The power in our fifth wheel seems to constantly change. The lights go from bright to a dimmer color once every few minutes. We experienced this at the past two campgrounds. We have 50 amp service. Is there something wrong with our camper or is this normal?

Hi,Check the batteries.Check the converter output. It may be failing.

Your lights are 12VDC and run from both your converter/charger unit or the battery. Sometimes if the battery is going bad the converter/charger is trying to keep up with it and power surges.The first thing to do is check the fluid levels in your battery. If one cell is empty and the battery case is warm to hot then you are probably experiencing a failed cell in your battery.You can also disconnect your shore power connection and read the DC voltage across the battery terminala... It should be around 12.5-6VDC for a charged up battery.. If you battery is reading below 10.5VDC then it may be toast now...Roy Ken

Check the conections were the power cord comes into the trailer and the connections in the panel, sounds like a loose neutral.Denny

We had a guest in the park with similar problem. He ended up needing to replace all the battery cables, they were heavily corroded into the insulation jackets and failing intermittently even though the copper terminal connectors looked OK. This is a tricky problem to identify, since you will get good voltage readings until you put a load on the system. Easiest test is to tug on the cables, if they move easier than it seems they should, they may have internal corrosion.

I would bet that it is your converter. How old is your RV?Mike

Power surges constantly | Good Sam Community

18 Replies

ken_burke
Explorer
Aug 28, 2013
capriskier wrote:
The power in our fifth wheel seems to constantly change. The lights go from bright to a dimmer color once every few minutes. We experienced this at the past two campgrounds. We have 50 amp service. Is there something wrong with our camper or is this normal?

Check the convertor.
RoyB
Explorer II
Aug 27, 2013
Lets us know what your status is of your batteries before you start buying a bunch of things again... I would almost Bet one cell is dry...

Roy Ken
Veebyes
Explorer II
Aug 27, 2013
No more converter in ours. Took the cheap & nasty thing out & replaced it with an inverter/charger. All 12V now pulls from the battery. The multi stage charger takes care of the battery. We are now hooked up just like a boat.
Denny___Jami
Explorer
Aug 27, 2013
pianotuna wrote:
Hi Danny,

Very few RV's have 120 volt lights.

Ours has both, when we are hooked to shore power we use more 120v lighting than 12v.

Denny
kart77
Explorer
Aug 26, 2013
Had the same problem with my camper 5th wheel..
Not once....but twice.......

I replaced the converter the first time, and it worked perfectly......for about a year. Then had the same problem again.......so i replaced the converter again....

My mechanic suggested i use a surge protector.....

I use one now and have not had any more problems....

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/portable-surge-guards-with-lcd-display-50-amp/58465
laknox
Nomad
Aug 26, 2013
pianotuna wrote:
Hi Danny,

Very few RV's have 120 volt lights.

My Komfort has dual lighting. Thought this was normal. :-)

Lyle
pianotuna
Nomad III
Aug 26, 2013
Hi Danny,

Very few RV's have 120 volt lights.
Denny___Jami
Explorer
Aug 26, 2013
Maybe we should ask is it the 12V lighting or the 120V lighting.

Denny
Scott16
Explorer
Aug 26, 2013
Verify batteries are good as suggested above. Then check your Converter.
Scott
TucsonJim
Explorer II
Aug 26, 2013
Mine did the exact same thing. I replaced the converter and it worked perfectly.