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Road_Trip_Rob's avatar
Road_Trip_Rob
Explorer
Jun 24, 2018

Power Converter Hum?

Hello,
I have a project camper that I am working on to get it on the road.
It's a 1997 Dutchman. It has a Magnetek 45amp power converter with battery charger. Model# 6345. Everything works fine such as the AC, fridge, water heater and lights but I have noticed the converter has a Hum when it is plugged in even if everything is turned off. I took the front cover off the converter and the hum seems to be coming from a transformer. Is this normal? It's not real real loud but I think it will bug me when trying to sleep. I also notice a small fan in the converter that was not running. It spins freely but does not come on. The hum is not coming from this fan.
Thank you for any help on this, Rob
  • Matt_Colie's avatar
    Matt_Colie
    Explorer II
    Jun 24, 2018
    Rob,

    The old Magneteks were a Ferro-Resonant design that used line frequency to maintain a stable output voltage. They are always noisy. They are also not very good as a converter charger. The manufacturer had to pick either a good output voltage to charge batteries fast (that will damage batteries with time, or a safe storage voltage (that will take forever to recover a depleted bank).

    The newer multi-stage (aka smart) units do it all much better and quietly. If you have a good house bank or plan to install one, this is a good mod to make.

    Matt
  • YC_1's avatar
    YC_1
    Nomad
    Jun 24, 2018
    You are correct about the transformer. The fan most likely comes on when it gets to a specific temp.

    If the noise will bother you buy a new one but do get a more modern one with better specs and features.

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