Carver Fan not working

[johnfrosty]

I have an Elddis 214L Vogue. I am trying to fix up all the little pesky bits which don't work. The Carver water system works, the Gas heater works, but the fan doesn't blow air out of anhy vents and I can't even hear the motor spinning behind the gas fire. Just wondered if this is an easy fix, new motor for fan maybe? Grateful for any tips from anyone who may have done this before
thanks

 

[ProfJohnL]

What year is your caravan?

 

[johnfrosty]

Sorry, it's a 1996

 

[Gralay]

Have you got 12v going to the fan motor also is the fan free to turn as they can get clogged

 

[johnfrosty]

No idea, off to check! thanks

 

[johnfrosty]

PS I assume I am right in thinking the fan unit is on the back of the Gas fire? It looks like the fan to me and the ducting comes out of it! I will go get the cover off if so (after disconnecting of course!)

 

[Gralay]

PS I assume I am right in thinking the fan unit is on the back of the Gas fire? It looks like the fan to me and the ducting comes out of it! I will go get the cover off if so (after disconnecting of course!)

Yes it comes off as a unit with fan. You have turned the fan on I presume with remote controller see photo also is battery charged
The right one is for control of fan in different modes the left is to turn on 230v element

 

[johnfrosty]

I have that same control panel yes. I tried all the possible settings on the right hand side but never heard any blowing going on, just silence. No air felt from vents either.
I dont have a battery in the van, 240v hookup.

thanks

 

[Gralay]

I have that same control panel yes. I tried all the possible settings on the right hand side but never heard any blowing going on, just silence. No air felt from vents either.
I dont have a battery in the van, 240v hookup.

thanks

The 12v side would need a battery as when on 240v that just tops up battery not run 12v accessories like heating fan. I would suggest putting a battery in caravan and try again before taking anything out. Please let us know how you get on
Gralay

 

[johnfrosty]

Oooooh!! I see! I thought the hookup would send 12v round everything too! Will do that and update here. thanks very much

 

[ProfJohnL]

Oooooh!! I see! I thought the hookup would send 12v round everything too! Will do that and update here. thanks very much

Your 1996 caravan should have a power supply (230V ac to 13.8V dc) and it should be sufficient to run the 12V fan. So it would make sense to check it is actually producing 12V (really 13.8V).

You can do this fairly easily, by finding another appliance that needs 12V (a 12V lamp to perhaps the water pump) and see if they work. If not then you might have a problem with the power supply. Its worth checking fuses.

The Fanmaster was sold to Truma who stopped its production in 2000. Arcsystems.biz website says they have spares and can effect repairs. You will find a copy of teh operating manual here:-

https://www.arcsystems.biz/manuals/Fanmaster.PDF

 

[johnfrosty]

wow, great info thank you. I didn't get time to get back to the caravan this evening but tomorrow I will. Yes I thought it had a 240v to 12v convertor/charger so i expected it to work. Interestingly, the 12v switch on fridge doesn't glow when i turn it on, so maybe there is an issue with 12v supply. However the water pump in aquaroll works when turning taps on, so there must be 12v. curious!

 

[johnfrosty]

Ok, I found a connector block in a cupboard which feeds a 12v light and my meter shows 13.88v across the black/red there. So I think that means the power supply is producing 12v perfectly well. (I don't have a battery hooked up)

Would the next step be to remove the cover off the fan and see if 12 v is getting in there? I can see the fan on the back of the gas heater, it looks like a 240v cable going in plus a thinner black cabe, maybe that's 12v. I assumed it should work off 240v though. Will have a look but any tips appreciated, thanks again

 

[ProfJohnL]

13.88 is a good indication that the caravans low voltage dcc power supply is working. Good.

The Fanmaster was designed to do three things.
To blow unheated air
To blow air heated by the gas heater
To blow air heated by a 230V ac element

Because the gas heater is based on a design used before mains power was widely used in caravans, only low voltage 12V dc power was available to run a fan, so the Fanmaster's fan needs an external 12V supply.

The Fanmaster only uses 230V to heat a set of mains heating elements built into the casting.

The Fanmasters control circuit needs 12V dc to run, and it controls the current supplied to the fan motor to control its speed. The control circuit also regulates the 230V current to the heating elements depending on how the control switch is set.

Certainly if the motor is faulty you might see 12V power at the motor terminals, But the absence of power at the motor terminals, could be fault on the main circuit board, or wiring feeding the Fanmaster.

If you do have good access to the behind the heater, with appropriate safety measures it's not too difficult to remove the Fanmaster from the back of the heater and its ducting. Getting it out will allow you check it out more easily. It will almost certainly benefit from a careful clean to remove dust. Be careful not to remove any balancing clips or bend any part of the fan impeller when cleaning.

 

[johnfrosty]

Thanks so much. I spent ages with it. I am pretty sure the PCB has gone. I took it off and saw a small burned out connectoin on the board. I tried to solder a bypass in but me and my fat fingers weren't up to doing it very well and I shorted it with battery when testing, oops! I tested the fan motor and that's working fine and the control panel on wall seems to work fine, so I am guessing it's a PCB repair/replace job.

 

[Damian]

Contact Gary at Arc Systems , he will be able to supply a new PCB.
Use his mobile number and be prepared for a long conversation