Converter Fan

[Kenny&Lori]

I have a 2009 Sprigdale 5th wheel 32 foot. When hooked up to shore power and would have 4 lights on and nothing else the converter fan would come on and stay on. (It never did this the first two years we had it). I took it to the dealer to look at it and they said the converter was faculty and it was replaced. I took it out last weekend and it did the same thing. Is this normal?

[f6bits]

If your battery is low, then yes. The converter will do its Stage 1 charging of the battery, which takes more power. That could take up to two hours.

[Kenny&Lori]

I disconnected the battery both (+/-) cables and it it still did it. Could there be a short somewhere?

[f6bits]

What happens if you don’t run on shore power? If there’s a short or some other massive drain, it’ll kill your battery quickly.

There’s still the off chance that there’s something running you’re not aware of. I haven’t explored this, but I think the fuses are most, if not all, 12V devices. If you want to be thorough, pull all the fuses and see if it still does it.

If you have a current meter, you can use that to see how much current is being pulled from the battery or converter.

[Kenny&Lori]

When I reconnected the battery and unplugged from the shore power, I turned all the interior lights and exterior lights and all worked and the converter fan did not come on.

[f6bits]

The converter only works when plugged into shore power. It’s a 120 to 12 volt converter. I ask because I wanted to know how long the battery lasts when unplugged from shore.

[Kenny&Lori]

The battery last about three days and then I can tell it is getting weak.

[f6bits]

Three days is good.

I’m thinking back to the four lights thing. Is that four pairs of lights? My overhead fixtures have two lenses with the switch in the middle. I’m running LEDs, so it’s been a while since I’ve experimented with this with conventional bulbs, but thinking back, there was a certain number of lights that get the converter fan to kick on, and it was in the four to six pair of lights range.

If it’s just three pairs of lights, the fan doesn’t come on? This could just be normal. Not sure why it was fine for two years, but if that fourth light gets the fan to run, it could just be a sign of stuff getting old and drawing slightly more power than before.

[Kenny&Lori]

Not all are pair of lights. I have some with two bulbs and some with one bulb. As soon as a fourth one comes on the fan starts. I plan on calling the dealership Monday morning- we have only used the camper 8 times since we bought it new.

[smiller]

The ambient temperature near the converter matters. There is a temperature sensor attached to electronics heat sink in the unit and if the area is cool then at a given load the heat sink will be cooler and thus the fan won't be triggered, and if it is warm in the area then the heat sink will be less efficient in getting rid of the heat and the fan is more likely to run. The point being... external conditions can affect the unit such that the fan may run at one time and not another even if the load on the converter exactly is the same on both occasions. Not sure if this is a factor in your case or not, but just something to keep in mind.

[Kenny&Lori]

It was only about 70 degrees outside when it came on. I read else that the vents can get clogged. I am new to RVing. Is the converter located behind the breaker box where the fuses are?

[smiller]

The converter is often located near the circuit breaker box (or is an integral part of it) but not always. But wherever it is it is usually a small compartment where temperatures can be much higher than the outside temperature.