parallax 7400 converter/charger

[ron55]

found my house batterys dead when I unplug from shore power. started the engine and run gen slided and jacks. charging the batterys with a portable charger.
shouldn't my parallax 7400 converter/charger fan be running?
How do I tell if the 7400 charger is charging?
seems like I used to hear the 7400 charger fan running more than now

[Shuffster]

More than likely the Parallax converter failed. Mine did this past autumn. Replaced with an Inteli converter off ebay for $130. Recently I fixed the Paralllax by replacing the MOV (metallic oxide varister) that had failed...a $3.00 part. I will use it as a spare. Parallax converters fail quite often, as referenced by many previous threads.

[FleetMan]

My Parallex 7455T failed within the first year. It was replaced under warranty but I replaced it on my own afterward with a PD 9260 with Charge Wizard because of continuous battery fluid boiling. The Parallex does not step down to a float charge after the batteries are fully charged.

[Clay L]

To see if it's charging the house batteries check the voltage at a battery. It will read around 13.5 if it's charging. If it's around 12 .6 or less it isn't.

Although they sure aren't a high end converter, mine has been chugging along for 6 full timing years. I do have to check the water level in the batteries pretty often though.

[wa8yxm]

The fan runs if the converter gets too hot, it's a cooling fan, Alas it can run even when you do not have shore power if the converter gets too hot.

How do you tell if the converter is working

Step one, without shore power connect a digital volt meter to the battery (Even if you have 10 of them techincally it is a "Battery" not "Batteries" it's only batteries when they are out of the coach disconnected)

NOte the voltage

Plug in

Note the voltage

Post here

And you will have an answer likely within the hour

Another way is to measure CURRENT into or out of the batt

INTO: converter working
OUT OF: not working