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MG72B
12-09-2016, 10:00 AM
I have a strange one. I have a 2016 Cougar 5th. When I put the light on over the dinette the fan for the inverter comes on. I haven't monitored it but I thinks that's the only time it comes on. I have sat there and turn on and off the light and it will shut off when I shut the light off and on when I turn it back on. Has anyone else noticed this. I'm Sure there'll be a lot of owners trying it now.

mfifield01
12-09-2016, 10:11 AM
The fan comes on based on power draw. If it's not LED, change it and the fan will probably stay off.

Steve S
12-09-2016, 12:15 PM
I had the samething in my trailer and it was only with 3 lights. I've changed all bulbs including the outside ones to LED and I never hear the fan @ all."bouncey:

hankpage
12-09-2016, 12:51 PM
I have a strange one. I have a 2016 Cougar 5th. When I put the light on over the dinette the fan for the inverter comes on. I haven't monitored it but I thinks that's the only time it comes on. I have sat there and turn on and off the light and it will shut off when I shut the light off and on when I turn it back on. Has anyone else noticed this. I'm Sure there'll be a lot of owners trying it now.

That is the cooling fan for your CONVERTER. It is supplying 12v dc power while you are connected to shore power so you don't drain your battery. It is normal and as others have said, can be lessened by changing to led bulbs.

MG72B
12-09-2016, 01:34 PM
Thank you, we've owned his since February and it always happened. After reading your replies I took out the two bulbs any turned it off and on and the fan never came on. So I put the bulbs back in and now the fan doesn't come on when I turn it on.
Thanks for replies.

xrated
12-09-2016, 02:31 PM
Thank you, we've owned his since February and it always happened. After reading your replies I took out the two bulbs any turned it off and on and the fan never came on. So I put the bulbs back in and now the fan doesn't come on when I turn it on.
Thanks for replies.

You put the regular bulbs back in...or...you put LED bulbs in?

Ddubya
12-09-2016, 04:15 PM
Sounds like the bulb bases were not making good connection causing excessive current drain. Removing the bulbs and then putting them back likely cleaned the corroded connections thus reducing the current.

xrated
12-09-2016, 05:36 PM
Not making a good connection wouldn't result in excessive current, in fact, a bad connection would result in a higher resistance. A higher resistance would result in less current draw.

hankaye
12-10-2016, 07:22 AM
MG72B, Howdy;

The only time that I experienced the same thing that you are is when my
batteries had fried. I'd forgot to check the water levels in them during the
long hot summer here in the desert SW. Lesson learned. Even during my
recent problem with my lights dimming and the furnace acting as if it had
a 2 speed transmission I never heard the fan running. So, ... go check your
battery for water level and charge. Disconnect from shore power first or
it will give you a false reading.

hankaye

MG72B
12-11-2016, 03:37 AM
You put the regular bulbs back in...or...you put LED bulbs in?
Yes I put the same bulbs back in. Sounds crazy.

concours
12-11-2016, 07:57 AM
we switched to LED light bulbs this year now we never hear the fan run Its also nice not having all that heat from the incandescent bulbs

sourdough
12-11-2016, 10:23 AM
I would suggest changing those bulbs, and all the rest, to LEDs. Makes a huge difference, and it sounds like you already have an issue with the connections of those bulbs. Also, as was mentioned, if you haven't checked the water levels in your battery(s) you should do so. It looks like you have a 2016 but that doesn't mean anything. When I bought my new trailer my batteries were very low (I should have had them checked on the PDI but did not :( ). Depleted batteries will make your lights, and other stuff, do weird things.

Steve S
12-11-2016, 06:34 PM
Yes I put the same bulbs back in. Sounds crazy.

Isn't tat like saying I'm asking for help but I'm not going to listen to your advice?:eek::eek:

Ddubya
12-12-2016, 06:13 AM
Not to get into a p#~<{ match but if the lamp base is corroded causing a high resistance short there could be excessive current draw

SummitPond
12-12-2016, 06:52 AM
I'd forgot to check the water levels in them during the long hot summer here in the desert SW. Lesson learned.

Ouch! You mean TT 12V batteries are not maintenance free? I don't recall reading anything about this in the trailer manual (in fact, i don't recall reading ANYTHING about batteries in the trailer manual) and the dealer didn't say anything on the subject. Of course, it's been two years and I've slept since then, but I think I would remember a comment like that.

sourdough
12-12-2016, 07:18 AM
Ouch! You mean TT 12V batteries are not maintenance free? I don't recall reading anything about this in the trailer manual (in fact, i don't recall reading ANYTHING about batteries in the trailer manual) and the dealer didn't say anything on the subject. Of course, it's been two years and I've slept since then, but I think I would remember a comment like that.

I am assuming your serious in your comment. If so, you need to check your batteries; I've never seen maintenance free lead/acid 12v deep cycles (that I recall). I suspect that they need to be replaced if you haven't kept them up for 2 years. That would of course depend on the amount of time you spend in the RV and how much time it sits with a charger on it.

concours
12-12-2016, 08:58 AM
Battery maintenance isn't mentioned in the owners manual because they are a dealer installed item i.e. not supplied by keystone I find that most of the Snowbirds that I talk to have the impression that when you are plugged into shore power the battery is not been used and can be ignored which of course is not the case. Last year I needed to top up the battery during the season it will be interesting to see if that changes with all LED's

SummitPond
12-13-2016, 06:49 AM
I am assuming your serious in your comment.

Oh, yes, I am serious. That's one of the things I really like about this forum - it's quite educational. Thank you for letting me know what to do.

I have zero experience with deep discharge batteries, so if I wasn't informed by the dealer or previously saw it here, I am clueless. I just assumed that all lead acid batteries were similar in their maintenance. I can't think of the last time I had to top off my battery in the car - it seems like it's been decades. I understand in maintenance-free batteries the electrolyte is no longer distilled water but some sort of gel.

I'll have to pop the top on my battery cover (a real pain - a terrible design) and look into the cells.

sourdough
12-13-2016, 09:21 AM
Yes, maintaining the batteries can be a chore - but you need to do that every few months depending on usage. It's much easier putting a few ounces into the battery than putting a large amount - which means you have probably already ruined one or more cells. I have to remove my cowl, unchain the propane tanks, disconnect the propane regulator then remove both LP tanks to get to the batteries. Getting to them is much worse than working on them.

Banjopicks
12-14-2016, 05:56 AM
Not to get into a p#~<{ match but if the lamp base is corroded causing a high resistance short there could be excessive current draw

Sorry, I really don't want to get into a "Match" but, OHM's law states that if the resistance goes up then the current goes down. I(current) = V/R. Your statement will confuse some people.

Jgkopp
12-14-2016, 07:15 AM
Inverter fan operation is based on two things. Ambient temp and temp of the converter. If it is really cold in the rig the fan may delay coming on. As the inverter heats up the fan is controlled "on" by a thermo disk sensing this heat.

Yes adding more resistance to a load reduces a load and this reduces the heat of the inverter. Again ambient temps around this device are a factor.

Notice Keystone has a vent tube to the outside off the battery. This is a good thing for those that boil their batteries. Check your water often, even when plugged in as the charging system will attempt to charge the battery when your plugged in. The 6 volt batteries are easier to maintain as they have a quick release for the caps. You can open all three at once. One can pair up two 6 volt batteries and have a much longer life for 12 volt power when dry camping. You will need the extra battery to be in a case and then Y it into the vent tube so as not to contaminate the air within the rig with battery fumes.

Tbos
12-18-2016, 05:08 PM
FWIW, the battery installed in my Passport appears to be a maintenance free battery. I'll have to see if there is a way to open the flat top on it for maintenance.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

bobbecky
12-18-2016, 07:31 PM
Our dealer installed two group 24 batteries, which were maintenance free. I upgraded to two group 27, still the RV/Marine maintenance free. I only rarely check them for corrosion, and so far, that has never been a problem.

sourdough
12-18-2016, 08:59 PM
Our dealer installed two group 24 batteries, which were maintenance free. I upgraded to two group 27, still the RV/Marine maintenance free. I only rarely check them for corrosion, and so far, that has never been a problem.

I am not a battery guru by any means but were the group 24s installed by the dealer "deep cycle" batteries? When I replaced mine (non maintenance free) and looked at the various options I found no maintenance free options; when I talked to the Interstate store they said there was no such thing for a deep cycle....maybe in their inventory??

bobbecky
12-20-2016, 09:21 PM
The brand of battery my dealer installed and what I installed in a larger size is Centennial. There are other brands of RV/Marine batteries, but they are all a compromise, better than a starting battery and not as good as a pure deep cycle, but I like the maintenance free feature.

http://www.centennialbatteries.com/products_rvmarine.html

MG72B
12-21-2016, 10:54 AM
It started back up today, I took out one light bulb and it stopped. I guess I will put in LED's as suggested.