Max Fan not working and no DC power. Help please!

[gbb]

Max Fan not working and no DC power
2019 21. Solar panel, 2 6V batteries. Have had few problems since pickup in August 2019, nothing major and no electrical issues. Several camping trips this year and everything has worked fine, last trip in mid-June. When we are not camping it is parked in a lean to shelter on our barn. Started getting things ready for a camping trip a couple days ago and turned the max fan on low. Next day it was not working. Auto light was on but nothing worked and no controls worked. Unplugged from shore power, turned the battery switch off. The auto light on the fan went off. Turned the battery switch on and tried the max fan. Nothing. Turned the lights on and they didn’t work. Checked other DC items like water pump etc. Nothing worked. Plugged back in to barn. Lights worked, and other DC items worked. Tried the max fan again. It started running but was making a noise like the fan was under load and then it quit, with the auto light on again. Unplugged from barn again, and auto light went out. Nothing DC worked with the battery switch on or off. Had to go do other things.
Looked at it again this afternoon. DC items work on shore power don’t work when unplugged from shore power. Go power monitor show 90%, 13.2 V, and 0.0 to 0.2 amps depending on when I check it.
Turned everything off. Checked all fuses;
4 15 amp fuses labeled, lights, lights 12 Volt, Furnace DS1;
2 40 amp fuses not labeled;
1 30 amp fuse labeled fridge.
All looked good
Read about a fuse on the positive lead from battery to panel. Looked for it and did not see it. Had to go get hay up.
I am reasonably competent with AC current. I have wired several barns, an electric irrigation pump, and a couple of wells; meter base to panel to different circuits for multiple items. No experience with DC current except the occasional farm trailer light or wire getting damaged and needing repair. Don’t own a multimeter.
Busy week on the farm, and we are supposed to carry our grandson camping next week to a campground without hookups. At this point I just want to get DC power working. I can worry about the max fan week after next when we get back.
Any advice, suggestions, and comments are needed, welcomed, and appreciated
Buddy Belflower

[Centex]

Assuming these are the original flooded lead acid batteries, how's the electrolyte level in them?

Wild guess from afar but given all info provided (including the monitor panel readout) I'd focus on the batteries - seems they may not be taking a charge. Perhaps pull them and take to an auto parts store for a (usually free) 'load test'.

Good luck.

[gbb]

Originally Posted by Centex

Assuming these are the original flooded lead acid batteries, how's the electrolyte level in them?

Wild guess from afar but given all info provided (including the monitor panel readout) I'd focus on the batteries - seems they may not be taking a charge. Perhaps pull them and take to an auto parts store for a (usually free) 'load test'.

Good luck.

Thanks Centex for the reply. They are the original batteries. I checked electrolyte this morning. It was low, but still slightly above the battery plates. I added almost a cup of distilled water to each battery. Plugged it in and left. Checked on it when I came in for lunch and monitor was reading 90%, 13.0V, and 0.1 amps.
Any more suggestions would be great.
thanks

[MVA]

As Centex recommended, I would concur. The problem appears from your comments to be in your batteries. A Pb-acid battery is a set of cells with inexpensive (cheap) internal connectors. These connectors can fail, either fully (resulting in a open circuit, i.e. 0 VDC) or partially fail (resulting in an apparent correct voltage, but cannot support current). A load test at an auto parts store will allow you to diagnose if the batteries can take a charge at sufficient current or not. I have had batteries partially fail where a "correct" voltage is measured, but they cannot deliver current. These failures are usually discontinuous, i.e., they worked one day, and the next they don't; not a gradual failure.

If the batteries pass the test, then trace the wiring. There maybe a loose wire connection that is hindering current flow.

2 cents

[davidmurphy02]

If DC was working before you turned off the battery cutoff switch, and not when you turn it back on, I would suspect a bad switch. Those toggle switches are not very robust and have been known to fail.

Check the switch with your multimeter. If you have 12 volt power in but the switch is bad you can temporarily just bypass the switch, put both leads on the same terminal until you can replace the switch.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by gbb

Thanks Centex for the reply. They are the original batteries. I checked electrolyte this morning. It was low, but still slightly above the battery plates. I added almost a cup of distilled water to each battery. Plugged it in and left. Checked on it when I came in for lunch and monitor was reading 90%, 13.0V, and 0.1 amps.
Any more suggestions would be great.
thanks

With this update I'm still only able to suggest the 'battery load test', recognizing that's an unfortunately cumbersome and somewhat time-consuming effort.

David's point about the switch is valid; noting you said you don't have a multimeter I'll offer that would be a very useful tool for your kit and can likely be had very inexpensively at the same auto parts store where you get a 'load test'.

Good luck!

[davidmurphy02]

Sorry, I didn't catch that you don't have a multimeter. If after turning the battery cutoff switch back on (with shore power unplugged) you still have no DC power, turn on a light switch in the dinette. Then jump the terminals on the back of the battery cutoff switch briefly with a flat blade screwdriver or similar. If you see the light come on, the switch is bad and you can bypass it temporarily per my earlier comment.

[gbb]

Thanks for the replies and advice. Just got in an looking like I won't have time to look at it before Thursday, but I will keep reading if anybody has any other ideas.

Hopefully with everybody's help I'll get it figured out Thursday

[Iowa Dave]

If you have any other battery available to you like a trolling motor, riding mower or car you could pull the current trailer batteries and replace it with one of those other batteries to see if the battery is the problem.
Our battery switch has been flipped to off twice this year by grandkids when they are trying to set up to the table and their legs hang down and flip the switch. The 19 we had was equipped with a very robust switch that was installed by the previous owner. It never got accidentally flipped.
Iowa Dave

[gbb]

Tried Iowa Dave's suggestion tonight using the battery from our newest tractor. Still no DC current. I know this battery is fully charged and strong so the problem does not appear to be the batteries.

Next I will try David Murphy's suggestion about bypassing the battery switch to make sure its not the problem.

Camper electrical systems have worked great since we picked it up in August 2019. Last camping trip in June was 4 days in the Smokies with no hookups. Everything worked great. Parked under the barn since then plugged in.
This issue started a few days ago when I started to get the camper ready for our next trip. Turned on the max fan to help air it out and the next morning the max fan was not working and the green auto light was on. Had to unplug from the barn, and turn the battery switch off to get the max fan auto light to go off.
DC power has not worked since then.

Unfortunately I am not familiar with DC systems and multimeters. I am going to borrow a multimeter from my neighbor tomorrow and start trying to learn??
Can anyone recommend other threads to help me learn how to troubleshoot with a multimeter?
Any other ideas about my problems since it appears the batteries are not the issue?
Fuses in the converter look fine. Don't see other inline type fuses, but I am probably overlooking them.

Any other ideas or suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks

[Rossue]

Could be 50 amp Circuit Breaker: known, although isolated problem. I keep a spare so hopefully won't need.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...e-s-16882.html

[akmacs]

clickable link this time
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...aker-2906.html

[gbb]

Couple of good days; 50 quarts of sweet corn and 12 quarts of blueberries in the freezer and finally had a little time to try to figure the camper problem out. Iowa Dave's suggestion helped me to determine it did not appear to be the batteries. David Murphy's suggestion about shorting across the switch was the next thing I was going to try. I have shorted across starter terminals many times to get old tractors and other equipment started so I felt like this was something I could do. Looking at it with a little time to think I came up with a test light and a jumper wire I use on electric fence to make a tester I could use. The jumper wire was long enough to reach back to the negative battery terminal and the text light was used to test the current to and across the switch. Current was getting to the switch but not going through it so the problem appears to be a bad switch. I clamped the both leads going to the switch together and everything is working, (except the max fan which started this whole thing). Yea, we will have power when we are go camping with our grandson on Monday for a few days. I remember seeing a better switch on the forum somewhere and will order that before we leave so I can put it in when we get back.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and for the links to other threads which I have read and reread.
I really appreciate this forum and the people on it. It helped us to decide for sure we wanted an escape, helped us decide what options we wanted for our build sheet, gave us advice on where to stay and what to do on our trip to pick our escape up, and now it is helping me to keep the camper going, plus it is just entertaining at times!
Week after next, I will tackle the max fan and I am certain I will be asking the forum for help again!

[davidmurphy02]

Glad you got your 12 volt power back! Just in case your Maxxfan decides to wig out and turn itself back on (mine did that once), you can disconnect it by removing the plastic trim piece on the ceiling. Along one side you will find the power wires stuffed up in there with lots of slack, they should have spade connectors that are easily disconnected. Usually the Maxxfan is not on a fuse by itself and pulling the fuse to the fan will disable other items as well.

[Bea]

Originally Posted by gbb

I really appreciate this forum and the people on it. It helped us to decide for sure we wanted an escape, helped us decide what options we wanted for our build sheet, gave us advice on where to stay and what to do on our trip to pick our escape up, and now it is helping me to keep the camper going, plus it is just entertaining at times!

Well said! Feel the same and could not agree with you more! -Bea

[gbb]

My search skills much be equivalent to my DC current skills
Could anybody please share a link to the threads that I know I have seen before?
Link to a replacement battery disconnect switch?
Link to a tutorial/primer on DC current in RV's and to a multimeter tutorial if one exists on the forum.
Thanks!

[Vermilye]

While it will require some carpentry to install, you will be happier with one of these switches rather than the one that failed.

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by gbb

Couple of good days; 50 quarts of sweet corn and 12 quarts of blueberries in the freezer and finally had a little time to try to figure the camper problem out. Iowa Dave's suggestion helped me to determine it did not appear to be the batteries. David Murphy's suggestion about shorting across the switch was the next thing I was going to try. I have shorted across starter terminals many times to get old tractors and other equipment started so I felt like this was something I could do. Looking at it with a little time to think I came up with a test light and a jumper wire I use on electric fence to make a tester I could use. The jumper wire was long enough to reach back to the negative battery terminal and the text light was used to test the current to and across the switch. Current was getting to the switch but not going through it so the problem appears to be a bad switch. I clamped the both leads going to the switch together and everything is working, (except the max fan which started this whole thing). Yea, we will have power when we are go camping with our grandson on Monday for a few days. I remember seeing a better switch on the forum somewhere and will order that before we leave so I can put it in when we get back.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and for the links to other threads which I have read and reread.
I really appreciate this forum and the people on it. It helped us to decide for sure we wanted an escape, helped us decide what options we wanted for our build sheet, gave us advice on where to stay and what to do on our trip to pick our escape up, and now it is helping me to keep the camper going, plus it is just entertaining at times!
Week after next, I will tackle the max fan and I am certain I will be asking the forum for help again!

Greetings. I am a new member and NOT an owner of an Escape ( I own a SOB - Some Other Brand, aka Bigfoot) and signed up for the board to read about RVAwning lock installations, which I have already) but I decided to poke around a bit, and saw this thread...................

I have two things to mention to the op that may prove useful.

Not being familiar with DC systems is a real constraint in working on RV's as they are very much DC, and not so much AC. May I suggest The 12 volt side of life, part 1 and The 12 volt side of life, part 2 (more in depth)

Secondly.... MaxxFans are noted for being voltage sensitive, and the electronics in them burn up and cannot handle much over 14 volts, which many converters will put out on shore power. Why Maxxfan designed fans that cannot handle voltages up to about 16 or 18 volts, is anyone's guess, but I have read this so many times, and once just recently on iRV2. The common suggestion is to install a buck/boost voltage stabilizer such as this tiny unit, Cllena DC 8V-40V to 12V 10A Automatic Buck Boost Converter Step Down/Up Regulator Voltage Reducer Converter Waterproof Regulated DC Power Supply The input is 8-40v dc and the output is a stable 12v up to 10 amps. Maxxfan tells me that the fan draws about 8 amps (I called and asked when I installed a fan in a previous trailer, and their literature does not specify the amp draw of the unit.).

Charles
BigfootRV 25B21RB

[gbb]

4 days camping with grandson was great. Solar kept the batteries charged even with rain off an on a couple days and DC power worked great. Thanks everyone.

Got home and cleaned up camper the next day and thought I would try the max fan that was not working and it ran fine. Left it running for 30 minutes. Tried again today and again fine.

So to recap; Max fan would not work and the auto light was on. Tried to turn it off and would not turn off. Unplugged shore power and turned battery switch off and the auto light went out. Turned battery switch on and and tried Max fan again and it tried to start and struggled and then went off and the auto light came on again. After several attempts gave up and that's when the DC power was not working which turned out to be the battery switch.
Now after camping for 4 days and driving a 100+ miles the max fan seems to be working again.

Any ideas?

Thanks again

[davidmurphy02]

When the Maxxfan circuit board goes bad it can act erratically. Our fan started running on its own and would not turn off. I disconnected the power, hooked it back up several days later and it seemed to be OK but then the next day acted up again. What was the weather like when your fan first acted up? Some people have reported issues with the fan during rainy or very humid weather, suspecting that moisture in the circuit board caused the problem and after the circuit board dried out on its own or was dried off with a hair dryer it seemed OK. Yours may be like that....but if it acts up again it is likely a bad circuit board. Not hard to replace, although with the parts shortages it is hard to find one right now.