Interesting LED light issue

dlwilliams48 · 01-20-2018, 10:11 AM

Our dinette slide has two LED lights overhead. A couple of times this week the LED light in one of them was very dim, like low voltage. All others were fine. They are on a separate circuit from the main overhead lights. One time I turned it off and back on and it was fine. The other overhead light was bright, although once they were both dim. Once the weather gets warm enough I'm going to see if I can find any loose wire underneath, as the electrical cable must have to flex back and forth with the slide. But wondering if anyone else has experienced this situation?

eye95 · 01-20-2018, 10:13 AM

Make sure the light is wired correctly, no loose wires. If so, try replacing the fixture.

dlwilliams48 · 01-20-2018, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Make sure the light is wired correctly

This is the first time I have seen this happen, and we have been camping in this trailer a lot. The overhead light gets a lot of use as my wife uses it to read by. I do suspect loose wires somewhere though, and again, will check that out when the temp is a little more comfortable. Confusing part is that most of the time it was just one of the lights, not both. Just once they were both dim. Always something.

DustyRoads · 01-21-2018, 07:42 PM

I had an issue with my Palomino TT with the LED light had a loose wire. I soldered it back on the all was fine from that point on.

**Flybob** · 01-21-2018, 07:50 PM

Could be a bad contact in the switch causing a high resistance that is corrected by operating the switch a second time.

**Bama Rambler** · 01-22-2018, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Could be a bad contact in the switch causing a high resistance that is corrected by operating the switch a second time.

This is my thought as well. Since there's so little load on the circuit, it doesn't take much of a bad connection to affect the light output.

KRedburn · 01-22-2018, 10:34 AM

x2 sounds like switch may be bad.

dlwilliams48 · 01-22-2018, 10:55 AM

Quote:

sounds like switch may be bad.

That is a possibility, but the overhead lights in the slide out are not on a common switch. They are turned on and off by pushing up on the middle of the light. Now most of the time the problem was just one of the lights, at least one time the other light exhibited the same problem. I just need to get in there and take off the covers and have a look see and hope to find a bad connection.

clr · 01-22-2018, 11:05 AM

I had a similar problem with the overhead lights in my unit. Since the led lights are very low power usage they are very susceptible to a poor (light) connection. I also would recommend that you start at the light fixture and ensure there are no light connections.
If that does not work look at the fuse panel and ensure that the fuse is plugged in correctly. In my case the fuse was plugged into the holder properly on one end of the fuse but the other end of the fuse was above the socket therefor making a light connection.

Cypressloser · 01-22-2018, 11:26 AM

Most 12 Volt lights are "piggybacked", that means if one fails you want to start troubleshooting at the splice if you can.
We had a couple wiggly connectors on LED light strips in the bathroom tow kick lighting and in an accent light over a window in our RiverStone causing the exact same "works, works not, dim, bright" scenario you're describing. I simply cut an inch out of the light strip and crimped the connector back on tightly, yours may be different but this gives you an idea.

**ependydad** · 01-22-2018, 11:51 AM

I have found that most LED lights get finicky after time. They flicker and dim and eventually die.

Can you replace the "bulb"?

TitanMike · 01-22-2018, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

Most 12 Volt lights are "piggybacked", that means if one fails you want to start troubleshooting at the splice if you can.
We had a couple wiggly connectors on LED light strips in the bathroom tow kick lighting and in an accent light over a window in our RiverStone causing the exact same "works, works not, dim, bright" scenario you're describing. I simply cut an inch out of the light strip and crimped the connector back on tightly, yours may be different but this gives you an idea.

I had an instance in my old trailer where one wire was actually crimped in the metal part of a butt connector and the other was merely crimped in the plastic "Umbrella" of the connector. One "whisker" of wire was all that made contact with the other wire. Cured the same way by cutting off and doing it right.

This same trailer had the water heater switch on the wall by the sink wires so it never turned the water heater off when hooked to shore power.

These trailers are NOT wired by electricians. Just factory workers that may or may not actually be able to read the plans, depending on whether it's their first day on the job or they've been there more than 90 days.

conceptumator · 01-22-2018, 01:23 PM

I had to replace all 30 of the LED fixtures in our coach due to defective fixtures. The manufacturer provided the replacement units, thankfully. When the units would fail (solder issues), they would dim to varying levels. If you removed the glass lens, you could see that only some of the LED’s were actually lit fully. Some would be dark, others dim. If you tapped them with your fingertip, they would sometimes come back to full brightness. It appeared the solder was cracking and they were loosing connection.

JJaxon · 01-22-2018, 01:32 PM

LEDs are polarity sensitive. They should be correctly wired from the factory install or they wouldn't work at all. I suspect a lose connection. If you can find it, try soldering and shrink wrap for a permanent connection.

safrog · 01-22-2018, 09:22 PM

Make sure your bulb is tight in place. Sometimes they work loose giving a loose connection.

Berton · 01-23-2018, 11:32 AM

Tracking down LED problems can be a pain. They are sensitive to any noise on the line and will cause them to do exactly what you're describing. I would try the ferrite choke solution first. It beats hours of wire tracing and reconnecting. You might also check and see if you have any electric motors on that circuit, as they are bad for producing spikes.

cavie · 01-23-2018, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlwilliams48

That is a possibility, but the overhead lights in the slide out are not on a common switch. They are turned on and off by pushing up on the middle of the light. Now most of the time the problem was just one of the lights, at least one time the other light exhibited the same problem. I just need to get in there and take off the covers and have a look see and hope to find a bad connection.

You must wipe your brain clean of everything you knew about electricity prior to the invention of LED lighting.

45 year electrician here.

You may also like: