Battery price question...
It's time to replace the single 12V we have on our trailer. We do boondock from time to time so I have been reading a lot on these forums about 6V vs 12V. My question here is, where are these inexpe...
Forum Discussion
If you boondock and will need lots of battery power then two batteries will be much better. If you will not need much power boondocking or just boondock overnight then one 12 is fine.
One reason for two 6's and not 2 12's is the 6's can be run in "series", which means they work together to make 12 volts. If one battery is of less capacity then it will not drain the other one down trying to "level" the charge between the two.
With 12's if one battery is lower, lets say one maxes out at 13.4 volts and the other at 13.6, then the 13.4 will always be draining the other down to 13.4 yet never increase the charge. It gets worse the lower the low battery is.
WIth a pair of 12's you always want to buy them as a pair of the same age, and replace them as a pair. WIth 6's you are free of this. It will not matter.
6's are easy to find anywhere, auto parts store, big box store all over the nation. finding a true deep cycle 12 anywhere is much harder to find. When traveling on the road this will matter if one battery needs to be replaced.
You DO NOT want a "marine" battery for an RV, esp for boondocking. These batts are meant for boating, not camping.
One reason for two 6's and not 2 12's is the 6's can be run in "series", which means they work together to make 12 volts. If one battery is of less capacity then it will not drain the other one down trying to "level" the charge between the two.
With 12's if one battery is lower, lets say one maxes out at 13.4 volts and the other at 13.6, then the 13.4 will always be draining the other down to 13.4 yet never increase the charge. It gets worse the lower the low battery is.
WIth a pair of 12's you always want to buy them as a pair of the same age, and replace them as a pair. WIth 6's you are free of this. It will not matter.
6's are easy to find anywhere, auto parts store, big box store all over the nation. finding a true deep cycle 12 anywhere is much harder to find. When traveling on the road this will matter if one battery needs to be replaced.
You DO NOT want a "marine" battery for an RV, esp for boondocking. These batts are meant for boating, not camping.
