If you’re boondocking or dry camping, and not plugged in, you can use your batteries to power anything that runs off 12-volt. When you’re plugged into a campground RV electrical pedestal (or any power source), your 12-volt battery (or batteries) automatically charges. However, that trade-off may be worth it if your camping needs require that extended battery life. The trade-off for using two 6-volt batteries is that two batteries take up more space than one. This configuration will usually give you a much longer battery life, or what’s referred to as a deeper discharge time. However, using two 6-volt batteries wired together in a series circuit (to essentially create a 12-volt battery) is typically better than using a single 12-volt battery. This can be achieved with a single 12-volt battery or several 12-volt batteries wired together in a parallel circuit. Your RV’s 12-volt system needs to have a total of - you guessed it - 12 volts. RV Power Sources: The Low-Down on Batteries The 120-volt system is powered by an RV electrical hookup plug or a generator, and it powers daily use items like kitchen appliances, your TV, and other large electrical appliances. The 12-volt system is powered by a battery (or in some cases, multiple batteries), and it powers things such as the start-up on your water heater, furnace, and refrigerator, plus most of the lights in your RV’s living space, your water pump, your carbon monoxide detector, and a number of other things. Your RV has two separate electrical systems: a 12-volt DC electrical system and a 120-volt AC system. With AC electricity, on the other hand, the current changes directions periodically - which is why it’s called an Alternating Current. We should also briefly cover the difference between AC and DC electrical systems, since your RV has both! In a DC system, the electricity only flows in one direction (which is why it’s called a Direct Current system). Exceed your available wattage, and you’ll trip your RV electrical system’s circuit - which you may know first-hand if you’ve ever tried to run your microwave and hair dryer at the same time! As long as you stay under the amount of available wattage, your circuits will run smoothly. If you want to know how many different electrical devices you can have on at one time in your RV (or in your home, for that matter), this formula will tell you. As an equation, it’s written as: watts = amps x volts, or W = A x V. Watts, or overall power, is a product of current, or amps, and voltage. Therefore, it’s a good idea to review a formula you learned in high school but have probably long since forgotten. Whether you’re in an RV or your home, you will never have access to an unlimited amount of electrical power. It’s good for RV owners who have good wifi, don’t want to wait on UPS, or like to keep everything digital.
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