Charging 6 volt deep cycle batteries lead acid.

[sunnyside69]

Hello, I'm wondering if I can charge two 6 volt deep cycle lead acid batteries wired in series with a 12 volt charger.

 

[BartHenry]

Wired in series you would have a 12v battery... so yes

 

[MichaelK]

The reason why they make batteries of differing voltages is not for the application, it's for the weight. As you up the amphour capacity of the battery, it simply gets heavier and heavier, more than an full-sized adult could lift. Reducing the voltage is a strategy to increase the amphour capacity by decreasing the voltage, for the same size battery. It's then expected that you wire them in series to get the correct voltage. That's why you see big batteries with voltages as low as 2V. You'd need 6 of those in series to charge at 12V.

 

[sec0pz]

Yes.

 

[Vigo]

Yes, you just have to keep in mind that if they are different states of charge, different capacity, or even different states of health then one of them will fully charge before the other one does. Lead acid is pretty forgiving of this because it can tolerate being mildly overcharged once in a while (which is generally referred to as 'equalization charging' when it's intentional) as long as you make sure the already-full battery doesn't overheat or lose so much water that it uncovers the plates.

If you are not already familiar with checking SG (specific gravity ie 'water density') then you should familiarize yourself with that before going down the road of messing with 6v deep cycle lead acid batteries. My .02