6 volt batteries and an inverter
Hi all, I'm planning on having 2-6 volt batteries with a 300 amp hour rating. Inverter will be 2000 watts. I had read somewhere of low voltage alarms that are possible with this type of setup. It w...
Forum Discussion
If you are new to RVing then consider an alternate power source. If you only camp once per year then no biggie, batteries will die of old age before you can consume them, but using batteries to power up heaters, hair driers, ovens or other high power appliances will cost you a lot in batteries eventually.
btw, discharge to 50% is not going from 12 volts down to 6 or 7, check the charts. Down to 11 volts is a dead dead battery and past 50% discharge.
Inverters are dangerous in that they will run down your batteries quick. Batteries only have so many cycles of charge/discharge before they are no longer able to be charged back. GC batteries are superior to Marine Rv batteries and can take more cycles, but all will succumb to cycling to death.
From more of a full-timer or part-timer RVer standpoint:
A small 2,000 watt generator is little less than double the price of the two batteries, but should last forever. You just put gas into it.
By comparison, If you charge your batteries off your alternator then you are still putting gas into having available power it just goes un-noticed.
Solar can keep the batteries topped off, but will not provide enough power to run 2,000 watts (unless you have 2,000 watts of panels up there pointed directly into the sun). Solar recharges batteries, and assuming you use a little power here and a little there then 200 watts (not 2,000) solar can keep up, but if you use more than the panel is supplying (maybe 150 watts from a 200 watt panel) then u are still cycling the battery from charge to some level of discharge so using up the battery lifespan.
btw, discharge to 50% is not going from 12 volts down to 6 or 7, check the charts. Down to 11 volts is a dead dead battery and past 50% discharge.
Inverters are dangerous in that they will run down your batteries quick. Batteries only have so many cycles of charge/discharge before they are no longer able to be charged back. GC batteries are superior to Marine Rv batteries and can take more cycles, but all will succumb to cycling to death.
From more of a full-timer or part-timer RVer standpoint:
A small 2,000 watt generator is little less than double the price of the two batteries, but should last forever. You just put gas into it.
By comparison, If you charge your batteries off your alternator then you are still putting gas into having available power it just goes un-noticed.
Solar can keep the batteries topped off, but will not provide enough power to run 2,000 watts (unless you have 2,000 watts of panels up there pointed directly into the sun). Solar recharges batteries, and assuming you use a little power here and a little there then 200 watts (not 2,000) solar can keep up, but if you use more than the panel is supplying (maybe 150 watts from a 200 watt panel) then u are still cycling the battery from charge to some level of discharge so using up the battery lifespan.
