using golf cart batteries

[xhueydriver]

Hello,

 I have been reading a ton and still have a question about 6V golf cart batteries.  If I hook two batteries up in series then I would have 12+ volts, so now when I go to charge the batteries, either with a wind turbine or with a conventional 12V battery charger, can I just hook up to one battery and it will send the current to the other battery, or do I have to charge each battery individually... my concern is that the current running through the first battery will somehow degrade that battery...

Thanks in advance

Clint

[fungus]

Treat the two 6v batteries (in series) as a single 12v battery. You should charge the two batteries in series as well as discharging them in series. Since the voltage is shared between the battery's they both still see 6v. A 12v battery is made out of 6 cells in series where a 6v battery is made out of 3 cells in series. Connecting two 6v batteries is basically the same.

A simple text diagram:(H is a battery _ is a connection)   [connect here]+H-_+H-[connect here].

[xhueydriver]

Thank you very much...

[nothing to lose]

Yes, what Fungus said.

And each battery is still only a 6V battery so no you don't want to use a normal 12V charger on just one battery at all. That would be 12V charging on a 6V battery and the other battery would not be there on the charger at all.

[Norm]

While we're on the subject, How many amp/hrs in a typical golf cart battery?

             ( :>) Norm

[nothing to lose]

Depends on the load.

A T105 is about 200amphrs over a 20hr period, under high loads like golf carts it's considered about 105amphr. Slower you take the amps from them the more amps they give out.

For RE use I think tipically we fall into the 200amp group with lower amp drains over longer periods of time. Though at times I may have put mine into a 105amp group with some pretty heavy loads.

[Norm]

Thanks for the info, NTL

             ( :>) Norm.

BTW raining here today ...nothing to dampen my

spirits ....just gets me to thinking of collecting rainwater

to lessen my recent $90

water bill and ways to conserve water !

[nothing to lose]

Here too, I was watching water run off the roof yesterday and today thinking about the 220gal water tank and where I could put it and filter

I used to haul water before I had the well put in, still got my big tank.

Living back in old trailer now mostly, no water yet so I use the stuff here while I get set up there.

My 220gal plastic tank, 2 of my T105s, and my stainless $30 12V HF pump and I would be all set.

Where to put the stuff so it's not in the way and stll catch the water though?

[Ungrounded Lightning Rod]

Saw a picture of a rain collection downspout system on a Key West house once.  It dumps the first couple minutes of water to rinse the dirt off the roof, then switches to draining into an underground cistern.

The keys are surrounded by salt water so wells are right out.  But they get a thunderstorm most afternoons from lake effect.  Rinse off most of the dust before collecting and let the remainder settle and it's pretty clean stuff.

[Norm]

One link at 57 inches of rainfall a year on a

small area of his roof, 13x15ft. is enough for

an average 7 flushes a day on a water saving

toilet.

One day I collected enough water from my roof

that runs onto the patio roof, a total of just

228. sq.ft. 2 large trash cans of rainwater, about
     
120. gallons.....lasted for 3 days of flushes
     
     

(carrying in a bucket of water kinda deters you

from unnecessary flushes) more people should do

stuff like this...I get a big kick out of helping

to screw up smug politicians financial plans

where they depend on our wasteful habits to

pay their employees....course that turns around

and bites you when they hike the prices to cover

the decrease in revenue....Ah Well!

               ( :>) Norm.

[nothing to lose]

Hey Norm,

If you start a new post on the water stuff I got a ton of things you might like to try to save some money on water/sewer use and maybe house cooling also tossed in. We throw away far too much usable stuff including water and money!

Most of the stuff I either have done, am doing, or setting up agian to do soon.

[ghurd]

Two 6V batteries, in series, are the same as one 12V battery with the same AH rating.

Like fungus said, there are 6 cells of the same AH, in series at 2V each.  That's 12V and the same AH.

"T-105"s are usually rated at 220AH.  "Sam's Club" golf cart batteries are 205AH lately.

So 2 T-105s, in series, is like a 12V 220AH battery.  Or 205AH depending on where you shop.

The 6V 200~225AH batteries last a long time under less than great conditions.

For smaller systems,

Best 'bang for the buck' is 6V, IMHO.

Except maybe used T-105s or larger, for $5 or free.  :-)

G-