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Drivers side seat fan/heater

bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
in Battery/Electrical & Solar
Hi, can anyone help me out here? why does this fan keep running constantly? It drained my battery real quick. There is no heat, which I expect with every off, or at "0" on the alde switch. Thanks for your help, just bought our t@b (used) and we're loving it more as we understand it. Bob
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    Do you mean the converter?
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    I don't know I'll try to send picture.
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    ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,158
    edited July 2016
    If it's the Alde, you can shut it off thoroughly by putting all sliders on the control panel to the bottom position. The Alde has no fan, only a pump motor, which makes a bit of noise.

    If the fan in your converter is running continuously, that's a little odd. It normally only runs when plugged into shore power, during the time that it's doing a hi-power charge on your battery, then the fan should normally stop.

    What year Tab do you have?
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    The picture bptrans sent me was indeed the converter. The fan runs when the trailer is plugged in and it should be charging the battery, not discharging it.
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    2015 max s, thanks for helping out. I have it plugged to shore power right now, but what drained battery? Had no problems pulling and running the refrigerator while towing. Again, thanks. Bob
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    Do you have a 12v wire from your tow vehicle's battery back to the 7way trailer connector?
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    yes, we do. Had no problems pulling and running the refrigerator while towing. Bob
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    My thought was, if you didn't, or if the inline fuse was blown, the refrigerator would have discharged your trailer battery pretty quickly.
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    Your converter fan is probably running now when the trailer is plugged in because it's trying to charge tier T@B battery. That sounds normal. 
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    The battery discharged a week after I put it in the garage. I thought I had everything off, which I did. 
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    I'm not familiar with 2015s but there is parasitic draw from things you can't turn off, like the CO/propane detector and any USB outlets in the trailer. The only way to turn them off completely is to install a battery cutoff switch or to pull the battery fuse.
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    Someone with that vintage trailer can probably tell you what all the "parasites" are.
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,158
    edited July 2016
    A week to discharge with parasitic draw is about normal, I think.

    Parasites: TV, stereo, CO/propane detector, USB outlets...

    Maybe the battery is shot, from previous abuse? Have it tested?
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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    jkjennjkjenn Member Posts: 6,391
    ChanW said:
    A week to discharge with parasitic draw is about normal, I think.

    Parasites: TV, stereo, CO/propane detector, USB outlets...

    Maybe the battery is shot, from previous abuse? Have it tested?

    This is correct. Remember, you do not want the battery to discharge more than 50%.

    2021 T@b 320 Boondock "Mattie Ross" | 2021 T@b Nights: 239 | Total nights in a T@b 455 | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland | T@b owner since 2014

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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    Thanks everyone, I will have the battery tested. Yes, the tv, radio, and co/dector draw lots. I just came home and since we started this discussion @10:50am, the fan is still running, I will time it. I've had a trickle charger on the battery for a week before I plugged into shore power today. It's been a little over 4 hrs....
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    PhotomomPhotomom Member Posts: 2,217
    You should get some kind of voltmeter you can use to monitor your battery voltage. There are ones that you can plug into a cigarette lighter style outlet in the trailer, or you can use a multimeter on the battery. Rules of thumb: ~13.5 when charging, ~12.6 when fully charged. You might see 11.something under load. We plug our trailer in to recharge at 12.2.
    John and Henrietta, Late 2016 T@B S Max in Western New York
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    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    It depends on what kind of trickle charger you have - it may not keep up with the parasitic load. Some are "smart" types and allow a battery to go down a tiny bit and then charge it back up - others just apply an on/off constant charge. I think it was jkjenn calculated she would lose approximately 300 mA a day in battery with parasitic loads. Make sure your trickle charger is connected to the battery terminals (battery fuse pulled) and you did not plug it into the Zamp controller on the side of the tub. 

    Since the dealer puts in the battery, I've seen some group 24 deep cycle batteries with amp hours as low as 60 Ah. That doesn't give you a lot of amperage before you are discharged 50%. When checking your battery (after pulling the fuse), make sure the plates are covered completely with distilled water if you have a lead-acid flooded type. AGMs are more expensive and rarely put in by dealers unless a customer specifically requests it. A battery that has a voltage of 11.5v is completely discharged and one that is below that is shot. Some automotive chargers won't even try to charge a battery below 11.5v (there are YouTube videos to trick smart chargers into giving life to a new battery). 

    Best of luck to you in your quest! 

    PS The reason given to me to not keep the trailer plugged in constantly was the distilled water in a flooded battery depletes faster and people forget to check it. 
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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    jkjennjkjenn Member Posts: 6,391
    edited July 2016
    The fan is the converter and it will run as long as you are plugged into shore power. The converter also charges the battery when connected to shore power.

    2021 T@b 320 Boondock "Mattie Ross" | 2021 T@b Nights: 239 | Total nights in a T@b 455 | 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland | T@b owner since 2014

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    ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,158
    edited July 2016
    Jenn's is different than ours in that the fan in our converter shuts off after the converter goes into trickle-charge mode.

    Ratkity, we keep ours plugged into shore power continuously (when not on a trip, that is) and I've only had to replenish the distilled water very minimally in three years. I think maybe twice it's needed a small amount in that time. I think the converter's charger must be well designed in that regard.
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    Good to know @ChanW! I'm paranoid about the flooded-lead batteries as I've always dealt with AGMs in the recent years. I had to add water after the first 6 months of use, but it was minimal.

    My converter fan doesn't stay on continuously unless the battery is completely discharged. This happened one time (prior to realizing the parasitic loads) and I was able to resurrect the battery by taking it out and putting it on a regular automotive charger. Now the only time the converter fan kicks in is when it does its trickle charge. If I short out the pigtail to turn on the running lights instead of turning on that lighthouse beacon they call a "porch light", I can hear the converter fan come on more, but it's still not continuous (I only do this on shore power - otherwise, the "beacon" is just a pretty outside ornament).
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    Hey, the battery tested good. It was only 70% charged so the guy put it on the charger for 100%. The only thing, when I disconnected the battery it was pretty warm, almost hot. I brought it home, cooled it over night. this morning I installed it and plugged into shore power. The fan came on once plugged, but it didn't when I installed the battery without shore power. I'll check back in a couple of hrs. Thanks
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    ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,158
    For me, the only time the fan comes on is when connected to shore power and charging the battery.
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    I just checked the battery and it was hot. I've been plugged into shore power since July 5th. The middle hole of the three on the positive side was dry and the first hole of the three on the negative was dry, though both were full to required fill line. Is the converter supposed to run on and off intermittly, mine doesn't? Bob
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    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    @bpbrans4, your battery if dead if it has dry cells. The converter could be overcharging the battery, making the distilled water boil off prematurely. I'd call the dealer or Pleasant Valley. Your converter could be the problem.
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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    VernaVerna Member Posts: 6,878
    Your first point of contact should always be your dealer. Most dealers handle different Camper's that use converters, so the dealer should be able to diagnose and repair converters.

    Pleasant Valley is on vacation this week. Next week is Tearstock and the repair and warranty departments will be busy with warranty and repairs at Tearstock. Therefore, you really need to contact your dealer even if you are out of warranty (1 year warranty from the purchase date for the original owner). 

    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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    RatkityRatkity Member Posts: 3,770
    What V said! I wasn't thinking about the people involved in Tearstock doing repairs there. Best of luck!
    2017 820R Retro Toy Hauler from 2015 Tabitha T@B from 2009 Reverse LG Teardrop (but a T@Bluver at heart)
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    bpbrans4bpbrans4 Member Posts: 15
    Ratkity: no problem, timing is always an issue. 
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    ChanWChanW Member Posts: 3,158
    I'm not sure what you mean by 'two cell were dry' but also "were full to fill line"... ?
    Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

     A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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    ScottGScottG Administrator Posts: 5,477
    Hi bpbrans4. What you describe sounds a lot like my first battery after I killed it--charger runs continuously, battery gets hot, electrolyte boils off, and it doesn't hold a charge even when totally disconnected. Add in that you bought it used and therefore don't know its history, I'll bet that battery is toast (regardless of what the "test" might have suggested.)

    Just because a battery will charge to 100% doesn't mean it is good. The real test is how well it holds that charge. A good battery that's fully charged and completely disconnected should hold at least 12.5 volts for quite a long time. If you don't have a multimeter (or some other way to measure actual battery voltage), get one and use it to monitor how your battery behaves over time and under different conditions--you will quickly get a feel for what is right and what is not.

    Note--as others stated--that a malfunctioning converter/charger could be contributing to the problem. It's still worth getting that checked out just to be sure you don't fry a new battery! 
    2015 T@B S

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    VernaVerna Member Posts: 6,878
    bpbrans4 is on the road and will be visiting an RV repair shop today. The T@B is a used 2015. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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