Forum Discussion

jgos929's avatar
jgos929
Explorer
Dec 18, 2013

Weird electrical issue

The other day I noticed the lights in the garage of my toy hauler wouldn't come on. I looked at the panel and saw a red light on next to the fuse meaning there was a fault somewhere. I tried replacing the fuse and it immediately blew. Everything was turned off and it still blew. We were at the track getting ready to ride so I left it for a couple of hours and would address it when I got back. When I came back in I noticed the red light was off so I put another fuse in and it worked fine the rest of the weekend. Then when I got back into town from the weekend away and parked my trailer I went inside to turn the lights on and unload some stuff and no lights in the garage again and another red light. I said screw it and left, came back the next day the light was off so I put in a new fuse and the lights are working again.

Now Im no electrician but it seems odd to me that the problem somehow fixes itself over a short period of time and will work until it decides to randomly blow a fuse again.

Has anybody had anything like this happen to them before?

Thanks
  • john_bet's avatar
    john_bet
    Explorer II
    Dec 24, 2013
    wa8yxm wrote:
    Not odd to me at all.. HERE is the problem or rather two problems of which you have one.

    ONE: A wire, (A hot wire) rubbing up against a frame member or brace somewhere has worn through the insulation, sometimes it contacts, and after bouncing down the highway sometimes it does not connect, and again a few more bounces, it connects again.. When it connects pop go the fuses.

    OR: you have lost a wire nut behind a fixture and.. See above paragraph.

    Note that item 1 can be a wire inside the fixture.
    I agree with these ideas and would add one more idea. The problem may be between the fuse and the switch since a new fuse blows with the switch off.
  • jgos929's avatar
    jgos929
    Explorer
    Dec 24, 2013
    Thanks for the help. Gonna have a look at it this weekend and see what I can find out. I'll keep ya postd
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Dec 19, 2013
    Not odd to me at all.. HERE is the problem or rather two problems of which you have one.

    ONE: A wire, (A hot wire) rubbing up against a frame member or brace somewhere has worn through the insulation, sometimes it contacts, and after bouncing down the highway sometimes it does not connect, and again a few more bounces, it connects again.. When it connects pop go the fuses.

    OR: you have lost a wire nut behind a fixture and.. See above paragraph.

    Note that item 1 can be a wire inside the fixture.
  • Roger10378's avatar
    Roger10378
    Explorer II
    Dec 19, 2013
    First you have to be able to read the fuse to tell if it is a short circuit or and overload that caused the problem. If an overload the metal part inside the fuse will have a portion in the middle where it has melted and left a gap. If it was a short there will be a black smoked area where the metal is gone and small droplets of metal deposited in the area.

    It is a lot easier to troubleshoot when you know if you are looking for a overload or a short.
  • BTPO1's avatar
    BTPO1
    Explorer
    Dec 19, 2013
    A loose wire at some termination point. Heating up due to higher current and blowing the fuse, then cooling the line and allowing the new fuse to be OK for a while. JMT
  • Artum_Snowbird's avatar
    Artum_Snowbird
    Explorer
    Dec 18, 2013
    You might want to invest in a push button circuit breaker instead of a fuse until you discover what is tripping you out. Certainly, one of the biggest causes for high load and fuse blowing is weak connections. Check the screw terminals on your panel outlet wires, and all the negative returns too. If you find loose ones.. give them a good turn.

    Another useful device, especially with a blowing fuse, is a laser thermometer sensor. You might be running a load that is just borderline at times, and a wire with full load on it will certainly run hotter than the others. Scan down the panel to see if you can find heat in a conductor, then check the connections first.
  • Matt_Colie's avatar
    Matt_Colie
    Explorer II
    Dec 18, 2013
    JG,

    You have two possibilities:
    1 - It's in the light fixtures or panel
    2 - It's in the runs

    As you give no hint what we are actually talking about, this is all just wild assed guesses and it is the best answers you will get.

    To find and repair a case 1, open things up starting at the panel and look for someplace a bare wire is touching something it should not. If you did not find it, then do the same at each light fixture.

    To find a case 2, you am up THE creek bud. Want a hail-Mary try? You should now know where all the wires for those circuits run. Try disconnecting any one run and see if the problem goes away. If it does, you have an assemble issue. One of the runs got crimped or stapled where it should not have.

    This is the sort of thing I fixed in cheap power cruisers before the depression. If they still have a boat, they can't afford me to fix it now, but I still get asked.

    Good Luck

    Matt

About Technical Issues

Having RV issues? Connect with others who have been in your shoes.24,210 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 02, 2025