6 volt vs. 12 volt batteries

I have real life experience.
Been running 2 6V's for 10 years now.
I have a 40' trailer.
I set my heat at 70F at night when it is in the mid 30's outside. My heat runs alot.
Heater will run all night and I am still on green in the morning.

No way will I ever go back to 12V's again.

Crazy Cooter wrote:
:S

I chose three 8D 12V's this time around because the size fit better and $ vs. AH was a little cheaper for AGM's.

Nice battery bank..!

If they are the Trojan's, thats almost $2000 for your battery pack. They are 230ah ea... very nice.

Each battery weighs in at 170# and is 20" long by 10" wide... I'd need a crane(and a new back) to change out your batteries...lol

I looked at those 8d 12v agm Trojan batteries couple years ago,very nice. Almost got them.
I went with the DieHard Marine RV AGM Battery Size 31m, 100ah and 75#(identical to Odyssey 2150). Almost 1/2 the cost for 2 of them, 3year total(not prorated) free replacement warranty, and individual weight made my decision.
If money, warranty and weight weren't an issue for me, the more powerful 8D 12v agm Trojans are the upper echelon of 12v agm rv batteries...

jmo

I think going with the option the OEM builder selected takes less effort. :)

We have 2 12v 27DC because they fit just right.

I have camped in mid teens temps and never ran them down that far. With 2 grp 27's. The furnace will shut off the gas sail switch @ 10.5 v

Thanks for the helpful information. I do believe that most battery banks ARE woefully undersized. In the past (2-12 volt batteries) I would charge the batteries all day for a full charge. Just running the heater overnight (in cold weather) would completely drain both batteries. I was hoping that 2-6 volt batteries would prolong the battery life so it could at least have enough juice to start the generator in the morning! :) As a backup I will be bringing my Honda.

I have considered adding two more batteries for a 4 bank system.

Hi,

If the battery banks are equally sized and the 12 volt jars are wired in a balance manner:

6 volt

fewer cells so statistically lower likelihood of failure
if there is a failure no redundancy
each cell must produce 100% of the amps drawn
thicker plates
greater voltage drop under heavy loads
higher antimony content
faster self discharge
more tolerant of abuse (but deep cycling below 50% not the best idea)

12 volt

double the cells so statistically more likelihood of single cell failure
redundancy if one cell fails
each cell produces 50% of the amps drawn
should be wired in a balanced manner
thinner plates
lower voltage drop under heavy loads
often lower antimony content so not "true" deep cycle
lower self discharge
less tolerant of abuse (deep cycling kills, and I'd AVOID going below 50%)

The battery bank needs to reflect the camping style. What works for me may be unsuitable to another camper.

Most battery banks are woefully undersized for the increasing loads found in modern RV's.

A modest solar system almost always improves battery bank life.

:S

I chose three 8D 12V's this time around because the size fit better and $ vs. AH was a little cheaper for AGM's.

Some claim more run time with the 6's. I think I'm gonna give it a try whenever I need to replace the 12's

Look in the tech section and you'll find lots of topics there. Do a search and you should find your answer.