Illuminated powered rocker switch for black water.

[cdlaine]

Went to dump a weeks worth of poo-poo.. the black water switch was non-functional (grey water switch worked as designed). Get to keep the poo-poo for a while until I figure this out. Artic Fox 29 5T. Out of warranty. This a.m. I attempted to trouble shoot. Switched the wiring connectors on the back of the black and grey rocker switch, the black would then illuminate, the grey would not, so I'm guessing it is not the switch. Attempted to follow the wiring to it's source, (maybe just a ground connection problem ?). Wiring quickly disappears into the sealed underbelly, i.e. no access unless I gut the beast.

So , I ask the gurus... what would be your next step ? Man, I sure wish I just had the old bayonet off my T.T. . Also, is the manual over-ride hidden in the sealed underbelly or am I just missing it?

All opinions appreciated.

Charles

[WE-C-USA]

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.

[fuzzdr]

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.

[cdlaine]

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

[GordonThree]

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.

[Ava]

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.