6 volt batteries

[AlCorr]

Today I removed the 12 volt battery & box and installed two 6 volt Interstate golf cart batteries and a new side by side battery box. It was a pretty easy job, works good.

[f6bits]

Which battery box did you get? Link? I’d like to do the same.

[CampDestinations.com]

This is something I'm considering as after just a season my original deep cycle is showing signs of slowing down. Would be great to do the 6 volt switch rather than just replace with another sub-par battery. Do you have some pics of the install?

[AlCorr]

Here's a link to the side by side battery box that I used. It's the best price I could find.

http://www.allbatterysalesandservice.com/browse.cfm/4,326.html

It fit in the same place were the 12 volt box come out of. It's all white and looks good there behind the LP tanks. And yes it comes with a cover.

I have some pictures but I don't know how to post them.

[AlCorr]

This is a link to the batteries I used.:confused::( Sorry:(:confused:, in my first post I gave the wrong name of the batteries, They are from "US Battery, us 2200"

http://www.usbattery.com/usb_us2200xc_golf.html

[AlCorr]

Let me see if this works.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_39984_0_fe3f8224f53b82af0b2ffb62a0e94c01.jpg

[AlCorr]

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_39986_0_3eb61ebb0611b85a63a53eeae8d50a7c.jpg

[AlCorr]

Here is a link showing how to wire the batteries.

http://rvbasics.com/techtips/RV-batteries-series-parallel.html

[AlCorr]

Everywhere I looked on line stated that Trojan Batteries are the best and US Batteries are #2, but when you see how much two Trojan batteries cost compared to two US Batteries, you'll know why I went with US Batteries.

http://www.electric-cars-are-for-girls.com/6-volt-golf-cart-battery.html

[Jay D]

what is the reason of changing the 12v to 2 6v?

[SAABDOCTOR]

2 six volt batteries have more amps than one 12 volt so they will last longer when you boondock and you will havea constant power level when you run the sliders the motor will not slow down esp when the battery is a year or two old. draw back... a little more weight"bouncey:

[JRTJH]

Like Barney said, most 6 volt batteries are designed for repeated recharge/discharge use. They usually last much longer than 12 volt deep cycle batteries before they won't hold a charge and need to be replaced. They also store more energy and will provide power at a usable level longer than 12 volt deep cycle batteries. That's why they are used in electric golf carts where repeated charge/discharge cycles and maximum power are required.

Actually, when you get right down to the dollars and cents, 6 volt batteries aren't much more expensive than 12 volt batteries (given the life cycle and the performance). The biggest expense probably is the battery box, and the links given a few posts before this give a place to get battery boxes at a very reasonable price...

[Jay D]

If u don't boon dock is it worth changing?

[CampDestinations.com]

AlCorr, thanks for the links and pics. Looks good - that new battery box fits right in. I'm bookmarking everything for when I tackle this.

[AlCorr]

AlCorr, thanks for the links and pics. Looks good - that new battery box fits right in. I'm bookmarking everything for when I tackle this.

Your welcome, and yes the battery box fits right in, no problem.

[gkainz]

VERY nice looking box!

[Festus2]

Jay D -
If you don't dry camp/boondock, then I see no need to switch over to 6v's. Your 12v would do just fine.

[Bob Landry]

I agree that if you are boondocking that little bit of extra battery capacity can be beneficial. With 2 12s, if you have a battery failure, you can disconnect one of them and you can still have lights and more important, 12V for the trailer break-away switch. if you are running 2 6V batteries and one fails, you're done.

[ktmracer]

I agree that if you are boondocking that little bit of extra battery capacity can be beneficial. With 2 12s, if you have a battery failure, you can disconnect one of them and you can still have lights and more important, 12V for the trailer break-away switch. if you are running 2 6V batteries and one fails, you're done.

yes, kinda a matter of priorities vs. risks.

But a pair of 6V really can have much more capacity vs. 12V. Trojan GC 6V can be repeatedly discharged to 20-30% SOC (discharge 70-80%) for 100's of cycles according to Trojan. Even the trojan 12V deep discharge flooded batteries are not recomended to go below 50% SOC. so for the same AH capacity, a pair of GC will give 20-30% more "useable AH". I've discharged on set of Trojan GC to 30-40% SOC for 8 years now, probably 30-40 times/year and they still are going strong.

But again, if you seldom boondock or can recharge easily, no real reason IMHO to go with the expense of GC or true deep discharge only 12V batteries.

[JRTJH]

From my experience, having two 12 VDC batteries in parallel and experiencing one of them "going bad" usually will occur without much warning until the lights go dim. Once that happens, most often, the bad battery has pulled the remaining battery down to near discharge and you're not going to have enough stored energy to do much more than maybe have one light illuminated until you find a way to recharge. And, if the bad battery had damaged the remaining good battery (which often happens) you're still left without power. The good thing about RV's is you always have emergency power for a time when the camper batteries fail, it's called the 7 way plug and the tow vehicle battery. Just don't run it down or you may not find someone with jumper cables to get going in the morning.

As for boondocking, a single 12 VDC battery is a push, two 12VDC is better, and 2 (or more) 6VDC batteries is the choice for extended dry camping.

If you seldom dry camp, then having a single 12VDC battery for the occasional time you're not connected to shore power is probably all you'll ever need. No reason to invest in something you'll probably not use or, for the matter, even need.

[slider]

I like that. Do our campers have something to turn the charger off when the batteries are charged or if I leave plugged in should I add a switch to disconnect the battery (or batteries)?

Not trying to hijack the thread but thinking about doing the 6v battery mod and was wondering if i also need to add switch.

[Festus2]

There is no need to add a switch top disconnect the batteries if you are concerned about the converter overcharging the batteries. If your converter is working properly, it will go into one of three modes and sense what charge to deliver to the batteries.
If you want to add a battery disconnect switch for other reasons - to prevent drain on the batteries from stereo back lights, sensors, etc., then that would be something to consider.
Just make sure that you check the water level in your batteries on a regular basis to ensure that they are sufficiently topped up if you are leaving your unit plugged in most of the time.

[AlCorr]

My trailer came with a battery disconnect switch. You can see the Red Switch in this picture.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_40483_0_3eb61ebb0611b85a63a53eeae8d50a7c.jpg

[jje1960]

While we do not dry without genset much, I do want to watch Television while we stop at parking lot's overnight. With our 32" flatscreen, our single original 12V is not enough. With the 32" and the satellite box for the dome, less than a minute the inverter starts squealing (low voltage). We still have not decided if we should purchase 2X6V or just add another 12V in parallel.

[JRTJH]

While we do not dry without genset much, I do want to watch Television while we stop at parking lot's overnight. With our 32" flatscreen, our single original 12V is not enough. With the 32" and the satellite box for the dome, less than a minute the inverter starts squealing (low voltage). We still have not decided if we should purchase 2X6V or just add another 12V in parallel.

As a "long term" investment, the 6 volt system is probably a much wiser, and long term cheaper way to go. But if the current battery is relatively new, buying another 12 volt and wiring in parallel would be the cheapest initial investment. I think I'd originally try that, then, when you need to replace batteries a couple of years from now, get the two 6 volt batteries at that time.

You say the inverter starts squealing after a minute or two. Do you have it connected via a cigarette lighter socket? If so, your wiring is probably not big enough to support the current draw. We wired a 10 gage terminal under the TV and plug the inverter in there (with an actual wiring harness, not a cigarette lighter plug). Our existing lighter plug wouldn't provide enough amperage and the voltage drop caused the inverter to drop out (low voltage) as soon as the wires warmed up and the inverter "got going good"

With the heavier plug and the heavier supply wires, now it'll run the 26" TV with no problem. Not sure what your total current draw with the satellite dish, converter and TV would be, but probably a bunch more than our LED TV. I think the total draw from our TV is 95 watts, which is less than 1 amp at 120 VAC (9 amps at 12 VDC). Your Draw with a 32" TV, satellite converter/dish would probably be closer to 250 watts which is a little over 2 amps at 120VAC. That's about 20 amps at 12 VDC. A significant drain on a single 12 volt battery. I'd guess you should get 3 or 4 hours out of a double 12 volt battery system and most likely 6-8 hours out of a mid range 6 volt system.

[jje1960]

As a "long term" investment, the 6 volt system is probably a much wiser, and long term cheaper way to go. But if the current battery is relatively new, buying another 12 volt and wiring in parallel would be the cheapest initial investment. I think I'd originally try that, then, when you need to replace batteries a couple of years from now, get the two 6 volt batteries at that time.

You say the inverter starts squealing after a minute or two. Do you have it connected via a cigarette lighter socket? If so, your wiring is probably not big enough to support the current draw. We wired a 10 gage terminal under the TV and plug the inverter in there (with an actual wiring harness, not a cigarette lighter plug). Our existing lighter plug wouldn't provide enough amperage and the voltage drop caused the inverter to drop out (low voltage) as soon as the wires warmed up and the inverter "got going good"

With the heavier plug and the heavier supply wires, now it'll run the 26" TV with no problem. Not sure what your total current draw with the satellite dish, converter and TV would be, but probably a bunch more than our LED TV. I think the total draw from our TV is 95 watts, which is less than 1 amp at 120 VAC (9 amps at 12 VDC). Your Draw with a 32" TV, satellite converter/dish would probably be closer to 250 watts which is a little over 2 amps at 120VAC. That's about 20 amps at 12 VDC. A significant drain on a single 12 volt battery. I'd guess you should get 3 or 4 hours out of a double 12 volt battery system and most likely 6-8 hours out of a mid range 6 volt system.
I'm going to just try a basic test in the driveway, just jump another to the 12V and see how it goes. Thanks for the great info, yes, agree with your perspective with waiting for replacement time to move to the 6V, which is the optimum configuration... That's if the 2X 12's will work for now.

[JRTJH]

I'm going to just try a basic test in the driveway, just jump another to the 12V and see how it goes. Thanks for the great info, yes, agree with your perspective with waiting for replacement time to move to the 6V, which is the optimum configuration... That's if the 2X 12's will work for now.

Sounds like you've got a plan going. The only problem (if you can call it that) with dry camping in WalMart lots and watching TV with the inverter system is the relatively low amperage provided by the tow vehicle to recharge a dual battery system (either 6 VDC or 12 VDC) between stops. Using a significant amount of battery power during a stop and only having a limited capability to recharge before the next stop might have a detrimental effect on TV watching the second or third evening. If you're going to stop in a campground every other night or tow for more than 12 hours or so before the next big TV event, it might not matter, but towing for 4 or 5 hours and then using the TV again for several hours may not give you enough time to recharge..... Just thinking out loud..... Let us know how it goes :)

[jje1960]

Well, connected another 12v (jump box) however same result, started to squeal pretty quickly. Believe you were correct, the draw on that 12V cigarette plug is just to much. Have decided to just get another 12V battery and box, put it in the front compartment next to the other battery and run a wire(s) directly to the inverter. I'm wondering if I can just grab a ground up there and just run a + cable? Any thoughts?

[MikeEcho]

So, I have a question for a fifth wheel.

I have a 2012 341TG Keystone Avalanche and the battery is shot. It was an SRM24 12 V deep cycle.

I'm considering replacing with 2 golf cart batteries in series either from Costco or Interstate.

I think it will fit, but will measure to make sure. So, the question is of form and fit, I'm confident that the function will work. The battery compartment is on the passenger side of the Fifth Wheel. The tray is black angle iron and the compartment is open to the road on the bottom.

From interstate, the batteries are 68 lbs each, so if they fit, I'm looking at about 140 lbs on that tray.

Has anyone else replaced your 12v's with 2 6v's in this keystone type tray? Were you worried about the weight at all? Did you have any issues fitting the batteries in? I get that they'll be heavy and will probably be cumbersome to move in and out. I just want to make sure that they'll fit and the tray or rack will safely hold the batts.

thanks

[Jables]

I don't know about the size of your tray, but I would guess two 6 volts would fit fine. It's a tight squeeze on the front of my Springdale 267, but I made sure the dealer installed them. The battery boxes are close to the tank cover, but they fit fine. I would go with the Interstate batteries. I've sold them for over a decade and had maybe a 1% comeback rate.

[FireMech]

MikeEcho,
I've got an 07 Raptor 5th wheel and have two 6 volts in the battery compartment you are talking of. My 5er is older than yours but I understand your concern with weight and space. Yes, the batteries are very heavy and a pain to install/remove but they fit. I don't have a battery box and I'm not sure one would even fit-it's pretty tight. I am going to install two additional 6 volt batteries in the front generator compartment- with a battery box. 6 volts are the way to go....

[trucker LOU]

Hey JRTJH, John the battery box shown in earlier post by AlCorr is the same as the ones I used. price about the same also.good stuff. --- LOU ---

[Comptech]

Something else I have noticed after installing a second 12v battery that I have not seen other people mention.... My slides seem to have a lot more power when moving in and out. Before they seemed sluggish, now they seem to move more quickly.... I wonder if with the single battery if it was really just the bare minimum to run the motors with the large slides. Same principle with my F-350 diesel, I have dual batteries to start it too."bouncey:

[sphack]

MikeEcho,
I've got an 07 Raptor 5th wheel and have two 6 volts in the battery compartment you are talking of. My 5er is older than yours but I understand your concern with weight and space. Yes, the batteries are very heavy and a pain to install/remove but they fit. I don't have a battery box and I'm not sure one would even fit-it's pretty tight. I am going to install two additional 6 volt batteries in the front generator compartment- with a battery box. 6 volts are the way to go....

I have a similar setup and found a decent solution to removing the batteries. Go to interstate and ask for a battery lifter. They're little plastic straps with metal hooks. With these you can lift a battery out much easier than without. Doesn't solve the problem of how to lift them out if the front compartment.

[AlCorr]

Something else I have noticed after installing a second 12v battery that I have not seen other people mention.... My slides seem to have a lot more power when moving in and out. Before they seemed sluggish, now they seem to move more quickly.... I wonder if with the single battery if it was really just the bare minimum to run the motors with the large slides. Same principle with my F-350 diesel, I have dual batteries to start it too."bouncey:

When installing two 12 volt batteries the voltage stays the same (volts), but the amps double, so be careful you don't burn out your slid motor.
http://www.familymotorsports.com/selfhelp/batterywiringdiagram/batterywiringdiagram.htm
Look at this link, about 3/4 way down on the right, shows two 6v and two 12v, look at the amps on the batters and then the output amps.

[Comptech]

Alcorr,
The available AMPs double, keyword being AVAILABLE...
The motor will draw as many AMPs as it needs to run under load, the more load the more AMPS it would draw. The only way you would burn out the motor is if the slide got jammed and you kept trying to run the motor until it burnt out...
Also,
So just like a 12v light bulb, theoretically would light twice as long having two 12v batteries. Or just like a flashlight with two batteries in it is going to last longer...

When installing two 12 volt batteries the voltage stays the same (volts), but the amps double, so be careful you don't burn out your slid motor.
http://www.familymotorsports.com/selfhelp/batterywiringdiagram/batterywiringdiagram.htm
Look at this link, about 3/4 way down on the right, shows two 6v and two 12v, look at the amps on the batters and then the output amps.

[AlCorr]

You don't need a battery box if you worrying about pulling them out, just strap them down.

[AlCorr]

[QUOTE=Comptech;75579]Alcorr,
The available AMPs double, keyword being AVAILABLE...
The motor will draw as many AMPs as it needs to run under load, the more load the more AMPS it would draw. The only way you would burn out the motor is if the slide got jammed and you kept trying to run the motor until it burnt out.

Sorry, if it gets jammed he could burn the motor out.(tx)