Solar requires 6 volt batteries?

littlemo wrote:

JiminDenver wrote:
Part of picking out components for your system is deciding what fits. Out of the options that fit, pick what works best for you.

We had a fella here a while back that started a post that he wanted to dry camp for a weekend. By the time his thread was done he had a Honda 2000, LED lighting, solar, upgraded his converter and just to fit two six volts on his trailers tongue he had to trim out the front cap. Haven't seen him since to see how it all worked out but to me it was a lot for a weekend.

Solar Set Up

This is what I have ordered.
Just a simple setup to keep batteries charged for lights and keep phones, computers, MIFI and Kindle charged.
Something for overnights at WM, a day or 2 in forest service CG, etc to keep things going.
Not planning to go off the grid for weeks at time (although, I would love that).

200w is a nice amount for basic trailer functions, maybe some short runs of larger items on good days. that 1500w inverter is going to need some battery if you run anything big for any time and use extra current if you are only doing small stuff. We have the TV/ Sat and phone charger on a small 150w inverter and only turn the big one on to run big things.

Once you get your system balanced, you should be able to go out as long as the sun shines. A day or so of bad weather should be covered with the battery bank, a generator provides if it's extended or you have a shady site. I wish the fresh water and waste tanks were as easy to deal with.

I do agree with making sure your controller can handle the batteries you pick.

One of the things I sometimes get slammed for saying is "There are no six volt batteries in RVs"

now, the fact is, I have a pair of Deka six volts in my own RV so why do I say that? A: Because they are wired in series to give 12 volt,, Same as a 4D 12 volt battery.. But trust me, I do not want to wrangle a 4D into that battery tray, at least not all at once,, Splitting it in two halves makes it possible.

(And I'm a big guy, I can actually carry a 4D. do not want to, but I can, that's my load limit though).

There are two reasons we go with the GC-2 Six volt size.
1: (The big one) COST.. This is, I suspect, the world's most popular lead acid battery being used by thousands of golf courses from sea to sea and beyond for their golf cars.. .This means very little (if any) retooling of the production lines and lower per unit costs.. So COST is the biggie.

2: They are TRUE DEEP CYCLE,, most of the common 12 volt sizes (I suspect yours are included in this) are MARINE/deep cycle (note case) this means they are Marine starting batteries with a bit of lip service paid to deep cycle.

Can they be used in a solar system: OF course, no problem at all. They are, after all, 12 volt rechargeable batteries. Same as a pair of GC-2 in series

BUT: Where as the recommended MINIMUM state of charge for the DEEP CYCLE is 50%, The recommended for the MARINE/Deep cycle is higher.

RJsfishin wrote:
They mite even work better ! Your 12'ers probably pack just as much power as the normal 6v, sometimes more. Forget all the hype about 6v vs 12v. It will just start a 10 page posting, and you won't know any more than you do now.

Ain't that the truth!

Golden_HVAC wrote:

Good luck with your solar project! You will enjoy it! I love to watch my battery charge in silence.

Fred.

Ha! I think I will enjoy that as well!
Now if my son can help me install it all.

Thanks

JiminDenver wrote:
Part of picking out components for your system is deciding what fits. Out of the options that fit, pick what works best for you.

We had a fella here a while back that started a post that he wanted to dry camp for a weekend. By the time his thread was done he had a Honda 2000, LED lighting, solar, upgraded his converter and just to fit two six volts on his trailers tongue he had to trim out the front cap. Haven't seen him since to see how it all worked out but to me it was a lot for a weekend.

Solar Set Up

This is what I have ordered.
Just a simple setup to keep batteries charged for lights and keep phones, computers, MIFI and Kindle charged.
Something for overnights at WM, a day or 2 in forest service CG, etc to keep things going.
Not planning to go off the grid for weeks at time (although, I would love that).

littlemo wrote:
I have ordered a small Solar set up for our MH. I have been readying a lot trying to learn what I need before I start to install. It seems most everyone has two 6 volt Golf Cart batteries. I have 2 12 volt batteries and they are located in the entry steps of my 2012 Sunseeker. I don't think the Golf cart batteries will fit. Do you have to have the 6 volt or is it that they hold more charge or last longer or what? Will my 12 volts work? If not I don't know where I will put them.

Thanks for your input!

You already ordered the solar, so the better question is what kind of batteries will it support and for how long at a time before you get shore power again, and how long will you have that till next time off-grid?

Reason is your solar controller may not work well with all batteries, 12s or 6s. It depends on the voltages of the controller and whether they are adjustable to match the specs of the battery.

My Eco-Worthy controller handles my 6s very well, but is not able to properly handle the 12v T-1275s which require a higher voltage for longer in the afternoons than the 6s do.

OTOH that controller might be able to handle "ordinary" 12s quite well, don't know.

I had the T-1275s on a different controller for a while, which had a different charging profile and was able to "do" the T-1275s. You see the same thing with the famous Screwy 31 we read about on here from time to time. IE, not all 12s are the same!

The more common simple controller is not adjustable and its voltage set-point is more like 14.3, so that one would not be able to handle my 6s or my T-1275s (need 14.8+). Can't say how it would do on a standard marine/rv 12v of 24 or 27 size.

But you can use a controller that is not quite right for the batteries if it will only be for a couple weeks at a time and then you get shore power for a week so you can do a proper "recovery" on the batts to get them back in shape before the next time off-grid.

That is how the part of how long on shore power after the off-grid time matters. It takes several days to do a "recovery" so one night on hook-ups and then back to off-grid won't cut it.

Scenario is everything!

Hi,

I had a pair of well maintained 6 volt batteries that where replaced when 13 years old and I started to full time in the RV. 12 volt batteries never seem to last that long.

Yes you are kinda stuck with only space for group 27 or group 31 12 volt batteries. Your solar system will work great with 12 volt batteries. You will not have the huge water capacity of golf cart batteries, so you will need to check the water level a little more often.

I installed a pair of 45 watt solar panels on my RV in 1994. In 1995 this was expanded with a 75 watt panel, and later I installed a pair of 120 watt solar panels to give me plenty of power. The 120 W was on sale for $429 in 1999.

Nowdays you can buy a 120 watt panel for less than $200 including shipping. Most RV's consume 35 amp hours per day - the output of a 120 watt solar panel just to run the CO meter, propane detector and refrigerator.

SunElec.com

Good luck with your solar project! You will enjoy it! I love to watch my battery charge in silence.

Fred.

Part of picking out components for your system is deciding what fits. Out of the options that fit, pick what works best for you.

We had a fella here a while back that started a post that he wanted to dry camp for a weekend. By the time his thread was done he had a Honda 2000, LED lighting, solar, upgraded his converter and just to fit two six volts on his trailers tongue he had to trim out the front cap. Haven't seen him since to see how it all worked out but to me it was a lot for a weekend.

Agreed. If the 12 volt fit better stay with good 12 volt batteries. There are some advantages to 6's in terms of longevity and capacity but there are a couple of advantages to staying with 12's as well, especially if you only have two. Eg, if you have 6's and one fails while out camping you are kinda hooped. If you have 12's you can simply disconnect one.

We run 2 x group 31 12 volt AGM batteries in our little rig and 8 x 6 volts in our big rig. When the 6's are done we will replace them with for 8D AGMs.

Happy trails.

John

Use what you have. They will work fine. I have a 75W solar panel and a li'l ole group 24 battery (12V), and everything is good.