Motorhome needs new batteries - 6V vs 12V deep cycles?

[Bigbore500r]

Well, my "new to me" coach has 3 wasted batteries and I need to replace them. One of them is the chassis battery, so that will stay 12V and be pretty much dedicated to starting duty. The other 2 are currently deep cycle 12V batteries. Simplest swap would be to go to costco and get a pair of 12V deep cycles to replace them, but I also see that Costco carries a relatively cheap $89 6V golf cart battery. Would 2 of those provide more usable amp-hours and longer service than a pair of 12v deep cycles? Or would I need to run for of them (2 pairs to get 12V each bank). Need to keep the cost reasonable here, i'd love a big bank of top dog Trojan's but it's not in the cards right now.
I remember @69hondo went thru this recently but I can't find the thread
Thanks!

 

[pronstar]

(2) 6v
Much thicker plates, can handle deeper discharges [emoji106]


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[LargeOrangeFont]

(2) 6v
Much thicker plates, can handle deeper discharges [emoji106]


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Yaaaaass.

 

[Meaney77]

Go with the 6v from Costco, I have 4 of them in series in mine. My moms coach is a little older gasser and she has 2 6v's and she doesnt run into issues. If you have room see if you could wire up 4? Once you get your enclosed maybe look into a portable generator of some sort. I have the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 gem for $695 and its a peach.

The only issue with the Costco 6 volts is the warranty is only 6 months... something to consider.

 

[OutCole'd]

Two 6's all day long!!

 

[Roaddawg]

I have 4 of the 6v costco's in my toy hauler going on 5.5 years now

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[Bigbore500r]

Go with the 6v from Costco, I have 4 of them in series in mine. My moms coach is a little older gasser and she has 2 6v's and she doesnt run into issues. If you have room see if you could wire up 4? Once you get your enclosed maybe look into a portable generator of some sort. I have the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 gem for $695 and its a peach.

The only issue with the Costco 6 volts is the warranty is only 6 months... something to consider.

I have a 2300 portable generator that is real quiet, I usually run it at night to keep the batteries juiced while the heater is cranking in the desert. Sips less than a gallon a night.

 

[69hondo]

Well, my "new to me" coach has 3 wasted batteries and I need to replace them. One of them is the chassis battery, so that will stay 12V and be pretty much dedicated to starting duty. The other 2 are currently deep cycle 12V batteries. Simplest swap would be to go to costco and get a pair of 12V deep cycles to replace them, but I also see that Costco carries a relatively cheap $89 6V golf cart battery. Would 2 of those provide more usable amp-hours and longer service than a pair of 12v deep cycles? Or would I need to run for of them (2 pairs to get 12V each bank). Need to keep the cost reasonable here, i'd love a big bank of top dog Trojan's but it's not in the cards right now.
I remember @69hondo went thru this recently but I can't find the thread
Thanks!

Jerry, I ended up getting two of the Trojan 6V. As said in many other threads, definitely the way to go. Spent four days in glamis and they didn't loose one bit. Now I would periodically start the big generator to run the microwave or air compressor. In the past with the two 12V by the second or third day I would be low.

 

[Bigbore500r]

Sounds like Costco 6v it is. Do these just drop in place of the 12V batteries or do you need to mod the battery tray / hold down to fit them? I know you need a pair of jumpers to wire them up correctly

 

[Bigbore500r]

Jerry, I ended up getting two of the Trojan 6V. As said in many other threads, definitely the way to go. Spent four days in glamis and they didn't loose one bit. Now I would periodically start the big generator to run the microwave or air compressor. In the past with the two 12V by the second or third day I would be low.

Did you go with the T-105 Trojans or the lower end ones?

 

[69hondo]

Did you go with the T-105 Trojans or the lower end ones?

I got the T-105. Local guy by me had them for $125 each.

 

[69hondo]

Did you go with the T-105 Trojans or the lower end ones?

I also dont think you can go wrong with the Costco 6V.

 

[OutCole'd]

I have a 2300 portable generator that is real quiet, I usually run it at night to keep the batteries juiced while the heater is cranking in the desert. Sips less than a gallon a night.

I have a small gennie also, but with the two 6's, I don't need to run it at all during the night. Last trip out it was in the 20's at night and heater was on all night long, woke up and my batteries were at 3/4 full. I run the gennie during the day or evening for a few hours to top the batteries off.

 

[Bigbore500r]

I have a small gennie also, but with the two 6's, I don't need to run it at all during the night. Last trip out it was in the 20's at night and heater was on all night long, woke up and my batteries were at 3/4 full. I run the gennie during the day or evening for a few hours to top the batteries off.

How many days can you do that for, do they stay consistently at 3/4? Are you running the Trojan bad boys, or the Costco 6v ? If i could get away with 2-3 hour of coach generator per day to keep the batteries juiced, id skip running the little guy all night

 

[Bpracing1127]

I need to do two 6v on my trailer too! My 12’s are ok but at night I usually have every tv and light on.

I am also looking at an inverter install in my rig too!

 

[HitIt]

https://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/threads/6-volt-or-12-volt-in-coach.192450/

 

[Meaney77]

I have a 2300 portable generator that is real quiet, I usually run it at night to keep the batteries juiced while the heater is cranking in the desert. Sips less than a gallon a night.

You should be golden, just make sure you check the water in the batteries before each trip. I notice mine go through water when using the inverter

These come in handy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FC79JC/ref=dp_cerb_1

 

[River Runnin]

Sick and tired of wet cells! ...I going AGM!

 

[Meaney77]

FWIW I think the Costco batteries are actually Interstates...

 

[Meaney77]

Might also consider swapping out to LED bulbs inside. I have yet to do it but for ~$100 in light bulbs off Amazon you should notice a big difference with battery life on your trips.

 

[Meaney77]

Sounds like Costco 6v it is. Do these just drop in place of the 12V batteries or do you need to mod the battery tray / hold down to fit them? I know you need a pair of jumpers to wire them up correctly

They shoud just drop in, you may need to rig up a strap with some long bolts and angle iron. And probably 10 trips back and forth to Home Depot.

 

[RCDave]

Might also consider swapping out to LED bulbs inside. I have yet to do it but for ~$100 in light bulbs off Amazon you should notice a big difference with battery life on your trips.

I just did this in my RV. Easy to swap bulbs. In addition to the energy savings, they run cool too

 

[01erionracing]

Sick and tired of wet cells! ...I going AGM!

This ^^^^^^^^^

 

[Constant840]

I just put 2 T105s in our toyhauler. $125+core.
Been on a couple 3-4 day trips with them. Hold power pretty well. Ran the generator maybe 2 hours a day. Came home still in the green.
Also swapped all the bulbs for LED. Something like 16 bulbs for $30 on Amazon.

Picked up a couple battery tenders at costco (don't know why I didnt shop their batteries?) and have been plugging those in when its sitting.

 

[OutCole'd]

How many days can you do that for, do they stay consistently at 3/4? Are you running the Trojan bad boys, or the Costco 6v ? If i could get away with 2-3 hour of coach generator per day to keep the batteries juiced, id skip running the little guy all night

Costco batteries, i can do that for as long as you want, run my Honda gennie for 3-5 hours a day total to keep the batteries topped off. Run TV's, satellite, lights, all is good.

 

[redone76]

I just did this in my RV. Easy to swap bulbs. In addition to the energy savings, they run cool too

What kind of bulbs did you run? I swapped mine out with some LEDs my brother gave me and I can’t stand the light. Not nearly bright enough and casts all kinds of shadows


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[redone76]

FWIW I think the Costco batteries are actually Interstates...

Yes they are. Just installed 2 12 volt deep cycle in my toy hauler. I think it’s a 2 year no questions warranty on the 12s


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[Bigbore500r]

Yes they are. Just installed 2 12 volt deep cycle in my toy hauler. I think it’s a 2 year no questions warranty on the 12s


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I think they are now 1 year. Used to be 2

 

[redone76]

I think they are now 1 year. Used to be 2

You’re right. I’ll do a battery refresh come October!


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[Bigbore500r]

Might also consider swapping out to LED bulbs inside. I have yet to do it but for ~$100 in light bulbs off Amazon you should notice a big difference with battery life on your trips.

I did that to my toy hauler, made a big difference but the light output was to white (like 5k or more) despite buying bulbs that were supposed to be soft white. I have that cold light color. Do you have a source for 3k LED bulbs in the typ RV fixture sizes?

 

[spectras only]

I always changed out the 12 volts they come in new TT's to two 6 volts. However, if you plan on keeping the moho for long time, invest in rooftop solar panels, at least 200W. The long sunny days where you live would make sense to have it. Deep cycle batteries take longer to recharge, and solar panels would help to maintain the voltage. I have a Yamaha generator in my truck's bed hooked up and run in the morning and evening in campsites that allow it. Also have portable solar panels in case no power service at some rural campsites. You'll notice how much heavier the 6V deep cycle batteries [ they're taller too with thicker plates ] are compared to the 12volt batteries.

 

[HitIt]

FYI, the footprint of the 6V that costco sells are about the same as a 24 series. They are an inch or two taller though. Most 6V battery boxes are just a 24 series box with a 1" extender on top. My hunch is that you have 3x 27 series in there right now. The 27's are longer than the 24 series.

Going from 3x 27 series to 2x 6V GC2 is a tough call and I am a huge fan of 6V.

@ 12V (estimates):
3x 27 series have 3x 100AH of reserve capacity = 300AH

2x 6V Golf cart have around 220AH

Then again, the 12V start to get damaged if you discharge them more than 50% or so you cant regularly use all of that capacity.

If you had 2x or 4x slots, it would be a no-brainier to go with pairs of 6V.

edit: I just read that 1 of the 3 you have is for the chassis and the other 2 are for the coach. The 6V GC is a no-brainer.

 

[HBCraig]

2 6V, no question.

 

[Meaney77]

I did that to my toy hauler, made a big difference but the light output was to white (like 5k or more) despite buying bulbs that were supposed to be soft white. I have that cold light color. Do you have a source for 3k LED bulbs in the typ RV fixture sizes?

I struggled with the same thing in my 5th wheel and the white lights being too bright and white but that was a few years ago- not sure if any products have changed to soften the light up more.

I went through these guys- probably not to far from you- http://m4products.com/

Also have friends that have had descent luck off off Ebay or Amazon. Maybe see who @RCDave used.

 

[RVRKID]

I just did this in my RV. Easy to swap bulbs. In addition to the energy savings, they run cool too

Which ones did you use and are they a real bright light or a soft light?

 

[Bpracing1127]

My 2017 iconic has all leds and for the soft white you guys want it uses a soft filter over the led. The bright ones are clear filter

 

[DaveC]

This!!! Costco 6 volts

Run the genset during the day long enough to charge them up to 100%.

To OP: What coach did you get? MH?

I added an extra battery box to my class A MH and run four six volts. Plenty of room.

I use solar and a small genset to keep em charged.

Costco batteries, i can do that for as long as you want, run my Honda gennie for 3-5 hours a day total to keep the batteries topped off. Run TV's, satellite, lights, all is good.

 

[RCDave]

I replaced the halogen bulbs with leds that looked like this. The difuser covers in the ceiling of my TV are opaque glass and softened the brightness to levels about the same as the halogens

https://www.amazon.com/HERO-LED-BTG...SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=bipin+led+rv+bulbs

 

[King295]

They shoud just drop in, you may need to rig up a strap with some long bolts and angle iron. And probably 10 trips back and forth to Home Depot.

You and I must work alike.

 

[Meaney77]

I replaced the halogen bulbs with leds that looked like this. The difuser covers in the ceiling of my TV are opaque glass and softened the brightness to levels about the same as the halogens

https://www.amazon.com/HERO-LED-BTG...SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=bipin+led+rv+bulbs

Looks like they offer a warm white 2700 and a warm white 3000- What did you choose? Thinking the 3k with the diffuser cover like you mentioned might be about right. We have the same covers in our coach.

 

[Meaney77]

You and I must work alike.

Every time ....! Nothing is ever as easy as it is in my head...

 

[Bigbore500r]

This!!! Costco 6 volts

Run the genset during the day long enough to charge them up to 100%.

To OP: What coach did you get? MH?

I added an extra battery box to my class A MH and run four six volts. Plenty of room.

I use solar and a small genset to keep em charged.

Ended up going motorhome. 35' Class A, bunkhouse floorplan

 

[RCDave]

Looks like they offer a warm white 2700 and a warm white 3000- What did you choose? Thinking the 3k with the diffuser cover like you mentioned might be about right. We have the same covers in our coach.

I'm not sure! A friend gave me the led's!

 

[DaveC]

Sweet.

I have a class A Georgetown. I had a friend install an extra battery tray for me since they have some much room. Which allowed me to do four six volt batteries.

Do I need four six volts? I don't know. LOL

Maybe you can get away with two six-volts and a honda 2000 generator.

Safe travels.

Ended up going motorhome. 35' Class A, bunkhouse floorplan

I also replaced all of the incandescent light bulbs with LED. They sell them online and at camperworld.

 

[Waffles]

I did that to my toy hauler, made a big difference but the light output was to white (like 5k or more) despite buying bulbs that were supposed to be soft white. I have that cold light color. Do you have a source for 3k LED bulbs in the typ RV fixture sizes?

http://www.m4products.com
Or
Superbrightleds.com

Is where I sourced all my natural white leds. Cool white was too blue and warm white was too yellow.

I've spent about $300 all n all converting everything to led

Btw, I bought all my batteries at sam's. Their 6v Duracells have a 1 year warranty and their normal 12v hold a 2 year warranty.

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[kiethco]

Do a youtube search of the Trojan 105 vs US battery. I went with 4 US Batteries to replace my Interstates. Once they were broken in the US batteries are far superior to amp hours than the Interstates. For example I run my 2k inverter for 6-7 hours now where as I used to run it for 3-4 hours. Trojans are good, but the plates and terminals ar a step above on US over Trojans and the cost is around $130.00 each. Price isn't always a good thing, value is what you're looking for with 6 volts.

 

[Bigbore500r]

Ok, decided to go the Costco route because it was available and I demand instant gratification on a Saturday! Went with a pair of the 6v golf cart batteries. Price is $95 now. Got a pair of those, and a new chassis battery as well. Not that fresh batteries are installed, I have identified a new problem - and probably the main reason why this coach had shot batteries....the converter isn’t working. It clicks on for 5 seconds, then shuts itself down. It will wait 45 seconds or so, then repeat. The batteries get no charge, and the 12v power I am seeing in between the converters power on / off cycles is coming from the chassis battery - draining that battery. Took a while to figure out what was happening. I’m gonna check the wiring and connections tonight, but seems like I have a dead converter. A few buddies have installed this converter as a retrofit and say it kicks ass for quick battery recharge and float charge maintenance. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039T059U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D03xCbV2G8DW7

Anyone have any experience with replacing an RV converter? Looks pretty easy so long as I can get to the damn thing without unhooking the entire distribution panel and wiring that it’s in front of it

 

[Riley1]

Ok, decided to go the Costco route because it was available and I demand instant gratification on a Saturday! Went with a pair of the 6v golf cart batteries. Price is $95 now. Got a pair of those, and a new chassis battery as well. Not that fresh batteries are installed, I have identified a new problem - and probably the main reason why this coach had shot batteries....the converter isn’t working. It clicks on for 5 seconds, then shuts itself down. It will wait 45 seconds or so, then repeat. The batteries get no charge, and the 12v power I am seeing in between the converters power on / off cycles is coming from the chassis battery - draining that battery. Took a while to figure out what was happening. I’m gonna check the wiring and connections tonight, but seems like I have a dead converter. A few buddies have installed this converter as a retrofit and say it kicks ass for quick battery recharge and float charge maintenance. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0039T059U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D03xCbV2G8DW7

Anyone have any experience with replacing an RV converter? Looks pretty easy so long as I can get to the damn thing without unhooking the entire distribution panel and wiring that it’s in front of it

I’ll be replacing mine soon. After my 6 volts died last trip out I started researching. Found that old converter/chargers are very inefficient. They charge slow and then over charge when the batteries are full. Killing batteries.

My lights started flickering with the generator on. That’s how dead my batteries are.

 

[HitIt]

The progressive Dynamics converter that you linked to is awesome. I have one and recommend it to everyone that needs a new converter and even people that don't need new ones. The fact that you can control the charge rate is amazing. Most other converters sense the battery voltage when a 110 volt source is plugged in and set the charge rate automatically. I run a Honda 2000 to charge my 6 volt batteries and it is really nice to be able to kick it all the way up when I just want to run my generator for an hour or two to top them off. It is also nice when the batteries are low and the converter wants to charge at a really high rate to be able to kick it down to a low rate and run the microwave. The Honda 2000 wouldn't keep up with the converter at full rate and the microwave. The breaker pops.

Make sure you also get the little pendant thing for the converter. It is basically just a remote panel with a button and LED light to allow you to control a converter.

 

[supernick]

http://lifelinebatteries.com/products/rv-batteries/
A little on the pricey side of things but well worth it. My grandparents have 4-6v 300ah batteries in their coach and they have spent the entire month out in quartzite with no issues, all this after the coach sat for 3 yrs due to his health.
He does run a Honda 2000 at night for his oxygen and c pap machine.
I bought 4-6v 400ah batteries and my wife and two children can dry camp for 2-3 days with out starting a generator. All while watching “cars” every evening before bedtime.