Old Trailer Fix Ups...

[Groovyphoenix]

So I've had this trailer which we purchased three years ago.

Roof doesn't leak, where we are we have no running water, power or cell service, and yes I love it! This is my isolation from the modern world (mostly)

I grow a bit bored being there sometimes and I wanted to modernize it a little bit. Got a great deal on a solar panel kit that I will be runnin along with a battery for the trailer. I hooked up said battery and discovered to my dismay 2 things.

1) One of my battery fuses (the screw in part of it) appears to be broken and replacement parts will be almos timpossible to come by...

I have an old Master Coach trailer that is from Dauphine the manufacturer appears to be out of business or at least not in the same place I have. (I will post pics in this thread this evening once I upload them to my server)

So I guess some geenral questions...

Only a few of my inside lights (the small lightbulbs from a car type) appear to work, I changed them all out with a good working and only 2 of the lights actually work. (Possibly due to the broken fuzse?) I am thinking that maybe these are also connected in a straight line (meaning they are all interconnected and go around the trailer?) Only 2 lights work the rest all do not, the first 2 in what I'd call the "line" work after that they stop.

I already fixed my leaking pipe and I'm pretty handy with all tools so I don't mind doing the work if folks can chime in with some ideas/knowledge!

Thanks ahead. Pics to come later tonight!

[azrving]

As the previous guys said. With a car the ground path is just about everywhere. With your RV most of your lights and stuff use a separate wire that runs back to the ground. As they said. Connect your meter or a test light to the positive wire at the light and run a test piece of wire to the frame or battery negative. Do the same with the negative hooked to your test light and jumper it back to a good positive or battery positive. You need to prove which side of the circuit you have lost. Its unlikely that you need to run new wire outside etc. You probably have a very easy fix at one of the fuse, or connections.

[opnspaces]

I read your posts again and I see that you got 0 volts with the volt meter. That could mean no power, but it could also mean no ground. I wouldn't trust the meter reading until I could verify it on a known working fixture. Again run a long wire from a good fixture ground and verify that it works by using it to verify that the good fixture works. Now walk back to the non working fixture and probe the power with the long wire going back to the ground on the working light. You might need a second person to hold the ground wire up while you test.

[opnspaces]

Good looking trailer. Did you repaint the green stripe on the outside or is it just in good condition?

As far as your lights the first thing I would do is try to verify if I lost the ground or the power. Find a way to test a good working fixture so you can reliably identify good power and good ground. Now get a long enough piece of wire and open the first non working light fixture. Connect your long jumper wire between the ground on the non working light and the ground on the working light. If the light now works you know you have a broken ground or bad socket.

If still no light take the jumper wire and try to feed power from the good fixture to the bad fixture. Based on what you find you might be able to pull the good and bad lights off the ceiling and run a wire between them by going up into the ceiling and back down at the other light.

Are you sure that the broken fuse holder isn't the problem for the non working lights?

[westend]

I would suggest you buy an inexpensive hand held meter. They are more accurate than idiot lights and will help diagnose problems. I would also suggest that you replace the bulb fixtures with LED lights. The LEDS are inexpensive and will draw 1/5 the power of similar filament bulbs. I made my own light fixtures for the LED's using a frame found at the dollar store that holds business cards. I used flat LED panels from E Bay.

You state that a fuse holder is broken in the "power inverter". I'm assuming you meant converter, the appliance that converts AC to DC and not the other way round. The converter is usually wired to a 12V distribution panel containing fuses. Replacement fuse holders are available at Radio Shack or online retailers.

[Groovyphoenix]

arkieguide wrote:
Did all the lights work before you changed them out ?
Take a simple 12 volt tester and check the power to the sockets.
Some time when working on these thing's a wire will come off a splice.
The socket terminals may be bent to far down to contact the lamp terminals. Good luck.:)

Volt meter reads 0 on all the lights (did not test the working one obviously) , the lights have never worked to my knowledge but then we never really tested things until last summer when i gott eh great deal on a boat and purchased a trolling motor, the rainy day made me experimental and I hooked up the battery to the trailer, found what was working what was not, thought burnt out lights, but now with the great deal on a solar panel kit (90$ for the whole kit and a solar charger etc) I figured it was worth it to try and get at least the two other lights in the line to work, I'd be happy if I could get the lights over the table to work so we could at least play at night without having the darkness overwhelm us!

So I'm thinking I may pull of just disconnect the old wiring, run a new wire along the top of my roof (inside) in a conduit and just reconnect the lights with a new wire, I am sure they would work, and if not I could purchase inexpensive set at the trailer shop to place and get to work. as I said I am pretty handy and not afraid to do the work if I get a firm idea of what to I need to do, I figure I could connect new wiring to the working light set and daisy chain them but only if that is the correct method to do it.

[Groovyphoenix]

My first iteration of the outdoor kitchen, took me 20 minutes to build this I have made some changes to this build but the main portion is this. We did this because we found on nice days it was too "Crowded" in the trailer to be inside, this relieved some of the pressure of having to be inside all the time.

[Groovyphoenix]

This is another picture of the trailer.




A bit more modern and you can se the outdoor kitchen that I built for functionality, it can hold my water and it also hides my cooler from teh sun as well as it's the perfect height to do dishes outside.

[Groovyphoenix]

rjxj wrote:

Is the fuse holder similar to this. Check for the proper fit. This is just an example I grabbed.

It is similar yes, thats the "cap" part the inside part is what I believe is busted or at leas tthe holding part of the inside part is broken, it has two little "clamps" that hold it shut and they don't appear to work.

I'm not imagining replacing things with the same parts this is after all a 1979 model so I doubt I will get it to be the same. I'd be satisfied with something to get it working period.

I know the "fuses" are definatly for the battery portion since there are breakers on my panel as well for the eletrical portion, pretty sure they are used for the inverter, it's nice to have that portion but I would love to get it all working as much as I can. We've been slowly working on doing inexpensive "renos" to it by painting it, slowly working on adding curtains instead of the ugly blinds, I know when I am running on the generator (I share with my neighbor) that all my plugs and my "big" light works well. My 12 volt system is what appears to be broken, if its a one long wire circuit, the first 2 are working and everything after is not.

I have tested it with a volt meter and get a 0 reading, so I am guessing that it may have wire damage in it. (this trailer had some littlee visitors in the past so possiblu they snacked on the wires...) I don't mind running a new wire "outside" the wall since only adults use it and I'm pretty sure I could conceal most of the wire behind things and buying the wire hidding stuff so I think that would work to regain my lights, this isn't rocket science eletrical work so I think I could pull it off.

Thoughts?

[Groovyphoenix]

Lights did not work ever as far as I can tell (thus why I thought they were burned out) and I tested each with a working light bulb



This is a picture of my baby, she's old and got some minor damage but I repaired most of it so she doesn't leak!

The power inverter in the trailer works as I have hooked it up to a generator, the light above the table (master light with the switch) works when the power is on but obviously not on 12 volt.

The 12 volt set the "double" one near the bedroom/bathroom lights, and the one over the sink lights, all others in the row do not work.

My trailer is on a permanent site, I don't believe it to be "road worthy" per say as in pull it somewhere else I use it as my "cottage" if you will.

Question, is it normal for the plugs not to work on battery? I think it makes sense but checking.

I have a big inverter (I can post pictures) under the seat it's a beast and appears to work well but as I explained one of the fuses is broken, it's not the "twist on" part thats broken but the part inside the panel that holds it closed.

it's a 20 foot (plus hitch) trailer, I have had to replace the gas lines outside the trailer as well as the gas hook up (forgive the loss of name at this time where the lines meet to go into the main gas line).

The propane burners work, the stove works but will not "stay on" all the time for some reason (possibly a blocked line?

Fridge has apparently never worked or I am unable to get the pilot light lit on it and the furnace while is says gas is also electric and needs blower to work, so I just don't use it. We camp usually from April - Octobre almost and the close up on Thanks Giving weekend.

We enjoy it for what it is, a simple place ot "get away" and relax.

We painted the outside a bit as the vinyl was all worn somewhat and re-caulked the windows and all seems to work pretty well.

[azrving]

Check for power at each non working fixture. If you have 12 volts then its the fixture switch or dirty contacts/loose wire etc.


Is the fuse holder similar to this. Check for the proper fit. This is just an example I grabbed.

Holder

I wouldn't worry about the age of it. No, you probably wont find specific trim parts etc, but the frig, furnace, w heater, vents, parts or replacement units can be found on line.

[arkieguide]

Did all the lights work before you changed them out ?
Take a simple 12 volt tester and check the power to the sockets.
Some time when working on these thing's a wire will come off a splice.
The socket terminals may be bent to far down to contact the lamp terminals. Good luck.:)