Lights in pop up camper

[jwo1976]

Ok, so not really Disney. But since we are at the fort this week. We are having problems with the lights in our pop up camper and figured someone on here might could give me some information. So what is happening is they are flickering. I know they run on 12 volts converted from the shore power. We checked into the fort on Saturday and everything worked just fine. Then this morning (tuesday) they lights started to go in and out. It has been raining here alot over the last couple days, enough to flood our site. Just wondering if this could be a factor. The AC power and the air conditioner seem to be unaffected. The camper is 10 years old and we've had it about 2.
Anyone else experience anything similar? I did disconnect the battery since it's pretty much shot but no change.

 

[peg110]

The AC (air conditioner) is running on.... well.... AC (Alternating Current) while the lights are typically running on DC (Direct Current). To that end AC Appliances, as the name suggests, has an alternating wave from a High Positive Peak, down to zero to a low Negative Peak (Thus "Alternating") and they are designed to run this way. So if there is a minor fluctuation, it's less obvious.

DC Appliances (or electronics in general) work of a Constant and Direct current. In a "Wave Form" (Like AC) it goes to a High Peak and stays there.


DC Electronics are also designed to run this way. Since it's a Constant "High", fluctuations in the DC are NOT "Acceptable" and will result in observable lower performance.

It's quite possible that all the rain is impacting it, particularly if the humidity gets in between connections. Certainly Moisture can cause oxidation on the terminals as well also degrading the performance. Again, this would be much more noticeable on the DC versus the AC.

Hope this helps.

 

[2goofycampers]

Call The Fort, and have them check their electric box. If theirs is ok, check to make sure all your connections are tight everywhere. We had this happen and there was a loose wire in or going into the converter/inverter box.

 

[jwo1976]

Well this morning everything seems to be ok. I checked the converter last night for maybe excessive heat or even condensation. Everything checks out. It still could be getting weak, it is 10+ years old. I do suspect it's got something to do with moisture/humidity. The power system down here hasn't had this much water on it in a while. Yesterday was a little dryer of a day as was last night. Maybe the rain will hold and we can test that theory.

 

[jwo1976]

I would suspect the earth grounds on the forts power system are not all on the same potential. Now that the ground is pretty saturated maybe that will even out now.

 

[parrothead64]

It could be the wiring that runs along the side of the pop up which connects the lighting. It could have been pinched or a wire got exposed and could be causing the problem.

 

[tripleb]

If the problems starts happening again, unplug from shore power. That will eliminate the converter.

 

[peg110]

If the problems starts happening again, unplug from shore power. That will eliminate the converter.

But of course you will have to make sure the battery is re-connected (and has a charge as well).

 

[jwo1976]

But of course you will have to make sure the battery is re-connected (and has a charge as well).

We'll it did start again. My battery is shot, so I guess we'll live with it for now and worry about it when we get home. The important thing is the AC power and the air conditioner are working fine.

Thanks for the input. I'll update once I get home and do a little more troubleshooting.

 

[peg110]

Well hooking up the battery and disconnecting the Shore power will only confirm or reject that the issue is the power coming from the Fort (which by the sounds of it, is probably NOT the issue, particularly if the AC is working well).

Just from all that you have described, I suspect the humidity/moisture is your culprit. The problem is WHERE is it occurring.

Good luck and I hope it doesn't ruin the rest of your trip.

 

[jwo1976]

Its just an annoyance, we had lanterns (battery powered) to light the camper at night if we needed it. It does seem to have something to do with the extreme moisture. While the inside of the camper and compartments stayed dry there was a lot of moisture in the air. On Friday it did not rain at all and the lights functioned properly. Also when we got home we popped up the camper on Sunday to let everything dry and air out and we had no issues there either. We do live in the South, Birmingham AL area, where it is humid but not monsoon raining humid. I suspect the extreme humidity coupled with a weak converter to be the issue. The converter is 11 years old. I will be replacing the battery and most likely upgrading the power distribution / converter this summer as part of my "re-model". We are going to update the look and feel of the camper, make it more "us".
I have thought about doing away with the battery all together since all we use it for is the motor to pop up the camper. We don't boondock as we like our air conditioner. Thinking about getting a converter that has enough capacity to power the lift motor so all I have to worry about is plugging into the shore power when I reach the site and setting it up. Also we never power the fridge off the 12 volts since you have to pop up the camper to put anything in it.

 

[parrothead64]

If the trailer has brakes, you need the battery for that.

 

[jwo1976]

If the trailer has brakes, you need the battery for that.

Nope, no trailer brakes. Just a Popup, '07 model.

 

[sirenia88]

Not discounting the incoming AC power as this could be a factor as well as the battery. I'm wondering if the solder joints of the converter are cracked. I had this happen to me a couple of years ago. The solder joints on the board cracked. Luckily, my one FiL does electronic service for his company. He went over the board with his testers and magnifiers. Found a number of cracked joints on the board. He resoldered everything. Then load checked. It worked better and was more stable voltage wise. Good luck with your search.

 

[parrothead64]

Some pop-ups have brakes, mine did.

 

[jwo1976]

Not discounting the incoming AC power as this could be a factor as well as the battery. I'm wondering if the solder joints of the converter are cracked. I had this happen to me a couple of years ago. The solder joints on the board cracked. Luckily, my one FiL does electronic service for his company. He went over the board with his testers and magnifiers. Found a number of cracked joints on the board. He resoldered everything. Then load checked. It worked better and was more stable voltage wise. Good luck with your search.

Could be. Haven't had time to pull it out and check it yet. I'll have it out soon hopefully. We have another trip to the Fort planned for Christmas but hope to get it out a few more times and do some local camping before then.

 

[jwo1976]

Some pop-ups have brakes, mine did.

I've seen the newer models with them. Ours is an '07 and pretty basic. Some times I wish it had them, would have made a few situations on I-75 coming home last week a little less scary. There were 4 pretty bad wrecks in about a 10 mile span just before getting on I-10 near lake city. With some people just stopped in the middle of the road. It was crazy coming home. Once we got on I-10 going west we had no more issues.

 

[SteveMP]

Try opening up the converter/fuse panel, removing all the fuses one by one, inspect for hairline break, and reseating them.

 

[bama_ed]

Nope, no trailer brakes. Just a Popup, '07 model.

Maybe you have hydraulic brakes and not electric? My former pup, a Jayco 2005 model, had hydraulics which, naturally, don't rely on a battery.

Bama Ed

 

[SteveMP]

Maybe you have hydraulic brakes and not electric? My former pup, a Jayco 2005 model, had hydraulics which, naturally, don't rely on a battery.

Bama Ed

Yeah most trailers over a couple thousand pounds should at least have whats called "surge" brakes. I guess the pro would be no battery required in OP's case.