Electricity issue? TV blacking out when the heater is on.

[cannesdo]

I thought my tv was just dying but I've since figured out that it only blacks out if the space heater tower is on. Could it have something to do with the current being low? I have a multimeter and checked the AC volts and it's right on 120v It really does seem connected to that. The second the heater goes on sometimes, but usually soon after, the tv goes black but the the sound continues. I couldn't figure out why it didn't do it in the afternoon (but lately with the A/C on it has (!) but then would do it later at night. Then in a bit the picture will come on again. If it was the heat it would be going out during the day when it's warmer, right?

If that is the case what would be causing it? I'm on 50A at the post.

[cannesdo]

I have a Winegard carryout satellite dish Doesn't seem to be the signal. I think it's the electricity. No scrambled looking picture at all. Goes from perfect to pitch black like I turned it off. Much better during the day, and bad later at night, but that's when I have the heater on. When I leave it off, intentionally, for a few hours, the tv is fine. It's an infrared heater, faced away from the tv but I wonder if that's doing something. I think it's def. worse when it's near the tv. But if it was about heat why would it do that during the day when the sun is beating down? Very mysterious. I was going to replace it (it's an old CRT tv, but I like it, it fits perfectly in the space) but maybe I'll wait to see what happens when I go to my new location in September.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I ran into this with my cheap TV. I fortunately had an isolation transformer. Instant gratification.

[RJsfishin]

I too believe its a weak signal problem when the pic drops out and the sound stays. Ever since OTA tv went digital, we lost it all where we camp.

[2oldman]

What kind of a TV?

[Road_Runners]

I agree. I think your problem is electrical waves from your heater blocking your low tv signal strength. It doesn't take much to scramble these digital TV signals.

[MFL]

I have noticed that when camping in areas where the signal strength is weak, that any electrical interference will cause a loss of picture. In this case, I have noticed that turning on one of the exhaust fans will cause loss of picture, until fan is switched off.

In fringe reception areas, it seems the time of day will make a difference on signal strength.

I have no problem with reception, due to electrical interference, when in stronger signal areas.

Jerry

[RoyB]

If your heaters have a BLOWER/FAN it could also be a possible fan motor brushes (if it uses them) might be causing RFI interference with the high def digital TV reception. I had a similar incident using a ceiling mounted exhaust fan in my bathroom causing the bedroom TV to freeze its picture then go to the dreaded 'NO SIGNAL' blue screen. I would turn-off the bathroom fan and all would clear up instantly.

I have this same symptoms happen when turning on some of my newly installed LED lights a few years back until I changed them out for NON-REGULATED type LED Boards.

The new digital TV modes are very sensitive to things like this it seems...

Roy Ken

[aslakson]

If your rig has an energy management system, it's possible that the system is "shedding load" when the heater is running - in other words, turning off lower-priority circuits to keep the total current below the EMS maximums.

On our rig, for example, running the microwave or toaster oven will shut down the bedroom air conditioner or space heater, depending on the time of year. Once that extra load is removed, the shed circuits come alive again.

al

[newman_fulltime]

soundslike a plug isbreaking down to me try moving the heater to another curcuit

[cannesdo]

Probes are going into the wall socket I use for the heater with the meter set at 250v. Reads normal. This wasn't happening the first few weeks here, just started last week.

[time2roll]

Assuming the tv and two space heaters are all powered by the 120v system... yes my first guess would be you have low voltage. But I don't get the meter reading or where the measurement is being taken. It should be about 120 volts at the wall. Use the A/C setting of 300 to 600 volt scale.

Usually it is a poor connection that causes low voltage on a 50 amp system.