Bought our trailer, now come the questions!

[mkenyon2]

We feel we did a good deal of research and are pretty happy with our trailer overall. I have a few questions about QOL (Quality of Life) with it, minor things.

First, the light switch gets very warm. Is that normal? Anything to look into or worry about? (Pics below, light diffuser removed for the picture.)

Also, the main door latch closes hard. Is there a good grease for that? (Another image below.)

Other than that, no major questions or concerns! We're quite excited for our first trip with it.

[Tvov]

profdant139 wrote:
Charles is right -- you have to treat those latches carefully. They are not like doors in your stick house -- especially the plastic piece attached to the screen door.

If you slam the door, that piece can break. Don't ask how I know this.

So you have to re-train yourself and your family to first attach the screen door to the main door. Then pull on the main door latch to close the door manually.

Yes, this is a hassle. And putting a little sign on the door ("don't slam") helps, but it is not guaranteed to stop the habitual slammer (i.e., me).

Yep, this is exactly what we do.

As a friend told me decades ago, this is a camper, not a house - everything is very lightweight and needs to be treated that way.

[1320Fastback]

Amazon has 10 packs LEDs in warm or white. I went white in the back of the toy hauler and warm in the hallway and front bedroom. Bought a bag of spares and threw them in one of the storage lockers. So far none have failed after 2 years. They really reduce your electrical load and create almost no heat compared to incandescent.

[profdant139]

Charles is right -- you have to treat those latches carefully. They are not like doors in your stick house -- especially the plastic piece attached to the screen door.

If you slam the door, that piece can break. Don't ask how I know this.

So you have to re-train yourself and your family to first attach the screen door to the main door. Then pull on the main door latch to close the door manually.

Yes, this is a hassle. And putting a little sign on the door ("don't slam") helps, but it is not guaranteed to stop the habitual slammer (i.e., me).

[CharlesinGA]

MFL wrote:
You show a pic of actual switch, and then the light fixture? The switch should not get VERY warm, but the fixture/bulb will.

I have used a slight amount of clear teflon trailer ball lubricant on my door strike and latch pictured. Works very easy for a long time. I don't just wing/slam the door shut, most times, just push it shut, often times using the pull handle when doing so. RV doors aren't built like a truck door.

Jerry

I agree with this. When shutting a door, I pull the handle as if to unlatch it and push/pull it closed and then give it a firm push/pull until I hear the click of the striker. Slamming these doors will shorten the life of the door and latch dramatically. Also use a good spray lube down inside at the striker.

Get some GOOD LED bulbs to replace those 1141's. I recommend lamps from M4Products.com as they have consistent color and are a long lasting lamp. They are expensive but you won't be having individual LED elements burning out and the color will be consistent if you buy other styles of lights for various fixtures in the RV. I prefer Daylight but they have Warm White (yellowish) and cool white (bluish). They give discounts of 10% off for ten or more.

https://m4products.com/1156-33-3030-nw-natural-white-elite2-1141-1156-ba15s-base/

Charles

[Gdetrailer]

MT BOB wrote:
#1 That looks like an RV Designer switch. Their switches are rated for 10 amps. You could run 1 to 2 headlights off of it. However, lots of their switches use flat spade push on connectors,commonly called quick disconnect connectors.They can corrode, they can become loose where they slide on the switch.Can also corrode at the wire crimp.Pull out the switch,look for these.Also,look at back of switch,for signs of melting.

Yes, typically many of those "designer" switches will be capable of 10A at 12V, that would be 120W of power.

The bulbs in question should not be more than 20W each so 40W draw on a switch rated at 120W leaves plenty of leftover capacity.

But, you are also correct, the back of the switches will be wired with flat QD connections. Not the most robust or reliable method since they often corrode in high moisture environments which leads to a poor connection with high resistance that creates heat. I also have seen those QD terminations loosen over time which also can create a poor connection with high resistance.

OP may want to pull the switches and verfy that the terminals and QDs are not loose fitting and/or corroded. Corroded terminations will need the QD connector cut off and replaced with a new QD. Loose QDs can sometimes be tightened by using a pair of pliers and gently bending the sides of the QD slightly closer together.

Changing over to LEDs can also be very effective since they draw less than 1/8 of the wattage for the same light output. 3W LED light output is almost the same as 20W of incadescent in Lumens. Two 3W LED bulbs is 6W draw instead of 40W incadescent draw but yields the same light output as the 40W incadescent..

[Grit_dog]

That style of switch shouldn’t get warm or hot.
Our new camper has a buncha lighted switches on the main panel and those things get very warm. Kinda creeps me out, but must be normal since they all do.

And congrats on the camper! Lot of anticipation until springtime!

[Lwiddis]

If you replace with LEDs, make sure you like their warmth or lack of warmth before you buy all of them.

[MT_BOB]

#1 That looks like an RV Designer switch. Their switches are rated for 10 amps. You could run 1 to 2 headlights off of it. However, lots of their switches use flat spade push on connectors,commonly called quick disconnect connectors.They can corrode, they can become loose where they slide on the switch.Can also corrode at the wire crimp.Pull out the switch,look for these.Also,look at back of switch,for signs of melting.
#2 Agree with some other posts, spray out latch assembly,wd40 will clean pretty well, but not leave a lubricant.So then spray with something.White-lube is good,and does not stain clothes.PB Blaster will clean and lube,but stinks.After all that,still does not hurt to lube the contact face with wax or soap.
Has been my experience on older campers, things get out of wack enough you have to pull the release while pulling in on the door. Door replacement can be expensive.

[CA_Traveler]

LEDs are 1/6 the wattage and heat for equivalent light.

[CA_Traveler]

Wall switch should not get warm. Light switch can get warm due to the bulbs. Replace bulbs with LEDs. Available in different light color to suit you.

Door: Adjustment maybe. Use silicon lube because it doesn't attract dirt unlike oil/grease.

[WayneAt63044]

When my latch gets hard to operate I pull the handle to bring the latch into the door and give it a quick spray of WD-40. That lubes the internal sliding surfaces of the latch. I then release it and wipe off excess to keep from soiling clothes. Good for a month or two.

[Gdetrailer]

jdgreen42 wrote:
Bar soap or parafin decorative candle, etc will work on the door latch. It will wear off, just re-apply.

Paraffin or candle wax..

Good call, one of my "go to's" for fixing sticking or difficult operating zippers.

Dry, natural and if you brush or touch it doesn't leave a grimy/dirty mess plus does not attract or hold dust and dirt.

Have used candle wax on sticking RV window slides.

Take any candle, rub the candle on the surface you want to be dry lubricated..

Might work for a time in the case of the latch surface but will eventually need to be reapplied..

[jdgreen42]

Bar soap or parafin decorative candle, etc will work on the door latch. It will wear off, just re-apply.

[Gdetrailer]

Latch assy may need a little light lubrication on the edges (top/bottom, sides), adding lubrication to the gliding surface of the latch is pretty much futile as it will just wear off or end up on your hands and clothes over time and the issue just comes back until you relubricate.

I have never lubricated the gliding surface of my latches on my current TT and they work perfectly. Wasn't the case with the original doors on my current TT as they were totally destroyed by water damage and sagging.. I built new doors from scratch, no more latching issues..

Not saying your doors are toast, just saying that a little sag or misadjustment in the door can be a real drag on the latch.

Have you tried the doors with stabilizers down to see if that makes a difference?

Sometimes overtightening the stabilizers can temporarily tweek the trailer frame enough to cause the doors to stick or be difficult to open or close.