12v to 6v review?

When it is too hot to park in the sun, then it is time to move on.

mr_andyj wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
If automotive batteries were sufficient, golf cars, electric forklifts and submarines would have been powered by car batteries.

I'll repeat it. A group 27 battery was fitted with GC220 plates. It had 220 CCA and died from acid starvation. Designer: Me. Vendor ABC BATTERY Los Angeles.

and remember when it's too hot to park in the sun, roof top solar panels are useless.

Ummm, umm, I'll repeat, ummm.. You lost me there. Too hot? I don't think so, solar works in the sun. And, the battery "you" designed failed? That tells me more than I need to know...

Let me help you out here.

Quote: "when it's too hot to park in the sun, roof top solar panels are useless"

:B

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
If automotive batteries were sufficient, golf cars, electric forklifts and submarines would have been powered by car batteries.

I'll repeat it. A group 27 battery was fitted with GC220 plates. It had 220 CCA and died from acid starvation. Designer: Me. Vendor ABC BATTERY Los Angeles.

and remember when it's too hot to park in the sun, roof top solar panels are useless.

Ummm, umm, I'll repeat, ummm.. You lost me there. Too hot? I don't think so, solar works in the sun. And, the battery "you" designed failed? That tells me more than I need to know...

SabreCanuck wrote:
Currently have 2-12v 7ear old batteries that appear to be getting weak. Am thinking of replacing with 2-6v GC batteries (or maybe 4).
Anyone have experience or real world review of moving to the 6’s?

Where do you camp? I didnt read the 4 pages sorry if answered.

If automotive batteries were sufficient, golf cars, electric forklifts and submarines would have been powered by car batteries.

I'll repeat it. A group 27 battery was fitted with GC220 plates. It had 220 CCA and died from acid starvation. Designer: Me. Vendor ABC BATTERY Los Angeles.

ktmrfs wrote:

JimK-NY wrote:

Vintage465 wrote:



Yup that is true you would have only 235ah in a two 6-sixer set up. But you'd only have 200ah in two-12er set up and they both have the same "safe draw down to 50%". The weight is about the same, the sixers being about 2 pounds heavier. The 12's will take up more space as their foot print is a little larger.
......

I found 2 batteries that compared closely for AH ratings. The first was a 6 v Duracell @235/2=117 and the second was an Apex 12 v with 115 AH. Two of each would be comparable. The weight for each was identical @ 68#. The 6 v took 794 cu in of space and the 12 v tool less at 729 cu in. The biggest difference is in height of the batteries. Typically 6 volt batteries are higher, in this case by almost 3". My battery box will not accommodate the extra height so for me there is no choice but to stick with a pair of 12v batteries. At least I found a pair totally 300 AH that will just fit.

the height increase with GC2 is an issue with a fair number of applications. And couple that with few vented boxes for GC2 use in 5th wheels.

However for tongue storage there are many nice boxes made for two GC2's either end to end or side to side configuration if you have enough clearance to get to batteries in. But that assumes the TT battery location on the tongue has enough height, and on many new trailers that can be an issue.

In my case,(and everyone's situation is different)the height is not nearly as much an issue as is the foot print. It would be nearly impossible to get the amount amp/hour with 12v batteries and get them where my 6's are.

My real-world experience over 20 years, always using multiple batts, is two 6's are better than two 12's. For reasons I stated, mostly because that you do not need to magically pair the 6's as you do parallel 12's.
Resistance and inner workings? What? Really? No. Im not running a carpentry shop here, just lights, fans, fridges and normal RV stuff that runs fine off of any 12 volt supply I have ever had.
Science and theory aside, two 6's have been far superior for me and my use than paired 12's.

IF you want science I think Trojan battery has a lot of info on their site, and any high-end battery site will have similar details, but you come to a forum to get real-world non-commercialized feedback. Sort through all the post I guess.

ktmrfs,

Your math perhaps contains a typo? 125 x 4 = 500 amp-hours x 50% = 250 amp-hours and will run a microwave far longer than a similar bank of 6 volt jars.

Why, because the 1556 watt load (number from my Dometic) is divided by twice the number of cells--so each cell only has to do 788 watts. Voltage drop is going to be smaller.

JimK-NY wrote:

Vintage465 wrote:



Yup that is true you would have only 235ah in a two 6-sixer set up. But you'd only have 200ah in two-12er set up and they both have the same "safe draw down to 50%". The weight is about the same, the sixers being about 2 pounds heavier. The 12's will take up more space as their foot print is a little larger.
......

I found 2 batteries that compared closely for AH ratings. The first was a 6 v Duracell @235/2=117 and the second was an Apex 12 v with 115 AH. Two of each would be comparable. The weight for each was identical @ 68#. The 6 v took 794 cu in of space and the 12 v tool less at 729 cu in. The biggest difference is in height of the batteries. Typically 6 volt batteries are higher, in this case by almost 3". My battery box will not accommodate the extra height so for me there is no choice but to stick with a pair of 12v batteries. At least I found a pair totally 300 AH that will just fit.

the height increase with GC2 is an issue with a fair number of applications. And couple that with few vented boxes for GC2 use in 5th wheels.

However for tongue storage there are many nice boxes made for two GC2's either end to end or side to side configuration if you have enough clearance to get to batteries in. But that assumes the TT battery location on the tongue has enough height, and on many new trailers that can be an issue.

Vintage465 wrote:



Yup that is true you would have only 235ah in a two 6-sixer set up. But you'd only have 200ah in two-12er set up and they both have the same "safe draw down to 50%". The weight is about the same, the sixers being about 2 pounds heavier. The 12's will take up more space as their foot print is a little larger.
......

I found 2 batteries that compared closely for AH ratings. The first was a 6 v Duracell @235/2=117 and the second was an Apex 12 v with 115 AH. Two of each would be comparable. The weight for each was identical @ 68#. The 6 v took 794 cu in of space and the 12 v tool less at 729 cu in. The biggest difference is in height of the batteries. Typically 6 volt batteries are higher, in this case by almost 3". My battery box will not accommodate the extra height so for me there is no choice but to stick with a pair of 12v batteries. At least I found a pair totally 300 AH that will just fit.