Maxxfan problem - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 03-13-2019, 01:33 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
diannelgraham's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Snohomish, Washington
Trailer: 2017 19 foot sold, 2022 21C
Posts: 649
Maxxfan problem

So my fan in my 2017 19 foot is randomly turning it’s self on. I’ve checked the batteries, made sure I don’t have it on auto set and I can’t figure out why it has gone south on me. Only the remote works all the main buttons on the fan are dead, all worked fine the other day. I’ve been up since 3 AM as it keeps turning on every 5 to 20 mins, it was 28 F last night very chilly in the trailer.I know the newer fans have a built in fuse so what is the easiest way to kill power to the unit so I can get some sleep?
diannelgraham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2019, 01:38 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Lansing, Michigan
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21, 2016 GMC Canyon Duramax
Posts: 587
Quote:
Originally Posted by diannelgraham View Post
So my fan in my 2017 19 foot is randomly turning it’s self on. I’ve checked the batteries, made sure I don’t have it on auto set and I can’t figure out why it has gone south on me. Only the remote works all the main buttons on the fan are dead, all worked fine the other day. I’ve been up since 3 AM as it keeps turning on every 5 to 20 mins, it was 28 F last night very chilly in the trailer.I know the newer fans have a built in fuse so what is the easiest way to kill power to the unit so I can get some sleep?
Likely the control board has gone south. They don't like anything over 13.5 volts and the system routinely exceeds that.
stephen99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2019, 03:01 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
PGDriver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Southern Alberta, Alberta
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA
Posts: 1,734
Maxxfan problem

Turn the fan on (or just wait a bit in your case) and then open your power center and remove one fuse at a time until it stops. The other thing, some people have had moisture issues with condensation building up on the board. Hope this helps.
__________________
Cheers
Doug
PGDriver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 12:20 AM   #4
Commercial Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: liberty, Missouri
Trailer: 21 escape
Posts: 62
max fan failure

ours did the same thing, turned on by it self and finally quit and had a beeping noise, they have a 2 year warrantee so called max fan, they sent me a new board,
oldstation is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 06:21 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldstation View Post
ours did the same thing, turned on by it self and finally quit and had a beeping noise, they have a 2 year warrantee so called max fan, they sent me a new board,
You may want to update your avatar to show delivery of your new Escape.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 09:55 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2015 Escape 17A
Posts: 2,344
Is the thermostatic control on; ours is a MaxxFan without remote control, and has a button right next to on/off that I mistakenly push once in a while, that starts and stops the fan based on interior temperature.
dfandrews is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 10:17 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
tdf-texas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Baytown, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape - upgraded version
Posts: 2,697
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfandrews View Post
Is the thermostatic control on; ours is a MaxxFan without remote control, and has a button right next to on/off that I mistakenly push once in a while, that starts and stops the fan based on interior temperature.
The Maxxfan without remote doesn't seem to have the voltage sensitivity that the Maxxfan 7000/7500 has. The common failure point for the Maxxfan without remote seems to be due to water damage due to condensation / rain. A good coat of a conformal coating is a good idea. I used an acrylic conformal coating on the last one we repaired and it made the board a little more impervious to the water damage.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
__________________
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe in fixing it so that it never breaks.
tdf-texas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 01:53 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
rubicon327's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,126
Quote:
Originally Posted by dfandrews View Post
Is the thermostatic control on; ours is a MaxxFan without remote control, and has a button right next to on/off that I mistakenly push once in a while, that starts and stops the fan based on interior temperature.
Good thought, but he said "made sure I don’t have it on auto set".
__________________
Mods to Rubicon: https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tml#post249508
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.”― W.F.
rubicon327 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 04:25 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
diannelgraham's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Snohomish, Washington
Trailer: 2017 19 foot sold, 2022 21C
Posts: 649
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327 View Post
Good thought, but he said "made sure I don’t have it on auto set".
I decided to open up the fan and disconnect the power going to it. It was good opportunity to clean the blades that where a little on the icky looking side. When I did this I also lost power to my USB port and the GFI receptacle, not a big deal. I use the one my the bed to plug my coffee pot into so all is well. My trailer is still under warranty and I’m going up to ETI in May to have some options added, They will replace the board at the same time.
diannelgraham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 05:15 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
tdf-texas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Baytown, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape - upgraded version
Posts: 2,697
Quote:
Originally Posted by diannelgraham View Post
When I did this I also lost power to my USB port and the GFI receptacle, not a big deal.
The GFCI receptacle has nothing to do with your Maxxfan. It is probably just coincidence that it tripped sometime during your cleaning. Go to the outside 120v outlet and push the reset button on the GFCI an it will restore power.
__________________
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe in fixing it so that it never breaks.
tdf-texas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 05:30 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
diannelgraham's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Snohomish, Washington
Trailer: 2017 19 foot sold, 2022 21C
Posts: 649
Thanks that got the gfi working but my USB port is still not, green light not on. The receptacle beside it does have power. Any ideas?
diannelgraham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 05:38 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
tdf-texas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Baytown, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape - upgraded version
Posts: 2,697
Quote:
Originally Posted by diannelgraham View Post
Thanks that got the gfi working but my USB port is still not, green light not on. The receptacle beside it does have power. Any ideas?
When you disconnected the Maxxfan, were there two red/black wire pairs that were spliced to the Maxxfan leads? If so, connecting the two reds together and the two blacks together will send voltage down to the rest of the devices that chain was powering. Make sure to electrical tape them.
__________________
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe in fixing it so that it never breaks.
tdf-texas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2019, 06:00 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
diannelgraham's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Snohomish, Washington
Trailer: 2017 19 foot sold, 2022 21C
Posts: 649
the Wires are black and white and have plugs on the ends. I have other ways to charge my devices but thanks a lot for your suggestions I really appreciate the help you get from this form.
diannelgraham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 07:56 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Red Dog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Retired from Dallas & Full-Timing, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape as of 01/16/17
Posts: 1,312
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
The Maxxfan without remote doesn't seem to have the voltage sensitivity that the Maxxfan 7000/7500 has. The common failure point for the Maxxfan without remote seems to be due to water damage due to condensation / rain. A good coat of a conformal coating is a good idea. I used an acrylic conformal coating on the last one we repaired and it made the board a little more impervious to the water damage.

Hi Tom!

As you know, I have the Maxxfan 5100 and my board went out due to water damage. The new board was installed after it was conformal coated and has been working just fine.

However, the other morning, I turned the fan off after it had been on overnight.
In the afternoon, I went to turn it back on and saw the green LED associated with auto button it up.

Since then, none of the controls are responding and the fan stopped working. I may have to order another circuit board. Maybe a voltage regulator too?

Fred M. Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_8767.jpg
Views:	13
Size:	301.6 KB
ID:	37635
__________________
Fred M.

"Whoever said retirement was overrated...
...never had an Escape"
Red Dog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 09:22 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
tdf-texas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Baytown, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape - upgraded version
Posts: 2,697
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Dog View Post
Hi Tom!

As you know, I have the Maxxfan 5100 and my board went out due to water damage. The new board was installed after it was conformal coated and has been working just fine.

However, the other morning, I turned the fan off after it had been on overnight.
In the afternoon, I went to turn it back on and saw the green LED associated with auto button it up.

Since then, none of the controls are responding and the fan stopped working. I may have to order another circuit board. Maybe a voltage regulator too?

Fred M. Attachment 37635
Try power cycling it to reset it by pulling the fuse that feeds it and see if that helps.

I'll order some more voltage regulators just in case.

It amazes me that Maxxfan is still in business with the failures that seem to keep occurring - we didn't have these problems with the Fantastic fan.
__________________
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe in fixing it so that it never breaks.
tdf-texas is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 11:38 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
Tom, will you be in Osoyoos this year? Maybe bring some extra regulators, I will purchase a couple and I'm sure so will others.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 11:57 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Red Dog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Retired from Dallas & Full-Timing, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape as of 01/16/17
Posts: 1,312
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
Try power cycling it to reset it by pulling the fuse that feeds it and see if that helps.

I'll order some more voltage regulators just in case.

I already have two. I should have installed one when I installed the replacement circuit board.

I will report back on the power cycle and will measure the DC input coming into the Maxxfan.

Fred M.
__________________
Fred M.

"Whoever said retirement was overrated...
...never had an Escape"
Red Dog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 12:25 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
cpaharley2008's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
I wanted the smoke lens and remote and had to waive Escape's warranty (not the manufacturers) in order for them to install in next month in our new E21. Anyway, with all these issues, I'm going to purchase some regulators to install once we return home. Hopefully Tom from Texas will help myself and others.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
cpaharley2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 01:30 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Patandlinda's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2013 19 Escape
Posts: 7,204
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Dog View Post
Hi Tom!

As you know, I have the Maxxfan 5100 and my board went out due to water damage. The new board was installed after it was conformal coated and has been working just fine.

However, the other morning, I turned the fan off after it had been on overnight.
In the afternoon, I went to turn it back on and saw the green LED associated with auto button it up.

Since then, none of the controls are responding and the fan stopped working. I may have to order another circuit board. Maybe a voltage regulator too?

Fred M. Attachment 37635
Fred question ? What does the green light mean? Pat
Patandlinda is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-17-2019, 01:35 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Red Dog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Retired from Dallas & Full-Timing, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape as of 01/16/17
Posts: 1,312
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patandlinda View Post
Fred question ? What does the green light mean? Pat


Normally, when the green light is on, that means that the fan is in auto mode and won’t go on until the temperature reaches the threshold. Maybe 70° F, but not sure.

To disengage the auto mode and turn off the green LED, I usually press the start button. However, the start button won’t respond.


Fred M.
__________________
Fred M.

"Whoever said retirement was overrated...
...never had an Escape"
Red Dog is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:48 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.