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cgmartine's avatar
cgmartine
Explorer
Nov 04, 2015

Charging batteries as 6 or 12 volt

I just bought two Trojan T-105 batteries to replace my house batteries, but I will not be installing them until my next trip in several months. In the meantime, I will be placing the batteries on my garage floor. I have a slow trickle battery tender that I use on my motorcycle that I can use (1.5 amps) or a heavy duty battery charger.

Should I charge the batteries individually as 6 volts, or together as a single 12 volt?

Second question: Which ever charger I use, should I place the negative lead of the charger on the negative battery post that would go to the body frame (battery #1), and connect the positive lead of the charger to the positive post of the battery that is connected to the motorhome? The batteries (in series) will have a cable from the positive post of battery #2 to the negative post of battery #1.

I hope this makes sense!
  • Thanks for your replies. Since I am avid believer in sticking to the old wife's tales, I had already placed both batteries on wood blocks since I tend to follow true and tried traditions.
  • cgmartine wrote:
    I just bought two Trojan T-105 batteries to replace my house batteries, but I will not be installing them until my next trip in several months. In the meantime, I will be placing the batteries on my garage floor. I have a slow trickle battery tender that I use on my motorcycle that I can use (1.5 amps) or a heavy duty battery charger.

    Should I charge the batteries individually as 6 volts, or together as a single 12 volt?

    Second question: Which ever charger I use, should I place the negative lead of the charger on the negative battery post that would go to the body frame (battery #1), and connect the positive lead of the charger to the positive post of the battery that is connected to the motorhome? The batteries (in series) will have a cable from the positive post of battery #2 to the negative post of battery #1.

    I hope this makes sense!


    I think you have battery #1 and #2 mixed up in your description.

    Anyway like Wolfe stated, battery #1 will have - 6 volts for the - terminal for your charger, then the +6 volts is connected to the negative side of battery #2, and the + side of battery #2 is + 12 volts for the other battery charger terminal.

    Think of the pair of golf cart batteries as a 12 volt battery in two 'easy' to carry 67 pound packages, connected together with a wire between the first and second battery half.

    Much easier to install than a 8D 120 pound battery!

    Yes you do want the battery off the cold floor. Put it on some wood or something, even a 2X 6 will work great.

    Good luck,

    Fred.
  • Get the batteries off the concrete floor, not because of the old wives tale that this discharges them, but that the colder concrete floor will cause more acid stratification and the strongest acid will eat the bottom of the plates faster.

    I'd charge them full, then put them on the maintainer. Don't expect the maintainer to actually fully charge them.
  • Connect the positive of one battery to the negative terminal of the other. You now have a 12 VDC battery.

    Hook up the 12 VDC charger to the to posts opposite the interconnect cable.

    So, negative of battery one to charger negative.
    Positive of battery one to negative of battery two (interconnect cable).
    Positive of battery two to charger positive.