How should I wire/configure my battery bank?

In electrical networks with two-terminal components there are two main ways to wire components; parallel and series. When wiring in parallel the Amps of the components are added. When wiring in series the Voltage of the components are added. 

Typically, we recommend 12V battery banks with RVs. The DC distribution and the DC loads on board are typically already configured for 12V and configuring your battery bank to 12V allows for a well-balanced system. Parallel cable configurations will keep the nominal voltage of your batteries the same, while the amp hour capacity of your total battery bank will increase. Conversely, series cable configurations on your battery bank will actually increase the nominal voltage while maintaining the amperage.

As an example, if you have 2x6V golf cart batteries, you could configure them with series cables to get them up to 12Vs. On the other hand, if you're working with 2x12V batteries, you would use parallel cable kits to maintain the 12 volts.

Sometimes due to top end constraints to 12V system sizing, 24V battery banks can be used for larger systems. We typically only recommend 24V banks if you need more than 1200Ah of storage or more than 3kVA of output. If you feel that your project falls into this category, we highly suggest reaching out to us directly at info@amsolar.com for help with system sizing and design.