Electrical Converter

[Jmahaney90]

Is the electrical converter fan supposed to run all the time when hooked to shore line? I have a 2018 hideout and a month ago we were camping and when we went to bed I never noticed the fan running but when I woke up in the night I noticed it was running but never thought much of it other than it was just cooling down the unit. When I got up the next morning it was still running so I went outside to check the battery and found smoke coming from the battery box so, I unhooked it. I bought a new battery and when I hooked it up to shore the the fan automatically started running.

[Canonman]

The fan is running to help cool the converter. One of the largest draws on the converter is charging the batteries. If the first battery was bad, likely low on water, the converter was working overtime trying to charge it. The new battery probably wasn't fully charged so the converter was bulk charging until the new battery was topped off. Eventually the fan should shut off.
Another possibility is the converter is bad and overcharging the batteries i.e. not recognizing when the battery is charged and running at a lower setting to maintain the proper charge level.
I'd keep an eye on it so battery #2 doesn't get overcharged.

[wiredgeorge]

Perhaps disconnect the new battery and test DC voltage coming from the converter by using a multimeter in DCV touching the probes to the disconnected cable. Not sure exactly how much voltage you see but it must be enough to charge meaning in excess of 13VDC. Much under and the battery will eventually discharge and over it will eventually fry.

[LHaven]

What fits the symptoms: first battery was bad or dry, converter was working overtime trying to charge it, it never charged, finally fried. Second battery was fresh, fresh batteries aren't charged to 100%, so again, converter was trying to charge it (but at least this time it should take).

[Jmahaney90]

Originally Posted by Canonman

The fan is running to help cool the converter. One of the largest draws on the converter is charging the batteries. If the first battery was bad, likely low on water, the converter was working overtime trying to charge it. The new battery probably wasn't fully charged so the converter was bulk charging until the new battery was topped off. Eventually the fan should shut off.
Another possibility is the converter is bad and overcharging the batteries i.e. not recognizing when the battery is charged and running at a lower setting to maintain the proper charge level.
I'd keep an eye on it so battery #2 doesn't get overcharged.

Thank you I’ll keep an eye on it