Interior lights not working off of coach battery but work on 110v

[Southern Comfort]

This weekend the interior lights quit working while hooked up to the 12v coach battery on my 1988 Coachmen pull behind. I am electronically challenged!! So far this is as far as my troubleshooting has landed me... The water pump works still, the lights DO WORK when ran off of 110v(the generator). None of the fuses are blown. Is there a "master" rocker switch that controls all the lights in the camper while connected to the coach battery that accidentally got flipped? I know there is a switch in the bathroom that will turn the lights on and off in the bathroom only, but is there a switch that controls the whole camper? My camper is 125 miles from me now, we primarily use it to hunt out of, we DO NOT run the generator from 10pm-11am (getting dressed in the dark this morning was tough). The converter box is still working apparently.. is there a relay in the converter box that just operates the lights? ANY help would be appreciated.... where it is we are 100miles from an RV center and I dont want to loose a whole weekend in the woods to just "get the lights working".

 

[H2H1]

I don't have any idea, but I would suggest that you invest in a portable lantern and a few flashlights. I know I keep 2 of each in my MH.

 

[TexasClodhopper]

My MH has a battery disconnect, and I think most newer RVs also have this switch.

This large disconnect switch will take the battery out of the circuit. Everything that is powered by the converter will still work, but since the disconnect switch is activated, all lights etc. will go off when the AC (shore power or generator) goes offline.

 

[Triple E]

Hello Comfort and welcome to RVUSA. :applause: Are you saying that your water pump works without being plugged in to shore power or generator power but no other 12 volt equipment are working, lights ect.?

 

[Southern Comfort]

Thanks for the welcome Triple E. My pump does not work when hooked up to shore or generator power but does work when hooked up to the battery. My lights ONLY work on shore or generator power and do not work off of the battery.

 

[Triple E]

Either your batteries are bad or there is a main 12v switch that needs to be activated. How long have you owned this RV?

 

[Southern Comfort]

Ive had the camper for about a year and a half. The battery cant be bad, it is only 1 month old and holds a charge... it gets recharged off of my converter while my generator is running mid day for a few hours. Where might the 12v switch be? There IS a switch as soon as you walk into the door to the right that I always assumed turned on/off the outside light (that was destroyed by a tree branch). Is this by chance the 12v switch for the lights that got accidentally switched down? If there is a 12v switch that controls the entire 12v system, why would the pump continue to work?

 

[H2H1]

HAVE YOU CHECKED THE CONNECTIONS AT THE BATTERIES? I had a problem and it was the connection where the wire was crimp the battery connector. I was so corroded. .The RV tech replaced it and it worked great till I sold it

 

[C Nash]

A few hours of generator running will not charge the batteries if they are run down.

 

[Triple E]

Ive had the camper for about a year and a half. The battery cant be bad, it is only 1 month old and holds a charge... it gets recharged off of my converter while my generator is running mid day for a few hours. Where might the 12v switch be? There IS a switch as soon as you walk into the door to the right that I always assumed turned on/off the outside light (that was destroyed by a tree branch). Is this by chance the 12v switch for the lights that got accidentally switched down? If there is a 12v switch that controls the entire 12v system, why would the pump continue to work?

Yes that could be the switch. Should be around the door somewhere. When you are on shore or generator power this switch is bypassed and all 12 volts systems will work normally. Also as Nash stated, If the batteries are low it will take awhile for them to charge. You might need to take a battery charge with you and plug it into the generator then charge your batteries for a couple of hours or so. You might look on the oven hood for a switch also. Good luck. We are here to help.

 

[Triple E]

Thanks for the welcome Triple E. My pump does not work when hooked up to shore or generator power but does work when hooked up to the battery. My lights ONLY work on shore or generator power and do not work off of the battery.

Sorry Comfort I missed this post. I wonder if the pump is connected to the battery and only using the pressure switch to turn it on and off. I will have to think about this one for awhile.

 

[Kguinn]

Hi I do have a connect and disconnect switch but my lights still will not work off the battery. I just bought the battery yesterday. Any thoughts?