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?

[AtlHideout]

There is a switch on the panel for the main lights but not for the lights in the slide or the bedroom they must be turned on individually at the fixture.

[chuckster57]

Since it’s a 2015, I’m not sure the Keystone standardized wiring color code applies.

I would remove the fixture, make note of the wire colors and then find a spot that you can remove something like Sam other light or fan and look.

This may help:

https://www.harborfreight.com/cable-tracker-94181.html

[AtlHideout]

Thanks I'll try to trace the wires and see what I can figure out

[skids]

Before doing anything else, test your fuses. A fuse can be bad and be difficult to see. I would then go to the LED fixture closest to the converter and test for continuity to ground and then test for positive. Your troubled circuit is of course set up in parallel.

[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.

[AtlHideout]

I checked all the fuses and they are all good. I'm going to double check all the fixtures again today just to make sure. This all started with one of our bedroom fixtures going out I just figured it was a bad fixture and purchased a new one but never got around to installing it. Then like a year later the two in the slide just randomly stopped working

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by AtlHideout

I checked all the fuses and they are all good. I'm going to double check all the fixtures again today just to make sure. This all started with one of our bedroom fixtures going out I just figured it was a bad fixture and purchased a new one but never got around to installing it. Then like a year later the two in the slide just randomly stopped working

Did you check all the wires connected to the fuses to make sure the lug screws are tight and a wire hasn't "pulled out of the terminal" ???

While it's not a common problem, I've seen more than a few loose wires that slipped out of a terminal lug on the fuse panel.

[AtlHideout]

No I didn't think of that but I will now lol

[frankyb01]

A couple years ago I lost the lights in my kitchen slide as well as 12 vdc to the fridge. Turned out the lug screw at the fuse was loose. Could not tell by looking at it. When I put a screw driver on it it turned 1 1/2 times before it tightened up. Problem solved. Found at least 6 other lugs that were starting to loosen up. I'm guessing they all started to loosen up from road vibration

[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.