Educate me on 12 volt batteries

o

time2roll wrote:

Guy Roan wrote:
Off and on I see posts regarding changing out the 12 volt battery to two 6 volt ones.
In the past thirty years I have had three trailers and never had a problem with the single 12 volt battery so could someone please explain the reason for swapping to two 6 volt ones.

Guy

2x 6v is a solution to some issues. If you are good as is then just carry on. You will know when you need something different. Although soon it will be lithium batteries over the GC2 when a better system is needed.
Don't fix what is not broken.

It's getting really close already. I can now buy 270Ah of LiFePO4 cells for just over $400 direct from China. That's cheaper than 4x 220Ah 6V that you'd need to have the same usable capacity (~220Ah with long life), but the lithium solution would weigh about 1/5th as much and fit on the tongue or in a much smaller cabinet space.

Guy Roan wrote:
Off and on I see posts regarding changing out the 12 volt battery to two 6 volt ones.
In the past thirty years I have had three trailers and never had a problem with the single 12 volt battery so could someone please explain the reason for swapping to two 6 volt ones.

Guy

2x 6v is a solution to some issues. If you are good as is then just carry on. You will know when you need something different. Although soon it will be lithium batteries over the GC2 when a better system is needed.
Don't fix what is not broken.

I switched from 2 six volt batteries to one 12 volt and i am happy with the results. We dont boondock much and if we do boondock its just for one night and i run the generator. One 12 volt is much cheaper to purchase and there are less connections to worry about. So my opinion is if you dont boon dock much one 12 volt does the job.

Microwave runs on 110v not 12V - unless through an inverter.
Barney

Guy Roan wrote:
Off and on I see posts regarding changing out the 12 volt battery to two 6 volt ones.
In the past thirty years I have had three trailers and never had a problem with the single 12 volt battery so could someone please explain the reason for swapping to two 6 volt ones.

Guy

so, my take is that for what you need, whatever type of 12V battery you have been using has served you well, and unless your use pattern changes significantly no reason to change battery types.

6V= 100's or even thousands of discharge cycles to 50% SOC or less
limited high current capability
generally higher cost than equal 12V system
often longer life in number of years

most 12V = lower number of discharge cycles even at 50%
high current capability for things like microwave oven etc.
generally lower cost, especially when you only need One 12V battery

You'll read many posts supporting both types of batteries. Things like Amp Hours (AH), plate thickness, Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM)discharge level before damage, etc. But to me it really comes down to a few factors. How much power does the battery have available for me to use. How robust is the battery, and what is the cost or return on investment of the battery.

Here's a brief analogy that might help. Picture a battery like the fuel tank in your vehicle.
In general a 12 volt battery is a smaller fuel tank than two 6 volt batteries. So in the same vehicle the two 6 volt batteries (larger tank) will give you more distance. If there are many gas stations around so you don't need that longer distance then the bigger tank is nothing more than a convenience. If you are traveling out in the sticks where stations are rare, you'll want a larger tank.

So if your 12 volt battery is only used to power the lights and water pump for an hour or so while you pack up camp. And the rest of the time you are plugged in to a pedestal. Then all you really need is an inexpensive 12v battery.

If you are off grid, dry camping or boondocking, you'll want a larger fuel tank (battery)

You can get the same size fuel tank (battery) in both 6 and 12 volt. But because the 6 volt is used more widely (golf carts and such). The price per size of the tank is lower for 6 volt than comparable 12 volt batteries.

Basically 6V deep cycle batteries are constructed for more AH and longer service and hence more suited for off grid use. For pedestal to pedestal or light use camping 12V starting batteries are adequate.

For starters a 12V starting battery has about 80Ah+ (160Ah for 2) while 2x 6V have 220Ah.

12V marine deep cycle batteries are a compromised starting battery and deep cycle in name only.

More amp hours in two sixes. Difficult to find a “real” deep cycle 12 volt battery. Trojan makes a one or two deep cycle 12s last time I looked.