Circuit breaker/fuse panel fan operation

Kentsb
Kentsb Member Posts: 67
in Battery/Electrical & Solar
When connected to shore power does the cooling fan run continiously?




52 nights
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,530
    If it is charging the battery, yes, the converter fan runs.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • Kentsb
    Kentsb Member Posts: 67
    I would think after several hours the battery would be fully charged and the fan would shut off.




    52 nights
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    Not necessarily, depends on how far discharged  the battery was.
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • MuttonChops
    MuttonChops Member Posts: 1,940
    The WFCO Power Center on-line theory of operation document says . . .

       Automatic Cooling Fan:  The microprocessor in the converter monitors the current drawn
        by appliances and battery and increases the fan speed as current draw increases.  This cools
        the converter components as required by the load.

    So if your Fan is on all-the-time the converter is drawing high current or has an internal failure.
    '18 320 S,  pitched axle, 3020HE; PNW based
    TV: '17 Colorado V6 Z71 4x4, Tow Package, GM Brake Controller
    TV: '25 Canyon AT4
    Adventures:  58   Nights:  405  Towing Miles 50,180
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    @MuttonChops - While on shorepower, if there are a lot of DC appliances running (lights, fan, frig, etc) it sounds like It will run the fan more as well.  Is this correct?
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Kentsb
    Kentsb Member Posts: 67
    I know batteries vary for many reasons, but it seemed like it took more than six hours to charge the battery and the fan to shut off. All that was running was the frig.




    52 nights
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    How depleted was the battery?  
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Kentsb
    Kentsb Member Posts: 67
    I think it was about 1/3




    52 nights
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    Sharon, to answer your first question, yes, the higher the load on the power converter from charging and/or other 12 volt devices being used, the fan will come on according the the load to keep it cool.
    cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • MuttonChops
    MuttonChops Member Posts: 1,940
    edited August 2020
    Kentsb said:
    I know batteries vary for many reasons, but it seemed like it took more than six hours to charge the battery and the fan to shut off. All that was running was the frig.

    I do not know what type/style Fridge in a '21 CS-S.
    That said; it is not unreasonable for the converter to have a high enough current demand while charging a "1/3" low battery and running Fridge if on 12-Volts to require fan cooling.
    Remember: For lead-acid battery useful capacity is only 1/2 of
                       rated capacity so a 1/3 low battery is indeed low.

    '18 320 S,  pitched axle, 3020HE; PNW based
    TV: '17 Colorado V6 Z71 4x4, Tow Package, GM Brake Controller
    TV: '25 Canyon AT4
    Adventures:  58   Nights:  405  Towing Miles 50,180
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  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    Also, the converter can take longer to charge a battery than solar or a dedicated charger.  @Kentsb - effectively, the converter ends up splitting the current between the appliances and the battery, so it takes longer.  It’s a good idea to get a better battery monitor than the KIB.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    A good battery monitor is the Victron Smart Shunt or the Victron 715 wHitch includes a monitor display. 
    Cheere
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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  • Marceline
    Marceline Member Posts: 1,747
    The "2way" fridge in the clamshell is really wired to run on DC power, so when the trailer is connected to shorepower the converter fan generally kicks on when the fridge compressor is running. I think that there's a way to truly run the fridge on 110 power, but I think that it involves getting another power cord for the fridge and wiring an outlet back there for the fridge.
    San Francisco Bay Area
    2013 CS-S us@gi
    2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
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  • Mouseketab
    Mouseketab Member Posts: 1,238
    Marceline said:
    The "2way" fridge in the clamshell is really wired to run on DC power, so when the trailer is connected to shorepower the converter fan generally kicks on when the fridge compressor is running. I think that there's a way to truly run the fridge on 110 power, but I think that it involves getting another power cord for the fridge and wiring an outlet back there for the fridge.
    My 2-way on my 07 CS only has a 12V connection. So it is either running off the converter on shore, or running off the battery in transit (with a charge line)
    Carol
    MOUSE-KE-T@B
    2007 Dutchmen T@B Clamshell #2741
    2022 nuCamp T@B 320 CS-S
    2021 F-150 502A Lariat SuperCrew, 3.5 EcoBoost 4x2
    Harvest, AL
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  • Bayliss
    Bayliss Member Posts: 1,496
    @Kentsb, and others, just to add to this discussion, I just finished watching a WFCO training video regarding operation and troubleshooting of the power center/converter (link to video included below.)  At around 15:45 on the video, the presenter explains that while the fan on the WFCO cools the 12V circuit board, it is load based, not temperature based.  Therefore, the fan will turn on, and remain running, as long as the converter is drawing a certain 12V load threshold.  They don't say what the load threshold is, but presumably it is pretty low.  Thus, the fan will likely kick on, and remain on, whenever you are running the water pump, turning on lights, the radio, etc.  If the power draw (i.e., load) drops below the pre-determined threshold, the fan will turn off.  Also, I learned that even without a load, when you first plug in the trailer 120 VAC power, the fan will briefly turn on, then off (due to charging of the circuit board capacitors.)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Qyur-fsAw&feature=emb_rel_end
    2019 T@B 320 S Boondock Lite; 2025 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 4x4
    (Alde: 3020; Refrig: Isotherm Cruise 65 Eleg; Battery: BB 100Ah LiFePO4; Solar: Renogy 220W Portable Suitcase w/ Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 Controller; Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor w/ Shunt; Pwr Cntr: PD-4135KW2B; EMS: PI-HW30C)
    Greg & Marlene (Tucson, AZ)


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  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    Thanks, @Bayliss. That explains why my converter fan didn’t run (that I heard) the one night I was plugged into 110V after being on solar power since early December, which was 8 months. I was using very little power, even though on shore power, since I was so used to boondocking and conserving power. 
    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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