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Batteries

Yahoo Message Number: 3854
There is a debate where we are between 6v and 12v house batteries, for dry camping, which to use. We know people who will use nothing but either one. I know which end of a hammer to hold however am still looking for the left handed screwdriver, needles to say we are a little confused. Comments gentleman please.
Thanks in advance

John Meredith

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Re: Batteries

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3856
My MH has 2, 12 volt batteries. They will not run the furnace a full night at 65 degrees in high 20 degree temperatures. Would like to improve this. But I am afraid that even 2 6 volt batteries will not make it through a night.
Here is a link to some info on the 12 volt side of a RV. http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm
We do not dry camp much. But I have another concern when leaving our RV in warm weather. Our dog needs to be kept cool. Installed a auto start that will start generator when temperature in RV gets above 80 degrees. Also looks at voltage of batteries. When voltage drops below 11 volts generator will start and charge batteries. I do have to remember to enable the Auto Start to take advantage of these features.
Best
Ron Hall

Re: Batteries

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3860
I have studied much but done little so caveo lector.
Let me first just try and get at the heart of the 6v VS 12 V this really has to do with batteries that were meant to start something, or batteries that were meant to power stuff over time. So your 6V (wiring two in series and then pairs in parallel) are really saying they have an advantage because the underlying batteries are more designed for a continuous stream of energy. That is because the average 12 V "Marine" style battery is meant to provide cranking (starting) power, and therefore is non-optimal for powering devices over a long period. Theoretically. Of course one could design a 12 volt battery that would be just for storage, and that makes the discussion moot.
Most of the RV websites have advice on this subject, and I will send you separately one called Battery Savvy by Mark Polk (RV Education 101).
Kevin
("Roscoe Ventura" Jayco Seneca HD SS 34 Diesel 2006; "Toad" Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2007)

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From: KodiakChassisClassC@yahoogroups.com [mailto: KodiakChassisClassC@yahoogroups.com ] On Behalf Of John Meredith
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 9:31 AM
To: kodiakchassisclassC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [KodiakChassisClassC] Batteries



There is a debate where we are between 6v and 12v house batteries, for dry camping, which to use. We know people who will use nothing but either one. I know which end of a hammer to hold however am still looking for the left handed screwdriver, needles to say we are a little confused. Comments gentleman please.

Thanks in advance


John Meredith



Re: Batteries

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3877
, John Meredith  wrote:
Quote
There is a debate where we are between 6v and 12v house batteries, for dry camping,  which to use. We know people who will use nothing but either one. I know which end of a hammer to hold however am still looking for the left handed screwdriver, needles to say we are a little confused. Comments gentleman please.
Thanks in advance

John Meredith

John, I think the key word is "Debate", which indicates that after all this time there is stll no concensus. There is no right or wrong! Both have proved to work effectively in an RV environment. Both have strengths and weaknessses that continuee to fuel the debate.

FWIW, I use four 12v Lifeline 31T AGM "House" Batteries and highly recommend them. At 105AH each that's a total of 420AH, and I adhere to thee 50% discharge rule so that's 210AH useable. With this bank, I can go a least a couple days without running the generator.

Although they cost more, AGM's are sealed and require NO maintenance, and the terminal posts never corrode, because there are no acidic fumes. They don't discharge dangerous Hydrogen gas when properly charged, although I still recommend stowing them in a ventillated compartment. They can be mounted in almost any position, they charge faster than wet cells, hold a charge better, and last a long time when treated properly.

They do cost more, but as you can see above, they do a lot more without any effort on your part. One less thing to worry about is of great value to me. If it is to you too, and your budget allows, AGM's are a superior solution!

One final thought, since my Seneca 34SS would be hard pressed to carry anymore batteries, I have made an effort to reduce the current useage rather than increase the supply. LED's are a great start and should produce a 90% decrease in your lighting load. Unless your in super cold weather, and electric blanket run on a small inverter uses muh less current than a furnace blower. Making sure your batteries are "fully" charged will also help, and aid to their longivity.

Hope that helps ~

Craig

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Re: Batteries

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3879
Craig, I seem to recall that when I investigated AGM batteries about 4 years ago for our Journey, the charger has to be capable of being set to properly charage AGMs. Did you just substitute the AGMs for the originals with no other changes?

Don

Re: Batteries

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 3903
Hi Don, initally YES. I had the Progressive Dynamics 9160 with the Charge Wizard. I checked with PD and they said the existing charge rate would be fine. When I installed the Xantrex RS2000 Inverter/100A Charger, I was able to tweak the first two stages to 12.6v. Xantrex tech support says they have tested some at 12.8v without a problem. While I wanted to maximize the charge, I took a more conservitive route at 14.6v. I want there to be no chance of gassing.