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Old 06-28-2021, 03:01 PM   #1
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Maxxfan issues

Our Maxxfan 5100k has just malfunctioned, we believe its the circuit board. Sadly there are no circuit boards to be found in North America right now so we are looking at purchasing a new fan. (we are a few weeks beyond warranty). Given the multitude of issues we've now read about in both this forum and many others, we are not confident that a new 5100k is going to last any longer. Has anyone out there replaced a Maxxfan with a different fan?
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Old 06-28-2021, 03:05 PM   #2
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Maxx Fan Circuit Board Issues

Maxx Fan circuit board replaced, and fan only runs on low speed! Ugh!
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Old 06-28-2021, 03:07 PM   #3
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I think I when ours goes I will replace it with a simple on off switch. Typically our use is to turn it on full to exit the heat if the windows have been closed up.
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Old 06-28-2021, 03:43 PM   #4
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I guess I will count myself extra lucky that I was able to get a board several months ago when ours went bad. Given the cost and hassle of replacing the entire fan, it might be worth waiting a couple of months until a replacement board becomes available. I applied conformal coating to my new board, as others have done, in the hope of preventing future problems with outside moisture negatively affecting the circuit board.

If you do wind up getting a whole new fan, you should at least be able to keep the external housing/cover that are fastened and caulked to the roof to save removing all that.

And an interim option while waiting on a new control board would be to bypass the board and wire an on/off switch into the line to allow you to turn the fan on and off in the meantime.

Has your fan been non-functional for a while? If moisture on the control board was the issue, some owners have found that once the board completely dried out - and you can speed that process up with a hair dryer - that it began working again. If that happens I would still recommend applying conformal coating to both sides of the board to seal it against moisture.

Conformal coating comes in both spray and liquid form. I found the liquid easier to apply just where I wanted it, avoiding connector pins and getting a good thick coating. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 06-28-2021, 04:47 PM   #5
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Thanks David. Now waiting for our second call back from Airxcel and hoping someone from the Tech Services side might be a bit more helpful. The fan started malfunctioning just 3 days ago and then 2 days ago it stuck on max speed blowing out, none of the controls would do anything and the only way to shut it down was to shut all power off. Don't think moisture is the problem as we are in the middle of a dramatic heat wave and haven't seen moisture of a couple of weeks. Will definitely look at the conformal coating if we do end up with a new board. We will look at the on/off switch if it looks like the fix might be a long wait.
Thanks again.

Peter and Kathy
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Old 06-28-2021, 04:53 PM   #6
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I have bought numerous Maxxfan control boards from AdventureRV - they usually have boards in stock. You might want to try them to see if they have your board.

https://www.adventurerv.net/printed-...3rj27nbsrqu2u1
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Old 06-28-2021, 04:56 PM   #7
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Sadly out of stock too but I'll hang on to that link for future reference.
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Old 06-28-2021, 04:57 PM   #8
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Same Maxxfan failure issue with us. We are currently camping in 90+ Eastern Sierra temperatures, so we are not very happy with the company right now.
Is anyone aware of a bypass modification to the circuit board that would install a simple variable speed with on/off switch? Even better, one that would include reverse polarity to set the fan direction (blow or suck)?
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Old 06-28-2021, 05:51 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by gdmrce View Post
Same Maxxfan failure issue with us. We are currently camping in 90+ Eastern Sierra temperatures, so we are not very happy with the company right now.
Is anyone aware of a bypass modification to the circuit board that would install a simple variable speed with on/off switch? Even better, one that would include reverse polarity to set the fan direction (blow or suck)?
I have this RioRand 7-70V PWM DC Motor Speed Controller Switch 30A wired to a Berstrom Auxiliary Defrost Fan (School Bus) inside the trailer to provide control of the fan aimed at us while in bed.



I have no idea if it could be wired into the Maxxair Fan, but, it does a great job with my fan.

It does NOT have a reverse. Even with the fan I have, I changed out the stock single pole double throw two speed fan switch with a double pole double throw switch so I could maintain the stock 'low' and put the speed control on the 'high'.

Edit: Here's a similar unit that says it has reverse.

tatoko DC Motor Speed Controller 10V-55V 12V 24V 36V 40A Stepless DC Motor Speed Controller with Forward-Brake-Reverse Switch,Ajustable Potentiometer &Digital Display
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Old 06-28-2021, 08:19 PM   #10
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The fellow who owned our trailer told me the maxi fan had gone out and they wanted a lot to replace it.

He went on line and found maxi fan for 200.00. New
Bought it and took the circuit board out of it and installed it in old fan.

All worked fine except if you try to go above speed 4 it blows a fuse.

Otherwise it is working fine.

I have the new fan minus the circuit board in my garage.
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Old 06-28-2021, 08:54 PM   #11
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When ours wigged out I initially had to pull a fuse to get it off, but found that fuse also went to the thermostat. If you remove the four screws holding the plastic trim piece on the ceiling, you'll find the power wires connecting the fan to the trailer wiring stuffed up along the edge. Pull them down - they will have plenty of slack - and they should have spade connectors that are easy to disconnect.
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Old 06-28-2021, 09:12 PM   #12
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Thanks. We might need to disconnect it because we can’t turn the AC on when the fuse is out.
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Old 06-29-2021, 01:13 AM   #13
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Thanks to the You Tube folks I plan to bypass the Control board with a similar setup shown on the following videos.
https://youtu.be/d0wQ_1I_oQs
https://youtu.be/TNU505DoSpc
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Old 06-29-2021, 03:21 PM   #14
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For someone new to the subject, I saw this preventative video that deals with what you should consider doing.

https://youtu.be/fbWuiF2JSXs
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Old 06-29-2021, 05:36 PM   #15
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We just heard back from Airxcel. They confirmed that the circuit board failed because of spikes in voltage related to the solar panel. Our serial number confirmed that we have the old circuit board - V3.8 aka the "A" version. We are within one day of our two year warranty period and they are going to send out a "B" (or 3.9 version) which can handle up to 13.8V. They just got a container in of circuit boards (they apparently supply RV places in North America), so they actually do have them in stock. They also recommended that we install a 12V DC voltage regulator as they have seen spikes up to 15V. We will definitely install the regulator and hopefully we won't have this problem again. Thanks everyone for your input.
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Old 06-29-2021, 07:44 PM   #16
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What a P poor product this is. Total crap that it is designed to only take 13.8 volts knowing full well that proper battery charging of an RV can exceed that easily.
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Old 06-29-2021, 08:45 PM   #17
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Very informative, thank you .we will try the regulator.
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Old 06-29-2021, 09:19 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kathy and Peter View Post
We just heard back from Airxcel. They confirmed that the circuit board failed because of spikes in voltage related to the solar panel. Our serial number confirmed that we have the old circuit board - V3.8 aka the "A" version. We are within one day of our two year warranty period and they are going to send out a "B" (or 3.9 version) which can handle up to 13.8V. They just got a container in of circuit boards (they apparently supply RV places in North America), so they actually do have them in stock. They also recommended that we install a 12V DC voltage regulator as they have seen spikes up to 15V. We will definitely install the regulator and hopefully we won't have this problem again. Thanks everyone for your input.
Thank you for starting this thread! We have not noticed any Maxxfan issues (knock on wood) but since we have the same vintage trailer, we were wondering what 'serial number' are you referring to (that confirms the A or B version)?? We have the Maxxfan model # 5100K with a serial # 1812-5100K-0278. Where do you see the V3.8 or V3.9 numbers?

Also, when you say 'they recommend installing a 12V DC regulator' is that something different than the Progressive EMS system that ETI installed? Thanks in advance! -Bea
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Old 06-29-2021, 09:48 PM   #19
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Also, when you say 'they recommend installing a 12V DC regulator' is that something different than the Progressive EMS system that ETI installed? Thanks in advance! -Bea
Bea…if you watch the video in the link below you will get an understanding of the regulator install which is different than the EMS.
https://youtu.be/fbWuiF2JSXs
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Old 06-29-2021, 10:00 PM   #20
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... Also, when you say 'they recommend installing a 12V DC regulator' is that something different than the Progressive EMS system that ETI installed? Thanks in advance! -Bea
Bea, FYI here's the direct link to tdf-texas' typically excellent post/thread on the subject:
Maxxfan 7000K voltage regulator - Escape Trailer Owners Community (escapeforum.org)

Applicable to more than just the 7000k Maxxfan, post #25 in that thread lists examples of other RV equipment which may be sensitive to voltages sometimes encountered in the RV setting and therefore might benefit from regulation of the sort discussed.
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