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NICRO ventliation problem

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cwstrang
1st Mate

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USA
78 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/15/2013 : 14:42:56

Guys:
Greetings from sunny St Helens!
I have one of these solar vents installed in my hatch cover and it quit working several months ago. I have replaced the batteries with new, checked the wiring, and meters out the solar panel. What else is there to check or replace? At $175.00 to replace I want to make to work.

Thanks, Craig

Edited by - on

Ape-X
Admiral

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USA
662 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2013 : 16:45:16

My fan blade was pushed on too far, stalling it out. The blades cleared, but it was the hub riding against the motor housing. Remove the fan blade assembly, ensure the spindle spins freely, then reinstall the blades.

The spindle should spin in direct sunlight.

Edited by - Ape-X on 07/15/2013 16:46:03

Al
Captain

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USA
269 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2013 : 17:03:22

Assuming there's some charge in the new batteries and the fan is free to spin, have you tried eliminating the batteries? It won't run with bad batteries, but it will run if the motor's good if you just remove the battery and expose the array to sunlight.

You can contact Nicro/Marinco here http://www.marinco.com/contact

Edited by - Al on 07/19/2013 12:06:52

cwstrang
1st Mate

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USA
78 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2013 : 10:17:17

Thanks for the tips, the batteries are brand new and it won't spin the blade with just sunlight. I will check the blades but it does spin pretty freely. I have read it is pretty easy and cheap to replace the motor.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5369 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2013 : 17:37:21

I've had a Nicro vent for a few years now. When it works - it's great! But it has been one of the most troublesome components on the boat. The battery is fine - yet I've replaced it several times. The solar panel provides more than enough power to run the motor AND charge the battery to run overnight. Often tho the battery won't take the charge.
The motor has it's problems too. It should run on next to no power, however the bearings eventually bind, so the motor starts to put an excessive current draw on the battery and solar panel.
Lastly, when I've tried to lubricate the motor with sewing machine oil, the thin wires broke off. I reattached and soldered them back in place.
After replacing the battery, lubricating the motor and ruggedizing the wiring, the fan is still intermittent. I would not bet my life on it. It's been less than ideal.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5369 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2013 : 05:34:03

Al -
I just visited the Marinco website as you suggested and the FAQ section has a subsection on ventilation. I read a few articles on repairing the unit and replacing the battery. Their advice is to take advantage of the 2 year warranty if you still qualify. If not they recommend you purchase another one.
They also have a good deal of info about boating & RV electronics on their website EasyAcDc. Lots of topics inclusing adding appliances, wire sizes, inverters and charging systems and grounding rules.
Worth a read for sure.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2013 : 06:39:09

The little motor in mine ran 24/7 for about 5 years... That's about 300,000 hours without stopping. I didn't feel too badly when it quit. I felt worse when the new Nicro vent ($100 on sale) didn't fit in the old Nicro deck plate.

Edited by - on

Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2013 : 15:17:59

Try calling the vendor. When mine stopped working after a couple of years they sent me a new one at no cost.

Edited by - on

Al
Captain

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USA
269 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2013 : 17:07:25

I too had good luck with my Nicro vent. It had been running untouched constantly from 2005 until a few months ago. The 2400 mAh NiCd "C" cell tested dead. I started shopping for batteries and found a 3500 mAh NiCd and also a 5000 mAh NiMH.

I contacted Nicro customer support and asked if the NiMH was OK to use and they replied promptly that either battery would work. I chose the NiMH and the vent is continuing to work perfectly.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5369 Posts

Response Posted - 07/20/2013 : 22:22:41

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but when I replaced the battery, resoldered the solar panel wiring and lubricated the motor, I may have rearranged the wiring diagram of the unit. Now there are five components in the circuit: the solar panel, the battery, an on-off switch, a resistor and the motor.

That set of components can lead to dozens of possible wiring permutations, but these are the three I reckon are the most likely.

(1) The solar panel is directly connected to the battery - this way the battery gets all the juice directly from the panel. The battery is connected to the motor through the resistor (to keep the current to a minimum through the motor) and through the switch to allow you to turn it on and off. I don't think the switch would disconnect the solar panel from the battery.

(2) The solar panel charges the battery through the resistor to prevent it getting overcharged by the panel. NiMH batteries can overheat and degrade if they get overcharged, so perhaps the resistor protects the battery. The motor is directly connected through the switch to the battery so it gets all the charge in the battery overnight.

(3) The last possibility is that the solar panel is directly connected to the motor (through the switch) and also connects to the resistor which charges the battery. In this case, when the sun's out, the motor is running at full speed, but the battery is also receiving the overflow power from the panel and charging up for the overnight shift.

So there you go - can't really reckon which circuit is the correct one. All I know is that the battery doesn't have enough oomph to run the motor unless the sun's out, and only then does it run very slowly. Once the sun passes from noon, the fan stops.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 07/22/2013 : 08:30:22

So Bruce, which of the three did you implement? I'm thinking of a fourth: From the panel through the resister to the switch and then the motor, and also from the panel direct to battery and then through switch to motor. That would favor charging the battery while running the motor in sunlight, and then shift to the battery providing the power (because of the resister) as the sun disappears.

...or you could call Marinco.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 07/22/2013 08:44:07

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5369 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2013 : 17:57:01

I cannot recall - senior moment! Or I can call Marinco.

Edited by - on

Al
Captain

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USA
269 Posts

Response Posted - 07/24/2013 : 17:59:48

"<i>You can contact Nicro/Marinco here http://www.marinco.com/contact</i>"

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