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Weird Noise from T@B 400 Coolcat

jameskuzmanjameskuzman Member Posts: 140
in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
Some time in the middle of the night, the Coolcat in our new 2019 T@B 400 started to make a fairly loud whining, whistling noise that seems to be associated with the fan running (it's present whether the compressor is on or off). It's cooling the camper just fine, but something isn't right. I made a recording for reference, downloadable here. Any guesses?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uouxe57r4qjlp60/Mosquito Lake State Park.m4a?dl=0 

Jim
Jim Kuzman, Girard OH - 2019 T@B 400 - TV 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE 4Motion w/ Factory Tow Package
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    jameskuzmanjameskuzman Member Posts: 140
    Update: Plugged the camper in when we got home and fired up the A/C just to get rid of some of the humidity when I noticed that there was no water on the ground under the Coolcat grill as there normally is. I used a flashlight to peer in from the outside and there's standing water inside the compartment. I'll have a peep in through the top of the dinette later tonight...
    Jim Kuzman, Girard OH - 2019 T@B 400 - TV 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE 4Motion w/ Factory Tow Package
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    VernaVerna Member Posts: 6,878
    @jameskuzman, in the 92* to 94* temps with high humidity we’re having in Indiana (it’s changing to lower temps tomorrow), I have the side with the Cool Cat down a half a bubble (or notch) and the same for the front of the 400 down a half a bubble. The Cool Cat drains out through the screen, and you have to allow for that so the tray will drain.  I’ve been doing that all summer, as recommended by other owners on this forum, and I have not heard any strange sounds coming from the Cool Cat. 

    On the nüCamp T@B 320’s (pre-2020 models), they, too, have to tilt their 320’s to allow the drainage to reach their drain hose so the tray will drain. 
    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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    N7SHG_HamN7SHG_Ham Member Posts: 1,261
    Sounds like a fan bearing. As mentioned there is no real drain on the coolcat in the 400's, just spills over the side when the tray gets full enough, so left front corner of camper being slightly lower is probably a good idea. The sound did not sound like the fan hitting water to me just a precaution about the water draining.
    2019 T@B 400 Boondock Lite
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    NorthIsUpNorthIsUp Member Posts: 170
    Agree with @N7SHG_Ham that it could be a bearing or it could be that something is touching the fan causing the racket. 
    Jean & Arnie  No. Nevada
    2019 T@B 400 BL
    2021 Toyota Sequoia 4WD

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    jameskuzmanjameskuzman Member Posts: 140
    Thanks everyone. Indeed, it turns out the driveway is not as level as i thought. When we parked it we leveled front to back but not side to side and the non-door side sits about 1/4 bubble high, so that likely explains the water in the pan.

    As far as the noise goes, I took off the wooden dinette seat to look for anything obvious and discovered that if I touched any of the three flexible outlet hoses, the pitch and intensity of the sound would change making me wonder if the noise was actually air-related rather than mechanical. Oddly, if I pushed down gently on the foil top cover right in the center of the unit, the noise went away entirely but returned as soon as I removed my hand.

    Thankfully we are nearing the end of the warm weather season (despite record-breaking temps early this week) so unless it gets worse I’ll add it to the small punch list of warranty items (and a couple of upgrades) to be addressed this winter. 
    Jim Kuzman, Girard OH - 2019 T@B 400 - TV 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE 4Motion w/ Factory Tow Package
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