Do I need a "Special" controller if I tie 2 6 volt batteries together?

[spitta]

I just read something about a controller for "Dual" battery systems?

I was just going to tie two 6 volt Costco golf cart batteries together to make 12v, run a 85 watt and 50 watt panel directly to the terminals, and use a Sunforce 60031 10 Amp Digital Charge Controller.

So actually, I guess I'm wondering if my whole setup will make work? It's for a small canned ham travel trailer, it will run:

1. ONE 10w DC water pump - rarely
2. THREE .5 watt LED lights at night,
3. my big consumer would be a 1.4amp 12v fan for 8 hours
4. I might plug an iPhone or 50 watt laptop in there for a few hours?

2 Costco 6 volt batteries tied to make 12v ( on the label an the store shelf they say 220AH... so that would make 440ah... Not sure I need all that.)

Two Cheapo Ebay solar panels, 85watt + 50watt = 145watts

No junction box. I don't have a long run so I'll just run 10 gauge stranded wire from both panels right into the terminals on a

Sunforce 60031 10 Amp Digital Charge Controller http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ms_ohs_product

Then when I'm docked at home I have a totally separate 110V AC Sytem, So I would run off that and charge the batteries with this

http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SSC-1500A-SpeedCharge-Charger-included/dp/B000H961YI/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1353451152&sr=1-1&keywords=Schumacher+SSC-1500A

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[Naptown]

no special controller needed in this case. Dual controllers probably refer to dual battery charging and isolation Basically some large diodes to allow charging of two separate 12v batteries without them discharging into each other (Think starting batery and house battery from one alternator

[inetdog]

no special controller needed in this case. Dual controllers probably refer to dual battery charging and isolation Basically some large diodes to allow charging of two separate 12v batteries without them discharging into each other (Think starting batery and house battery from one alternator

For what it is worth (not much, for most people) there are also some Solar PV Charge Controllers which are designed with two complete output stages so that you can do three stage charging on two complete independent battery banks (for redundancy, loads in different locations, etc.) while taking their input from a single common array of panels, with MPP tracking of that array. This is necessary because connecting two independent MPPT CCs to the same panel array is not stable. They use more than just diode isolators, because they regulate the voltage and current to each battery bank independently. (With priority for the available power given to one of the banks.)

[spitta]

So how does this look?

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1azYNFkgcSRnVGJrSOrzKsRmFmD2WGKrUZw7mYbgi-ps/edit

[Vern Faulkner]

2 Costco 6 volt batteries tied to make 12v ( on the label an the store shelf they say 220AH... so that would make 440ah... Not sure I need all that.)

Bzzt. Tie two 6 volt, 220AH batteries in series, and what you have is a 12v, 220AH battery, in essence.