Fortunately, I did not have a pair of 6v batteries

[Bobbo]

Well, the fact I had a pair of 12v batteries in parallel rather than a pair of 6v batteries in series kept me from having a serious problem on the road.

When I exercised the generator in June, all was well. When I tried to exercise the generator in July, there wasn't enough power to start it. The batteries were 7 years old, and I had abused them before getting rid of the MagnaJunk 7345 converter, so I figured they had died.

When I went to take them out to carry to Batteries+, I discovered that sometime in that month, while were were on a 3 week trip most likely, one end of the hot cable that bridged the 2 batteries had corroded and broken off. The ground was still bridged, so I was only getting juice from one battery. It was enough to get me through the trip without even knowing I had a problem, but the battery was too weak to start the genny.

I bought a clamp-on terminal and put it on the wire where the other end corroded off, and now I can start my genny again.

I know I am going to have to replace them soon, but it wasn't today.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

STOP ALREADY!

You guys gave me a rib cramp! Ouch dammit!

This is like entering a group discussion years ago with the subject line "Is Howard Cosell good or bad for Monday Night Football, ratings?"

[wa8yxm]

greenrvgreen wrote:
I agree with the OP. When using only 2 batteries, a pair of 12s provide a distinct safety margin over a pair of 6s.

Come to think of it, even a single 12 is better than a single 6!

Now this shows faulty thinking.. First THERE ARE NO SIX VOLT BATTERIES IN RVs.

RVs use 12 volt systems, Now this system is ALWAYS powered via either the converter or via a 12 volt battery.

Since an 4-D battery is kind of heavy and hard to wrangle (230 amp hours at 12 volts) many RV makers and Many RVers choose instead to use two six volt batteries (GC-2) wired in series,, Now if you buy the same DEAKA's I have this gives you 230 amp hours at 12 volts when wired in series.... Where have I seen those figurs before.... Oh yes

Thats a 4-D

Only each HALF of this 2-piece 12 volt battery is about half the weight of that 4-D.. and I might add, Just a couple pounds over my lift off the ground when lying on my back limit. (On a good day I could likely do it)

But I do not have a six volt battery, I have a 2-piece 12 volt battery, in the battery compartment.. I also have more than one.

[2oldman]

BurbMan wrote:
, and why I carry an assortment of connectors and misc hardware...

And cables. All kinds of cables and wire.

[2oldman]

greenrvgreen wrote:
Those who still need help with this, consider two hard drives configured in Raid 0 versus RAID 1.

I'd have to look that up to know what you're talking about.

[greenrvgreen]

I see a lot of resistance here to a clear benefit for 12v versus 6v in two-battery configurations. Those who still need help with this, consider two hard drives configured in Raid 0 versus RAID 1. There is a benefit to redundancy.

We all agree batteries require proper maintainance--okay, I don't, I'd rather buy new batteries than ever endure the humiliation of checking SG. I water mine once a year, I buy new ones every four years, and since I have six batteries I have plenty of redundancy with my 6v GC-2s.

But if I only had two batteries, I would never chase the very slight price advantage of 6v GC-2s over the safety advantage of redundant 12v batteries, all other things being equal.

[BurbMan]

Bobbo wrote:
If it had been a pair of 6v batteries, the RV 12v system would have been dead in the water. That means no refrigerator or air conditioning, in June.

If you are talking about a/c that means you had shore power. And if you had shore power, the converter was making 12v regardless of the battery condition, so you didn't gain anything by having one battery.

opnspaces wrote:
But if it was a 6 volt failed terminal and it was really important at the time I bet it would have been McGyvered until it could be repaired correctly.

Exactly what I was thinking, and why I carry an assortment of connectors and misc hardware so that I can address these small problems on the fly and not have to stress about a ruined trip.

[RJsfishin]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
I replaced all my batteries with AGM's so I just dust them off from time to time!

How do you sleep nites worrying what the SG mite be ??:E

[opnspaces]

If I have two 6 volt batteries I have one 12 volt battery split into two halves. If one of the halves gets damaged my 12v battery stops functioning properly.

Most RV's have one 12 volt battery. If my one 12 volt battery and got damaged I'd be in the same boat.

Yeah I'm nit picking a bit, but come on, how often do we really get stranded by a failed battery?

Yes Bobbo had a failed terminal on one 12 volt battery. But if it was a 6 volt failed terminal and it was really important at the time I bet it would have been McGyvered until it could be repaired correctly.

[ScottG]

If that happened to me with my sixers, I would disconnect them and connect the TV. Wallah - back in business.

[Bobbo]

Huntindog wrote:
Not sure what the point is.. You had to go to the parts store to get up and running... The same as if you had 6 volts. You just would've been buying a different part.

The point is I was able to do this at home where I had a 5 mile drive to get the part, rather than in the Smokey Mountains where I would have had a 3 hour drive to get the part while DW and the grandkids were in an RV with no 12v power. I never lost any functionality. If it had been a pair of 6v batteries, the RV 12v system would have been dead in the water. That means no refrigerator or air conditioning, in June.

And, actually, it would have been the same part. A clamp on terminal to go onto the end of my 12" long 1 gauge wire.

Like I said in my original post:

Bobbo wrote:
Well, the fact I had a pair of 12v batteries in parallel rather than a pair of 6v batteries in series kept me from having a serious problem on the road.

[Bill_Satellite]

In most cases, an RV setup would either be 1 - 12V battery or 2 - 6V batteries. Or 2 - 12V batteries or 4 - 6V batteries. In both cases, if things went south the results would have been exactly the same. You either have 1 12V bank or 2 12V banks with only the number of containers at issue.
A bit of maintenance would have prevented the issue no matter the setup but, as I discovered, some of us are not good at that! I replaced all my batteries with AGM's so I just dust them off from time to time!

[greenrvgreen]

I agree with the OP. When using only 2 batteries, a pair of 12s provide a distinct safety margin over a pair of 6s.

Come to think of it, even a single 12 is better than a single 6!

[BFL13]

It was a just punishment for being such a notorious PD idolater instead of being a PowerMax owner 🙂

[Huntindog]

Not sure what the point is.. You had to go to the parts store to get up and running... The same as if you had 6 volts. You just would've been buying a different part.

[wa8yxm]

Yup, had that happened with a pair of sixes, you'd have fixed it sooner is all, No benefit to 12's there. likely a slight cost in fact.