Community Forums

signguy97 · 12-06-2017, 06:06 PM

I recently purchased an 05 newmar essex , I've had a bunch of pretty high end diesel pushers but I tell ya I am loving this essex, it is in near mint shape but one little issue it had was that every one of the rope light sections in the ceiling had a section out, and it does not look easy to replace. So I did an internet search on how to replace it and came across an old thread on here , where there was a few different suggestions , one of them being to pull the rope out of the ceiling and " milk " the unlit section with your thumb and forefinger. I was highly sceptical of this idea but thought I would try it , not having any tools with me I couldn't pry the rope out of its channel, I just tryed rubbing it as hard as I could with my thumb, and I got one to come on, I tried a couple of other ones with no success, so almost out of frustration, I hammered on the unlit section with the side of my fist, and boom it came to life immediately, so I pounded on the remaining ones and had them all working in a few seconds. Tried to just add this to the end of the other thread, but it was too old, so thought I would post it here in case anyone found it useful.

bruceisla · 12-06-2017, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by signguy97

I recently purchased an 05 newmar essex , I've had a bunch of pretty high end diesel pushers but I tell ya I am loving this essex, it is in near mint shape but one little issue it had was that every one of the rope light sections in the ceiling had a section out, and it does not look easy to replace. So I did an internet search on how to replace it and came across an old thread on here , where there was a few different suggestions , one of them being to pull the rope out of the ceiling and " milk " the unlit section with your thumb and forefinger. I was highly sceptical of this idea but thought I would try it , not having any tools with me I couldn't pry the rope out of its channel, I just tryed rubbing it as hard as I could with my thumb, and I got one to come on, I tried a couple of other ones with no success, so almost out of frustration, I hammered on the unlit section with the side of my fist, and boom it came to life immediately, so I pounded on the remaining ones and had them all working in a few seconds. Tried to just add this to the end of the other thread, but it was too old, so thought I would post it here in case anyone found it useful.

I've had a few bulbs go out but a flick of my finger brought them back and stayed working.

FatChance · 12-07-2017, 07:27 AM

That is one of the quickest and most satisfying problem fixes ever.

bruceisla · 12-07-2017, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatChance

That is one of the quickest and most satisfying problem fixes ever.

Kinda' like the old carburetor days with a stuck float .... hammer tap

WorldCat25 · 12-07-2017, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatChance

That is one of the quickest and most satisfying problem fixes ever.

Had something similar happen with a light fixture. Took it down. Pulled a connection which looked perfect. Put it back and the light works.

May be quick but frustrating not knowing what was wrong and what I did to fix it.

Fiesta48 · 12-07-2017, 10:09 AM

Electricity can be the most fickle item to work on. Recently had a 12v power plugin not working. No open circuits. Fuse good. Finally out of desperation I changed the glass fuse. Now everything worked. Fuse looked good, tested good but would not carry enough current. Poor grounds are another frustration.
Mechanical systems are usually easier to analyze, but never as challenging as electricity. But glad I can do both.
Saved me $100s of thousands by now.

MSHappyCampers · 12-07-2017, 10:41 AM

Hi !

Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig! Yup, that's not unusual on LED rope lights! Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Mr_D · 12-07-2017, 12:26 PM

I had three lights out on one pf my valances a few weeks ago. One came on when I touched it, the other two remained off.

hypoxia · 12-09-2017, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I had three lights out on one pf my valances a few weeks ago. One came on when I touched it, the other two remained off.

From what posters above are saying, perhaps you should touch it harder!

azSkier · 12-11-2017, 10:07 PM

I never posted my recent lighting upgrade. Now's a good time I guess. The rope lighting discussed here looks difficult to replace, so I haven't attempted that. However, I have replaced most of the rest of the rope lighting with led strips.

I purchased appropriate lengths of led little strips from newmar available on the newer coaches. I cut away the old light rope and replaced it with the led strip. I did this for all the valences and for the front control panel. Actually, for that panel, I stuck the light strip on the door so it shines on the panel.

The led lights are much brighter and much more pleasing.

bruceisla · 12-12-2017, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azSkier

I never posted my recent lighting upgrade. Now's a good time I guess. The rope lighting discussed here looks difficult to replace, so I haven't attempted that. However, I have replaced most of the rest of the rope lighting with led strips.

I purchased appropriate lengths of led little strips from newmar available on the newer coaches. I cut away the old light rope and replaced it with the led strip. I did this for all the valences and for the front control panel. Actually, for that panel, I stuck the light strip on the door so it shines on the panel.

The led lights are much brighter and much more pleasing.

I did that too .... much better. I have the original valance and ceiling strips. I originally hated the orange color but have grown to like it for watching TV.