Greetings all,
I have a 2017 RW 425 with a residential fridge that is giving me heartburn every time we boondock. So, I have a couple of 12v batteries and a GoPower solar panel and if I'm careful about opening and closing fridge we do ok. I'm considering a couple of 6 volt batteries but have some questions.
1. Will the OEM converter be able to recharge a couple of 6v batteries either from generator or plugged in?
2. I"m pretty sure I know the answer here, but I"m assuming my GoPower solar panel would be rendered pretty much useless with 6v batteries?
3. Anyone running 6v batteries with a residential fridge that can speak to this set up?
The longest we boondock is around 4-5 days and I really don't mind keeping an eye on the fridge. I have a temp gauge in the fridge that I just keep my eye on and always restock the fridge with frozen water bottles from the freezer couple of days and that also helps. So...what so you all??
6v deep cycle vs 12v marine batteries.....
the TRUE 6v deep cycle batteries CAN have a longer service life due to the heavy plates inside that they are built with, but the longer life is not a given, because it depends on the usage and charging of them....
the marine batteries are NOT a true deep cycle battery, no matter what the label says, but they are a bit better than a standard starting battery, but are NOT the same as a true deep cycle....
when you take into account the footprint you have for battery placement in your coach, AND your usage, this will determine what batteries you should use...
using rough numbers, when using (2) 100amp, 6vDC (deep cycle) batts, connected in series to make 12volts, you STILL only have 100amps of battery power...
when using (2) 100amp,12vmarine batts, connected in parallel, you will have a bank of 200amps....
now, if you have any consideration for longevity of the batteries, you should use no more than 50% of the available capacity of the bank before recharging.... allowing the batteries to often get below 50% will shorten their lifespan dramatically, so we need to keep them topped up..... the true deep cycle batteries with their heavy plates can withstand deep cycling better than a regular battery can, which is why deep cycle batts are often preferred
BOONDOCKING requires a large bank of AMPS, and the usable footprint for batteries in the trailer is limited, so if you want to go for the longest time between charging, the 12v batts are the best choice..... but if you normally use very little power and just need the batteries to have the best chance to last several years, deep cycle may be the best choice....
but AGAIN, just because you have deep cycle batteries does NOT mean they WILL last several years..... because due to the way the batteries often get discharged too far, the 100 amp deep cycle bank can be damaged long before the 200amp bank of regular 12v batts get damaged, because with 200amps, there are more usable amps before being discharged too far......
personally, I use 12v batts, which provide the most amps, which in normal use, allows for the longest time between charging.....
and you mention solar..... I dont know how many watts your solar array is and it really doesnt matter at this moment, but if you have a solar array that will produce 100amps every 24hours, and 2 6v batteries for a total bank of 100 amps, of which you are only using down to the recommended 50%, you only have 50 usable amps to carry you thru hours that the solar is NOT producing..... but with the 200amp bank, at a limit of 50% of the bank total, you would have 100amps to get thru the hours of no solar power being produced.... and yet still have enough solar to top up the bank completely the next sunny day..... BUT, the downside here is that, as a consumer (as opposed to a salesman) you should consider the solar array will produce an average of 50% of its rated output, and design the system with this number, because the "rated output" is what was seen in the laboratory under perfectly controlled conditions.... and its rare that any of us rv'ers will keep our panels as cool as possible, keep them pointed directly at the sun, keep them wiped clean of any slight accumulation of dust or debris, or any of the other things that will allow for peak output from the panels.....
there are often times that the panel will be making almost full output (and the use of an MPPT controller can allow for an even higher output at times).... and there will be many more times that it will be make far less than its potential, and if one uses the 50% rule when sizing and using the solar array they decide to use, they will never be disappointed in its power production..... where as the opposite is true of those who have bought a 200watt array and find that it doesnt give close to the 15amps of DC power that the output numbers would indicate....
because 12v power in the trailer is being consumed 24hrs per day, power usage and recharging NEEDS to be figured on a 24hour time frame.... that is the cycle of one daylight period and one darkness period, which all the amps used in that time frame has to be replenished within the daylight hours of that time frame..... the actual output of the array needs to be averaged over a month or two, to really find how close the system comes to its rating numbers.... southern states are going to give higher numbers than the northern states, and seasons can be another concern... iI always suggest that when installing a system that it be sized for the area where the rv will spend most of its time.... a generator can help out when the rv moves to a cooler part of the country....
as a boondocker with limited battery space, I would opt for the 12v batts.....
I would suggest these
https://www.bigtimebattery.com/stor...uFq_fFt-dZvWTN8I8oSWURNE8NSE-5xUaAt4cEALw_wcB
personally, i sprung for the BIG true deep cycle 12v batteries.... these are unreasonably expensive, but they have amp hours..
https://www.batteriesinaflash.com/u...geB9jH9-gKZHLG-aDVTMBv485GeGN45YaAmn3EALw_wcB
both links show "true deep cycle" 12volt batteries and NOT the lighter weight dual purpose marine batteries.....
