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wildgoose2 · 02-14-2008, 12:58 PM

My Weekend Warrior FK21 lite (which I've named MEL {Mobile Electronics Laboratory}) was delivered about five months ago and is being used as an mostly stationary office. {Okay, just haven't taken it to a client's yet or gone fishing with it as of yet!} Battery is always on and only 12v lights and refrigerator are used. During the Fall the air-conditioner was used but not in atleast three months. Water system was never used and I drained the water tank about a month ago when the outside house sprinker pipes began to freeze. Problem is late at night near the kitchen area I hear a loud click noise. No fixed time other then around 11pm-ish but I've been unable to pin-point it. Any ideas? I do have one propane tank turned on for the heater that I rarely use but the (cheap) thermostat is turned all the way hard off. (On cold nights I use it to take the edge off and assist the sealed oil filled heater to warm the unit more quickly.) Any ideas? When the click occurs typically the only 12v in use would be the refrigerator logic circuitry? I tend to not use the 12v lighting system and have noticed the bulbs burn themselves out pretty quickly when used. Battery indicators indicate the dual batteries have a full charge and they're outside mounted on the tongue and the noise appears inside near the kitchen area.

wildgoose2 · 02-14-2008, 12:58 PM

My Weekend Warrior FK21 lite (which I've named MEL {Mobile Electronics Laboratory}) was delivered about five months ago and is being used as an mostly stationary office. {Okay, just haven't taken it to a client's yet or gone fishing with it as of yet!} Battery is always on and only 12v lights and refrigerator are used. During the Fall the air-conditioner was used but not in atleast three months. Water system was never used and I drained the water tank about a month ago when the outside house sprinker pipes began to freeze. Problem is late at night near the kitchen area I hear a loud click noise. No fixed time other then around 11pm-ish but I've been unable to pin-point it. Any ideas? I do have one propane tank turned on for the heater that I rarely use but the (cheap) thermostat is turned all the way hard off. (On cold nights I use it to take the edge off and assist the sealed oil filled heater to warm the unit more quickly.) Any ideas? When the click occurs typically the only 12v in use would be the refrigerator logic circuitry? I tend to not use the 12v lighting system and have noticed the bulbs burn themselves out pretty quickly when used. Battery indicators indicate the dual batteries have a full charge and they're outside mounted on the tongue and the noise appears inside near the kitchen area.

Jeff_in_The_Dalles · 02-15-2008, 05:21 AM

First, welcome to the forum.

Secondly, if I understand correctly you hear an occasional click when running on 12v, and you have the propane on...

Is the refrigerator running on propane? If so, you are probably just hearing it light. Modern ones are direct spark ignition (no pilot light) and you can hear the crack of the igniter when it decides to light.

Vette Racer · 02-15-2008, 05:37 AM

"Is the refrigerator running on propane? If so, you are probably just hearing it light. Modern ones are direct spark ignition (no pilot light) and you can hear the crack of the igniter when it decides to light."

That was my first thought too.

Welcome to the forum wildgoose2, glad to have you post.

wildgoose2 · 02-15-2008, 06:15 AM

Definitely not the refrigerator. My primary compuer desk sits right next to it (but not too convenient - I have to get up to get a soda or snack). It's a front kitchen and I sit over the axles. The sound definitely comes from the front. Radio is off, that leaves the stove, which has never been used, microwave, which has never been used, hot water heater, water pump, only demoed by the sales person, and the propane heater, etc. Air conditioner is over my head and definitely not it. I haven't turned off the unused 110v breakers. Since its a one time a day or every couple of days between clicks, I haven't been able to pin point it. Any other ideas?

On another note, I joke about being able to fit the Aveo in here (provided I remove some of the the mostly home-made office furniture) or a 20' Kayak (if I owned one!) but it sure seems bigger in the inside then it does on the outside! But then again, (my fortress of solitude) is only slightly longer then my Chevy Extended Express Van.

FatDog · 02-15-2008, 07:20 AM

are you sure the clicking isn't coming from the outside panel where the fridge panel is trying to light up?

and where are all the relays?
at the thermostat; above at the heater or AC; even at the battery maybe?

post a pic of your 'mostly' home made office furniture. pics are always fun.
sounds like a cool place to work, even if you do have to get up from your desk to walk over to the fridge, which does indeed sound terribly unfair

Ray,IN · 02-22-2008, 04:03 PM

Has the water heater been switched on by mistake? Try switching off the 120VAC side of the breaker panel (main). There are only 5 things possible (if it's electrical)- refrigerator, water heater, convertor/AC breaker panel, LP detector, and loose wiring somewhere.
You said the 12V bulbs burn out quickly, that is highly unusual in itself. Could there be a loose wire somewhere that is allowing a spark to jump? Pull all the 12V fuses, one at a time, to hear if the click stops.
Well, that's my brainstorm for tonight, bye.

Vette Racer · 03-16-2008, 05:49 PM

wildgoose2, did you ever find the reason for the "click" noise? I'm sure we'd all like to know that one.

wildgoose2 · 03-16-2008, 06:25 PM

No, not as of yet. I've been distracted by other stress issues.

Definitely from the kitchen area, right side front, but due to the intermittant sound, once every day or so, no easy task to track down.

I haven't noticed a coorelation between coldness, or nightime, but its heard on cold nights. The cheap thermistat is turned all the way to the snap OFF position and gas is off.

Vette Racer · 03-20-2008, 04:02 PM

Well, if you ever find out let us know. I'm sure several would be interested that posted.

wildgoose2 · 07-21-2008, 10:42 PM

Okay, I think I found the source of the noise. Found a small stream of water yesterday and followed it back and found a sink faucet fitting had a drop of water. Now, I drained the tank back around the end of the year on one of those pipe freezing nights but never discharged the system. Now I don't understand why there was suddenly a trail of water (I have trailer at a slight angle for roof sprinkler run off) but I haven't heard the daily click sound since. I had to go to work, so I pulled the fuse on the water pump. Makes kind of sense though! Pump senses a micro-drop in pressure due to a loss of pressure due to a drop of water and then pulses the pump for a fraction of a second to get its preset pressure back on the pipe! Thus a click!