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Old 08-17-2011, 05:02 AM   #1
DonandJudy_12
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12 volt question

We don't boondock much anymore- I am thinking about installing 2 12 volt deep cycle batteries to replace the existing 4 6 volt batteries- Has any Moccer done this? Are y'all satisfied with the results? The weight reduction will be welcome but I don't want to create any problems with the 12 volt system as we use the 12 volt lights an awful lot for reading, etc. Your opinions welcomed and THANX in advance- Don
 
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Old 08-17-2011, 05:07 AM   #2
Delaine and Lindy
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Don I have only used one 12 volt deep cycle battery in all my 5th wheels and haven't had any issues.. We do no boondocking or Wally docking at all. So I don't use a lot of battery power. However I can't answer the question to two 12 vote batterys. We are always hooked to the 50 amp systems... Happy Trails......
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Old 08-17-2011, 05:13 AM   #3
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Don, have 2 size 29 (I think, from SAM's) plenty of power to run some lites and even watch a little Tele in the evening and still pull the slides in and jacks up in the AM. We do the Wally World sometimes, but we also us Hotel and Expo Center lots when we're there for a Cat Show.
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Old 08-17-2011, 06:35 AM   #4
jackel1959
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We had two 12 volt batteries in our Mountaineer and used to boondock a couple of times a year. We could use the furnace, lights and watch some TV for 1-2 days without a problem. If you go to the two battery setup I think you will be fine.

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Old 08-17-2011, 06:57 AM   #5
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Don,
You might even consider going to the LED 12VDC bulbs offered by snfexpress and one 12VDC battery. As stated if you are not boon-docking and plugged into 120VAC your converter will keep the 12vdc battery charged.
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Old 08-17-2011, 08:05 AM   #6
Red939
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Delaine and Lindy

Don I have only used one 12 volt deep cycle battery in all my 5th wheels and haven't had any issues.. We do no boondocking or Wally docking at all. So I don't use a lot of battery power. However I can't answer the question to two 12 vote batterys. We are always hooked to the 50 amp systems... Happy Trails......
Same here, just one 12v deep cycle battery. If you are concerned about using 12v lights to read, get a few AC powered lights, they put out better light, too.
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Old 08-17-2011, 12:23 PM   #7
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Funny timing of this thread, we did our first boondocking weekend (3 days actually) last weekend in our Mountaineer. It has the standard deep-cycle 12v battery the rig comes with - its a little larger than a standard car battery.

We did have some LED lights (thanks Michael - snfexpress) but it was cold at night and so we did run the furnace which I think pulls amps than one or two lights.

Anyway - we last about 2 days before the battery gave up and I have to run the generator (which I did not really want to do).

If I were to do it again I would have 2 12v deep cycle batteries and I think we would have been fine for 3 days.

Chris
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Old 08-17-2011, 12:41 PM   #8
Illini Trekker
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Don I went from two 12 volts up to two 6 volts batteries. You will get from 360 -440 amps/hours out of the two 6 volts, and only 140 -170 amp/hours from two 12 volt batteries. As far as weight the 6 volt weigh 122 lbs and 12 volts weight 106 lbs. I'm sure you know one will wire in parallel (12volts) the other series (6volts). Found this imformation at http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm I'd bet the two 6 volts would cost less?
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Old 08-17-2011, 12:54 PM   #9
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We have two 12 volt and spent 18 days in the Quartzsite Circle last year with no problems.
We did run the Honda 2000 about 3 hours a day.
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Old 08-19-2011, 03:33 PM   #10
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The 360 to 440 amp hours ( stated in an earlier response) from two six volt batteries is much higher than I've seen before. Unless they are really big batteries I don't think you will get that many amp hours from a pair of 6 volt batteries. Paralleling two 12 volt batteries is a pretty standard technique.I read recently in a boating magazine that if you parallel two batteries they should be wired such that one polarity connects first to battery A and battery A is jumpered to battery B. The other polarity connects first to Battery B which is then jumpered to battery A. That method balances out any subtle difference between the two batteries. If you expect to put a pretty heavy load on the system it would make sense to wire it that way.
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Old 08-20-2011, 02:42 AM   #11
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My guess is an error in Math. Two 6 volts wired together to create 12 volts does not double the amps, now when you connect two 12 volts together you do double the amps. Basic DC theory. The biggest advantage of the 6 volt bats is the larger plates (only 3 cells vs 6 cells in a 12V) so for the same basic size the plates are much larger.
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Old 08-20-2011, 04:03 AM   #12
Captain Joe
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My unit came with one Series 24 12-volt deep cycle battery and has serve us well. I added a Series 27 deep cycle recently because I had it as a backup for my boat that I no longer need. I wanted to have a backup for the Monty so I installed it using a battery box from PPL and a "Y" drain pipe from Lowes to connect hoses from the two batteries using the existing vent.
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Old 08-20-2011, 10:14 AM   #13
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Ours came with one 12 deepcycle. I added a second and have had no problems. Am well pleased. Larry
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