Illuminated powered rocker switch for black water.

Sounds like you have the same system as me. A PIA.

Easy first check is the fuse. Not likely blown unless you have held the switch too long.

Most likely fault is a stuck knife valve at the tank. You will have to cut yourself an access panel out of the trailer bottom. Biggest challenge there will be to locate where the valve is & cut a panel big enough to open & get working room.

On one side of the knife switch is an allen screw to manually open the valve. Most likely it is stuck & needs just a slight turn to make contact & the motor will work again.

All of this seems daunting the first time around but once you see what to do & how to do it, no real big deal.

The underbelly will have to be taped up & the valve will likely stick again especially if use is not very frequent. Don't use duct tape. It is a PIA & leaves a sticky residue on the underbelly material. Best thing found so far is the silver metal tape. Not the thick type that has a backing to peel off.

Take it to the dealer as a very last resort. Given what that valve handles you will think that they have put a roto rooter in a part of your body by the time they are finished with you.

Gonski....

Sounds like a good plan... I'll wait for the estimate, then see what the Princess wants me to do. Really crappy to have to do this (get it!!) , but not many options. I don't want to pay for repairs only to have to lather , rinse , repeat next season.

Charles

Frank and Fuzz....

Thank you for the input... rapidly exceeds my skill set. Man, I long for the "old days" of a bayonet . This seems over-engineered and unnecessarily complicated. I used the test light , indicates the rocker switch is not the problem. I opted to let the local Artic Fox dealership (where I bought the rig) work out the next step. Really not interested in getting into the underbelly but may have to do what ever is necessary. The motor sounds anemic. Hoping for the best , but expecting a wallet biopsy in my near future.... Merry Christmas to me. I'll share the outcome.

Charles

I just replaced all my drain master electronic valves with manual valves to achieve reliable dumping. AF did not help out since past warrantee but a good local selling dealer provided the parts and I did the labor/change. AF is back selling units with the manual dumping feature.

First, you need to know what brand valve you have. If you don't know, a quick call to Artic Fox would be a start.
Brace yourself---You will probably be dropping the underbelly, to access the manual over-ride. And then replacing the valve. I'd bet it's a DrainMaster.
Be There & Done It
PS Never Trust the Light.

I installed a power valve for my black tank this summer as the original cable hand operated valve had failed. I still use the manual system for my 2 grey tanks. So far all is good.
To answer one of your questions, yes the manual lever is on the electric valve which is under the belly fabric.
I had only 2 wires to connect to 12 vdc power, a grey negative and a black positive. I connected these to an accessory fuse panel that I had installed in the battery compartment when I was installing my battery switch.
Note that ground wires on RVs and related equipment are coloured white (sometimes light grey).
Positive wires on RVs are coloured black. On a car or truck, negative is black and positive is red.
Internally in the wiring harness, the ground divides to supply both the motor and the switch on light. Same for the 12vdc positive supply.
I would use an automotive 12 volt test light for trouble shooting. Attach the black wire of the test light to a good ground by using it's clip.Touch the pointed probe to any wire you want to test for power and the test light will illuminate. If the motor is healthy and has power, you will be able to hear it run also.
Don't destroy the belly fabric until you make a diagnosis with the test light that the motor is toast.

Doug and Gordon...

Thank you . The unit is at the storage yard , I wont be able to get
back to it until tomorrow.

...not sure if there are in-line fuses, or where they would be located... I am thinking the "stuck electric valve" is potentially the issue. I can hear audible ? "switching on" but then nothing happens (edit- today with the grey water tank when attempting to empty (after putting a few gallons in). When I returned the black water switch to the original configuration, I get nothing.

..the rocker switches are relatively inexpensive (10 - 20 per) might just switch them out.... local repair gets $120/hr. x 2 hrs. With the Artic Fox, getting into the sealed underbelly doesn't seem like a good idea.

My diagnostic skills are lacking.

Charles

Charles, can you post a picture of the wiring on the back of your switch panel?

Like Ava points out, on a light-up switch, two terminals are for the load, and the third is for the light. Usually the light is on a different color terminal, or it's sort of off to the side a bit from the load terminals.

Highly doubt the switch has failed, could be a blown fuse somewhere, or a stuck electric valve.

There should be three terminals on an illuminated switch. Make sure you are trying the correct wires when changing them around. One is power and one is ground to the appliance and another ground to light up the switch when turned on. Just my thought.