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Old 12-13-2018, 05:07 PM   #1
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Battery Question: RC vs Amp Hrs

Hello All. I want to add a second battery to my Redhawk 26 XD. The current battery is a Harris 27D170 with a reserve capacity of 160. Best I can figure, a RC of 160 is approximately 80 Amp Hours. If I add a second battery, that's the equivalent of what I already have, what should I be looking for if the ratings are in Amp Hours? Thanks for the help.
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Old 12-13-2018, 06:32 PM   #2
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Hello All. I want to add a second battery to my Redhawk 26 XD. The current battery is a Harris 27D170 with a reserve capacity of 160. Best I can figure, a RC of 160 is approximately 80 Amp Hours. If I add a second battery, that's the equivalent of what I already have, what should I be looking for if the ratings are in Amp Hours? Thanks for the help.
The first answer is that when you add a 2nd battery to your existing one it needs to be the exact same battery. IE.. same mfr, same Ah's and about the same age. But before you go out and spend money on an exact replacement you need to answer a few questions:

- How old is the existing battery? Age also reduces the battery output. If there is an age difference of 6 months or more, your money would be better spent on replacing both batteries, as the new battery will be brought down to the performance of the older batter which means a shorter life. The internal resistance of the 2 batteries will not be the same, which means different charging/discharging characteristics.

- Has your existing battery voltage been discharged to 10.5 volts (actual dead 12volt battery) or lower... see the above response as you have no idea as to what damage was done to the cells of the existing battery. Buy 2 new batteries.

- Has your existing battery been discharged to just about no voltage.. see the above response

- Have you had to keep adding water to the existing battery over time? Possible cell problem.... see above response

- Have any of the battery plates been exposed to air (low water level)… you got it, see the above response


A battery that has had any of the above things happen to it may charge properly and hold a charge like any other battery, but the difference will be apparent in the Ah's (how long your battery will last under loads). Each of the above issues will lower the amount of Ah's that your battery has to offer.

Personally if any of the above things have happened, yes buy 2 new batteries. No reason to shorten the life of your new battery and throw away your hard earned $$$.

Here is a battery test (shows what aging or ageing, which ever you prefer, does to batteries) that I did on my old Interstate batteries which I replaced with 2 (6 volt) TROJAN T145, 260Ah batteries. The test results were that I had a substantial drop in Ah's but charging and sitting, the readings were just like a new battery, until you put loads on them.

Below is the proper way of hooking 2 12Volt batteries in parallel to get the best performance out of them. Ignore the cutoff switch if you are not installing one, if you are it can be mounted on either cable Positive or Negative.

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Old 12-20-2018, 09:46 AM   #3
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Thanks Mustang65. My current battery is in ok condition but I think I'm going with 2 new Flooded Lead Acid batteries and just use the old one for other things. The battery store guy said I can use 8 gauge wire to connect them in parallel. Does that sound right to you? Thanks again.
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Old 12-20-2018, 04:14 PM   #4
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Thanks Mustang65. My current battery is in ok condition but I think I'm going with 2 new Flooded Lead Acid batteries and just use the old one for other things. The battery store guy said I can use 8 gauge wire to connect them in parallel. Does that sound right to you? Thanks again.
Smart move to go with new batteries.

8AWG, well that depends. What are you going to connect to the batteries, other than the normal TT connection for lights? If you are going to add an inverter, are you going to run the microwave off of it? Coffee Pot? DW's hair dryer (hope not)? Any other high amperage loads?

For the standard TT load, you could use 8AWG, but I would go with 6AWG. If you plan on someday using the microwave, I would go with 4 or 2AWG. I went with 1/0AWG with crimped ends. The way I look at it, I have a BIG buffer zone using the larger cables, and do not have to worry about them getting hot or melting... well unless there is a major short, but the fuse should care for that.

Good Luck... keep us informed
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Old 12-23-2018, 07:16 PM   #5
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Assuming you go with the same 80 AH 12v battery, you'll have 160 AH when two 12v are connected parallel. Why not go with two deep cell 6v 205 Ah (or better) batteries in series?? You'll have more AH and a set of batteries that will most likely last longer. That's what I have. It's a much better option and most likely will cost you less.
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