fan near fuse box "on" turns on sporadically?

[Aaron Zornes]

I am a newbie to this forum but I did search the forums here and could not find a post on this topic.

I have a 3 month old 28' International CCD ... great!

So far all seems to be fine (esp. after learning about macerator pumps!).

Our problem: there is a fan in the fuse box area underneath the couch. This week (3 months new/old) it has started turning on at *random* times. We are plugged into 110AC at our house and use this unit as in-law apartment while our 3rd baby girl is arriving. There is no heat issue here as we live in San Francisco (10 miles south) and it is cool weather both day and night. We are not running any appliances other than the refrigerator and certain LV lights at night. And sometimes the gas-fired room heater during the day.

Why would we be hearing a fan kicking on for 3-5 minutes at time if there is no heat build up in the unit or in that particular area (when I pop the fuse box under the couch area open). This sound definitely comes from the fuse box area … I’ve walked outside to see if it was coming from the hot water heater compartment up front but that is stone cold and fan sound there. It is inside the trailer.

We did have a spider nest in one of the pipes feeding the gas-fired water heater last week. That poor spider became history when we turned on the water heater switch for the first time last week. Spider caught fire and burned through the thermal fuse. We are waiting on thermal fuse replacement.

However, there is no real power drain (other than the refrigerator), it is cool here day and night, yet the fan under the fuse box is kicking on every 10-15 minutes for 3-5 minutes.

What gives?

THANKS.

--Aaron

[Westfalia]

You are hearing the convertor (120V->12V) fan running. I have noticed that turning on a bank or two of lights will trigger the fan for the convertor as it is working harder with the increased power draw. Using fewer lights will help, but is not an ideal solution. Is the fan really loud? Maybe you can change it out for a quieter computer style fan. I'm sure others will have more suggestions soon.

[moosetags]

Ours does the same thing.

[Steve & Susan]

Aaron - Ours does the same thing - any time there is a 12 volt drain (lights, fantastic fans, bath/shower vents, battery charge, radio, etc.) the power inverter is working and the fan cools it. Fridge is either propane or AC current and shouldn't cause this. Be sure not to block those vent louvers!

What color scheme did you get on your DDC? We have the orange and LOVE it! Visitors to our trailer in various parks are envious!

Have you towed it anywhere yet?

Best of luck -

steve

[AYRSTRM2]

Agree, it's the converter, and you DO have power drain...the battery loses a little voltage all the time, the fridge has a 12vdc thermo (I think), your control panel has a trickle or two (even the battery meter drains a bit). Actually, the real clue is your statement that you use certain "LV" lights. I think you mean Low Voltage, and hence they drain the battery or use voltage off of the converter. This is just normal everyday occurences in your Airstream.

[hp2196]

Following - I just started hearing in ours. I have a new Tommy and we are in month 6 and just started hearing. Plugged in to shore power. All I have on is the tv. It is a beautiful day, no heat, no blocking, - the fan is coming on and off and not a steady blow - almost like a power surge. I would consider it a lose connection but I check and it is not. Batteries are in good shape, full of fluids. No corrosion anywhere. This doesnt seem right. Thoughts?

[xrvr]

Any dust build up onthe front of the converter?

[hp2196]

No, I cant get all the way into the actual convert without a full dissemble. I did remove the full box to see the fan and no dust back there. I did blow the area out with air anyway. It is running almost all day. Crazy - when I close the door I get a fluctuation with it. Almost like a loose wire but I can find any bad fuse or loose wire.

[A W Warn]

Don't worry. The fan running on the converter is normal, random in time as rate of charge/use changes. The batteries are always being discharged (by the refrigerator controls , the propane detector, lights, fans, HVAC controls, water heater ignition, entertainment system, etc.). The converter has to adapt to those electrical load variations. As the ambient temperature changes during the day the cooling needs of the converter also change.

If you have lead/acid type batteries, check the electrolyte level. Add water if necessary. Other than that, forget about it.

add edit:
If there is a problem with the converter; it will stop functioning, or 12v fuses will burn out, or a 120v breaker will trip.

[68 Overlander]

A lot of the converters are load controlled and will cycle based on the the load and drive some people crazy. I like the temp controlled units that are temp controlled. They don't run as often but will when they heat up, usually in the afternoon. They must have a fan one way or another, no getting around that.

[SilverHouseDreams]

Another source of load is if you unknowingly have the inverter on, wether it powers anything or not, or if you have the inverter on and are running the TV or other devices out of a inverter powered outlet.