Lighting issue

[AtlHideout]

This is my 1st post and I need some help with a lighting issue in my 2015 Keystone 29bks. I have 2 ceiling lights in my slide and one in the bedroom that are suddenly not getting power. I've checked all the breakers, fuses and the battery and all are good I'm just not getting any power to those 3 lights. Im not really sure where to start any help would be greatly appreciated.

[chuckster57]

First thing is to determine if they are 12VDC or 120VAC lights. Then you need to check the bulbs with a multimeter.

If they are 120VAC the testing procedure for the wiring is a bit different to avoid shock. Do you know which type of lights they are?

[AtlHideout]

I believe they are 12v but I will double check to be sure

[AtlHideout]

Just checked them and they are 12v. I have 2 fixtures in my slide and 1 in the master bedroom that are not receiving any current.

[chuckster57]

Ok. Remove the fixtures and test for 12V, and if you don’t have it, find the switches and test for 12V in/out. Common for grounds to be crimped together and they can come apart.

[AtlHideout]

I've pulled the fixtures down and tested the wires and no power. Also I'm not sure I understand what you mean by testing the switches? The on/off button is on the fixtures themselves no wall switch for these.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by AtlHideout

I've pulled the fixtures down and tested the wires and no power. Also I'm not sure I understand what you mean by testing the switches? The on/off button is on the fixtures themselves no wall switch for these.

There isn’t a wall switch anywhere?

[wiredgeorge]

I like a multimeter for fuse checking. Old eyes and fusable elements don't always mesh well. I would also look for the point where the power goes into the slide. Mine is via wires strung from the main cabin through flex conduit into the side sidewall and there is an actual junction box with wire nuts on the frame of the cabin. The conduit (plastic stuff) has a long spring attached under the slide and hooking the conduit to keep it from getting pinched.

BTW: we have 3 lights in the slide and two are 120VAC with an oddball light fixture; these are in the dome lights of the kitchen table and recliners. The other light on the back wall... think it is called a sconce or similar is 12V . I suspect when our trailer was manufactured back in the day, Keystone went to garage sales to pick up lighting stuff.

[GlasNav]

Originally Posted by AtlHideout

This is my 1st post and I need some help with a lighting issue in my 2015 Keystone 29bks. I have 2 ceiling lights in my slide and one in the bedroom that are suddenly not getting power. I've checked all the breakers, fuses and the battery and all are good I'm just not getting any power to those 3 lights. Im not really sure where to start any help would be greatly appreciated.

Did it just happen recently, and was the unit in storage? Reason for my question is that rodents have a tendency to chew on wiring insulation if nothing else is available. Something about soy based insulation on the wires. Once it gets cold, those little critters love setting up winter residence in an empty RV, and can cause all sort of havoc!

[gkainz]

I had a similar failure but only the overhead lights in the slide. I found a bad splice in the wire bundle going to the slide. A few years of movement extending and retracting the slide caused it to fail.
But I would start troubleshooting with a volt meter and test for power at switches and lights and work your way back toward the fuse box. Where the wires run can be difficult to determine.

[LERD]

I had my main power feed wire go bad during a trip 18 months ago. Turns out, a random screw from an earlier repair finally worked its way inside the wire and it shorted out my battery. But after fixing that, I still had a branch circuit that was dead. This was to lights in my slide and the stereo. Upon further investigation, I discovered that circuit was fed through the same hole as the main feed wire in the back wall. As a matter of fact, those two wires were jammed together hard. Turns out, that the 2 gauge overheated the 18 gauge branch wire and there were several melted spots along the run. Once I was able to separate the wire past the short, I cut it and fed it with new wire to that point.

[AtlHideout]

Originally Posted by LERD

I had my main power feed wire go bad during a trip 18 months ago. Turns out, a random screw from an earlier repair finally worked its way inside the wire and it shorted out my battery. But after fixing that, I still had a branch circuit that was dead. This was to lights in my slide and the stereo. Upon further investigation, I discovered that circuit was fed through the same hole as the main feed wire in the back wall. As a matter of fact, those two wires were jammed together hard. Turns out, that the 2 gauge overheated the 18 gauge branch wire and there were several melted spots along the run. Once I was able to separate the wire past the short, I cut it and fed it with new wire to that point.

One of the 2 lights in the master bedroom has been out for a while now I always assumed it was a bad fixture. The ones in slide just happened after a brief camping trip. I keep the camper in the driveway and haven't seen any signs of rodents. I also checked all the fuses and where the wires attach and everything seems tight and connected.

[LERD]

Originally Posted by AtlHideout

One of the 2 lights in the master bedroom has been out for a while now I always assumed it was a bad fixture. The ones in slide just happened after a brief camping trip. I keep the camper in the driveway and haven't seen any signs of rodents. I also checked all the fuses and where the wires attach and everything seems tight and connected.

If you can, start with the non-working light that is furthest away from the panel, and then use your meter to look back towards the fuse panel. You will know if it's the end of the line because there will only be one wire to the fixture. When you get to the next fixture in line, (closer to the panel) remove the wires in both directions and look for a short, in both directions. Hopefully you will only see that short circuit in one direction. Then keep working backwards until you can isolate the bad section. It can be tedious, but it's doable. Just hope the bad section isn't deep in an outside wall. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

[AtlHideout]

Originally Posted by gkainz

I had a similar failure but only the overhead lights in the slide. I found a bad splice in the wire bundle going to the slide. A few years of movement extending and retracting the slide caused it to fail.
But I would start troubleshooting with a volt meter and test for power at switches and lights and work your way back toward the fuse box. Where the wires run can be difficult to determine.

This is kinda what I'm thinking but with the weather here I haven't had the chance to really dig into it.

[AtlHideout]

Update: I've check all fuses, switches and traced the wires and there are no signs of damage or disconnect. Unfortunately I'm still not getting any power to the three fixtures. Any suggestions?

[LERD]

How did you check the fuses? Sometimes a fuse will pass a continuity test, but still be a failed fuse under load. So check those fuses you suspect, using a volt meter while the circuit is under load. (Turn on the switch). Use a good ground, and check for 12v on the out end of the fuse top.

[AtlHideout]

Thanks for responding. What I did was remove the fuses one by one and replaced them with new ones to make sure. Next I pulled the fixtures and checked the wiring and tested with a volt meter and got nothing. finally I swapped the fixturs around to make sure they worked so it definitely wasn't the fixtures themselves.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by AtlHideout

Update: I've check all fuses, switches and traced the wires and there are no signs of damage or disconnect. Unfortunately I'm still not getting any power to the three fixtures. Any suggestions?

How did you trace the wires? Buy a spool wire (#16, 50' will do) and two appropriately sized alligator clamps. Clamp one end to the DC ground in the distribution panel and the other end to the negative of your meter. Then check the positive of the light fixture with the positive of the voltmeter. If you have voltage then the ground circuit is open.

If no voltage then repeat the test with your jumper on 12 vdc positive, essentially reversing everything the setup.