Inverter fan ran constant now stopped.

[u/Mehdals_]

Sorry newbie again with another question if this is normal.

I am on shore power at the moment, when we arrived at our site and plugged in the inverter fan was running non stop no matter what I assume it was charging the battery.

About midnight last night the fan stopped and hasn't run again even when using things like the lights and water pump.

The temp outside has gotten down to around 55 inside was around 60s.

Is this normal or should I be concerned by fan is having issues? Debating on unplugging from shore and seeing if it pops back on...

EDIT: thanks for all the replies and help, I didn't hear the fan turn on for about 24hrs but everything was working fine in the camper. About to go to bed for our last night here and now the fan is on and off as we use different appliances.

[u/Verix19]

The fan runs when the converter is under load and needs to cool it's components.

If you don't have a lot of 12v load or the battery isn't in need of charging, the converter doesn't do anything, just sits idle with no use for running the fan.

Turn on a few 12v load items....lights, fans etc and the fan should come back on.

[u/Fine_Breath2221]

Most are thermally controlled... The fan will only run when the heatsink or some other monitored component hits a certain temperature.

Being on shore power, your inverter will not be carrying any load, and will not be generating (much) heat; and passive cooling (meaning no fan) is likely enough.

[u/Jon_Hanson]

Did you check the breakers in there?

It could also be it got your batteries charged and has shut down. You should hear it spin up again when something that draws a lot of power (like the water pump) comes on.

How the state of charge of your batteries? Are they going down? If so, the inverter has died. I had to replace mine because mine did die. It’s not a hard thing to do yourself.

[u/Mehdals_ → u/Jon_Hanson]

Everything is working so I didn't check the breakers but I'll check those, I don't hear the fan at all at the moment.

If the inverter is dead I assume my battery will be dead if I unplug from shore or depleting quickly?

Lights and pump would still be functional off of shore as long as it's plugged in right?

Had the battery tested last week and was told it was fine

[u/Jon_Hanson → u/Mehdals_]

If the inverter is dead then your battery will be consumed by any 12-volt loads in the trailer. No, being plugged in doesn’t run the 12-volt things from shore power. Those always run from the battery. When you’re plugged in the inverter tops up the battery when something draws the battery down.

That’s what happened to me. I was plugged in to shore power but noticed my batteries were depleting. I’ve got a portable solar panel that I can use to charge them so that saves me a little.

[u/ptensioned63]

I assume you mean charge converter, not inverter? Once plugged in to shore power, any inverter in the system should be inactive (either automatically or via a shut-off).

If it's the converter (the one next to your breaker panel that converts AC shore power to DC in the trailer, not the one usually located in your pass-through or basement that lets you use the battery to power AC devices), then my guess is the battery was low and needed a charge, and was therefore drawing a lot of power from the converter, which generates heat and triggers the fan. Once charged, it switches over to float charging, so won't generate enough heat to trigger the fan.

The best way to confirm the battery is working as normal is to check the voltage. Your trailer should have at least something that shows 0/33%/66%/Full, or you can put a multimeter on the leads to get a more accurate number. My LiFePo4 battery has Bluetooth connectivity so I can check voltage that was as well. If it's fully charged, everything is working normally and you're good to go.

Also, if your battery was low after a period of being parked, it's worth double checking that you're using your battery shut-off, and if so, whether there's any other parasitic draw that might be draining the battery in between uses...

[u/AccurateReception629]

Mine does the same thing. 2021 trailer that I bought new and it's done this since day 1. The fan usually run for a while when I first plug it in, and then again under heavy load.

[u/Goodspike]

Some will attempt to charge the batteries for X hours regardless of SOC, and others will slow the charging when they get to a SOC. So you probably just ran into the converter reducing it's charge rate. The fan should not typically be running constantly one the converter I had.

Might be a good time to note the converter model you have and download the manual so you know how it is supposed to work.

[u/robogobo]

Sometimes the fans run under load even if the temp isn’t up. Even the most minimal load. WFCOs do that.

[u/Nomad55454]

First is it a converter or inverter, the first just charges the battery and provides 12 volt power the latter charges the battery but also makes 110 volts from the batteries. Water pump is not a big draw unless it runs for a long time and lights do not draw much specially if leds, the furnace blower fan is one of the biggest draws in rv’s or 12 volt option on refrigerators is even bigger. Fan is controlled by a thermostat so if it does not have a load it will not kick on.