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Old 05-06-2018, 02:45 PM   #1
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2016 26' Flying Cloud
Spooner , Wisconsin
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Posts: 59
Parallax 5300 fan runs constantly

I have a Parallax 5300 which had problems last fall and the dealer replaced it just before it went into storage.
I took it out of storage, plugged it into 50 amp service and the fan on the Parallax converter charger has run continuously for three days.
The AS owner's manual says the converter will run occasionally and so quietly that "you might not know it is there."
Question: shouldn't that thing shut-off?

Details...
I stored the batteries separate from the AS.
One is an Interstate that was new May of 2017 that was on a float charge all winter. The hydrometer (?) battery tester says it is good. I think that it read 13 V when I installed it.
I bought a new O'Reilly's which the tester says is good, with two cells "fair" but read 13.1 across the polls when I installed it.
Every thing in the AS that I can turn off is off.


When I turn off the DC circuit on the converter the DC circuit goes dead and the fan stops.
With the DC circuit energized, and the inverter turned on, I can hear it's fan start up under the forward, street side, bench.
With the 50 amps on, the battery indicator read, I forget exactly, about 13.8 V.
When I turn off the 50 amp the battery indicator reads 12.9.

I called the dealer (150 miles away) who suggested I try YouTube.
I trust the AirForum.
Thanks for this and past help.
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Old 05-07-2018, 09:51 AM   #2
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When everything is turned off in the trailer, you are connected to shore power and the Use/Store switch is in the Store position, does the fan continue to run? Wait 5 to 10 minutes just to be sure.

If the fan stops running in the Store position when you select the Use position and wait 5 to 10 minutes, does the fan start to run at some time?
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Old 05-08-2018, 10:21 AM   #3
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Thanks for responding.
Q#1: Yes. Everything is "off", i'm on shore power, and I've clicked Use/Store to Store, the fan keeps running. I didn't monitor it every minute, but in three days of checking at least three times a day and for 15 minutes at a time, I've never found the fan to stop.

Q#2: Since the fan never stops, I don't know. I have shut off the shore power. I have turned the DC switch on the panel to "off". And in each case the fan shut off. But when I restored the energy, the fan returned.

This note on the Store/Use. This is located near the AirStream's door. It is a rocker switch with a red light. When shore power is on I can move the switch to "store" and feel it click, but the red light remains on continuously while there is shore power. It stays on regardless of this switches "position."
If I turn off shore power this light goes off in the "store" mode and comes on in the "use" mode.
With shore power off, the Store/Use in the "store" position, nothing in the AirStream is energized. (Nothing, perhaps but the TV's which we have unplugged. And also on an LED, exactly where I cannot recall. But the thing isn't completely dead, because I get a spark when connecting the battery.)

Hope that helps you help me.
Thanks
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Old 05-08-2018, 01:26 PM   #4
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What state are your house batteries in? (What voltage are your batteries reading?) Is the parallax trying to charge batteries that will not accept a charge?
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Old 05-08-2018, 01:37 PM   #5
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Which 5300 do you have? The fans run continuously in the 65 and 75 amp versions.

Al
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Old 05-08-2018, 01:49 PM   #6
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Too many variables; my 2 cents:
1) make sure your batteries are 100% ie- all the cells are good. If not replace. Too much time/money/trouble guessing after testing the cells.
2) get a mechanical kill switch installed on your batteries. There are several examples here on the forum; I use the "knife switch" from Amazon. It isolates the batteries and I can still run all my electronics while plugged into shore power through my Boondocker, multi-stage, converter/charger. (which I now have now instead of the stock OEM Parallax from AS.) (second time with last 2 new AS's, I have had battery and charging issues...this time, I did something about it and replaced the Converter.
3) Consider replacing your converter/charger with a true 4 stage unit. Again, several choices out there and lots of data on this Forum about this. See website below under Parallel Dynamcs or Boondocker to learn more about 4 stage charging and what happens to your batteries while charging.
4) check out this website...not pushing buying from them over somewhere else, but Randy does know his stuff and can help steer you...he's an AS owner also..several brand choices for replacement of Converter when your convinced. Their prices are good and service is good also.
http://www.bestconverter.com/Boondoc...rs-_c_154.html

Once you have all this done, you likely will not read about this stuff or experience problems again for several years, if at all.
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Old 05-09-2018, 07:46 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WherryWillie View Post
Thanks for responding.
Q#1: Yes. Everything is "off", i'm on shore power, and I've clicked Use/Store to Store, the fan keeps running. I didn't monitor it every minute, but in three days of checking at least three times a day and for 15 minutes at a time, I've never found the fan to stop.

Q#2: Since the fan never stops, I don't know. I have shut off the shore power. I have turned the DC switch on the panel to "off". And in each case the fan shut off. But when I restored the energy, the fan returned.

This note on the Store/Use. This is located near the AirStream's door. It is a rocker switch with a red light. When shore power is on I can move the switch to "store" and feel it click, but the red light remains on continuously while there is shore power. It stays on regardless of this switches "position."
If I turn off shore power this light goes off in the "store" mode and comes on in the "use" mode.
With shore power off, the Store/Use in the "store" position, nothing in the AirStream is energized. (Nothing, perhaps but the TV's which we have unplugged. And also on an LED, exactly where I cannot recall. But the thing isn't completely dead, because I get a spark when connecting the battery.)

Hope that helps you help me.
Thanks
OK, from what you've said, since the fan is running all the time, even with the Store/User switch in the store position, this tells me that the fan isn't running continuously because of the state of the batteries. I'm not saying that your batteries are good, I'm only suggesting that your converter fan isn't running 100% of the time because of them.

So I wonder if you have a significant parasitic current draw that's causing the converter fan to run continuously. Do you have a DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) that can measure current in amperes? It would be great if you can report your 12 V parasitic current drain by disconnecting shore power, select the store position, then disconnect the negative terminal to your batteries and use your DMM to measure the battery current by touching one lead of your DMM to the negative terminal of the batteries and the other lead of your DMM to the negative wire that you just disconnected? Your parasitic current drain should be somewhere in the range of 0.2 to 0.3 A.
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Old 05-09-2018, 01:33 PM   #8
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Had read in another thread that someone had the same issue and the convertor was defective and replaced.
If you bought it from Randy at BestConverter, give him a call and I expect he can let you know if your model is affected.
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Old 05-09-2018, 06:04 PM   #9
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Thanks for the suggestions.
Tomorrow I will conduct the parasitic current experiment.
In the meantime:
As I said, the converter was replaced in the fall shortly before it went into storage and I took the batteries out.
One battery was cooked. The other was good and spent the winter on a trickle charge. The bad one I replaced when it came out of storage. As I reported above, they appear good. They are fully charged and the hydrometer (not certain of the name: a turkey baster with a specific gravity gage in it) says they are good.
I don't see a "model" name on it, but it says "Output: 55 amps, 13.6 VDC"

I'm not experienced in things electrical. However, it seems -- and I think I've been told -- that if everything is "off" in the vehicle or RV, then you should be able to connect the battery and not get a spark as you do it. And that is not the case. I hate sparks, and I always get one when I connect the battery. Which has been three times. Four tomorrow.
Hose me down, I'm goin' in... tomorrow.
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Old 05-10-2018, 10:08 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WherryWillie View Post
Thanks for the suggestions.
Tomorrow I will conduct the parasitic current experiment.
In the meantime:
As I said, the converter was replaced in the fall shortly before it went into storage and I took the batteries out.
One battery was cooked. The other was good and spent the winter on a trickle charge. The bad one I replaced when it came out of storage. As I reported above, they appear good. They are fully charged and the hydrometer (not certain of the name: a turkey baster with a specific gravity gage in it) says they are good.
I don't see a "model" name on it, but it says "Output: 55 amps, 13.6 VDC"

I'm not experienced in things electrical. However, it seems -- and I think I've been told -- that if everything is "off" in the vehicle or RV, then you should be able to connect the battery and not get a spark as you do it. And that is not the case. I hate sparks, and I always get one when I connect the battery. Which has been three times. Four tomorrow.
Hose me down, I'm goin' in... tomorrow.
Get your batteries tested and consider one of the multi-stage converters mentioned as a replacement. You can pay them now or pay them later...after more potential frustration...I would rather be camping then troubleshooting..

Your "not" totally disconnected "unless" you isolate the batteries with a separate disconnect switch at the battery. There are still a couple power draws, though small, from C02 detector and some say perhaps sub-woofer, perhaps something else. Point is, unless you "isolate" the batteries with a mechanical disconnect switch, everything is likely not disconnected. Many of us have done this; I use a knife switch I purchased from Amazon. There are others also on the Forum with lots of pictures.
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Old 05-10-2018, 11:49 AM   #11
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I don't know how the subwoofer is currently wired but I can tell you that on 2017 trailers with a factory inverter, the inverter is wired directly to the batteries and doesn't go through the store/use disconnect. One of my planned upgrades is a BMV-712 monitor plus a Blue Sea physical disconnect switch.
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