Fan motor blowing

[cascade96150]

I have a Springdale 5th wheel and I noticed a fan motor that keeps blowing. It is located below the stove and or the fuse box below the stove. It is on sometimes for long periods of time. Even when we are not using the RV. Does anybody know what it is for and when should it be on and for how long. Just want to make sure it is working correctly and what it is for.

[JRTJH]

Welcome to the forum..

It sounds like you've found the converter/charger cooling fan. It typically comes on when the 12 VDC system is being used and goes off when the demand for 12 volts falls below about 5 amps....

When you turn on a lot of lights, the water pump, the furnace or other 12 volt components, the converter/charger converts 120VAC (shore power) to 12 VDC (battery power) to provide voltage for those items. As the demand (battery usage) goes up, the fan RPM also goes up. Once the battery usage goes down, the fan also slows and/or stops.... It's all automatic to keep the electrical components "inside the converter/charger" cool....

Often, even with no "visible battery power" being used, the fan will come on... When that happens, it's probably because the battery is discharged and the converter/charger is "running wide open" trying to recharge the battery... When that happens, "you guessed it" the fan will come on to cool the converter/charger, even though you haven't turned on anything inside the trailer....

What you're experiencing is normal and there's no need to be concerned, as long as the fan eventually goes off when the demand for 12 volts goes down.

[sourdough]

You don't post any specifics about your trailer or tow vehicle in your signature or profile. Doing so really helps folks answer questions in a more specific manner.

If you have a trailer that is a few years old it is probable that you have regular incandescent lighting. If so, they will run the converter non stop if you keep many of them on. I changed to LEDs and my converter almost went silent on a normal day.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by cascade96150

I have a Springdale 5th wheel and I noticed a fan motor that keeps blowing. It is located below the stove and or the fuse box below the stove. It is on sometimes for long periods of time. Even when we are not using the RV. Does anybody know what it is for and when should it be on and for how long. Just want to make sure it is working correctly and what it is for.

The only thing that stands out to me, no pun intended, is what I bolded above. If the fan is running for an extended amount of time during non use you could have an issue with the battery not charging. This is all "guessing" with the limited to zero amount of information but not knowing the age of the battery nor the battery history (has it been run "dead" which damages even a new battery) I think it's worth mentioning.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by flybouy

The only thing that stands out to me, no pun intended, is what I bolded above. If the fan is running for an extended amount of time during non use you could have an issue with the battery not charging. This is all "guessing" with the limited to zero amount of information but not knowing the age of the battery nor the battery history (has it been run "dead" which damages even a new battery) I think it's worth mentioning.

That was my first thought when I read the original post... dead battery trying to charge... I've been alerted to a bad battery more than once by the converter running more than normal.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Javi

That was my first thought when I read the original post... dead battery trying to charge... I've been alerted to a bad battery more than once by the converter running more than normal.

Happened to use 2 years ago. Was packing up on the last day of a stay and thought "someone's sewer hose is leaking". Went inside and fan was running hard. I immediatly knew it was sulfer not sewer gas that I got a whiff of. Shorted cell and the conerter was boiling out the electrolyte.