Need batterys.

Had 12 volt duracells DC 24. Served me OK. lasted 6 years. They were january 2014 matched pairs.Cell went dead on neg side battery

I Run 1100 watt inverter and do the coffee maker thing and toaster oven for the kids. I plug camper into inverter basically and turn off converter charger.

Boondocking was limited to weekends and overnights.

I do have 560 watts solar and 40 amp mppt.

I have a 2800 watt inverter gen Kohler.

I now have a cpap machine, and I also live in hot climate of myrtle beach.

I have all the boxes if I wanted to go to 6 volt.

I have PD converter 14.4 with wizard. Bigger wire to batts

12 volts specs on the duracell show DC24 footnotes 75aH

a) -low antimony grids
b)Deduct 15% from CCA and CA rating shown to allow for
double insulation (glass mat)
c)Deep cycle batteries also have
special fiberglass mats to improve deep cycling and long-life
performance.

I liked that I could charge these in less then 3 hours

6 volt duracell specs footnotes:::: 215AH

a)Low maintenance-low antimony grids. (same as 12's)
b)Peak performance capacity.
c)Premium glass mat reinforcement protects
battery’s ability to store energy

Heres my delema:::: ( And I never had 6 volters always dual 12's)

Im afraid to go 6 volt. Why? Voltage drop, resistance, long charging etc..

I can easily use perculator, and cook in the RV oven if and when I boon dock.

Im afraid I will not be able to charge them well or fast with the PD when boondocking. resistance.

Plus 13.6 volt is off a bit from what the 6's want. To equalize id have to pull out the old sears charger from 1982. 50 amp 10-2

My only reason leaning on 6 volts now it that last hurricane it was mass migration out of dodge. Camp grounds hard to find. The 6 volts would allow less worry possibly if I could not find a place to camp.

Are the new 12 volt batts different now? ( per the foot notes above?) Better?

Sams club has sale and I am buying this week. Two 12s $59 bucks a piece

Two 6's 89.98 a piece..

Note:: I am note buying any other battery then these two sizes. 75ah 24's or 215AH 6's. and I am only buying duracells. Please dont sell me on something else.

well interstae is down here. That would be a choice but for the price most likely not. and I hear interstates are just mish mosh of venders. Although the interstate 12's weigh 46.5 lbs. more then the duracells by 1.5 lbs..

Id rather hydrometer 6 cells then 12 cells too.lol getting old...

Thank you for your time..

Mike SC

landyacht318
Explorer
Mar 16, 2020
Best lead acid batteries available are not going to be able to recharge from 80% to 100% in less than 3.5 hours, whether 6s or 12's

12v flooded in my experience require way longer at higher voltages to attain maximum specific gravity and without achieving this weekly, they tank in performance quickly and then take even higher voltaegs applied longer to restore some fraction of that capacity.

6's will not have the same voltage retention under high loads, this is true.

Rebranded Batteries from 6 years earlier, are not made by the same outfit today and if they are, they've figured out how much more profit they can squeeze but cutting quality as much as they can until the warranty claims eat into that max profit/maximum executive bonus.

Internet rumor via automotive forums says Interstate moved a lot of their batteries to Exide as their supplier, and many are quickly failing.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Mar 16, 2020
Sir you out do not dip all cells. Yout dip the weakest cell in the battery and only have to verify once or twice a year.

Top charge all batteries then cycle them a few times. The lowest cell will reveal itself.
ndrorder
Explorer
Mar 16, 2020
At 50% state of discharge, the 6V will have provided 50% more Ah (32 Ah more) than the 12v. If charge time matters that much and you don't need the extra capacity why consider the 6V in the first place?

Where I camp, that energy is needed to run the furnace all night at a reasonable temperature. It is also nice not having to worry and monitor to be sure of not going past a 50% state of discharge. I like my 6es.
wanderingaimles
Explorer
Mar 16, 2020
6V GC batteries from all that I have read are true deep cycle batteries that are not damaged by drawing down by 50%. The same can not be said for 12 volt RV/Marine batteries.
GC batteries are designed and built for the type of usage you are exposing them to.
BFL13
Explorer II
Mar 16, 2020
Voltage drop at high amps also relates to the size of the bank in AH. More AH less drop. I don't have exact numbers, but the two 6s at 215AH will do way better than the two 12s at 150AH despite being 6s instead of 12s.

Go for the 6s!
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Mar 16, 2020
GC24s are around 75 AH. so you had 150 AH total at least they were DC not M/dc

GC-2 (6 volt wired in series) may fit in the same hole 220 amp hour also DC. And about the same price as well. 2x the power 2x the pounds too but hey there is always a trade off. They are a bit taller.
Vintage465
Nomad
Mar 16, 2020
Just a thought on the 2-6v @ 215ah. There are 6v GC batteries available in the same physical size the provide 235ah. Duracell's(Deka) from Batteries Plus Bulbs. Sorry, since don't have and inverter, I can't comment on anything about the benefits of 12v vs. 6v when it comes to the "draw down" from inverter use.
prichardson
Explorer
Mar 16, 2020
Sounds like you are worried about recharge time. Charge time is dependent on how much amperage has been removed from the battery bank. It does not matter if it is 2 12s in parallel or 2 6s in series. As far as the charger is concerned it is one big 12vdc battery.
BFL13
Explorer II
Mar 16, 2020
prichardson wrote:
Sounds like you are worried about recharge time. Charge time is dependent on how much amperage has been removed from the battery bank. It does not matter if it is 2 12s in parallel or 2 6s in series. As far as the charger is concerned it is one big 12vdc battery.

You do faster time if you remove more! :) By doing 50-80s instead of 70-100s (both 30AH)

But then your bank is lower in AH (higher R) while camping so voltage drop is more. Try to still have enough AH at 50% to run the inverter loads and do 50-80s for fast charging too.

That can mean four 6s instead of just two. And a bigger amp charger and gen to run it to still keep the time down. And a bigger Rv to carry the four batteries. And a bigger truck to pull it.
pnichols
Explorer II
Mar 16, 2020
BFL13 wrote:
prichardson wrote:
Sounds like you are worried about recharge time. Charge time is dependent on how much amperage has been removed from the battery bank. It does not matter if it is 2 12s in parallel or 2 6s in series. As far as the charger is concerned it is one big 12vdc battery.

You do faster time if you remove more! :) By doing 50-80s instead of 70-100s (both 30AH)

But then your bank is lower in AH (higher R) while camping so voltage drop is more. Try to still have enough AH at 50% to run the inverter loads and do 50-80s for fast charging too.

That can mean four 6s instead of just two. And a bigger amp charger and gen to run it to still keep the time down. And a bigger Rv to carry the four batteries. And a bigger truck to pull it.

Interesting concerning your comments above on battery "R" (internal resistance?)!

Can you provide a technical link talking about lead acid battery (6V or 12V) internal resistance changing much at all based on how far down they are discharged?

I've always thought that internal lead acid battery intrinsic internal resistance depended entirely upon such factors as physics, chemistry, and construction - but I could be wrong.

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