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Old 05-15-2013, 09:36 AM   #1
rke
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Another Electrical question (SOLVED)

We went out this weekend with our new 2306 minilite it was 33 degrees out! We had an electric heater, electric water heater, the refrigerator and 5 interior lights on. When we ran the water (12v) water pump, the interior lights dimmed . Is this normal?

Thanks,
RKE
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Old 05-15-2013, 09:41 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by rke View Post
We went out this weekend with our new 2306 minilite it was 33 degrees out! We had an electric heater, electric water heater, the refrigerator and 5 interior lights on. When we ran the water (12v) water pump, the interior lights dimmed . Is this normal?

Thanks,
RKE
How many amp converter do you have?

A 45 amp may allow lights to dim some.



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Old 05-15-2013, 10:37 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by rke View Post
We went out this weekend with our new 2306 minilite it was 33 degrees out! We had an electric heater, electric water heater, the refrigerator and 5 interior lights on. When we ran the water (12v) water pump, the interior lights dimmed . Is this normal?

Thanks,
RKE
First, of all those things you listed, only the water pump and lights are really on the 12v circuit (fridge draws a little from it).

The answer to your question is probably "yes, it's normal", but it really depends on how much they dimmed. The water pump draws quite a bit of current (for the short time it is on). That's always going to cause some drop in the voltage, which you'll see as dimmed lights.
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Old 05-15-2013, 11:00 AM   #4
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Water pump = 4 amps.
This will help.
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...aws-17300.html

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Old 05-15-2013, 02:39 PM   #5
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I was plugged into the campground 120v 30amp outlet. the lights dimmed half their brightness.
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Old 05-15-2013, 02:42 PM   #6
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I was plugged into the campground 120v 30amp outlet. the lights dimmed half their brightness.
Did you check park power?

Have you tried it at home?

Is your mini light new ? Or new to you?

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Old 05-15-2013, 02:49 PM   #7
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I did not check the park power, My fathers motor home had no problems with their power which was the next power pole. he had more electric running than I did.

I have not tried all components at the home yet, I will check tonight.

It is a 2013.
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Old 05-15-2013, 02:54 PM   #8
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I am not sure the size of the converter. it is what was installed from the factory. I think it is a 55 amp converter.
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Old 05-15-2013, 02:54 PM   #9
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If you have a multimeter, check your battery voltage with all 12 volts off and then load system by putting lights on, water pump etc and check voltage at the battery again. If your battery is good and converter working properly, voltage reading should stay above 12 volts.
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Old 05-15-2013, 03:00 PM   #10
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I did not check the park power, My fathers motor home had no problems with their power which was the next power pole. he had more electric running than I did.

I have not tried all components at the home yet, I will check tonight.

It is a 2013.
Fathers motor home was most likely 50 amp which may have made a difference.
Where you were plugged into 30 amp.

Do as fonzie asked and see where ur at.

Its under warranty but it'd be nice to know before you hauled it in.

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Old 05-15-2013, 03:52 PM   #11
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Fathers motor home was most likely 50 amp which may have made a difference.
Where you were plugged into 30 amp.
Sorry, but I must disagree. The converter is going to try to maintain a fairly constant voltage independent of the incoming line (120) voltage, so I don't think a lower input voltage would have much effect.

If they're dimming by half, something is wrong.

The Fonz is The Man. If the converter is working right, voltage should stay well above 12v (like 13) with the little bit of load you had on it.
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Old 05-15-2013, 06:57 PM   #12
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We went out this weekend with our new 2306 minilite it was 33 degrees out! We had an electric heater, electric water heater, the refrigerator and 5 interior lights on. When we ran the water (12v) water pump, the interior lights dimmed . Is this normal?

Thanks,
RKE
I agree with the others except one item. If the battery is up to snuff its wired in parallel with the converter. There's no way it would have that much voltage drop if its in good shape, charged with tight connections. I would start at the battery both positive and neg. connections, through circuit breakers and the power center. Somewhere you're getting a serious voltage drop. The converter may be 55 amps on a good day, the battery is good for 350 amps on short term basis. Sounds as though the frame connections may be faulty.
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Old 05-16-2013, 09:17 AM   #13
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Last night I checked the electric heater and the power cord coating inside the unit was melted and the wire itself was in two pieces. I think this must be the issue, but I will check tonight after work. The heater is only a few years old, so I did not think that would have been the problem, we'll see tonight. I will load the circuits and see if I get the same results I had at the campground. Thank you everyone for the input, it is appreciated.
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Old 05-16-2013, 09:22 AM   #14
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I was plugged into the campground 120v 30amp outlet. the lights dimmed half their brightness.
I am thinking a bad or corroded ground. Check at or near the battery for the ground screw that is attached to the frame. Corrosion there will increase in resistance as the current demand increases. This will reduce the voltage downstream to the lights.

This will be true regardless of which source (battery or converter) is delivering the power.
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Old 05-16-2013, 12:03 PM   #15
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Quote:
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Last night I checked the electric heater and the power cord coating inside the unit was melted and the wire itself was in two pieces. I think this must be the issue, but I will check tonight after work. The heater is only a few years old, so I did not think that would have been the problem, we'll see tonight. I will load the circuits and see if I get the same results I had at the campground. Thank you everyone for the input, it is appreciated.
are you talking about a separate electric heater, that you brought into the trailer, or are you talking about the electric side of the water heater?
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Old 05-16-2013, 02:48 PM   #16
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Quote:
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Last night I checked the electric heater and the power cord coating inside the unit was melted and the wire itself was in two pieces. I think this must be the issue, but I will check tonight after work. The heater is only a few years old, so I did not think that would have been the problem, we'll see tonight. I will load the circuits and see if I get the same results I had at the campground. Thank you everyone for the input, it is appreciated.
Lucky there was no fire! Seems like the branch breaker (AC) was defective, should have opened long before......
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Old 05-16-2013, 03:51 PM   #17
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I stand corrected:

What the Captain meant to say is the voltage lost across the a corroded screw/ground connection would increase as the DC current demand increased. (not the resistance which would be fixed at whatever it turned out to be!)

V=IR If R is fixed (the corrosion), voltage (V) would drop as current (I) increased. Turning on more lights in this case would make the other lights dim as more were turned on.

Moot point now as it turns out.
Glad the OP figured out his problem.
Herk

(Thanks Barry!)
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Old 05-17-2013, 09:14 AM   #18
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A space heater was the culprit

Last night I went in the travel trailer and loaded the circuits with every electrical appliance (every light, refrig, electric water heater element, fantastic fan, radio, and our older electrical space heater) to simulate the same loads I had at the campground. Once everything was on I ran the water to activate the water pump. No lights dimmed! Our new electric space heater was the problem. The trailer electrical is fine. I spoke with the manufacturer of the space heater and we will be receiving a new one. They want mine to see if this is an isolated problem or more wide spread. thanks to everyone's input.

RKE
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Old 05-17-2013, 01:07 PM   #19
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Last night I went in the travel trailer and loaded the circuits with every electrical appliance (every light, refrig, electric water heater element, fantastic fan, radio, and our older electrical space heater) to simulate the same loads I had at the campground. Once everything was on I ran the water to activate the water pump. No lights dimmed! Our new electric space heater was the problem. The trailer electrical is fine. I spoke with the manufacturer of the space heater and we will be receiving a new one. They want mine to see if this is an isolated problem or more wide spread. thanks to everyone's input.

RKE
Awesome, aren't the ppl on this site great? Space heaters demand/consume a lot of power, I have one in my hauler but I watch it very closely when powered up! Glad your back in business, happy camping
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Old 05-17-2013, 01:28 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rke
Last night I went in the travel trailer and loaded the circuits with every electrical appliance (every light, refrig, electric water heater element, fantastic fan, radio, and our older electrical space heater) to simulate the same loads I had at the campground. Once everything was on I ran the water to activate the water pump. No lights dimmed! Our new electric space heater was the problem. The trailer electrical is fine. I spoke with the manufacturer of the space heater and we will be receiving a new one. They want mine to see if this is an isolated problem or more wide spread. thanks to everyone's input.

RKE
Don't wish to harp on this but here' s a 2nd situ where your main 30 amp breaker maybe should have opened under excess load. Two heaters and water heater together shoud be close to 30 amps, with the converter all those loads its maybe 8-11 more amps A/C- you're over! It should have opened when the cord melted also. They are 15 bucks could be a good investment if condition is questionable.
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