New Batteries

[A B4 D]

I have a 2016 25'FB that's in need of new batteries. It seems that instead of replacing the 2 12v's I currently have, 2 6v's in series gives me many more usable amps per dollar (and will fit in the battery box.) Why does the factory use 12v's? Is there something I'm missing? Other perhaps relevant facts, I'm not very handy with electrical stuff so is reconfiguring difficult? and the Trailer lives at 9000 ft. In the Rockies and is out in the cold unused for half the year. Thanks for any thoughts.

[AirMiles]

I've been studying this issue and found this article which may help you:
https://marinehowto.com/what-is-a-deep-cycle-battery/

There is a lot of good information on Air Forums too that I've been reading. Your question is difficult to answer as the answer starts with "it depends . . ." The batteries are part of a system and you need to match the components to your needs as well as to each other. At a minimum, the 6V batteries need a compatible charger which is probably not the factory one currently in your Airstream.

The answer to your question for me is a pair Lifeline 6V golf cart batteries, a new PD-4655 power converter upgrade, and a compatible Victron solar package. You may be able to just do the golf cart batteries and the converter upgrade, if you don't want to boondock often.

Be careful, the answer you are seeking can get very expensive!

Good Luck!

[DBinSD]

Following due to same question.

What size, model # are you looking at?

[AirMiles]

DB, not sure if your question is directed at me. But let me add this. All batteries and/or manufacturers have different charging recommendations. Here is another article that describes some of the charging dilemma: https://marinehowto.com/how-fast-can...ry-be-charged/

Some battery manufacturers recommend very high charging voltages, some (most) manufacturers recommend "temperature compensation", so you must use different voltage levels at different battery temperatures. An exact matching charger may not be available or may be very expensive. This stuff gets really complicated. I believe the closest to "perfect" solution is solar charging. So my batteries will be a pair of Lifeline GPL-6CT 6VDC 300 A/H batteries matched up to a Victron 100/30 Solar Charger with a BMV-712 Battery Monitor, 400 Watts of SP-100 solar panels and very thick cables professionally installed by "Lewster". Lew suggested these items and I see they match up very well. The Progressive Dynamics PD-4655 is the weak link in my system. Its multi-stage charging voltages match up very well at 77 degrees, but this charger does not have temperature compensation. I can "justify" the lack of temperature compensation because my batteries will be located under my front queen bed in an air conditioned 77 degree environment when being charged by the PD-4655 with shore power (or generator). When in the sweltering 100 degree Florida environment, without shore power, my Victron 100/30 will be charging my batteries with its built-in temperature compensation. Therefore, this solution works "perfectly" for me.

Again, your battery and charging system needs to be compatible along with how you will use them. My solution may not be the best solution for others. The 300 amp hours of batteries will give me 150 amp hours of usable capacity which should last me a couple of days of average use. Others may need more or less storage. Others may not have their batteries inside the Airstream and would require temperature compensation for shore power charging. All these things must be considered when designing your system.

[A B4 D]

Thanks for the input. The articles were very useful. We're about to leave on a 30 day trip so I'll probably just replace this time and go for the bigger solution in a few years

[Adventure.AS]

An advantage of two 12 volt batteries is that if one goes bad you can easily disconnect it and just rely on the one battery to provide juice to run your fridge etc., until you have a chance to replace the pair, which are easy to find anywhere. I, personally wouldn’t switch to 6 volt batteries for the small gain in amp/hrs vs my group 27 AGMs.

[turk123]

Originally Posted by Adventure.AS

An advantage of two 12 volt batteries is that if one goes bad you can easily disconnect it and just rely on the one battery to provide juice to run your fridge etc., until you have a chance to replace the pair, which are easy to find anywhere. I, personally wouldn’t switch to 6 volt batteries for the small gain in amp/hrs vs my group 27 AGMs.

I've upgraded to the new progressive converter and I have built a portable solution (300 W solar), but not too sure why you would not want to go with 6V batteries? Batteries Plus (all across the county) have wonderful 6 volt golf cart batteries with close equivalents to the Trojan model. $199 buys the trojan equivalent(255ah) while $129 gets you to 235AH. I'm opting for the $129 per battery. Right now you get 10% off on that price also!

When looking for trojans I was unable to find a dealer in Ohio and to ship them is prohibitive. Battery Plus's are all over the county and you walk in to get one. No shipping. You do need a core swap for that price. Here is a link to the models they have: https://www.batteriesplus.com/search...f+cart+battery

[tjdonahoe]

Just installed 2 new interstate12 volts, the old ones were 5 years old, good enough for me...and reasonable