12v interior electricity

[brjenson]

Hello,

I am brand new to this world and recently purchased a 2006 Flagstaff Forest River tent trailer with a 12v battery powered winch. The interior lights work when I am plugged in via the 110 connection, but when I unplug the lights and rely on my 12V battery the lights won't work. I went around the back of the tent trailer and made sure 12V power switch was on.

Does anybody have any trouble shooting suggestions for me? I will be camping soon without the availability of a hookup and it will be nice to have the interior electricity working.

Thanks.

[TulsaSteve]

Are you sure the lights are 12V? Most RVs have two completely separate electrical systems, one 12V and one that's 120V.

To run the 120V items from battery, you need an inverter.

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by brjenson

Hello,

I am brand new to this world and recently purchased a 2006 Flagstaff Forest River tent trailer with a 12v battery powered winch. The interior lights work when I am plugged in via the 110 connection, but when I unplug the lights and rely on my 12V battery the lights won't work. I went around the back of the tent trailer and made sure 12V power switch was on.

Does anybody have any trouble shooting suggestions for me? I will be camping soon without the availability of a hookup and it will be nice to have the interior electricity working.

Thanks.

Your on-board converter/charger will run the lights when plugged in, when you disconnect then the batteries take over the 12 volt duties. If you have a battery disconnect switch and it is on then I would start looking at the 12 volt fuses which will be in the power distribution center. With a smaller RV you might only have one fuse for the lighting.

[PumaPro]

How good is your battery? If the cells are dry or low, batteries tend to not hold much of a charge.