6 volt vs 12 volt batteries for boondocking
Hi all, While waiting for our new 28' Stealth toy hauler we're trying to figure out the best batteries to get for when we're back in the hills camped off the grid. We ordered the optional 200 watt ...
Forum Discussion
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
The Lifeline has .090" positive plates, the Fullriver you use has .040" plates. Apply 14.4 volts unlimited capacity to your Fullriver. Now do the same to a 31 Lifeline. Seeing is believing. The Lifeline will accept close to 100 amperes. Essentially a C1 rate. The Fullriver? Hmmm.
David,
Where can I go to see that Fullriver plate thickness value of 0.40" that you mention? I'd like to confirm which of their models uses that thickness. About a year ago when we last discussed Fullriver battery plate thicknesses, you (and I) couldn't find that piece of information.
I've never pushed my Fullriver AGMs with the recharging equipment necessary to see how close they could come to a C1 recharge rate. The best I've seen to date is during our last drycamping trip this past June. I had discharged the RV's two of them in parallel down to around 12.1 volts. I started up the Ford V10 and let it idle. The ammeter monitoring the Fullrivers went to slightly over 70 amps (very little was turned on in the engine compartment or RV). Not bad for an idling 130 amp alternator system. Perhaps rev'ing up the engine would have shown on the ammeter more current going into the hungry batteries.
I'm not sure I see how plate thickness is related to recharge rate? I would think that is more related to internal battery resistance combined with the capability of a charger to maintain 14.XX volts on the battery terminals while simultaneously supplying whatever current that dynamic internal battery resistance dictated in real time.
As you know, I chose Fullriver over Lifeline because of the Fullriver float voltage being the proper match to my 7345's nominal output voltage - the slight price difference between the two was not an issue.
Here's the exact Fullriver and Lifeline 12V deep cycle AGM battery models I had in mind for comparison purposes when I posted earlier. (Note the error in my earlier post - the Lifeline weighs 74 lbs., not 75 lbs.):
http://www.fullriver.com/products/admin/upfile/DC120-12B.pdf
http://lifelinebatteries.com/products/marine-batteries/gpl-31xt/
