2011 Big Country light switches

[Bob Vaughn]

In the compartment with the light switches, the fan control and the slide switch is a cluster of 3 switches that control the rear ceiling lights, the front ceiling lights and the porch light. I want to connect my dc meter to the positive and negative of these wires. They are all white with stripes. The porch light switch has one blue wire. I am at a loss as to which one is a positive and which one is a negative. My first attempt was not successful....

 

[danemayer]

Connect your meter's black lead to a ground. If you can't reach one, you can pull the cover off the fuse box and use the ground inside.

 

[Bob Vaughn]

Connect your meter's black lead to a ground. If you can't reach one, you can pull the cover off the fuse box and use the ground inside.

I am trying to find a ground wire behind the wall that has all the switches on it in my control cabinet.....There should be a common in that rat nest of wires. I am starting to think that they ran all the hot wires to the switches and the grounds from the lights etc. to a different location. My dc meter worked ok when I had regular bulbs but the LED's are polarity sensitive and with the meter connected now the lights will come on with the switch in the off position. So I need to find a ground....

 

[cookie]

I'm not quite sure what you are doing there, but if you have your "meter connected" but do not have a neutral connection, then it kinda looks like to me that you are closing the circuit with your meter and the light turns on when the switch is off. I would be looking at replacing the switch.

Peace
Dave

 

[danemayer]

I am trying to find a ground wire behind the wall that has all the switches on it in my control cabinet.....There should be a common in that rat nest of wires. I am starting to think that they ran all the hot wires to the switches and the grounds from the lights etc. to a different location. My dc meter worked ok when I had regular bulbs but the LED's are polarity sensitive and with the meter connected now the lights will come on with the switch in the off position. So I need to find a ground....

Power from the fuse goes through the switch and on to one or more lights wired in a string. The return wire for the string goes to the fuse panel ground bus. Take the cover off the fuse panel and you'll see the ground bus with a bunch of wires connected.

If you put the meter leads across the switch, and you have power to the switch, and a good ground on the other end of the circuit, and the switch is working, when OFF, you'll read 12V DC. When ON you'll read 0 V DC. The reading indicates the difference in voltage level at the switch leads. But if you take readings this way and something's wrong, it won't help you identify the source of the problem. It only confirms there is a problem.

 

[Bob Vaughn]

Power from the fuse goes through the switch and on to one or more lights wired in a string. The return wire for the string goes to the fuse panel ground bus. Take the cover off the fuse panel and you'll see the ground bus with a bunch of wires connected.

If you put the meter leads across the switch, and you have power to the switch, and a good ground on the other end of the circuit, and the switch is working, when OFF, you'll read 12V DC. When ON you'll read 0 V DC. The reading indicates the difference in voltage level at the switch leads. But if you take readings this way and something's wrong, it won't help you identify the source of the problem. It only confirms there is a problem.

I pulled the awning switch out and low a behold there is the ground wire that I was looking for....Now my meter works without affecting my lights...