BorgX
Member
Hopefully this will help someone else before it's too late...
I was camping this weekend and had the main cabin lights on... I was talking to my wife and the main lights just went out. All of the other lights were working (so I thought). While I was checking fuses, etc. the lights just magically came back on. I couldn't get them to fail again. Oh well, weird but ok, right? WRONG. The next morning... I turn the lights on, then after about 2 minutes, they turn off on their own. I'm thinking: ok... now I'm figuring this out. I turned every light and 12V thing I could find. Determined it was the main lights, outside awning/bug light, light over the sink, and the range hood light and fan. Everything else appeared to work. So, I assumed this was all one circuit and I was right. Checked the fuse, working. Checked the switch and bulbs, all good. Decided I was camping and had some lights so the heck with it... I would find it later on Sunday when I got home.
Once I had more time and the camper was at home, I found the problem after tracing the wire through the camper... it was a wire nut above the stove vent hood. Dropped the hood down and there are 3 wires that are joined there. Main feed, the vent hood, and then the main wire goes on to feed the over sink light and the main cabin lights as well as outside light. The nut was loose and was allowing poor contact. It had MELTED the wires and the wire nut. Really close to a fire in my 2011 21FBS! That would have been a lot of fun!!
I cut the wires back to remove the melted parts, soldered them, and put chrimp connector on them. Working great now.
As others have said, you better check EVERY wire nut you see and it is shocking to know that Heartland used them everywhere like that. My opinion is that wire nuts were made for stationary connections, not for campers or places vibration can occur...
Be safe out there!!
I was camping this weekend and had the main cabin lights on... I was talking to my wife and the main lights just went out. All of the other lights were working (so I thought). While I was checking fuses, etc. the lights just magically came back on. I couldn't get them to fail again. Oh well, weird but ok, right? WRONG. The next morning... I turn the lights on, then after about 2 minutes, they turn off on their own. I'm thinking: ok... now I'm figuring this out. I turned every light and 12V thing I could find. Determined it was the main lights, outside awning/bug light, light over the sink, and the range hood light and fan. Everything else appeared to work. So, I assumed this was all one circuit and I was right. Checked the fuse, working. Checked the switch and bulbs, all good. Decided I was camping and had some lights so the heck with it... I would find it later on Sunday when I got home.
Once I had more time and the camper was at home, I found the problem after tracing the wire through the camper... it was a wire nut above the stove vent hood. Dropped the hood down and there are 3 wires that are joined there. Main feed, the vent hood, and then the main wire goes on to feed the over sink light and the main cabin lights as well as outside light. The nut was loose and was allowing poor contact. It had MELTED the wires and the wire nut. Really close to a fire in my 2011 21FBS! That would have been a lot of fun!!
I cut the wires back to remove the melted parts, soldered them, and put chrimp connector on them. Working great now.
As others have said, you better check EVERY wire nut you see and it is shocking to know that Heartland used them everywhere like that. My opinion is that wire nuts were made for stationary connections, not for campers or places vibration can occur...
Be safe out there!!