bathroom fan

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by allison2@bendbroadband

I have my fan parts exposed from the inside of the bathroom. I cannot see any sign of a fuse or anything that may need replacement.
Mine, too, was shorted by the foam insulation. How do I tell if the motor needs to be replaced? I am not sure where the thermal fuse on the motor is located, if that is what it is.

If I recall correctly the fuse was on the positive lead right near the motor or even taped to the motor. It looks like a small inline resistor. I cut mine out and never replaced the fuse. Has been working fine for years. Apparently the fuse is only a Canadian requirement. You still have a fuse at the WFCO DC board. Etrailer actually sells a replacement motor kit for Canada and one for elsewhere. If you find the fuse take it out and then put the 12VDC power directly to the motor leads and see if the motor operates. If it doesn't and all your fuses are good in the WFCO it is probably the fan motor.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-360128.html
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...VD0218-00.html
https://www.etrailer.com/p-BVD0218-00C.html

[allison2@bendbroadband]

I have finally put it back together, even though it is not fixed. I tested the motor, it works. I checked the thermal fuse visibly, there were no breaks. I and even bypassed it, and it did not make any difference. I checked the toggle button. It works fine. There just isn't anything left to test.
If it was a fuse in the fusebox (located under the table) it was not marked. There were 4 other fuses, but the identifier said they were for other things, no mention of the fan in the bathroom. If it was on a circuit with other items, I would have thought I would have other electrical things that were not working. But everything else seems to work. I have no idea how to proceed.

[Carmel Clown]

Originally Posted by allison2@bendbroadband

I have finally put it back together, even though it is not fixed. I tested the motor, it works. I checked the thermal fuse visibly, there were no breaks. I and even bypassed it, and it did not make any difference. I checked the toggle button. It works fine. There just isn't anything left to test.
If it was a fuse in the fusebox (located under the table) it was not marked. There were 4 other fuses, but the identifier said they were for other things, no mention of the fan in the bathroom. If it was on a circuit with other items, I would have thought I would have other electrical things that were not working. But everything else seems to work. I have no idea how to proceed.

Get a tester thingy and check all the fuses in the fuse box. Also there is an additional circuit breaker under one of the dinette benches. Flip that one off and on.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by allison2@bendbroadband

I have finally put it back together, even though it is not fixed. I tested the motor, it works. I checked the thermal fuse visibly, there were no breaks. I and even bypassed it, and it did not make any difference. I checked the toggle button. It works fine. There just isn't anything left to test.
If it was a fuse in the fusebox (located under the table) it was not marked. There were 4 other fuses, but the identifier said they were for other things, no mention of the fan in the bathroom. If it was on a circuit with other items, I would have thought I would have other electrical things that were not working. But everything else seems to work. I have no idea how to proceed.

Run some power leads direct from the battery or other 12V source to the fan. If the fan works then you know it is a problem with the wiring between the fan and where it intersects on the branch wiring. Test the power leads coming to the fan to see if you have voltage. You may have a compromised power or ground wire on the branch to the fan that does not affect anything else on the circuit. Unfortunately you may need to figure out how to get new wiring routed to the fan. For a few of us that have converted from the static vent to the bath fan on older trailers this entailed tapping into the wiring on the backside of the bath light and getting this up and over the bath shell. The ones I know of where done on a 17 and 19 so I'm not sure about how this would be accomplished on a 21.

[allison2@bendbroadband]

I have taken off the bottom part of the fan enclosure. I used a 9 volt battery as my power source to test the motor. It worked. I did not bypass the thermal fuse. Since it worked, I assumed there was nothing wrong with the motor or the fuse. I checked the incoming lines for voltage. The lines were dead. I did a continuity check on all the fuses in the main fuse box. They were all good.
I am running out of places to check. I do not know the actual path of the power source, but the central area fan works.
I am getting a red, sore spot on my head from scratching it repeatedly as each of my standard diagnostic tests reveal "no Problem".
Any ideas?

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by allison2@bendbroadband

I have taken off the bottom part of the fan enclosure. I used a 9 volt battery as my power source to test the motor. It worked. I did not bypass the thermal fuse. Since it worked, I assumed there was nothing wrong with the motor or the fuse. I checked the incoming lines for voltage. The lines were dead. I did a continuity check on all the fuses in the main fuse box. They were all good.
I am running out of places to check. I do not know the actual path of the power source, but the central area fan works.
I am getting a red, sore spot on my head from scratching it repeatedly as each of my standard diagnostic tests reveal "no Problem".
Any ideas?

Wear a hat.....

[BILLB]

Originally Posted by allison2@bendbroadband

I have taken off the bottom part of the fan enclosure. I used a 9 volt battery as my power source to test the motor. It worked. I did not bypass the thermal fuse. Since it worked, I assumed there was nothing wrong with the motor or the fuse. I checked the incoming lines for voltage. The lines were dead. I did a continuity check on all the fuses in the main fuse box. They were all good.
I am running out of places to check. I do not know the actual path of the power source, but the central area fan works.
I am getting a red, sore spot on my head from scratching it repeatedly as each of my standard diagnostic tests reveal "no Problem".
Any ideas?

I had a similar problem with my 12v water heater control circuit in my daughter’s 2013 5.0 trailer. Line coming in was dead with no blown fuses or anything else affected. Figured it was probably a faulty connection between the main 12v line and the branch line to the water heater controls hidden somewhere in the tangle of wires somewhere else in the trailer. After many hours of searching, I finally just gave up and ran a new line directly from the breaker box to the water heater control and just capped off the old line.
I suppose you could also try tapping into another nearby 12v circuit like the bath ceiling light as another alternative.
For years ETI used the snap shut “quick splice” style wire connectors that are known to be troublesome. I had a similar problem with the furnace controls in my own trailer that was eventually traced to a faulty quick splice connection. That search took all afternoon for an experienced professional. Fortunately the warranty was still in effect. I was told by ETI at the time that they no longer use the quick splice connectors due to many problems.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by allison2@bendbroadband

I checked the incoming lines for voltage. The lines were dead. I did a continuity check on all the fuses in the main fuse box. They were all good.

You have your answer. As I suggested above you have a compromised power or ground wire on the branch to the fan that does not affect anything else on the circuit.

[allison2@bendbroadband]

Thanks for all of the good ideas. I think I will try and tap into the bathroom light. Right now the trailer is covered with a trailer cover and 6 inches of snow. As soon as I can get to it, I will see how feasible that strategy is. It does appear I have a power supply problem as the fuses are good and the voltage to the fan is "0". So, somewhere in there is a faulty connection. I appreciate all the feedback. Lots of good ideas!

[SA54]

It's the thermal fuse. It's required in Canada but not in the U.S.. It's useless and government overkill for a vent fan. I removed mine four years ago and never had a problem since. Snip it out and make a solid connection. Done