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la3 asked

Centaur Charger Fan Operation

I have had installed recently in my boat a new Centaur 12/100/3 Charger. I have found that the cooling fan never shuts down, despite the charger not charging or charging at a very low level below what might be indicated on the meter. Is this normal operation? Will I have to worry about a fan failure at some point just when it is truly needed to cool the unit? Temperatures in the engine room are still cool to very cool this time of year. Ventilation is good. My former Charles 12/80/3 Charger did not have a continuously running fan. The Lifeline AGM batteries are in three banks of 600AH; 215AH; and 100AH.

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2 Answers
tozz avatar image
tozz answered ·

The datasheet says 'temperature and current controlled fan'. That would imply the fan isn't always on. So if the temperature in the room the charger is in is indeed low enough, I believe this is not normal behaviour.

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la3 avatar image la3 commented ·

TOZZ: Thanks. This is exactly what I thought when I read that. I did see the reference you cite in the manual and datasheet for the charger, and this is the only reference to the fan operation that I could find. I am hoping to get confirmation, perhaps from an owner of this charger or one of the similar, lower amperage ones, that the Centaur was designed to have a constantly running fan, no matter the temperature and battery banks states of charge.

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tozz avatar image tozz la3 commented ·

At the very least "temperature and current controlled fan" would imply that the fan's rpm will change based on temp and load levels. If it's always running at full speed, I suppose there is something wrong with either the fan or some of the measuring, causing it to believe it needs to run the fan at full speed.

I searched on Youtube for clips about the Centaur, but I couldn't find any where the device is running.


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gwg answered ·

When I purchased my 2006 built boat 5 years ago I noticed the Centaur 12/100/3 charger cooling fan ran nonstop, even when Turned off at the circuit breaker!

I thought there was something wrong with it so took it to the local service center to have it checked. They said the fan draws its power from the DC battery side not the AC and that’s why the fan runs when switched off at the breaker. They also commented the unit internally was full of fluff and a potential fire hazard which I put down to its location low down in a vented locker of a carpeted cabin.

My solution was to hookup a solenoid on a timer that disconnects the unit from DC at night to eliminate the annoying hum so I can sleep!

Been working a treat for about four years now.

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la3 avatar image la3 commented ·

Thanks, gwg. Very interesting. Might have to try something along those lines too, and glad to hear it has been a reliable solution.

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