New Golf Cart Batteries, Died quicker than anticipated...

[Diesel_Camper]

I recently upgraded from 2 12 volt marine cranking batteries to 2 6 volt golf cart batteries rated at 210AH. I was dry camping last week and it seemed like the batteries died out faster than they should have, but I'm hoping it had more to do with the temperature (about 40F) and the fact that I didn't reinstall the battery cut out switch and I powered the landing gear and slide from the house batteries while setting up...

Questions:

1. How much capacity will I loose at 40F?

2. I'm guessing the landing gear and the slide probably cost us a couple of days of battery power for our LED lighting and occasional use of the inverter for a DVD player; along with the regular loads of the frige and the LPG monitor?

[RoyB]

Most 12VDC Batteries currently available from local sources only are rated 100-120AHs.. Using two of those in parallel will give you 200-240AHs...


The GOLF CART 6V battery use larger plates inside and can produce 200-220AHs. You have to use two of these batteries in series to get 12VDC however... Connected in series however does not double the AHs...


The 6VDC batteries from COSTCO are around $90 each.

Hard to find a couple of 12VDC 220AH batteries for less than $180. That is usually the price for one 12VDC battery.

Roy Ken

[okan-star]

DownTheAvenue wrote:

sfpcservice wrote:
I recently upgraded from 2 12 volt marine cranking batteries to 2 6 volt golf cart batteries rated at 210AH.

And therein lies your problem. With 12 volt batteries, you double your amp hours when connecting two batteries. With 6 volt batteries, the amp hours of both batteries remains constant while the volts double.

So, if you had two 210AH 12 volt batteries, you had 410 AH of juice. With the two 210AH 6 volt batteries, you had 210AH of juice.

IMHO, 12 volt batteries are always a better choice.

Have to disagree with thatlook here

[midnightsadie]

are you sure they were charged? IF you just installed them and then went camping,they were not fully charged.

[azjeffh]

sh410 wrote:


Finding 12V 210AH batteries can be a problem, if they even exist. Can ou provide a link for a 12V 210AH battery?

Didn't try to purchase them, but they may be available here. Great price as well 😉

[Diesel_Camper]

Interesting.... I had always read that changing out to 6 volt batteries was the gold standard of RV power...

[sh410]

DownTheAvenue wrote:


And therein lies your problem. With 12 volt batteries, you double your amp hours when connecting two batteries. With 6 volt batteries, the amp hours of both batteries remains constant while the volts double.

So, if you had two 210AH 12 volt batteries, you had 410 AH of juice. With the two 210AH 6 volt batteries, you had 210AH of juice.

IMHO, 12 volt batteries are always a better choice.

Finding 12V 210AH batteries can be a problem, if they even exist. Can ou provide a link for a 12V 210AH battery?

The advantage of 6V batteries is they fit with the same footprint of a Group 24 battery.

[DownTheAvenue]

sfpcservice wrote:
I recently upgraded from 2 12 volt marine cranking batteries to 2 6 volt golf cart batteries rated at 210AH.

And therein lies your problem. With 12 volt batteries, you double your amp hours when connecting two batteries. With 6 volt batteries, the amp hours of both batteries remains constant while the volts double.

So, if you had two 210AH 12 volt batteries, you had 410 AH of juice. With the two 210AH 6 volt batteries, you had 210AH of juice.

IMHO, 12 volt batteries are always a better choice.