What if I ran my Maxx Air Fan for 7 hrs off my Rv battery? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 06-15-2010, 08:32 PM   #1
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How much would I drain my battery, if I ran my Maxx Air Fan all night, with the battery fully charged. Would it go two nights without driving the trailer around during the day to recharge it? Should I just bring an extra battery? I will be at a campground on the beach of N.C. without hookups and no generator. Whad da ya think?

Lloyd
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Old 06-15-2010, 08:49 PM   #2
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Hi LLoyd
I installed a Maxxair fan and measured the current draw with my ammeter. On low it only drew about 0.3 Amps after it got going. If it were run 7 hours it would only draw about 2AH. Most trailer batteries are at least 80 AH... mine is 130AH. In conclusion, there should be no problem running the fan for a few nights assuming you do not have other, large current draws.
Good Luck.
Larry H
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Old 06-15-2010, 09:33 PM   #3
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I have run my Fantastic fan longer than that with no big dents in my battery.
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Old 06-16-2010, 12:16 AM   #4
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As Larry has already pointed out, the Fantastic Fan on Low draws pretty minimal power, about 0.3 Amps. Even with that low a power draw, the fan still manages to move a whole lot of air. It also makes a fair bit of noise while it's at it. I find there are times when I want more quiet and less breeze, so I decided to alter my Fantastic Fan to add an ultra-low fan speed switch.

I added a circuit-interrupter switch that re-routes the fan's electric supply through a 10-Ohm, 10-Watt resistor (available at most Radio Shacks that aren't located in a big shopping mall). When switched to its new low-low speed the fan moves a steady, quiet breeze that doesn't dominate conversation over the dinette table, moves just the right amount of air for a warm day or to exhaust cooking fumes so the smoke alarm doesn't go off, and consumes about 0.16 Amps.



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When the interrupter switch (the black, cylindrical thing with wires leading to and from in the lower right corner of the picture below) is closed, electricity takes the path of least resistance through the normal fan wiring, but, when the switch is open, the electricity has no choice but to go through the 10 Ohm resistor to get to the fan.


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The resistor is mounted using a pair of blind rivets (Pop Rivets) that secure its leads to the fan housing on either side of the ventilation opening that allows cool air to move over the resistor coils in the factory speed selector switch. This is quite important because the new resistor will get quite warm, hot to the touch, and needs to use some of the air the fan blows by to cool it.

(Yes, I know the soldering job sucks. My soldering iron wasn't heating properly. It got the job done, barely, and I replaced it after this project.)
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Old 06-16-2010, 12:14 PM   #5
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Good write-up Peter. The fan in our bathroom (Bigfoot 21R was much too powerful for such a small enclosure. The folks at FanTastic provided us with the same 10W resistor and recommended splicing it into the white wire leading to the motor and placing it in the main airway without the nearby strut obstructing it. They also mentioned that up to two 10W resistors could be used depending on the desired speed.
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Old 06-16-2010, 12:39 PM   #6
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Peter, are you running your fan constantly? Maybe I am looking at this wrong but I don't see how you turn the fan off.
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Old 06-16-2010, 12:57 PM   #7
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This from a post that an owner supplied

“Received the resistor and instructions from Fan-Fastic today. Here is exactly what the directions say.


Insert 10W 4 Ohm resister into white-ground going from motor to dome switch. Solder or use two 16 gauge butt connectors.

*Important* -Suspend resistor over fan blade. This insures airflow to cool the resister. Do not mount resistor directly to motor mounting leg.”
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Old 06-17-2010, 01:08 AM   #8
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Quote:
Peter, are you running your fan constantly? Maybe I am looking at this wrong but I don't see how you turn the fan off.
No, the resistor and bypass switch don't actually interfere with the operation of the fan switches. They are installed midway between the speed selector switch (which has a off position) and the in/out fan direction switch (which also has an off position). With the interrupter switch closed, the fan works just as it did before I modified it. With the switch open, it shunts power through the resistor and the fan runs at its new, super-low speed.
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