Probably a very stupid question for most of you, but I have looked through the manual and I can't find anything regarding fuses. Between my husband and I, we have only had to replace one fuse in our cars EVER (and I did it because I was on the road when I realized the problem). So of course, this is new territory to us.
We are getting ready to take "Sally" out on our maiden voyage to a campground 20 min from our home so we can hook her up to power, water, get the tanks cleaned out, etc. for the first time. (Short history...we bought her "as is" from someone who needed cash ASAP so we ended up getting it for $20,000 under book, but didn't get a walk-through, or any instructions on ANYTHING, so we are very green since this is our first RV).
ANYWAY, we have used the generator a short bit in our driveway and used the battery power a couple of times for a few minutes here and there, but the lights do not work in the bathroom or shower (which are directly across from each other). Could this be a fuse problem? I found where the breakers are and nothing seems to be tripped.
Is there a way to tell which fuses are bad? (Like I said, we are VERY new to this, and my car had a manual that showed me which fuses controlled what so I knew right away).
Thanks for any help you can give, and I'm sure we will be on this forum often this weekend with all sorts of newbie stuff which is probably common sense/basic knowledge to most of you, but we jumped right in! If we didn't get it when we had the chance, we would have had to pay a lot more for the same thing down the road.
The breakers are for the 120 volt AC elec system, there will be fuses nearby (usually) for the 12 volt DC elec. The light are most likely 12 volt. Some RVs have both 120 and 12 volt lights, but bath and shower most likely 12 volt. You might want to check the bulbs first.
Just keep in mind when fiddling with things that the 120 circuits (including the generator output) are just like house current - in other words it can kill you.
Once you find the fuse box you should be able to tell if there are any blown fuses by visual inspection. The other part of the equation is - what caused it to blow in the first place?
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wa8yxm wrote: .... each fuse has a resistor and LED across it.. How to tell if the fuse is blown.. If the light is on the fuse is... Off (Blown) that simple.. WOW, Who'd have tunk up an idea like that? (Progressive Dynamics of course).....
Back in my "Ma Bell" days we had many old distribution panels with that kind of setup except it was a small lamp, LEDs hadn't been invented yet. I think Western Electric thunk it up.
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With a blade fuse there is a little bridge of metal connecting the two blades and you can see this on one side of the plastic top of the fuse. If it has broken or melted in the middle the fuse is bad. A glass tube fuse has a filament of wire inside the glass and if the fuse is bad you will see a break in the wire. Try to find your fuse box or a manual for your specific model. Most fuse sizes are easy to find at Walmart or auto parts store and you can buy an assortment.
Your DC fuses should be located in the DC distribution panel often located where the AC breakers and converter are. The fuses are often a blade type and and pulling them and visually inspecting usually works but a continuity test using a multimeter might be necessary.
RV lights often have two controls -- a wall switch as well as a manual switch on the fixture - both have to be on for the light to work.
Lastly - make sure the light bulb is OK - you can test the bulb and related fixture with a multimeter.
On a motor home there may be several fuse boxes and occasionally "in-line" fuses scattered about. The easiest way to tell if a fuse is bad is to replace it, alas that takes a lot of spares. And by the way, I'd recommend an assortment.
Some fuse kits (Assortments) come with a fuse tester.
When I say "Many boxes" let me tell you about MY coach,, This is just mine, yours will be different.
I have a "main house" box (progressive dyanmics, if you have a choice, this is the one to get) in the hall, this has most all the "house" fuses in it, not all, MOST all,, What makes the PDI box so nice is each fuse has a resistor and LED across it.. How to tell if the fuse is blown.. If the light is on the fuse is... Off (Blown) that simple.. WOW, Who'd have tunk up an idea like that? (Progressive Dynamics of course)
There is a fuse block under the parking brake pedal on the firewall (Dang inconvient place) this is the standard "Car" block, There is another nearby that looks like it might have some or perhaps just relays.
Under the "HOOD" (Mine is a gasser) is the Intelletec Battery Control Center
Yup, it has fuses in it too, The rest of the house fuses (Steps and some other stuff, including it's fuses and the "MAIN" fuses for the 12 volt system (Which are actually supposed to be POST type Circuit breakers)
To the left (As you face it) roughly centered under the hood is a plain black box with a removable cover.. The rest of the "Car/Truck" fuses are inside this box.
Access the back side of the 'fridge.. More fuses, open the cover on the control bord, more fuses,, I do not recall seeing any in the water heater compartment but then I've not looked that close. You may have an "in-line" near your water pump. or near the module for the back up cam, or radio. There is a fuse or breaker INSIDE the microwave. (One of the very few 120 volt fuses these days)
Every piece of electronics may have it's own fuse or breaker.
You can have fun finding them sometimes.
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RoyB wrote: If you do find a blown fuse in the panel I would check the bulbs in the bath room area first before replacing the fuse. You will find automotive type 12VDC bulbs in the bathroom fixtures maybe a 921 or 1141 type automotive lamp bulb (At least that is what my trailer has). The black one will be the bad one. Since you indicated both bulbs were out it does sort of point to a fuse but maybe a blown bulb is what killed the fuse.
To gain access to the bathroom light fixture just either squeeze in on the two sides of the plastic lens and slide back or push in near the ON-OFF switch on the plastic lens and slide back. These are tricky to get off sometimes until you figure where to push in on the lens cover. The 1141 bulb will twist out and the 921 bulb will pull out. The bulb could also be part of the celling fan/light fixture.
Expanding off what RoyB typed. I would find a working light in the RV and pull that bulb straight out of the socket out and swap it with one of the non working bulbs. This will tell you pretty quickly if you have a fuse or bulb problem. If the problem is the bulb you can buy new ones at Walmart or automotive supply stores like Autozone,O'Reiley, Napa, carquest etc.)Just take the old bulb with you and ask for help if needed.
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All good advice. Also:
I would make a list of all the appliances and the RV details from the information sheet most likely glued to the wall in a cabinet. Then go on the internet and look for manuals for all the items. In most cases info will be available. Then any you can't find, come back here with the item and ask for info on that specific item or appliance.
If you do find a blown fuse in the panel I would check the bulbs in the bath room area first before replacing the fuse. You will find automotive type 12VDC bulbs in the bathroom fixtures maybe a 921 or 1141 type automotive lamp bulb (At least that is what my trailer has). The black one will be the bad one. Since you indicated both bulbs were out it does sort of point to a fuse but maybe a blown bulb is what killed the fuse.
To gain access to the bathroom light fixture just either squeeze in on the two sides of the plastic lens and slide back or push in near the ON-OFF switch on the plastic lens and slide back. These are tricky to get off sometimes until you figure where to push in on the lens cover. The 1141 bulb will twist out and the 921 bulb will pull out. The bulb could also be part of the celling fan/light fixture.
My Posts are IMHO based on my experiences - PM me Roy and Carolyn
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As ksg5000 said, often some RV lights will have a wall mounted switch somewhere in addition to the swith on the light housing itself. My bathroom lights are set up that way, as well as my entry area light, and my porch light. Both switches must be on for the light(s) to work.
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