Community Forums

Golfer Guy · 10-04-2015, 01:42 PM

Ok help me understand if you can. I appreciate all the help I have received from those on this forum in the past.

When I am not plugged into shore power or have my generator running my bedroom florescent light fixtures are dim. When plugged in they on genet or shore power they are as bright as they should be. However, all the other florescent fixtures in the bath, living are, kitchen burn bright even when running on house batteries only.

House batteries are new, full charged or very close. Why would only the bedroom two fixtures dim and the others not?

06 Beaver Monterey, Magnum 2000 inverter, four new (6mo old) interstate batteries. Cleaned battery terminals.

All other electrical seems to be working perfectly.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Mike Canter · 10-04-2015, 03:01 PM

Well they run directly off the 12 volt battery so that would indicate an trouble with the wiring to the bedroom lights either the 12 volts or the ground. The way to troubleshoot it is to use a multimeter and check the 12 volts going into the bedroom lights in each situation.

Golfer Guy · 10-06-2015, 10:54 AM

Thanks Mike. Now I need to figure out where to look for the wiring to the lights. Electrical is my nemesis unfortunately. Do I look in the front drivers side bay or at the light fixtures? Feeling a bit dumb.

Mike Canter · 10-06-2015, 11:10 AM

You should have a 12 volt fuse box either in the bathroom cabinet or in a bedroom cabinet or closet. These will be for house 12 volts only

wa8yxm · 10-06-2015, 05:37 PM

Ideally the battery voltage with fully charged 12 volt lead acid batteries approaches 12.6 volts (12.6 static less if drawing power) as the batteries age the voltage drop even with small current will increase, also if any connections are dirty and in need of cleaning or wires are too small the voltage drop increases with the need to clean.

But when the converter kicks in 13.6 is the normal voltage.

I'm guessing you have dirty battery connections.

nodine · 10-07-2015, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfer Guy

Ok help me understand if you can. I appreciate all the help I have received from those on this forum in the past.

When I am not plugged into shore power or have my generator running my bedroom florescent light fixtures are dim. When plugged in they on genet or shore power they are as bright as they should be. However, all the other florescent fixtures in the bath, living are, kitchen burn bright even when running on house batteries only.

House batteries are new, full charged or very close. Why would only the bedroom two fixtures dim and the others not?

06 Beaver Monterey, Magnum 2000 inverter, four new (6mo old) interstate batteries. Cleaned battery terminals.

All other electrical seems to be working perfectly.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Could be a bad connection or extra long wiring causing a voltage drop. When you are on house batteries only the voltage will be lower because the charger is not running. That lower voltage will reduce the output of the ballast and if you have a voltage drop on the bedroom fixtures the voltage will be even lower than the rest of the coach fixtures are receiving. Chances are you have been replacing the flourescent lamps in the bedroom at a higer rate than those in the rest of the coach. We had that problem with the three flourescent fixtures in the center of our living room area. We went through a case of lamps in about a year until we discovered there was only about 10 volts at the fixtures. Monaco used to small of a wire size for the long run between the front door and the bedroom to wire the two way switch.

Bob

Golfer Guy · 10-07-2015, 06:43 PM

OK get this. Talked to the Monaco/Beaver help desk and this is why the lights are dim. On this year model, could be others too, the bedroom lights are only wired to 110. So they work perfectly when connected to shore power and Generator. However when the converter is trying to use the batteries and if the batteries are the least bit low they can not get the 110 V needed.

I think the solution is to 1st have completely charged batteries, not always possible) #2 it would be a good place to swap out the florescent tubes with LED lighting as they would require much less juice. At least that is the suggestion from Monaco.

Thanks for everyone's comments much appreciated.

Golfer Guy