Maxx fan sounds like a train

[NW Cat Owner]

I don't remember this going on last camping season, but I could be wrong (that's happened a few times ). Last night I realized the rumbling sound that I kept hearing was actually from my Maxx fan and not twelve million trains running nearby. Yes, there were trains, but the constant low rumbling noise I was hearing was coming from the fan. Once I turned it off - yep the noise went away.

My questions are:

1. Is this normal and I just never heard it last year

2. If it's not normal, does this mean it's going to die soon?

3. What the heck is causing it if it's not 1 or 2 above.

I realize not everyone will hear this low rumble, but I do and it's annoying enough to keep me awake. Or to turn it off, like I did last night.

Which also has me worried as I've been told I need to have the Maxx fan running at night so the walls won't drip the water from my breathing. Can't stop breathing, you know.

I did leave the fan vented open, but not turned on. Will this still be a do-able option?

Thanks everyone!

[cpaharley2008]

Sometimes you need to change the speed up or down to eliminate a hum or harmonic distortion.

[Ron in BC]

We've never run our fan overnight and we haven't washed away yet.

The first thing that I'd check is the cleanliness of the fan blades. If it's been running when you are cooking a small amount of grease will attract dirt and can cause an imbalance and noise. If in doubt give them a wet wipe.

That sort of situation is unlikely to cause sudden death, it just keeps getting louder.

You could also "wiggle and jiggle" the fan blade and see if there's any detectable slop.

Ron

[padlin]

Like Jim mentions, try changing the speed. I can stop the noise by going up or down in speed some.

[NW Cat Owner]

I'll see if I can figure out how to get to the blades and will clean them. I did take off a bunch of dust off the screen with tape this morning. I've been running the fan on low. I'll fiddle with the speed this evening.

Thanks folks for the suggestions.

[Mary F]

And you are running the fan with the vent open, right? I ask because ours does sound very weird if we turn it on with the vent closed. I've read that it's okay to do it, but I don't like the way it sounds!

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by NW Cat Owner

I'll see if I can figure out how to get to the blades and will clean them. I did take off a bunch of dust off the screen with tape this morning. I've been running the fan on low. I'll fiddle with the speed this evening.

Thanks folks for the suggestions.

Laura when you look at the bottom of screen there are 4 plastic knobs that will turn and then you can remove the screen to clean . Also can get better to wipe the blades . When you get home you can also remove the center nut with a socket and socket wrench and take down the whole blade to really clean it and wipe down a lot up there . Pat

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Laura when you look at the bottom of screen there are 4 plastic knobs that will turn and then you can remove the screen to clean . Also can get better to wipe the blades . When you get home you can also remove the center nut with a socket and socket wrench and take down the whole blade to really clean it and wipe down a lot up there . Pat

This shows the four plastic screen mounting tabs that need to be turned:
www.etrailer.com/question-197898.html

[h2owmn]

Tangentially related--there's a phone app called Sound Sleeper. There's a free version and ones with advanced features, I think I paid, but under $5. We initially used it for my granddaughters, and it was magic at putting them to sleep. I have used it myself in camping spots where theres a little background noise. You can choose the sound you like--babbling brook, ocean waves crashing, vacuum cleaner, etc. and also the duration of the play and of course volume.
I hope your fan noise is fixed soon!

[NW Cat Owner]

Okay, last chance to access the forum for a while.

Upped the speed last night by one and that took away a lot of the train noise. Yay! Still there, but greatly reduced. Cranked it up one more and I could really hear the fan, so that was a no-go.

Yes, the vent is open when I run it.

I did look at those tabs and wondered how to remove them, so thanks for the photo link and the info on rotating them. I was afraid to fiddle with them for fear I'd break them. Yes, I was going to dig out the manual on them this evening - now I don't need to. Yay!

I do have a sound machine I got off Amazon (where else, jeez!) that has a wide variety of different sounds, with varying intensity. I'm currently using the rainfall one. The first time I used it was at a campground in Corvallis Oregon. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking "I don't remember turning it on that loud" and then realized it was actual rain (and lots of it) hitting the roof. Too funny.

Unfortunately, the deep rumble on a train is much harder to cover up, even with the sound machine. So, I still hear them. I have been putting my small portable radio next to the bed tuned to classical music which has helped somewhat. But neither drowned out the deep rumble of the fan.

Sometimes I envy Dirk's (partial) loss of hearing. Until I hear birds and such that he can't and then I don't envy it one bit.

Fingers crossed for tonight! Oh, and the spot is level, as was my last spot on this trip. I was thinking it was due to being unlevel, but it's not. Oh well, it was just a thought.

[Dave Walter]

The maxfan on my 19' also makes a rumbling noise when operated at the lowest speed settings. The rumbling noise disappears when the fan is speeded up, so I haven't given much consideration to 'fixing' it. However, I suspect that adding a bit of extra mass in key areas of the fan or housing (exact location yet to be determined) would potentially modify the harmonic frequency to the point where the rumbling sound may disappear at low speeds. If things get any worse, or if I am sitting in the trailer twiddling my thumbs for any extended time periods I may give it a try.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

The maxfan on my 19' also makes a rumbling noise when operated at the lowest speed settings. The rumbling noise disappears when the fan is speeded up, so I haven't given much consideration to 'fixing' it. However, I suspect that adding a bit of extra mass in key areas of the fan or housing (exact location yet to be determined) would potentially modify the harmonic frequency to the point where the rumbling sound may disappear at low speeds. If things get any worse, or if I am sitting in the trailer twiddling my thumbs for any extended time periods I may give it a try.

Dave like little weights they always give you for fan blades ? Pat