Batteries, Keep my 12 v or change to 6v

[skiptut]

I have seen on this forum that many people have changed from their 12 volt batteries to a set of 6 volt. Why would one do that?

[16ACE27]

More energy storage density. Two 6 volt batteries will provide more Amp-Hours at 12 VDC when wired in series than two 12 volt batteries wired in parallel.

[Lt Keefer]

What Tfryman said. In my experience 6 volt batteries also last longer.

[Bob Denman]

These babies ain't cheap: but they have gotten stellar reviews in here:

Fullriver Battery - Maintenance Free AGM Batteries

If you're into boondocking: it seems to be the better way to store power!

[captmetal]

i had 2 6volt trojans lh16c the biggest they make, nothing but a headache. replaced one under warranty 4 months the other one goes. they seem not to work as planned , switch to 2 12 volt agm, worked good so far will add 2 more this winter

[Long & Winding road]

I change to TWO Full River AGM 6 volts when my TWO OEM 12 v Harris batt. took a crapper at 11 mo old.

I Love them.

I told Battery Depot I needed a discount and they gave me like 11 % off just for asking! But I still paid like $220 each. They should last longer and the reserve power is awesome. I think its the way to go.

Do your research. The 6 volt lead acid battiery are taller (from what I researched) than AGMs overall - so I had to go with AGM to fit under my steps.

[skiptut]

Are the all AGM's that I read so much about a maintenance free battery. For the cost I only hope so.

[Bob Denman]

If it's an AGM battery: It's sealed, and it's maintenance free!

[Beau388]

If you are thinking about lead-acid, deep cycle batteries; only the weight matters. The heavier the battery (more lead) the more amps it can store. The voltage produced by a battery is a sum of the number of 2.1 volt cells in the case. Two 6 volt batteries each weighing 30 lbs will have the approximately equal rating of one 60 lb 12 volt battery. Starting batteries should not be discharged below 80% of their rated capacity for the longest life. Deep cycle batteries can be discharged to 50% of their rated capacity for the longest life. A discharge below 50% will shorten battery life. AGM batteries have four major advantages over flooded batteries: they need no water replenishment, they can be recharged much faster, they do not need equalization and they can be discharged to 30% of their rated capacity and this will not shorten their life (some manufactures say down to 20%). The worst thing you can do to any lead acid battery is let it go flat (zero voltage) and leave it in that state for several days.