Help,lights Are Not Working

[GARYDAVIS]

we have 01' qwest jayco 12a camper.the lights worked when we put it up and as of this morning they dont.the outside yellow light has a very low glow.a couple of bulbs look to be blown although the filament is still intact.just black around the glass area of the bulb.any help would b appreciated.thanks gary(the air conditioner still works and the plugs also)

[tlhdoc]

We need a little more information.  I am guessing that you are plugged into AC power if the outlet work.  Did you check the 12 volt fuses?  Does any other 12 volt electrical item work, furnace or water pump?

[flyfisherman]

The fuses located in the converter are subject to corrosion after awhile - about five years is a good time to expect it. Simply pull each fuse out and re-insert and that ought to give you an idea if that's the problem.


Fly

[GARYDAVIS]

i checked the fuses in the converter box,all looked good. one thing that i noticed was the fan wasnt running.i blew on it to make sure the bearings were not bad and it started going.the ice box, a.c., and outlets all work.i went and bought some more bulbs but i dont know why they would all go out.over half still look good.i'm coming off a 30 amp breaker at my pole and the ext cord is big.i use this same cord to run my big delta table saw.thanks for the replies.if you can think of anything else please post.we will be leaving for san antonio next month.thanks again for your help.gary :usflag:

[mike4947]

Most converter fans have a thermostat so they only run if the converter is putting out enough heat to set of the thermostat.

It sounds like you lost a ground wire. But, when checking fuses it's best to use a multimeter as I've spent hours chasing electrical problems that were just a fuse that "looked good".

[GARYDAVIS]

the fuses checked out fine.the 12 volt bulbs have a very small glow.i believe it is in the power inverter.any ideas on how to check it?thanks gary

[Steve-o-bud]

the fuses checked out fine.the 12 volt bulbs have a very small glow.i believe it is in the power inverter.any ideas on how to check it?thanks gary

Get a low cost voltmeter, ie. from Radio Shack. While using the voltmeter, follow some basic percautions: Make sure that you set the voltmeter correctly. For instance, when measuring voltage, select the proper range. Usually, there are seperate range settings for DC voltage, AC voltage, and resistance (ohms). NEVER USE THE RESISTANCE (OHMS) SETTINGS, UNLESS YOU ARE TRYING TO VERIFY CONTINUITY OF A DE-ENERGIZED WIRE, CABLE, CONNECTION ETC.
 
Most voltmeters also can measure current (amps). Generally, the voltmeters have a seperate jack for connecting the proble for measureing current. DO NOT CONNECT THE PROBES TO THE AMPS JACK, UNLESS YOU INTEND TO PLACE THE METER IN SERIES WITH THE CIRCUIT TO VERIFY CURRENT FLOW.
 
Measure the output of the 120 volt ac to 12 volt dc conveter. Should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 - 13 volts dc or so.
 
If you have a battery, if the voltage measured above is low, disconnect the battery, and retake voltage measurement. If it is still low, you likely have a bad converter. If the voltage increases greatly when you disconnect the battery, you may have a bad battery. Reconnect the battery, and allow it to charge, if the voltage does not increase signifcantly in a short amount of time the battey is bad.
 
Next, check the input to the coverter. Should be 110 volts - 125 volts A.C. or so, when pluged into the source. If the input is low, check the AC breaker feeding the input of the inverter. When checking the 110 volt AC input, take care, this is potential lethal voltage. Do not make direct contact with it, or short the volt meter probes.
 
Just some thoughts.... good luck!