6v vs 12v house batteries

chuckandcindy · 11-09-2014, 07:56 AM

Does anyone know what it is about 6v deep cycle batteries that allows them to store amperage for more hours than a 12v battery?

SkyBound · 11-09-2014, 08:28 AM

The deep cycle battery is designed to take a long, steady draw at a low to moderate amperage. The lead plates inside are a bit bigger/thicker which explains why the 6V are heavier. This is what helps with the longevity of them.

12V car batteries are the opposite. They are designed to deliver high amps for a short period of time, such as a cold start.

The usual 12V batteries that come stock with these units are like a hybrid battery. They do a little bit of both, but neither very well. I think it's mostly to do with the design of the lead plates inside, and keep in mind that you need two 6V batteries to make 12V so that doubles the amount of better plates right off the bat. The 6V are also a bit taller too.

**Mustang65** · 11-09-2014, 02:18 PM

SkyBound's response is pretty much the way it is. The only time you would want to upgrade to TRUE deep cycle batteries is if you are planning on dry camping. If you plan on staying at CC's that provide shore power all the time, then the standard 12 volt marine/RV type battery that comes with the TT will be fine.

Just my thoughts,

Don

Bassdogs · 11-09-2014, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang65

SkyBound's response is pretty much the way it is. The only time you would want to upgrade to TRUE deep cycle batteries is if you are planning on dry camping. If you plan on staying at CC's that provide shore power all the time, then the standard 12 volt marine/RV type battery that comes with the TT will be fine.

Just my thoughts,

Don

Have to disagree a bit with this statement. The standard single 12V that typically come with a new TT will suffice if all you're doing is towing to a State Park or CG with power. That part I agree with. But this formula will leave you "cold" if you travel and overnight during cold weather without shore power. We stopped at a walmart on our way south last Jan and the temp was 22 when we stopped and dropped into the teens overnite. Very early the next am the furnace fan was barely turning and I had to start the tow vehicle and use its 12V feed to warm things up. The onboard furnace / fan is a real 12V hog. We experienced a similar problem when the gulf coast was hit with a freak ice storm with many power outages including the CG we were in. Fortunately the outage only lasted thru one night but intermitten outages over the next 2 or 3 days prevented getting a good charge on the battery. We only had the OEM series 24 battery at the time. Since then I upgraded to a twin 6V settup and will be good to go thru these type circumstances.

People spend a lot of $$ on various creature comfort and functionality items. Adding an inverter for occasional overnites will also require a battery upgrade. In my opinion you should at least add a 2nd 12v but a twin 6v isn't that much more.

Seann45 · 11-10-2014, 10:54 AM

Mustang and Sky's answers were right on the money. IF you never camp without hookups then what the dealer gave you is ok. However if you ever plan to boondock even one night I would say get a better battery. 2-6's are best but a single 12 will do just do not get a battery that says CCA on it... it is not a true deep cycle.

**Mustang65** · 11-10-2014, 11:59 AM

If you are NOT planning on any MAJOR dry-camping (week at a time) I would go with a second 12 volt battery. Just remember that it needs to be the same Mfr, Model, Ahr rating, and use GOOD cable to connect them. The (2) 12 volt batteries, with some energy conservation will last a weekend. (sorry no AC or Microwave..type items) You can always plug in the TV and run it for an hour or so to put a little charge back into it.

Just my thoughts,

Don

chuckandcindy · 11-10-2014, 12:05 PM

My Precept came with two 12v batteries. I've been watching tons of utube videos on the subject of dry camping and how to monitor power consumption. It is quite a science and requires a lot of understanding but more importantly, experience. Thanks to all of you for the input.
Chuck

**Mustang65** · 11-10-2014, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckandcindy

My Precept came with two 12v batteries. I've been watching tons of utube videos on the subject of dry camping and how to monitor power consumption. It is quite a science and requires a lot of understanding but more importantly, experience. Thanks to all of you for the input.
Chuck

The key things you want to watch:
- The voltage on your battery(s) and not letting them drop below 12VDC.
- Giving them a full charge when needed.
- Watching your batteries water level (distilled water only).

Start off with a Volt meter you can monitor. There are plenty of them on Amazon/ebay. You can always upgrade your monitoring as you go along. Here is a link to some inexpensive meters like the ones I started with.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IDRR25S?psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-Digita...ref=pd_cp_hi_3
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/180916808096?...84.m1438.l2649
(The last link is a new one, I have do idea as to how it is rated.)

Just my thoughts,
Don

msturtz · 11-12-2014, 12:49 AM

I had 2 GC2 6V batteries on my TT. Eventually I upgraded the system to include 3 more AGM batteries under the bed. The AGMs were installed in such a manner that it allowed them to get the correct charge from the multistage converter and the GC2s to get the charge they needed. In most cases this is difficult to do without a separate battery isolators to allow proper charging. Jayco uses battery trays on the Greyhawk units that will fit a very specific Group 31 AGM battery that has a massive 120AH with a very low internal resistance. The brand is VMCHARGETANK and is available on Amazon for a significant discount over MSRP. If you have two Group 24 batteries in a tray check the measurements of the tray and you may find that you can easily install a larger battery(ies) with no problems. I tend to get the largest batteries that I can fit in the OEM location unless I have modified the system as I did on my old TT by adding a 3KW sine wave inverter. You may also wish to invest in a true digital battery voltage meter so you can better gauge your battery voltage. The other posters are correct that you really don't want your batteries to be discharged to less than 50% capacity if you want maximum life.

Ela1948 · 11-12-2014, 07:01 AM

There ARE 12 volt batteries that are true deep cycle. 6 volt batteries are generally taller in size. Some battery boxes restrict going to 6 volt for that reason. I was forced to keep 12 volt batteries but went to US batteries which are true deep cycle. You look at the AH on 6 volt and say "wow" thats a lot of power. But you need to keep in mind that it takes two 6 volt batteries to get you to that AH. Where a single 12 volt gets to that AH.

msturtz · 11-12-2014, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ela1948

There ARE 12 volt batteries that are true deep cycle. 6 volt batteries are generally taller in size. Some battery boxes restrict going to 6 volt for that reason. I was forced to keep 12 volt batteries but went to US batteries which are true deep cycle. You look at the AH on 6 volt and say "wow" thats a lot of power. But you need to keep in mind that it takes two 6 volt batteries to get you to that AH. Where a single 12 volt gets to that AH.

Very true 2x 220AH GC2 6V batteries are 220AH @ 12VDC!

tjpolsin · 11-12-2014, 10:16 AM

w/ (one) 12V "deep cycle/marine" battery, I was only able to go for a weekend before the battery was down too far - and that was with ensuring all lights were off when ever we walked out of the TT.

By Sunday morning, the water pump made the lighs flicker and I needed to plug into the TV to pull the slide in.

BUT NOW!!
I have (2) 6V deep cycle GC batteries, and I swapped out all interior lights with LEDs. So far I have gone 4 nights and the battery meter only dropped to 3 bars (2 bars w/water pump running).

**Mustang65** · 11-12-2014, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

BUT NOW!!
I have (2) 6V deep cycle GC batteries, and I swapped out all interior lights with LEDs. So far I have gone 4 nights and the battery meter only dropped to 3 bars (2 bars w/water pump running).

I would highly recommend that you get at least an inexpensive digital voltage display (about $5-10 on Amazon), as those battery monitors that come with the TT are useless. They are about as accurate as the water levels in the gray/black tanks. If you discharge those batteries below 12VDC over and over again they will not last long. That habit could become quite expensive after awhile.

Start with an inexpensive meter to monitor your batteries voltage in the TT, then you can always upgrade to a better monitor later.

Just my thoughts,

Don

Ela1948 · 11-12-2014, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mustang65

I would highly recommend that you get at least an inexpensive digital voltage display (about $5-10 on Amazon), as those battery monitors that come with the TT are useless. They are about as accurate as the water levels in the gray/black tanks. If you discharge those batteries below 12VDC over and over again they will not last long. That habit could become quite expensive after awhile.

Start with an inexpensive meter to monitor your batteries voltage in the TT, then you can always upgrade to a better monitor later.

Just my thoughts,

Don

Dons right on the money. You need to know exactly where you are in voltage or you will inadvertently distroy your battery investment.

tjpolsin · 11-13-2014, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ela1948

Dons right on the money. You need to know exactly where you are in voltage or you will inadvertently distroy your battery investment.

I knew you all were going to mention a v meter. I will probably hook one up this winter.

Just tap into any 12V +/- lines right?
I have a 12V outlet behind my TV that I can probably use.

Camper_bob · 11-13-2014, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

Just tap into any 12V +/- lines right?
I have a 12V outlet behind my TV that I can probably use.

That was going to be my question. Are there options where in the 12V circuit you hook up the meter? If so, I have a perfect circuit in my control center, and a space that looks just about right for the display...

**Mustang65** · 11-13-2014, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjpolsin

I knew you all were going to mention a v meter. I will probably hook one up this winter.

Just tap into any 12V +/- lines right?
I have a 12V outlet behind my TV that I can probably use.

The best place, is to connect directly to the batteries, and run a thin cable from the batteries to your digital meter location. But..... if you want to just hook it up to the accessory outlet in the media center, that is A LOT BETTER than the stock idiot lights that came with the TT.

One recommendation would be to hook the digital meter directly up to the batteries and take a voltage reading (before installing it). Then wire it in to the accessory outlet and recalibrate it there (my original meter had an adjustment pot on the back of the meter), using the voltage reading you got at the battery. The difference is due to the voltage drop between the battery and the accessory outlet, which could be as much as 1/2 Volt to 1 Volt difference. That could make a difference in your operating time.

Just my thoughts,

Don

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