Two 6v battery vs One 12v battery

[AlbertaRvMan]

Hello,

I just bought at premier 31bhpr.

The dealer said he was going to swap the one 12 volt battery for two 6 volt batteries.

He made it seem like it was for my benefit. But thinking about it now, did I make a mistake?

More batteries (2 instead of 1) seems like more maintenance, also I'm not sure are they in parallel or series?

Will I have the same or more power compared to a single 12 volt?

Thanks for feedback.

[BirchyBoy]

I spent some time reading this the other day. Can't vouch for it, but it is interesting.

http://www.solarrvpanels.com/index.php/choosing-the-right-rv-batteries/

[BOWWOW]

I believe this will benefit you, two 6 volt batteries will provide more amp hours and they will hold a charge much longer. They do need to be wired in series. When my three 12 volt batteries go down I will be replacing them with four 6 volts. Hope this is useful.

[jsmith948]

We replaced our single, group 24, 12v battery with 2 - 6V golf cart batteries from Costco. The 12v battery supplied by the dealer was supposedly a 'deep cycle' battery, but it was rated in cold cranking amps - like an automotive starting battery. The golf cart batteries are rated in amp hours. We can dry camp for a long weekend without having to recharge. The 12v battery would only last one night if we were very frugal. The two 6V batteries are heavier but you'll have way more power. Many will say that if you are always plugged in you don't need them. If the dealer is doing it as part of the deal - go for it:)

[Festus2]

If you seldom, if ever dry camp, then having 2 6 volts may not be necessary. A good quality 12 v will suffice. If you dry camp occasionally or often, then 6 volts are the only way to go. Maintenance on both types is similar except for some "maintenance free" 12v batteries.

[JRTJH]

I agree with Festus2. If your dealer "gave" you two 6 volt batteries in place of a single 12 volt battery, he did you a favor.

Think of it something along the lines of your propane tanks: If you have one 20 lb tank (12 volt battery) you can't carry as much propane as you can in two 30 lb tanks (dual 6 volt batteries).

With the 12 volt battery, you're more limited to the energy you can store. 6 volt batteries can "normally" store more energy than similar sized 12 volt batteries.

A single 6 volt battery "usually" can store more energy (amps) than a single 12 volt battery, but you need 12 volts to run the RV, so you need two 6 volt batteries. Usually this more than doubles the amount of energy storage capability over a single 12 volt. You should be able to go more than twice as long before you have to recharge and 6 volt batteries are built "heavier" so they can be discharged and recharged more times before they start losing their ability to take a charge, so they last longer if you take care of them.

I'd opt for the 6 volt setup every time if I were getting it for the same price.

[HappyCamperMN]

Agree with the rest. 2x 6V better than 1x 12V.

We're starting with the single 12V because we expect to do most/all of our camping where we will have shore power. Because of this, I'm choosing to forego the added weight that would come with 2x 6V batteries.

[jje1960]

Wow, you found a great dealer. All can only wish to be in that position. 2X 6V will provide a much better experience for much longer. Consider yourself lucky!

[RichR]

There is only one drawback to having 2 - 6 volt batteries, if one goes down you will be out of your 12 volt power. Your next option would be 2 -12 volt batteries.

[unyalli]

He upgraded you to "true" deep cycle batteries vs "RV/Marine" batteries which are not true deep cycle batteries. Bonus.

Deep Cycle Battery FAQ (http://www.solar-electric.com/deep-cycle-battery-faq.html#Starting,%20Marine,%20and%20Deep-Cycle%20Batteries)

-Jeff

[limey]

Two 6v batteries should be wired in series to give 12v. As noted, if one goes bad you will not have 12v available. If you go for two 12v batteries, they are wired in parallel and if one goes bad you "may" have 12v - it depends on the battery failure mode!

As to which is better, in the end two 6v is better than one 12v, but I would go for two 12v over two 6v - especially if they are marine type deep-cycle batteries.