Parallax Power Supply Fan Noise

[Bluto]

I have a 7300 Series unit in my trailer. The trailer is only 8 months old.
The converter makes a loud noise when the fan comes on. IT sounds like the blades of the fan are hitting a shroud or something inside the unit. This sound continues until the fan stops turning.
I have not attemped to remove the unit to examine the problem.
Before I investigate further, does anyone know if these Parallax units made so they can be taken apart easily to access the fan area so I can trouble shoot?
Would I be wiser to just try to return the entire unit to the Parallax company service center to trouble shoot it?
I'd like to hear your opinions and about your experience with these units.

[Phoenix]

I have NOT seen the insides of a Parallax converter, but I suspect it uses some type of PC fan. You can probably take the fan out and get a replacement that is much quieter from an electronics store like Fry's Electronics, Radio Shack, or even Best Buy. just make sure it moves as much or more air, so the converter doesn't overheat with the new fan. Typical prices are around $10-15, and installation is really easy; just make sure to disconnect all AC power before you start probing around inside.

Also, once you have the cover off, you may find what's causing the noise. It could be a wire, ty-wrap, label/tag, or something similar that is hitting one of the fan blades.

[overlander63]

The 7300 should be a "slide in" unit that goes under the main fuse/breaker panel. It's pretty easy to R&R, there are less than 10 screws holding it in place. Remove the cover (IIRC they are T20 Torx), remove the 4 1/4" screws holding the converter, unplug the 120 volt input leads, unscrew the charging leads from the fuse panel, and unbolt the main 12 volt power lead from the fuse panel (it should also be 1/4", but may be 5/16"). There's nothing holding that bolt in place, so keep a finger on teh back of it to keep it from getting lost.
Now that you've done all that, you can slide the converter out and view the cooling fan, which is mounted on top under a screen. The screen may have become bent, or something like a piece of plastic may be fouling the fan. Worst-case, you'll have to go get a replacement fan as described above, and you will already have everything out in front of you to do that.
Good luck.

[JackMac]

Hello All, I replaced the fan in my intellipower converter just last week. The fan was making noise, and as I suspected, the fan bearings were bad. Micro Center here in Atlanta had the fan at a price of $7.

[Bluto]

Thanks for the quick responses. You guys covered everything I had questions about.
I'll line up my tools and get started on it first thing in the morning.
Thanks again!

[2airishuman]

there are long threads on removing and RE installing the p'lax...

the details vary a bit by model and location but for most of the classics,

it's attached to the floor with 4 wood screws.

the unit is INSIDE another enclosure that's got an open top and front trap door...

and circular mess screens on 2 sides near the fan/venting.

so the first thing 2 do is LOOK at the arrangement,

u might wanna look at the threads with many many pics.

the fan makes noise, how much varies.

many times with newer units it's simply a matter of BLOWING out the dust bunnies and vacuuming the space.

sure there may be something INSIDE that's rubbing on the fan blades.
__________

the unit is NOT internally serviceable by the owner.

opening the actual P'lax box will void the warranty.

so if simple things don't alter the noise, and u want LESS noise...

1. send it back (the p'lax) or take the stream to a dealer...

2. install a different brand with different fan arrangement.
________

i recall several threads here JUST on p'lax noise and fan related issues...

cheers
2air'

[Jammer]

I find the parallax noise to be unacceptable even when it's working the way it's supposed to, because it is right under the ear of whoever is sleeping on the gaucho.

One of these days, I'm going to replace it with something that runs cooler and doesn't need to run the fan as much.

[Bluto]

2air, Good points.
I called the company to get warranty feed back and see what I could do without voiding it. They said I can send it in to them for repair. Which I might do depending on what I find after pulling the unit out. If its just something like a label hitting the fan or some dirt I'll solve that easily, otherwise, I'll be sending it back for repairs.
Their turn around time after they receive it is 5 days in house repair not counting shipping it back. Not bad!
It's pretty cold here now so I'll wait till this weekend, when the warmer weather returns, before pulling the unit.

[Dusty-B]

I just replaced the two SR24 batteries in my "09 Flying Cloud. It seems
my cooling converter cooling fan runs alot I have placed a fan at the
vent to see if it will turn off and it does. It will eventually come back
on and continues to run, even with nothing running but the fridge or AC.
It didn't run that much before chang out.
Any ideas?

[Phoenix]

If you just installed the new batteries, I suspect it is just charging them. I'd ignore the converter fan for a couple of days, and it will probably return to running "normally" on its own.