6V batteries in Ontario

[bdhoun]

We are looking at camping at a non-electric site for a week this summer. We do have a Group 31 battery and a Champion 2000W inverter generator. But i am considering upgrading to 2-6Volts.

Where is the best place to buy 6V batteries in the greater Hamilton area?

[MDKMDK]

I think golf cart batteries are tougher than any other mass produced type simply because they have to be. Personally, I prefer something that's maintenance free, and most GC batteries do require some hands on once in a while. So, for me, it's 12V maintenance free or AGMs wherever possible. Preferably deep cycle, both for chassis and coach. Just my personal preference, and what I'm used to.

[daveB110]

I've had the same rig for many years with a four 6V battery bank. First batteries lasted 8 years, changed the second batteries after 6 years and the newest are still fine. I have never even heard of someone losing a cell in good quality (or other wise) flooded 6 volt battery. Its just not something to normally make decisions on. Don't forget to check fluid levels, especially when being plugged into 120 volts, which I assume you are, if not hooked into solar power. Try to keep ussage to 50% or above, with 6V. deep cycle golf-cart style batteries. All my batteries were bought in the south. As the 6-Volt battery has only three cells, are the chances of cell failure less?

[MDKMDK]

:h

I'm sure the nearest Costco to Waterdown (Brant St. Burlington?) will have some of those 6V "jars" he was talking about. If you don't mind the 403/QEW Niagara drive across the Burlington Skyway, check out GNBSystems. They are pretty good, but probably can't beat Costco at the price point mentioned.

Good luck.

Series versus parallel in the event of a failure

[bdhoun]

FLY 4 FUN wrote:
last year at Costco Edmonton their brand of 6v golf cart battery were $139/each. Two camping buddies installed 4x in each of their units and have been happy with them for a season. For sure cheaper then the Trojan T105 that I run....so a viable alternative. Buy early, they only bring in so many.


Daryll

A little bit of drive considering i asked about the Hamilton area, lol

[FLY_4_FUN]

last year at Costco Edmonton their brand of 6v golf cart battery were $139/each. Two camping buddies installed 4x in each of their units and have been happy with them for a season. For sure cheaper then the Trojan T105 that I run....so a viable alternative. Buy early, they only bring in so many.

Daryll

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I prefer 12 volt jars as they best match my needs. However, redundancy is about number 2700 down my list of why.

Choose the right 12 volt battery and you may end up with MORE amp-hours than the rating on a 6 volt golf cart jar.

Twin 12 volt batteries are better at heavy load than series 6 volt batteries.

MDKMDK wrote:
One more thing comes to mind. If you're only going to use 2 6V batteries connected in series to get the 12V to power your systems, keep in mind that if one cell in either battery fails, it takes the whole battery bank down. There is no redundancy, like there is if you use 2 12V batteries in parallel. You might sacrifice some aH going with 2 12V batteries, but if one cell fails in one battery, you may still have one working. Food for thought?

[MDKMDK]

6V golf cart batteries do have heavier plates, and probably are less prone to shorts, but the surety of a 2X6V bank failure when a cell does fail, are 100%, whereas a cell failure in one paralleled 12V battery may not bring the entire bank down. I had one 12V deep cycle battery fail in a paralleled setup, and the other battery managed the load, but for shorter periods after charging them by driving. I figured one had failed hard or was failing because of dimmer lights after a few hours of discharge in the evening, and later determined which one had failed. After that trip, I decided to replace both batteries with brand new, rather than risk running with one new, one older. I think it makes sense to replace both batteries when one fails in a 12V paralleled setup, whether they're both pooched or not. Like when one headlamp goes, the other one won't be far behind. Maybe not as important in a 2X6V setup, due to the more rugged nature of 6V batteries, I'm not sure.

[DrewE]

MDKMDK wrote:

One more thing comes to mind. If you're only going to use 2 6V batteries connected in series to get the 12V to power your systems, keep in mind that if one cell in either battery fails, it takes the whole battery bank down. There is no redundancy, like there is if you use 2 12V batteries in parallel. You might sacrifice some aH going with 2 12V batteries, but if one cell fails in one battery, you may still have one working. Food for thought?

Very often, if a cell in a pair of paralleled 12V batteries fails shorted, the rather extreme imbalance between the batteries (one a 10V and one a 12V) makes them both fail anyhow. I have no hard data, but I suspect in practice the two 6V's are more reliable overall than the parallel 12V's, especially if the 12V's are dual purpose batteries rather than actual deep cycle batteries as golf cart batteries are.

[MDKMDK]

If you're looking to buy in Canada, try Great Northern Battery Systems down on Parkdale in Hamilton by the old steel mills.
GNBSystems
Bought AGM battery sets from them a few years back and couldn't find a better price anywhere in Canada. Good customer service, too. They know about what they sell.

If you can wait until you travel south of the border, and depending on what you want/need, I'd try Sam's Club first, and then Costco. I've had good luck with batteries from Sam's Club (I live in a border town now). Have used their AGM dual purpose and AGM deep cycle (some branded as Duracell, made by East Penn Mfg) in my vehicles with no failures so far. After that, check West Marine's website. Sometimes their RV/Marine AGM/deep cycle batteries go on sale. Got a pair of GR27 dual purpose AGMs (deep cycle/starter also made by East Penn Mfg) for around C$300 on sale three years ago IIRC.

One more thing comes to mind. If you're only going to use 2 6V batteries connected in series to get the 12V to power your systems, keep in mind that if one cell in either battery fails, it takes the whole battery bank down. There is no redundancy, like there is if you use 2 12V batteries in parallel. You might sacrifice some aH going with 2 12V batteries, but if one cell fails in one battery, you may still have one working. Food for thought?

[phemens]

Costco would be the closest match to Sam’s Club, most of them have the T105 equivalents.

[GordonThree]

Is there a Sam's Club near by? Duracell flooded GC2 has a pretty good price.

Getting another G31 would give you roughly the same amp-hours.