# 12V Battery



## Erik K (Aug 28, 2013)

I'm interested in adding a 2nd 12V battery to my camper...I do a little dry camping from time to time......I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to electrical stuff, but one thing I don't know is....when you add another 12V battery, does it then make it a 24V system? I've also seen where people will replace their 12V battery with 2 6V golf cart batteries.....same principle?

If I add another battery, what do I need to do to be able to hook it up to the camper?
Thanks

Erik


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## Kevin and Sheri (Oct 17, 2013)

Morning Erik,

What I've and read and heard is you just connect poss to poss and neg to neg. Doing that keeps the system 12V. If you cross the terminals, it becomes 24V.

Have a great day.

Kevin


Erik K said:


> I'm interested in adding a 2nd 12V battery to my camper...I do a little dry camping from time to time......I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to electrical stuff, but one thing I don't know is....when you add another 12V battery, does it then make it a 24V system? I've also seen where people will replace their 12V battery with 2 6V golf cart batteries.....same principle?
> 
> If I add another battery, what do I need to do to be able to hook it up to the camper?
> Thanks
> ...


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## Leedek (Nov 28, 2010)

Check this forum link Battery Diagram


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Wire 2 x 12v....equal 12v

Wire 2 x 6v....equals 12v

...trick is to wire them correctly.


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## Erik K (Aug 28, 2013)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Wire 2 x 12v....equal 12v
> 
> Wire 2 x 6v....equals 12v
> 
> ...trick is to wire them correctly.


This is great information to have! Thanks Oregon_Camper!! another quick question....when connecting a 2nd 12V battery to the next, can I just use 10ga wire? or should I go with 8ga or 6ga?


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## Erik K (Aug 28, 2013)

Thank you everyone for your input......here's another opinion question....which is better....one really good deep cycle marine 12V battery....or 2 really good 6V batteries?


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Erik K said:


> This is great information to have! Thanks Oregon_Camper!! another quick question....when connecting a 2nd 12V battery to the next, can I just use 10ga wire? or should I go with 8ga or 6ga?


The correct answer is: it all depends. The reason people upgrade the wiring has nothing to do with a larger battery bank per se or the amp draw (e.g., #8 wiring can handle a max of 73amps which is more than sufficient for amp draw), but instead, has everything to do with voltage drop. Voltage drop is very important as it pertains to the time needed to recharge the larger battery bank (or any battery bank for that matter).

So....what does that mean?









Use the same gauge wire that you have on the trailer now....guessing that is 8g.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Erik K said:


> Thank you everyone for your input......here's another opinion question....which is better....one really good deep cycle marine 12V battery....or 2 really good 6V batteries?


1 - You need to consider cost. A good 6v (Trojan is my choice) will run around $160 each....so that is ~$320 + cabling.

2 - How often will you dry camp? We dry camping 99% of the time, so this important to me.

3 - If you simply dry camp 1-2 times a year...how long will you without power? 3 days? 10 days?	If just for a weekend, adding a 2nd 12v battery will do just what you need. If you think you're going for >5-6 days, you should consider 6v's

Finally, consider your big power draws.

1 - Do you and your family do a good job of turning off lights? Replacing the existing bulbs with LED's can also provide a nice power savings...but they are not cheap.

2 - Heater....don't run it overnight. Just get some extra blankets and snuggle in. Turn on heater in morning as you make coffee...let dog out. This will save a HUGE amount of power.


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## Erik K (Aug 28, 2013)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Thank you everyone for your input......here's another opinion question....which is better....one really good deep cycle marine 12V battery....or 2 really good 6V batteries?


1 - You need to consider cost. A good 6v (Trojan is my choice) will run around $160 each....so that is ~$320 + cabling.

2 - How often will you dry camp? We dry camping 99% of the time, so this important to me.

3 - If you simply dry camp 1-2 times a year...how long will you without power? 3 days? 10 days?	If just for a weekend, adding a 2nd 12v battery will do just what you need. If you think you're going for >5-6 days, you should consider 6v's

Finally, consider your big power draws.

1 - Do you and your family do a good job of turning off lights? Replacing the existing bulbs with LED's can also provide a nice power savings...but they are not cheap.

2 - Heater....don't run it overnight. Just get some extra blankets and snuggle in. Turn on heater in morning as you make coffee...let dog out. This will save a HUGE amount of power.
[/quote]

This is really great food for thought. Definitely will have to put some thought into what my plans are in the near future. I've found that the really nice, clean campgrounds are the state parks, which a lot of them are dry camping only. Thanks for the info!!


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## Pop up graduate (Sep 11, 2013)

Since we are on the subject...
Can one of you who use the Trojan batteries explain the benefits to this system versus a single 12 Volt system?
My main questions are is there a weight (especially tongue weight)advantage/disadvantage, what gains can be expected versus the single battery, and how the advantages are achieved in electrical terms. Is it all about amp hours?
I like the idea of being able to dry-camp in the fall in some places that don't offer electricity and be able to run the furnace without the worry of running out of power but we would probably be only camping 2-3 nights.

-Kevin


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Pop up graduate said:


> Since we are on the subject...
> Can one of you who use the Trojan batteries explain the benefits to this system versus a single 12 Volt system?
> My main questions are is there a weight (especially tongue weight)advantage/disadvantage, what gains can be expected versus the single battery, and how the advantages are achieved in electrical terms. Is it all about amp hours?
> I like the idea of being able to dry-camp in the fall in some places that don't offer electricity and be able to run the furnace without the worry of running out of power but we would probably be only camping 2-3 nights.
> ...


Most 6vdc batteries have thicker plates and this allows for deeper discharge and recharge without damage. The typical multi-purpose 12vdc sold for trailers does not have the durability.

BTW - extended dry camping, even with 6vdc batteries still require you to keep lights off when not needed and if you are going to run the furnace you have to know that 70 vs. 60 degrees on the thermostat can easily make the difference on if you will last 2 or 3 nights.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Pop up graduate said:


> Can one of you who use the Trojan batteries explain the benefits to this system versus a single 12 Volt system?


Great place to start is this web site.

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm


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## Pop up graduate (Sep 11, 2013)

Great place to start is this web site.

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm
[/quote]

Thanks to both Oregon Camper and Camper Andy for the information.

All this reminds me of a trip we took with the pop up several years ago when our oldest son was just a baby. We went to a Tyler Bend on the Buffalo National River in Arkansas on a cool November weekend. I couldn't remember if the park had electric hookups and decided to take the battery out of the beater car I had for commuting to work just in case. We got there and found that the whole park was primitive. Those two nights were nerve wracking wondering which furnace cycle would be the last. We made it though.

-Kevin


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## Jewellfamily (Sep 25, 2010)

I upgraded 2 years ago to 2 6v Interstate deep cycle batteries and it made a huge difference. I had tried a single 12v battery as well as 2 12v batteries in parallel and the dual 6v batteries last at least twice as long as 2 12v batteries. They are a little heavier (20-25 lbs total maybe) and mine required different battery boxes as the 6v batteries are an inch or two taller, but they were worth every penny. Even if we run the furnace at night which is typically the battery killer for us, if it runs off and on all night, I'm still at 2/3 battery in the morning.

12v marine/deep cycle batteries are ok, but 6v deep cycle batteries are true deep cycle batteries. When you look at the 6v batteries, the AH (amp hour)rating will be displayed on them. The higher the AH rating, the more capacity for they have and the longer they will last (and the more they cost and it goes up quick). If you are looking just to get through the night with the furnace running off and on until you start a generator in the morning to recharge, a lower number is fine. If your wanting to go multiple days, the higher AH batteries will be the way to go.

Batteries are like anything. You get what you pay for. A lot of people like the Trojan golf cart 6v deep cycle batteries. I have Interstate Batteries. Haven't had any trouble, good value I thought, and have a local distributor.


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

Jewellfamily said:


> I have Interstate Batteries. Haven't had any trouble, good value I thought, and have a local distributor.


I was looking at the Interstate website and I see they offer 6 variations of the 6 volt battery. Do you happen to know the model number of the ones that you have been using?


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## Jewellfamily (Sep 25, 2010)

H2oSprayer said:


> I have Interstate Batteries. Haven't had any trouble, good value I thought, and have a local distributor.


I was looking at the Interstate website and I see they offer 6 variations of the 6 volt battery. Do you happen to know the model number of the ones that you have been using?
[/quote]
GCD-XHD-UTL 232aH


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