when this happens converter sounds normal [fan] running , when lights dim and blink furnace shuts down but blower still runs and converter goes to a slower fan speed or sounds like it. Attempting to fix these problems without sufficient electrical knowledge could cause damage to your RV's electrical system. Photographer: Q: I have a toy-hauler trailer, and the more lights I turn on, the dimmer everything gets. Report abuse. We are plugged into electric box or shore power I guess you call it, anyways recently when using our little conventional oven the lights flicker and a buzzing/electrical sound comes from the fuse panel also a couple of times while running the overhead AC units they have loss of power intermittently, but only a couple of times. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. $53.99 - $59.99 #40. - Answered by a verified RV Mechanic Shortly after setting up at the campground, and hooking up to 30 amp service, the ceiling lights started to dim and brighten rapidly for a few second and then would stop. How can I determine whether my problem is a four-year-old battery or the charger or the converter? Oh, and I do have a multimeter but do not have a clue how to use it, can you give me a link that SHOWS me how, I’m better hands on than anything. A known factor is as you get older your vision changes and needs attention to … ALOVECO 12 Volt DC Dimmer Switch for LED RV Lights Interior, 5-24 Volts LED Ceiling Dome Lights Dimmer and Switch for Camper, Recreational Vehicle, Halogen, Truck, Marine and Strip Lighting(2 Pack) 4.1 out of 5 stars 24. This is so sad, I’m so sorry, did you ever get your issues in your RV fixed or find another place to live? © 2020 RVTravel.com – All rights Reserved. How can I check the battery charger? Light Bulbs Damon Tuscany Upgraded LED Low Beam Headlight Bulbs Pair (Left & Right) Dim interior lights: Battery problem or power converter? I can no longer read after dark. 2 people found this helpful. If the lights go dim, then there is an issue with the converter. I read that headlights dim as they age so we are considering replacing our headlights. This will not show on your comment but is for us to contact you if necessary. Another reason could be that the lens of the headlight is oxidized or blurred. But then we had a cloudy day and noticed the lights were going dim and the low voltage alarm went off so the batteries must not be charging from the 30 Amp RV plug. It is a wildwood lite with a Texas 2004 license plate on it parked in Mississippi. Over the course of a week we receive several calls looking for a composite motorhome headlight, even giving us the year, the make and the model and even the numbers off the light. Getting hands dirty is just part of the fun for Sarah Shelton, who draws on personal experience to write home and garden, automotive and travel articles. Rick G. 5.0 out of 5 stars exactly what you need. Upon getting away for the Memorial Day campout, and plugging into shore power, the lights grew dim as the first evening went on, as though the lights were not being ran through the converter (110V transformed to 12V) but running through house batteries only. Do you have any suggestions? I am deathly afraid of any type of electricity but I did manage to tighten all fuses but that didn’t help any. Many older motorhomes seem to have some issues in the wiring of the headlights. No anonymous comments. A lot of the time the corner or turn signal are attached as well. RVelectricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media. How can I determine whether my problem is a four-year-old battery or the charger or the converter? What is Better, LED or HID Headlights? I have disconnected my negative battery post while plugged into campground service. In our 20th year serving RVers. Never. 2004 Mobile Suite. By. Then it may be an hour or two before the lights would flicker once again. My lights will dim and go just about off the refrigerator will go off and the smoke alarm will come on then in about 10 or 15 seconds everything will come back on just … read more Things went out one by one like the microwave or the electrical outlets. It still does this even while plugged into 120-volt AC shorepower. You either have a distribution panel with the converter built in, or you have a distribution panel with the converter mounted separately and tied to the panel with a red (+) and a white (-) wire. Final Diagnosis and Repair Below is a picture, most are thermal when they heat up they break contact and the lights go dim, when they cool off it resets and the lights would get bright. We guard your privacy. The power converter is also the only thing that can make your 12-volt lights flicker, provided your AC power is good. $49.99 $ 49. According to the RVers Online website, the issue could be in the converter's diodes, transformer or relay contacts. Easy unsubscribe anytime you wish. I am sorry that I do not have the vocabulary to tell you whatever questions you are sure to ask. Our 2012 Keystone Cougar High Country 321RES had the problem of lights going bright, then dim. Disconnect the battery with your RV plugged into a power source. I am living in a travel trailer and do not use it for travel. That is to say, as long as you have good power at your receptacles and at your microwave, your power converter is the only possible villain. RV Q&A: Lights Go Dim. Maybe 20 or 30 minutes later, it would do again. Receive an email reminder notice for each new issue of our newsletter, published at RVtravel.com every Saturday and Sunday morning. It is not unusual that power converters become erratic before they fail completely. That proverbial path of most resistance creates parasitic electrical loss, resulting in dim headlights. Either it is due to a lack of voltage in the circuit, or you have the wrong size bulb. When I disconnected the negative (battery cable) and checked my lights, they were very bright for about two minutes and then went dim. We guard your privacy. Furnace and lights are on DC. A common reason for intermittent headlight dimming is a bad alternator. Getting “toad” — Are you ready to be dragged out of trouble? Overhead lights in side the coach. Inspection of the batteries and converter may help solve the answer of dimming lights. At the Beaver homecoming rally a couple weeks ago, the service manager did not have an idea why the lights were dim. This looks similar to my problem. The second factor is you are older. Because of the complex nature of the converter and RV wiring system, if the problem lies within these two systems, it is best to take your RV to a qualified technician for diagnosis and repair. To our readers: We NEVER have or will sell reader's data. We tried installing a new battery in the trailer, but that didn’t help. The first is, your Motorhome headlights are old outdated lighting from the 60s. BuyRVlights Fleetwood Bounder Diesel 2003-2005 RV Motorhome Pair (Left & Right) Replacement Headlights Head Lights Front Lamps with Bulb 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 $110.00 $ 110 . My RV is old but in good condition it’s a 1985 Southwind Fleetwood, I’m very RV illiterate and am now living in this thing. Headlights dim over time and are at risk for burnout (don’t they always seem to go out at the most inconvenient moments?) We used to dim the LED lights above the bed in our RV which previously were to bright to use. We occasionally update our terms and privacy policies pages so if you have not read them lately, we encourage you to do so. And we also ensure that any third parties we contract with either anonymize your data or have strict privacy policies in place that are aligned with ours. when i shut furnace off and turn back on sometimes it works ok for for awhile then lights dim and converter slows down.i hope you can make sence of this. Bestselling Headlights Fourwinds Hurricane Black Headlights Head Lamps Assembly Pair (Left & Right) $ 261.55 $ 209.24 Add to cart. If you need to purchase a new car headlight bulb, you can find high quality bulbs on Amazon and have them shipped overnight starting at $6.98. From a reader: Recently my lights in my fifth wheel have started getting dim and sometimes flickering. This website utilizes some advertising services. Her pieces have appeared on ConsumerSearch.com, USA TODAY, Dremel.com and other websites. My uncle helped me get it and told me, “if you need anything, give me a holler.” Then he died a few months later. If so please let me know. Helpful. I am not clear why you are using the terms “charger” and “converter.” You have a power converter that converts 120 volts AC to 12 volts DC, and that charges the battery. We have been dealing with cloudy dim headlights for years and have found you cain't go wrong with using a sanding or buffing procedure to bring back the clarity. It is possible that your battery is getting low and needs to be recharged. My response: Very simple! Lol, I have tons of articles that show how to measure various things. RVelectricity – What is a GFCI nuisance trip? Easy unsubscribe anytime you wish. I just recently had a new converter (intelli power 4600) installed at Camping World and figured my converter problems were over. We bought this RV without knowing the first thing about the way things work, or anything having to do with batteries, electricity, any of it pretty much. An initial plus first or last name is the minimum, we're all friends here. Save my name and email in browser cookies for the next time I comment so I won't have to enter that information again. Any time a power converter is plugged in and working, you will always “see” more than 13 volts. Shop Now. 00 LED is the latest innovation for headlight bulbs. Or, do your headlights look dingy and yellow, even after a car wash? There are several reasons why your RV headlights are never bright enough. From a reader: Recently my lights in my fifth wheel have started getting dim and sometimes flickering. Headlights are one of the things on our cars that we don’t give much thought to, unless they burn out. According to the RVers Online website, the issue could be in the converter's diodes, transformer or relay contacts. ALOVECO LED RV Lights, 12V Led Lights Dimmable Camper Interior Lights 3000K Ultra-Thin RV Lights Interior Waterproof 12 Volt LED Ceiling Lights Motorhome Sailboat Yacht Case of 8 Packs 4.7 out of 5 stars 321. Finding a headlight replacement for your motorhome can be a taunting task. The solution is to run a separate power line outside of the stock wiring harness that links the battery directly to your headlights. No spam, just interesting, helpful information. Most of the things in my trailer do not work now or I don’t know how to use them such as the gas oven, but I still have cold water. By Steve Savage, Mobility RV Service Here’s a common question that’s worth sharing. Shelton received a bachelor's degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and currently lives in southern Oregon. Try the following tips if your headlights dim while driving. The remainder of the panel is called the distribution panel. No spam, just interesting, helpful information. If you are not sure that your RV is a CANBUS you can find out by contacting your RV manufacture. Everything About RVing: Why Are All The Lights Inside My Travel Trailer Going Dim. 5% coupon applied at checkout Save 5% with coupon. It also supplies 12-volt power to your lights, etc. If the lights go dim, then there is an issue with the converter. OUR PRODUCTS. If you want to edit a comment click the gear icon to the right of your comment and choose edit, or delete. If you are operating off battery power when your lights go dim, start with your battery. The battery is not relevant with an operational converter because it can easily carry the lighting load. ): Don’t let your connections corrode, RVelectricity – How to diagnose a hot-skin voltage, https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-electrical-safety-for-rvers-part-2/, Fact-checking, ethics & corrections policy. If you don’t see over 13 volts, your converter is dying. I know where the fuse box is located, and there is something on a post in the back yard that I ought to look at. Use specialized bulbs to do this to get to the level that we consider a major improvement. You can temporarily work around this by putting a regular battery charger on your batteries, but you need a new power converter. We took our 2010 Sundance 5er out for the first trip of the year. Does anyone have information of how to correctly adjust the headlights on a Class "A" RV? To find out, start tracing your headlight wires … Here’s a good basic one on meter usage: https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-electrical-safety-for-rvers-part-2/. Answer: Your batteries are kept charged with the built-in CONVERTER, which in turn is powered by your 110-VAC. Why Are RV Headlights Never Bright Enough? Learn how your comment data is processed. Then I turned on another light switch and they went bright again for a few minutes. Lately the lights have gone out and sometimes I can hear bleeping as the bathroom lights come on and off in time with the the rhythmic bleeping noise. Top Rated Products; Sale! Then you install relays (which will be controlled by your stock headlight switch) into those new power wires. Any ideas? I have to come home, find the bed and go to sleep until morning. Upgrade the removable bulbs and greatly improve your ability to see. Here at RV Headlights we hate to cut corners on anything. These lights are intended to replace the best 9006 LED bulbs for your low beams, high beams, and fog lights. Jeff Johnston and Ken Freund - February 14, 2017. There is a couple of wires that seem to possibly be touching, would that cause this issue? HEADLIGHTS for any RV. I sure hope your in a better situation now. Thank you! Verified Purchase. Your information will *never* be shared with outsiders. Telephone tech support at Monaco said the ground wire is probably not connected well. Plate on it parked in Mississippi to, unless they burn out * never * be shared outsiders! Probably not connected well around this by putting a regular battery charger on your batteries are kept charged the! — are you ready to be dragged out of 5 stars exactly what you need did. Probably not connected well cookies for the first trip of the stock wiring harness that links the with. Best experience on our cars that we give you the best 9006 LED bulbs for your motorhome can a! Does it sound like my converter is going out: we never have or will sell 's! Also supplies 12-volt power to your RV manufacture try the following tips if your.... Either it is possible that your RV is a couple of wires that seem to have some issues in converter. To fix these problems without sufficient electrical knowledge could cause damage to headlights! In southern Oregon: Recently my lights in my fifth wheel have started getting dim and sometimes.. 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Longer hold a charge, and fog lights accepting cookies a Class `` ''!: why are all the lights go dim, start with your RV a! 'S degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and currently lives in southern Oregon an reminder! Pair ( Left & Right ) $ 261.55 $ 209.24 Add to cart since the day it was new '04. Manage to tighten all fuses but that didn ’ t see over 13 volts, your is... Received a bachelor 's degree from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and currently lives in Oregon!