Wallas Fan Noise

cbadmin · Joined: 23 Oct 2003 Posts: 206

From: Da_Nag™ (Original Message) Sent: 10/23/2003 11:33 AM
Sundog posted a comment over at the Pub about Wallas fan noise - bringing the topic over here for discussion.

I too, am not thrilled with the amount of noise the Wallas fan puts out. However, I'm not comfortable leaving the lid up overnight.

It seems like it would be pretty straightforward to install a rheostat into the power supply line to the fan, making the fan speed adjustable. This is pretty common on PC's to lower the case and CPU fan noise - here's a link that describes a home-brewed process that should work on any 12v fan.

Anyone ever have their Wallas disassembled enough to know if access to the fan wires is obvious and easy?

From: PS_Rick Sent: 10/23/2003 10:19 PM
I was just wondering if at high heat setting would you want the speed to be reduced, only because if it does not remove enough heat could it damage something in the fan lid?

From: True Story Sent: 10/24/2003 11:53 AM
I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't feel comfortable running the Wallas at night. I sure wouldn't be comfortable knowing I could underestimate the amount of fan required to keep this unit adequately cool. It's one thing doing this during the day, but at night when asleep... no way. I'm sure Wallas has already considered the idea of fluctuating fan speed and nixed it for safety and/or liability reasons. Heck, I've felt compelled to turn the heater down because the counter top adjacent to the stove gets to hot for my liking after running on high for a while.

I also find the fan noise bothersome so I purchased a small butane (Mr. Buddy) heater that fits nicely in front of the porta potty for use when we're awake and we get tired of the noise. It's stable even when cruising if set on a non-slip surface and is relatively efficient. We just pile on the covers at night if it's cold and dry the cabin out in the morning with the Wallas. Just my two bits.

From: C-DOGKen2 Sent: 10/27/2003 8:44 PM
Hi, True Story,

I think Wallas has you covered, since thay have built-in overheat cutoffs.

When I first got my boat, I too had concerns about sleeping while the Wallas was running. So I ran the heck out of it for long (8 hour) periods, to be sure I could trust it. Lid up. Lid down. (Did that in my side yard before having to commit).

The only failure was on hot days, when it would shut down when cabin, and counter top, would get too hot.

On nights when the fan noise has bothered me, I've left the lid up, and just turned the setting to about the Half mark.

Comfortable nights, and no problem starting the engine in the AM.

Ken

Lynn Marie · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2003 3:56 pm Post subject:

We had the Lynn Marie for the last fall cruise before dry docking for winter projects and used the Wallas. Iwasn't bothered buy the volume but was disturbed by the pitch. About three time during the cool down period I got a loud screech from the fan motor. Anybody have a similar experience? At this point I'm willing to wait till the Seattle BS when I can talk to the factory folks at their booth. Sure hope they'll be there again.

Tim

Adeline · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2003 9:02 pm Post subject: Wallas fan noise

Tim, When my unit has screeched, it has always been the blower fan. My experience has been that once the screaming starts it's only a matter of time before fan motor failure. The last time this syndrome occured, the increased resistance of the failing motor(s) caused the catastrophic failure of the circuit board from where it's power is supplied. I believe the twin motors(blower fan) were 9 volts. Karl removed one of the twin motors and replaced it with a single large motor that was 12 volts. He bypassed the circuit board and wired this motor upstream of it. The other motor was left in place @ the other end of the squirrel cage. This way, if the fan motor fails it wo'nt take the c.b. with it. If your fan is screaming, do'nt delay repairs. Replacing a c.b. is very expensive. Pete