12volt or 6volt
I know this topic has been covered before but I was wondering what would be the better option for my setup. We spend half of our camping in the dunes with zero hookups and half our camping with full ...
Forum Discussion
Eyetattoo wrote:
When you say they require TLC, what are you referring to?
A battery is a living thing that requires care and feeding. The way you maintain the battery will affect the way the battery functions for you and how long it lives.
Things that come to mind that affect the condition of the batteries include:
* How you connect it/them
* Charging
* Use (discharging)
* Storage
* Adding water
* Cleaning the terminals
* Maintaining the connections
I've seen all sorts of things go wrong with batteries. On two different occasions I've seen the terminals melt clear off the battery like something out of a Terminator movie. Both times were probably because one of the connections was loose: The first time one of my kids used the inverter instead of the generator to run the toaster and the toaster drew too much juice through the line. Another time it happened when we were plugged into a full hookup site and the main inline breaker burned up (instead of blowing out) and fried the terminal off the battery. That time I'm pretty sure it was because the stock wiring to the battery was too small. I rewired it with a bigger line and haven't had any trouble since.
We ask a lot from these systems. It takes some time to get used to how everything works, and part of that experience involves making some mistakes. If it were me, I'd try to make those mistakes on a cheaper set of batteries.
For under $400 you can pick up four great 6V batteries from Sam's Club and set yourself up with a good system with two sets of two batteries. That way when you mess something up (when, not if) and wreck a battery, you'll still have one function set of two 6V batteries. Otherwise you either have to get power from someone else in camp or you have to call your trip off early.
