Noise

[Happy Days]

Just got my new 2014 3620FL home from the campground. I plugged it up, and turned on the main breaker. I hear what sounds to be a fan, or small motor running. When I go underneath at the compartment under the main breaker box it's pretty noticeable. I never noticed this noise before. Everything works fine, and hooked up correctly. Any ideas??

[GaryWT]

Sounds like your converter. The more 12 volt is needed or battery needs charging, the more you will here it. It is usually behind/ below/ above you breaker box, always close by.

[Happy Days]

Thank you sir

[Richard6959]

I have heard mine recently too. So are you saying the battery needs to be charged? Im hooked up to shore power but I still hear it when I turn on a light.

[Festus2]

The sound you hear is probably coming from the fan in the converter. Since the converter generates heat when it is operating, the fan keeps the components "cool". Your battery is most likely okay and doesn't need charging.

When you turn on the lights which operate on 12 DC, the converter "comes into action" and does its job by converting 120V AC to 12V DC. Converter comes on, heat builds up, fan comes on.

[GaryWT]

Right, not just charging but any 12 volt draw. In my trailer if the lights are on you hear the fan. If you turn the lights on in one of the bedrooms it gets louder. Turn the light over the sink or table it is even louder so the more 12 volt use the faster the fan runs to cool it down.

[JRTJH]

There is a similar article in the current issue of Trailer Life. A reader asks if his converter should be hot? The response was: It depends on how much 12 volt power the converter is producing. Even when there is no power drain by the battery charging circuit, no output to the refrigerator, lights or pump, the converter will be warm. Just providing power to the two large primary windings in the transformer will produce enough heat to make the converter "noticeably warm".

Although I don't remember ever hearing the fan running while the converter was in a no load condition, I suppose that even with the trailer "essentially powered down" there is a likely chance that occasionally the fan would come on, just to remove the "residual warmth" from the primary transformer windings.

[christopherglenn]

Maybe take a can of compressed air and blow out the cooling fan, and whatever heat sink is behind it. a thick layer of dust on the heat sink will make it run warmer, and cause the fan to run more and faster (louder) then normal. As the 12 volt batteries age, they take more power to keep full, so it may be an old age thing as well.