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Old 09-30-2014, 06:25 PM   #41
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12v to 6v house battery conversion

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Originally Posted by Ray,IN View Post
I've never considered downgrading to 6V batteries. I have 3 Exide 12V batteries, each with 200AH. That gives me 300AH available if I adhere to the 50% rule. I couldn't get the taller 6V batteries in the space anyway.
Ray, I replaced my 3 12v batteries with 4 Interstate 6v batteries. As far as the batteries fitting (if our rigs are similar, space wise), you'll have to remove the slide out tray but height shouldn't an issue. By the way, it's definitely not a downgrade!
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Old 10-06-2014, 06:46 PM   #42
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We are relatively new to the RV world having purchased our rig last October and have 1 trip under our belt to the SW Arizona dessert. While on that trip to friends we had discussions about 6v vs 12 v systems. My brother-in-law (aircraft mechanic) had changed to 2 6v prior to the trip and one of our friends had problems with batteries and needed to replace. We listened to a dealer on batteries and he seemed to lean toward 6v but our friend stayed with 12v.

Our coach has 2 12v AGM sealed 100 AH batteries. It has an 18" by about 30" fixed solar panel on to that goes through a 4 amp rated charger to the batteries. There is also a charger in the battery compartment that splits charging between the batteries-coach and chassis. The converter has been changed out and the replacement has a 3 stage charger which is a big plus and probably needed for the AGM batteries. We dry camped for up to 2 weeks at a time and used the generator maybe 2-3 hrs. twice a day but not consistently. We also stayed at some full hookup campgrounds periodically and moved from site to site. The lowest we got on charge was 1/3 charge once but stayed mostly at 2/3 charge (Our system only shoes 0, 1/3, 2/3 full). Our inverter is only 150w. which runs the TV and DVD. This seems to work just fine. Not sure on the age of the batteries but have wondered if 2 6v would be better then the 2 12v at replacement time.

If I read right we have a 2400 Watt system but not real sure what that is telling me in terms what is probably low watt usage. We converted 80% of 12v dc bulbs to LED and will probably change the rest this year. Is more Amp-hrs. better than overall wattage? The coach is a 12 v system so need gen-set to run micro and hair dryers-curling irons plus coffee pot. So far what I understand is giving me 200 Amp Hrs is working fine so not incline to change until batteries die but am curious and who uses what.
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Old 10-06-2014, 08:34 PM   #43
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Going with 6 volt batteries is really just a way to get more lead and acid into your battery compartment (if you have some headroom), and that's what gives them more capacity. Once set up, you are delivering 12 volts to your system--same as if you use 12V batteries. Two 6V batteries hooked up in series, can be viewed as two halves of a really big 12V battery.

My original two 12V batteries weighed 39 lbs each and were rated 170AH (combined). Replacing them with two 6V batteries that weigh 62 lbs each gives me a rated 410AH. The 6V batteries are taller, but they take up the same square footage on the floor of my battery compartment.

Regardless of whether you choose 6 or 12 volt batteries, it's as simple as this: more lead = more amp hours.

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Old 10-06-2014, 08:49 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by DonKarstedt View Post
...................two 12V batteries weighed 39 lbs each and were rated 170AH (combined). Replacing them with two 6V batteries that weigh 62 lbs each gives me a rated 410AH. The 6V batteries are taller, but they take up the same square footage on the floor of my battery compartment.
...................................-DonK
DonK.........The two 6v batteries you mention that weigh 62# each provide (rated) 410 Ah? Is this at 12v or are you just adding the two 6v rates together to get the 410Ah you state? If each 6v is rated at 205Ah each at 6v then when combined in series to provide 12v you still will only get 205Ah. If you can get 410Ah out of a pair of 62# 6v batteries I want some too. What are they?
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Old 10-06-2014, 11:54 PM   #45
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Ha! yes, you are absolutely right! That's what I get for "doubling" and "halfing" in my head after a couple of whiskies! My correction is: I went from 170AH to 205AH by switching from 12v to 6v (with the same "footprint" in the battery compartment).

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Old 10-07-2014, 07:31 AM   #46
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where as Marine

Quote:
Originally Posted by terry735001
if you are taking out 2 12v to install 2 6v you are only adding around 20 amp hrs
That depends on the size of the 12 volt batteries, A group 24 is only 75 amp hours, so if you up from2 G-24s to a GC-2 pair you gain what 80 amp hours, over 50 percent, plus there is more.

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Originally Posted by bamaboy473 View Post
for those of us that follow threads just to gain knowledge, what benefit is served by going from 12V to 6V?

6V golf cart batteries weigh a ton, so they must be even stouter than deep cycle marine batteries.
There are several advantages: First Six Volt golf car batteries are DEEP CYCLE! where as MARINE/deep cycle are,, Not. by a long shot. this means that teh GC-2 can take a 50% state of charge more or less in stride, even lower levels will not likely kill it right away, But the primarly starting battery likes to be better fed and really objects if you take it down to say 25% (As in buy a new one more often than not)

But the bit reaon is cost.. The 6V GC-2 is the single most popular lead acid rechargable made.. Thousands of golf cars from coast to coast use this battery, Courses buy 'em by the pallet load.. Makes them cheaper to product and likely 2.5 times 2.5 times 2.5 times cheaper when you lay your card on the counter.

You also said they "Weigh a ton" Far from it, less than that in fact, shipping weight is in the 60 pound range. But pounds times constant = watts (or rather close to it) so if you were to get say a single 4D 12 volt battery (230 amp hours) it would weigh almost exactly 2x what a GC-2 weighs. Because two GC-2's has the same storage capacity as one 4D.
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Old 10-07-2014, 10:17 AM   #47
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The ones I have seen labeled marine/ RV. Would they be "true deep cycle" or the hybrid?????
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Old 10-07-2014, 11:23 AM   #48
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The ones I have seen labeled marine/ RV. Would they be "true deep cycle" or the hybrid?????

From where? What brand? Most likely if the word "marine" is on the battery, it's a hybrid.

A GC2 battery would never say that........as the GC stands for Golf Cart.

If you buy from Trojan battery - they sell a T105 which is similar to a GC2.


6 volt deep cycle
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12 volt deep cycle
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Old 10-07-2014, 04:41 PM   #49
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Originally Posted by Ray,IN View Post
I've never considered downgrading to 6V batteries. I have 3 Exide 12V batteries, each with 200AH. That gives me 300AH available if I adhere to the 50% rule. I couldn't get the taller 6V batteries in the space anyway.


Ray, you (And the poster after you) both demonstrate why I do not like the question:
Which is better, Two 12 volt in parallel or two six volt in series

Though with Six volt we are normally talking the GC-2 (There are others) with 12's. there are so many different sizes that the answer depends on things not included in that question.. Like the size, Group 24,, Clearly a pair of sixes is better

4-D or 8-D, clearly they are not.

As you pointed out (Save you did not state the size group of your batteries,, The poster after you did.

I keep pointing this out, thanks for getting the message.

One other difference. A GC-2 tips the scales at (slightly rounded) 60 pounds.. A 4D 120.. I can wrangle 120 (though I can not lift it into the battery tray where my GC-2s live, but I could slide one into the alternate tray) but.. not everyone can.

The joke is: You put two GC-2 in series you get 230 amp hours at 12 volt.. You try to put in a 4-D (Same amp hours and volts) you get... A herina (Got mine back when I was < 3 years old, since then I learned how to pick up and carry stuff)
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Old 10-07-2014, 04:53 PM   #50
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I upgraded to 3 8D 12 volt Concord marine deep cycle AGM batteries which are 255 AH each giving me 765 AH total. They are "true deep cycle" batteries.
When I lived and cruised on a boat in my younger years I could manage 8D batteries but now I'd never consider having them simply because of the weight. Talk about large and heavy!
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Old 10-07-2014, 05:53 PM   #51
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When I lived and cruised on a boat in my younger years I could manage 8D batteries but now I'd never consider having them simply because of the weight. Talk about large and heavy!
Yes mine are 158 lbs each. The last set were in the old RV for over 11 years when I sold it. These have been in for 5 years and have never been out. I have never found the need to do so. They are AGMs.

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Old 10-07-2014, 06:18 PM   #52
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From where? Cabelas What brand? Don't know, I was not looking for batteries, just saw them on the shelf. They were labeled Marine/RV. Most likely if the word "marine" is on the battery, it's a hybrid.

A GC2 battery would never say that........as the GC stands for Golf Cart.

If you buy from Trojan battery - they sell a T105 which is similar to a GC2.


6 volt deep cycle
Attachment 75966


12 volt deep cycle
Attachment 75967
I do not use GC batteries. See post #40.
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:38 AM   #53
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The key to the whole discussion is money.

With Golf Cart batteries, you can get standard ones at Costco or Walmart at around $80 each, so 4 will give you a lot of amp hours, for under $250. (Trojans are better and more expensive of course)

Or you can buy a couple of cheap 12v, not real good for deep cycle, for more-or-less the same $250. But going with a couple of really good AGM 12v batteries give you more amp hours, but at, what, $300-$400 per battery?

If money were no object, it is hard to beat the AGM batteries, I have talked with folks who have claimed over 10 years life. I don't know about that, but I expect to get 4 or 5 years out of my Costco golf cart batteries.
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Old 11-30-2014, 05:04 PM   #54
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Starting brings up another question; The battery system in my 5th wheel is also used to start the generator, will the deep cycle 6 volt system work for this
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Old 11-30-2014, 07:46 PM   #55
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Mlshores, yes it will work if you're wired such that 2 6 v= 1 12v. You should look at 2 6 volt as 2 halves of 1 12 volt. The big 12 volt will be okay cranking the genset.
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Old 11-30-2014, 09:14 PM   #56
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Actually, it won't be good for them just as running a conventional battery as a deep cycle will shorten it's life, using dedicated 6V deep cycle batteries in a starting role will shorten theirs.

For an onboard generator I'd wire in a battery properly sized for the engine starting load specifications which the manufacturer can provide you. The generator likely has an onboard charging circuit so the dedicated battery can be kept separate of the main system. My 4500 watt generator came with a motorcycle sized battery, I changed it to a lawnmower battery to save a few bucks, 15 pound battery starts it fine and frankly, 15 pounds is nothing.
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Old 12-01-2014, 06:06 AM   #57
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Actually, it won't be good for them just as running a conventional battery as a deep cycle will shorten it's life, using dedicated 6V deep cycle batteries in a starting role will shorten theirs.

For an onboard generator I'd wire in a battery properly sized for the engine starting load specifications which the manufacturer can provide you. The generator likely has an onboard charging circuit so the dedicated battery can be kept separate of the main system. My 4500 watt generator came with a motorcycle sized battery, I changed it to a lawnmower battery to save a few bucks, 15 pound battery starts it fine and frankly, 15 pounds is nothing.

Starting the generator will not shorten the life of deep cycle batteries.....you even stated a 15 pound lawn mower battery could start the generator.....

Now if we were talking starting the chassis engine, I'd agree with you.
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Old 12-01-2014, 06:21 AM   #58
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Last time I looked, a lawnmower battery was designed as a starting battery. Designed for a quick, high amp load.

Will true deep cycles do it? Yes. Will it shorten their life? Yes.
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Old 12-01-2014, 06:24 AM   #59
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for those of us that follow threads just to gain knowledge, what benefit is served by going from 12V to 6V?

6V golf cart batteries weigh a ton, so they must be even stouter than deep cycle marine batteries.

Three answers to your qustion:
First: if you are comparing 12 volt DEEP CYCLE (not MARINE/deep cycle) to the six volt and if they are the same size, No technical advantage. HOWEVER

You are quit correct (Well slightly exagratted) when you say they "Weigh a Ton" they weigh nearly exactly 1/2 what a 12 volt battery size 4-D weighs. But pound for watt stored, they .. Weigh the same as all other 12 volt batteries.

That is right, the power per pound is nearly a constant, (very slight variation) from one battery to another..

True DEEP CYCLE batteries are designed to take a 50 % discharge and recover,, Even deeper discharges may be recovered from I took my Interstates way down several times in their 9 year life.

Take a MARINE/deep cycle that low and it is far more likely that it's recycle time.


So the advantages of six volt: Better deep cycle recovery (Less you get a true deep cycle 12 volt) and two of them make a 4-D battery that is far easier to handle since it is broken into two parts,

And: This is the other big one; COST.. This is the single most popular 12 volt battery, Golf courses buy 'em by the pallet load every year, Means lower per unit production cost which winds up being lower cost to the end user times 2.5 at least twice.

But that heavy weight is because they hold a lot of electricity. Pound per watt the same as all other 12 volt batteries.
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Old 12-01-2014, 06:38 AM   #60
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Last time I looked, a lawnmower battery was designed as a starting battery. Designed for a quick, high amp load.

Will true deep cycles do it? Yes. Will it shorten their life? Yes.

Moving a golf cart with 4 adults is going to suck more amps than starting that 1 liter diesel generator....I guarantee it. And moving that golf cart is what those batteries were designed to do.

The motor that powers the golf cart is much more powerful than the starter on the generator, and electrically it's the same.
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