Community Forums

SonnyB · 07-07-2014, 06:30 PM

Front awning lights work, rear quit working....What's the problem?

pallencollin · 07-07-2014, 06:48 PM

Fuse?

oneal · 07-07-2014, 06:48 PM

I don't know what failed but half of the lights on our rear awning quit last weekend, need to call cs and get a string sent out.

SonnyB · 07-07-2014, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pallencollin

Fuse?

I don't know but will check. Having a motorhome with all the aggregation is like having 3 mother-in-laws.

pallencollin · 07-07-2014, 07:54 PM

I've had three, yet live is GREAT with our Anthem.

zman62 · 07-07-2014, 08:03 PM

Pretty sure if the front is working there is not a fuse problem. The strings go bad easy. Call CS they will send you a new string. The install is easy

BUS4US · 07-07-2014, 08:19 PM

We are disappointed to see so many people have experienced partial failure in these lights since they started being installed on the Entegra Coaches.
Has there been any common reason as to why half of the lights fail? From all of the forum readings on this issue, we see it is frequently just half of the lights (one entire awning run). We also did hear a few members had sporadic bulbs go out, but it mostly sounds like the rear awning lights are the ones that fail. We are hoping to hear that maybe the repairs have been something simple such as the fuse just mentioned?.

dusty56 · 07-07-2014, 08:49 PM

Zman62 is right about the strings going bad. This is what I know about the situation and some advice to try to alleviate it from happening. The led lights stick on the back of a 6 foot piece of plastic rod. You have to combine the 6 footers to complete one awning. You then insert the plastic with the Led back into the awning. Think about it, a solid flimsy LED string (12 to 15 feet long) sticking onto 2 or 3 pieces of plastic!

The awning is subjected to extreme temperatures, hot and cold. The Led strings contract and expand at a different rate than the plastic expands and contracts. That is more than likely why someone may have just a section of the LED lights go out. In SonnyB's case it might just be a bad connection going to the LED> Sonny you will have to test for power going to the LEDS on the second awning.

So my advice is to caulk your ends in the awning to try to minimize expansion and contraction. If you can move your LED lights in your awning, between expansion, contraction and just driving the coach the leds will fail. I have caulked (silicone) the ends on my 13 and now 15 and had no problems.

Please, I am not this smart and I don't want everyone thinking I figured all this out. I had this conversation with Gerard Awnings and they are in engineering working on this very theory. In fact I think they made changes months ago to the plastic inserts that hold the LEDs in the Awnings, but you still need to caulk the ends to prevent excessive movement. That is my opinion and I hope it helps others from having failed LED lights.

brobox · 07-07-2014, 08:49 PM

I wish it was just a fuse Ron, I have had two sets replaced. One set arrived from Gerard with several of the lights not working.

Mike, another great tip, it makes sense and worth a try, thank you.

zman62 · 07-07-2014, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUS4US

We are disappointed to see so many people have experienced partial failure in these lights since they started being installed on the Entegra Coaches.
Has there been any common reason as to why half of the lights fail? From all of the forum readings on this issue, we see it is frequently just half of the lights (one entire awning run). We also did hear a few members had sporadic bulbs go out, but it mostly sounds like the rear awning lights are the ones that fail. We are hoping to hear that maybe the repairs have been something simple such as the fuse just mentioned?.

I dont think the quality of the led strands are very good. Nothing to do with entegra. I am betting they are made overseas. If they go bad CS will send a new strand out and its an easy replacement. The reason half will go bad is there is a break in the strand so part of it looses voltage

Freestyle21 · 07-07-2014, 09:25 PM

I have a hard time with the led lights going out on the awnings don't they just sit there? I've had numerous sand cars with led whip lights I never lost a set or even one diode going out. Chuck didn't you have a set out before you were able to pick up your rig? It's a supplier issue.

Thanks Robert

brobox · 07-07-2014, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freestyle21

Chuck didn't you have a set out before you were able to pick up your rig? It's a supplier issue.
Thanks Robert

Sure did, that is the way it was delivered. Lazy Days replaced a set during the 30 days they had it and the replacement set Gerard sent were bad. I also feel there is a problem with the quality if they arrive new in the box with LED's not working. This was the first set, where only 2 feet were working upon delivery. I blamed it on LED's not liking 30 below, but I guess that is not the case.

Freestyle21 · 07-07-2014, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

Sure did, that is the way it was delivered. Lazy Days replaced a set during the 30 days they had it and the replacement set Gerard sent were bad. I also feel there is a problem with the quality if they arrive new in the box with LED's not working. This was the first set, where only 2 feet were working upon delivery. I blamed it on LED's not liking 30 below, but I guess that is not the case.

Ok I don't do that 30 below. But the LEDs do take a beating inside the lexan tube on a off-road car.

hogdriver · 07-07-2014, 10:16 PM

You guys must be refering to what DW calls my "airport lights". I had two bad sections on delivery tha RVOne recently replaced but when you turn them on ZAP! You need sunglasses for the nuke flash blind that comes on. The only good thing about them is I use them recently to pack everything away in the dark the night prior to departure. Be careful what you wish for!