By Mike Sokol
Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you’re a newbie who’s never plugged in a shore power cord (or ask – what’s a shore power cord?), or wonder why your daughter’s hair dryer keeps tripping the circuit breaker, this column is for you. Send your questions to Mike Sokol at mike (at) noshockzone.org with the subject line – JAM.
Dear Mike,
Don’t know if this question is JAM-worthy or not, but here goes:
Here’s my question: The old 12-volt battery is perfectly good; Schwab tested it for me. I have room to put that battery in as well, and could connect in parallel to the two 6-volt batteries. Probably the simplest way to do it. But should I? The 12-volt battery is 2 1/2 years old, so should still have some life left in it. Should the coach side of the B+ (red wire) come off the 12V or the 6V? Or does it matter? But, is mixing an older 12V with new 6Vs a good idea? (See my diagram for an explanation of what Chris is asking.)
If it is OK, I could put in a Blue Sea Systems marine battery switch, for instance the Selector 3 Position, that would disconnect the 6Vs and connect the 12V to the coach; so instead of in-parallel, it would be either 6Vs or 12V. But then how would I keep all batteries charged? I guess by throwing the switch either way, the converter would charge whichever battery is connected to it? Dear Chris,
That’s a great question and it is certainly JAM-session-worthy, so here goes.
The short answer is no, you cannot simply parallel your 12-volt battery with the new 6-volt batteries (in series). You can only parallel batteries that are exactly the same brand and chemistry, including age. Otherwise it will result in unbalanced charging as well as shortened battery life. However, you can do a temporary parallel interconnect as a quickie jumper to start a generator or whatever. But that shouldn’t last more than a minute or two. Or you could do a Batt-1/Batt-2 selector that keeps these two battery banks separated at all times, but lets you switch in one or the other to your RV’s 12-volt system.
Here’s the diagram you sent me, which is actually pretty good except for the second disconnect switch. Note that the Blue Sea battery selector switch you’re showing allows you to connect your RV’s electrical system to Batt-1 or Batt-2, plus a third option of !+2 for both batteries. But as you guessed, you only want to use the Batt-1 position or the Batt-2 position. Leaving it in 1+2 Mode with the 12-volt and 6-volt batteries connected together in parallel for more than a few minutes would likely cause battery life problems since they’ll try to equalize the charges between them. And you really don’t need the second disconnect switch since that function is included in the Blue Sea switch.
However, you won’t be able to charge all three batteries at the same time even if the switch was left in “Both” mode. My suggestion is to only use the Batt-1 or Batt-2 positions and never run the two sets of batteries in parallel (Both), but go ahead and charge them separately by simply selecting one or the other battery selection for a few hours.
Note that I’ve looked around and can’t find a battery selector switch without the parallel (Both) battery function. So if you do use this switch, be careful not to use the 1+2 selection for longer than a few minutes at most. And if anyone reading this knows of a Batt-1/Batt-2 switch that doesn’t have a Both (parallel) selection, please let me know in the comments below.
OK, everyone. Remember that electricity is a useful and powerful force, so we all need to pay attention to safety precautions while using it.
Let’s play safe out there….
Mike Sokol is an electrical and professional sound expert with 50+ years in the industry. His excellent book RV Electrical Safety is available at Amazon.com. For more info on Mike’s qualifications as an electrical expert, click here.
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Could add a battery “trickle” charger to the disconnected 12v battery to keep it charged, This would be additional wiring and disconnect switches and perhaps not worth the effort or the brain cells.
I did think of that, and it’s actually a pretty good idea. This should really be a battery tender/charger because long periods of trickle charging will damage the battery. But this is actually a really simple hookup that anyone could do.
FWIW, fiver had 2x6volt batts; added 2×12 volt batts and paralleled them to the 6volts. Worked fine for 1.5 years til traded the trailer. Not optimal setup, but it worked well for extra overnight power. Took the 12volts out before the trade and they checked ok. And they all charged off the converter. Understand it’s not the right way, but it worked ok for me.
Hi all, thanks for this informative article and thread. I have 2 Renogy 6v 260 Ah batteries run as 12v for my Tinyhouse tour van. I’ve had for a little under 3 years (would have got 4 instead of 2 or Li if I could have afforded them at the time. Money continues to be a big factor). I’m in desperate need of a 12v roof top AC (looking at Dometic RTX 1000 or 2000. Would be head over heels if I knew of a cheaper knock off of this in exi$tence ;). To build on what I have I wanted to get 2 more of the (RGN-Batt-Gel6-260’s) sadly, Renogy no longer makes these and I’m having no luck sir far tracking down anyone who does. This comment gave me some hope that MAYBE I could get a Renogy 12v (or two) and do as this person has commented. Not sure what amp hour I should get to best match the 6volt batteries I have. I never have sure power (I’m stealth camping or off grid) I really don’t want to have to charge separately and a big concern is have capability of running AC for any length of time. Is there any hope for me salvaging the 2 6 volt batteries I have? This project all be it necessary is way way beyond what I’ve conceived of budgeting for. It’s going to be tuff enough swinging the upwards of $3500 for the AC and it’s instal kits and wires much less 4 new batteries. (2 is possible). Any other brands comparable to Renogys technology? How badly would new batteries be damaged being used with new one(s)? (Anyone have any lightly used 6v renogy batteries for sale anywhere near Atlanta GA? Thanks so much. I’m urgently dealing help. 757.710.zero one three five.
My class A has 2 sets of 6 volt deep cycle batteries for the house in a series parallel configuration and 2 12 volt engine batteries in a parallel connection. Output of each set is 12 volts. I also have an aux start button that ties all together in the event of low engine battery voltage. My converter/inverter charges each set separately. Charging any parallel connected battery circuit will always be a challenge due to both batteries and all connections being equal. A loose or dirty connection will result in one battery not taking equal charge. Battery maintenance is very important with parallel circuits, electrolyte level, specific gravity of the electrolyte, and condition And tightness of connections should be checked 3-4 times a year to maintain healthy batteries.
I had almost the exact same problem with my new Grand Design. I installed a 6.0 Cummins generator in my solitude and used the stock 12 volt battery for starting the generator. I also installed a series of six volt batteries for house use that I hooked into the charger that came in the fifth-wheel. The problem is the generator does not have the means to charge the 12 volt starting battery. So what I did was ran a trickle charger battery tender from a plug inside the baggage compartment and connected that to the starting battery. So whenever I am plugged into shore power, the built-in charger handles the six volt batteries and Battery Tender handles the starting battery for the generator.
That’s a simple solution that should work perfectly.
Blue Sea Battery Switches
Blue Sea Battery Switch model 6008 is a 3 way switch.
Hi, Mike and thanks for your response to my questions. I did use a Blue Seas transfer switch #11001 without the 1+2 option, (https://www.amazon.com/11001-Blue-Sea-Alternator-Disconnect/dp/B00FS8T9J2) as shown in my diagram and it works well.
I installed two SOK 206ah LiFePO4 batteries about three years ago. Not knowing what you said about mixing batteries of different ages I bought another and installed it in parallel this year. So I guess I have a problem. Is there any way to measure if they are working together OK or should I pull the new battery and use it somewhere else?
Hi, Ed. Mike hasn’t been writing for RVtravel.com for quite awhile, but you can find his recent posts, and probably contact him, via Substack. Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com