned.  dry camping
 
The 'footprint' of a regular 6 volt GC battery is 10" x 7", so if they are installed side-by-side, you'd need a space of at least 10" x 14" (plus a little fudge-factor)...

You'll also need at least 12" in height for clearance, and that's a bit tight, so more is better so you can get to them for checking the fluid levels, connections, etc...

If you do move the location to another part of the RV, be sure to run new battery cables of proper size for the length of the new 'run' to avoid any 12 DC voltage loss...you might be able to attach the existing cables to an insulated buss barr, then run your new cables from the buss bar back to the batteries...don't 'mickey mouse' the cables as you'll have nothing but trouble down the road in the future!

And yes, two 6 volt GC batteries are the way to go if you have the room...As a 'Battery Sales' guy for years, I recommend them for RVs all the time - use em' myself!...Don't be put off by those that say you'll be out of luck if you lose one cell in one of the batteries - GC batt's are extremely rugged in their construction, and having a 'shorted' or 'bad' cell is extremely rare - just think about all the gazillion of em' out there on the golf links carts, bouncing around all day while being discharged - then being recharged EVERY day for the next day's run, for two to three years!...That's why they're great for RV service!

Good luck with your installation...
 
utahclaimjumper said:
I believe the man was comparing two 6s with ONE 12,,no contest.>>>Dan ( The two 6s will also take more of a beating over time than one 12)
Click to expand...

You know.. I hear that alot.

Compare a pair of GC-2 to one, single 12 volt battery size 8D and try again.

Of course the joke, and I stress this is a joke...

You take a pair of GC-2's  pick them up and put them in a motor home and you get one 220 amp hour, 12 volt battery, which was delivered in 2 parts for ease in handling.

You take a 220 amp hour 12 volt battery and pick it up to put it in the motor home nd you get.... A hernia.

Actually.. that battery is an 8-D and I can, pick it up and install it.. Just.  Without hernia  (Did the hernia bit a long, long, long time ago.. Youngest patient ever for that treatment when I was admitted to hospital I'm told)
 
utahclaimjumper said:
I've handled a fair number of 8Ds,, but most are start batteries and not well suited for deep discharging.>>>Dan
Click to expand...

I have Lifeline AGM 8D's, installed in 2002 & still going strong..... They weigh 162 lbs each.
 
utahclaimjumper said:
I've handled a fair number of 8Ds,, but most are start batteries and not well suited for deep discharging.>>>Dan
Click to expand...

The Lifeline AGM 8Ds are deep cycle not starting batteries. Actually one AGM 8d did not have enough cold cranking amps to meet Cummins specs my coach. I used 2 Optima 34U for starting (together they are still smaller than 1 8D) and 3 AGM 8Ds for the house.
 
I was faced with the same dilemma. One of my 12v was bad and the other was taking up the slack. I decided on 2 6v golf cart batteries from Interstate. I am glad I did. I can't believe how they hold their power. Make sure your battery compartment will hold them they are a little bigger then the 12v but I am really impressed with the 6v so far. It was $270 for 2 of them but you will be impressed.
 
The house battery box in the friendship doesn't have enough room for the GC batteries, has anyone done a photo essay in battery relocation 101?
 
great advice and thanks for all the info, We are lucky that the spare tire box is located beside the battery box so all I have to do is relocate the cables by 2 inches and I will of course be upgrading the cables to handle the power. I am also relining the wire box so that it will have very good outside vents and a sealed area inside to prevent vapor in the coach total cost of modification less then $160 and I still have room in the old battery box for a inverter :)
 
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