Fan keeps running on wfco 3 stage power converter

kmill99 · 06-17-2011, 06:08 PM

Hi. The fan on our WFCO 3 stage power converter wont stop running. It has been running since we arrived this afternoon to our 24' Forest River Wildwood travel trailer. I took the front panel off and it is the fan for the cooling fins that wont stop. I also just noticed that the freezer for the refrigerator is working but NOT the refrigerator part. We have power at our campsite and I also have a large propane tank connected. When I switched the refrigerator to "gas" it sounded like it kicked on but it does not seem cool yet. Any ideas on what could be going wrong here? Help!! food is going to start spoiling as we are out in the woods.

08flagvlite · 06-17-2011, 07:36 PM

First the converter; USUALLY, the battery is the culprit to make the fan run a lot. Check the water level in the battery, and the connections to it, as well. The age of that battery could be the problem also. You can have it checked free at most auto parts stores. As far as the fridge, the freezer is the part that gets cooled off, then that air is vented into the fridge. It does take these camper refrigerators a longer time to cool off, a couple of hours say 3 or so is pretty normal. We usually start ours on electric at home about 3 hours ahead of departure, then switch over to gas for the trip, and back to electric if available at the campsite. They won't feel as cold as a home fridge because there isn't a fan blowing inside. SOME Dometic refrigerators have a sliding switch to adjust the amount of air to the fridge. It is usually above the ref. door, on the body area. Hope this helps! Randy

kmill99 · 06-17-2011, 09:20 PM

Hi Randy. We have the trailer plugged directly into our power pole so would it still be the battery causing the problem? If I disconnect the battery will the fan stop running continuously?

kmill99 · 06-17-2011, 09:39 PM

As far as the fridge goes.... the freezer is cold but it does not seem like hardly any cold is getting to the refrigerator. It has been 6 hours now and the fridge is just barely cold. The odd thing is that I don't "hear" the unit running whatsoever. I thought they made some noise when the condenser kicks on or a fan or something? Any ideas on this?

**Terier** · 06-17-2011, 10:34 PM

On my last outing I had a problem getting my fridge getting cold. It turned out that the door was not fully closed. Now I test the door handle by giving it a slight push in.

buzzards27 · 06-21-2011, 03:40 PM

you might want to check the voltage of your batteries. If the voltage is too low the converter is going to run nonstop to get them up to spec. The batteries need to be somewhere between 12.8 and 13.6 Vac, you might want to check the water and charge them up before you head out next time.

here is the manual for mine; http://americanrvcompany.com/assets/images/wf8900.pdf

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmill99

Hi. The fan on our WFCO 3 stage power converter wont stop running. It has been running since we arrived this afternoon to our 24' Forest River Wildwood travel trailer. I took the front panel off and it is the fan for the cooling fins that wont stop. I also just noticed that the freezer for the refrigerator is working but NOT the refrigerator part. We have power at our campsite and I also have a large propane tank connected. When I switched the refrigerator to "gas" it sounded like it kicked on but it does not seem cool yet. Any ideas on what could be going wrong here? Help!! food is going to start spoiling as we are out in the woods.

08flagvlite · 06-21-2011, 05:02 PM

kmill99, as buzzards 27 stated, that converter will be trying to work double overtime to charge the battery, if there is a battery problem. YES, even plugged in to the power pole, the battery is charging itself, which makes that Converter get hot, and the fan run to cool it off. I would NOT disconnect that battery, as you will burn out that converter eventually. As the fridge goes, NO, there is not any compressor or cooling fan noises in an RV fridge. SOME of the newest models do have fans, but most 2010 back do not. You can check to see if you have the vent that slides open more or less above the door, to allow the fridge more cooling air from the freezer; some have this feature, some do not. I added my own cooling fan to the fridge, that helps. You can do a fridge fan search on this forum to get one. Randy

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