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Old 05-25-2020, 09:11 PM   #1
mchurch314
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Breaker box fan runs often

We set up at our site and our fan in the breaker box runs for 15 seconds, turns off for about 15seconds, then starts up again for 15 seconds. It’s been doing this continually for about 4 hours. Never had this situation before and wondering if any of you would know what is happening. Another interesting thing to note is that our on board batteries were dead when we hooked up to leave this afternoon ( they were fully charged after our trip a week ago) and made it very difficult to hook up. Wondering if the 2 things are related.
 
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Old 05-26-2020, 02:46 AM   #2
Tom N OH
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They are related. The fan is cooling the converter, which is what charges the battery which supplies 12v to your lights, awnings, etc. From the sounds of things, either your battery is bad, or you left something on during the week between trips. Maybe a light in a storage compartment or your refrigerator? How old is the camper? How old is the battery? Is this the first time that the battery has been run completely dead? Every time that it is allowed to run completely dead, it is removing a significant amount of life from the battery. Even new batteries can go bad if they have a defect.
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Old 05-26-2020, 09:07 AM   #3
mchurch314
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My 3791 RD unit is less than two years old. When it was brand new I removed the factory battery and installed two 250ah batteries (run in parallel) so I could boondock and run my frig. Not had a problem until this outing. The switch that allows the inverter to run an power to the fridge was off so it wasn't the that. We didn't notice any lights or other appliances left on so this is a head scratcher. Did notice that the fuse box fan isn't running this morning so I guess the converter is cool now. I'll double check that everthing is off after this trip and see what happens. Thanks for your reply.
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Old 05-26-2020, 09:17 AM   #4
Tom N OH
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There must have been something left on somewhere. A light in a storage compartment, closet, etc. Sounds like the batteries are back up to full charge now if the fan isn’t running as much. Our 2019 3811MS has motion sensing lights in the closets, pantry & basement storage. The power switches are 3 position switches. On, off & motion sense. It’s hard to tell which on is on all the time & which is motion sense If you have the same thing, that could be a culprit.
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Old 05-26-2020, 09:24 AM   #5
DQDick
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You also have many things that run even when the battery disconnect is on. Propane detector is one. The only way to truly disconnect the batteries is if you install your own disconnect at the batteries.
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Old 05-26-2020, 09:41 AM   #6
Tom N OH
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DQDick View Post
You also have many things that run even when the battery disconnect is on. Propane detector is one. The only way to truly disconnect the batteries is if you install your own disconnect at the batteries.
DQDick makes a great point, but those small parasitic drains shouldn’t be enough to make even a small dent in your 2 batteries over a week’s time. Our previous 5th wheel with 1 group 27 battery could sit unplugged for over a week & still have enough juice to run all 3 slides in & operate the jacks. You’ve got something drawing, it’s just a matter of finding it.
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Old 05-26-2020, 05:40 PM   #7
mchurch314
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Stupid newbie mistake

While I'm not a newbie, I made a newbie mistake. I checked my battery disconnect switch (large red handle) and I did not turn it off the last time I went out. And my rig was parked under a tree (shade) so my solar wasn't charging much. I think that was the problem. I hope I didn't damage my batteries. Thank you all for you imput., if the problem persists I'll get back with you all.
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Old 05-27-2020, 05:38 AM   #8
RMcNeal
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Just as a side note mchurch314...I have a 3791RD also. I just ordered a disconnect for the battery box which I put on the negative side. It's a knife style switch so it's easy to use and see if it's connected. Cost about $8 on Amazon. The red handled disconnect will still allow things to run, and has no effect on the fridge which has its own disconnect in the front.
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:39 AM   #9
mchurch314
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Thanks for the info...I'll check it out!
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