Deep Cycle Batteries

Im looking at these batteries and notice theirs lower voltage Batteries (12v 6v and 2v are what im seeing).
My question is, can you chain the lower voltage batteries together and still get 12v? And how would this effect the amp hours, would it increase?

The reason I want to connect lower Voltage batteries is some of them have higher Amp Hours, It was just an Idea I havent really had a chance to price them.

I was wondering if you know of any good sources for information on "RV" battery equipment Id greatly appreciate it. Any thing to point me in the right direction would be helpful. Ive been doing allot of web searches and turning up a little bit of information, but electrical and wiring is just a foreign language I know enough on how to set up wires and the likes, but not what kind of equipment Ill need.

Thanks, great information.

Ive found some great info since I know what to look for now. Pretty help full to me maybe some ealse might benefit from the resources..

Artical on "power surges"
http://vandwellers.org/poopsheets/surge.htm

This website Has all kinds of information on RV power sources. Since Im scaling this down, allot of this is quite excessive. Since I wont have microwaves, and power draining devices. where they need 400+ Amp Hours.
http://www.macandchris.com/RVBatteries.htm


I do have another question. Whats more effiecent DC or AC? Wouldnt an inverter or converter just zap all the juice from your cells?

Microwaves use next to nothing. Their current draw is high when running so it's good to have a bank of at least 2 because of it but since you only run them for a few minutes at a time they won't hardly make a dent in the bank reserve. 800w/12 = 66.66 amps per hour. 66.66A/60 minutes equals 1.11 amps per minute.

You're not flying a space shuttle to saturn so there's no sense in buying ridiculously overkill equipment the salesmen pushed. A couple flooded lead acids, a modified sinewave inverter and a couple hundred watts of solar. $700-800 will take care of all your energy needs.

It's a pet peeve of mine when these guys riding in 6 figure motorhomes with 6 figure bank accounts, portfolio's, medicare and drawing social security keep spouting this crap about "unless you need to cut corners buy the $1,000 inverter to run your $30 microwave and a laptop." It's complete bullshit. Pure sinewave inverters are relatively new on the scene only there for people running serious audio/video recording studios or CPAP oxygen machines. And even then they really aren't needed most of the time. Buying one for vandwelling is beyond absurd.

It's the "I have to absolutely have the best for no rational reason" syndrome.

All their reasoning is just an elaborate rationalization for buying something they never actually needed in the first place. A sales pitch rationale.

AC to DC - again there's inefficiencies in the conversion process but they're very minor (1-5%). Otherwise energy is energy and it doesn't matter. I use 12v products like a fleece heating blanket and small fan. I also use 120v for my laptop, charging camera batteries, etc.
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Fuckin Right, This is what I was hoping to hear. You have any recomendations as far as equipment goes solar and battery chargers? Im gonna be getting my batteries in the next couple days and rig it so when Im driving I can charge my batteries off the alternator with an isolator. I have a little yamaha generator. But then Im stuck driving the van for a charge.

I might consider solar, but I dont know. I feel like thats just a head ache waiting to happen.

Thanks. I was really thinking of forgoing solar, but this sounds too good of an idea to not do. Especially for the price, those RV pages had me thinking I was gonna need like a 200w solar system. But like you said, that's just the mind set their in, bigger is better... fuckin BS.