Interior lights coming and going in intensity

[Diamondjim]

On our way to Ohio to visit grandkids (7 & 9....going on 19) for a few weeks.
Last night in South Carolina and tonight in VA, playing cards etc. all of a sudden the lights get really bright, a while later back to "dull" if you will.
Looked at the control panel, batteries are not charges to the fullest, all but one light lit. I'm thinking maybe the inverter/converter are kicking in and out.
How do I check things out?
Will welcome all suggestions. I may be barking up all the wrong trees. I do have progressive surge control at the post, everything looks ok there.........
Thanks in advance for your sage wisdom.........

 

[Oregon_Camper]

When they get bright, your converter is powering them....then dim, they are most likely back to battery power.

Do you have a volt meter? Unplug the RV...and test the battery(s)....they should be around 12.6v. If not...they are not getting charge from converter. Next...plug RV back into shore power. Now test the POS connection at the battery....that should read around 13.6v. If there is no change, you might need to reset your thermal breaker. While still plugged in, test the incoming hot line to your busbar. Again..plugged in it should be around 13.6v.

do that...then report back

 

[danemayer]

Output of the Power Converter is typically 13.2 - 13.6 VDC. Fully charged battery, without charge from the Power Converter, is about 12.6V DC.

So while on shore power, the test panel lights show the output of the Power Converter, which is higher than the battery voltage level. You should therefore always see 4 lights when on shore power.

So if your interior lights are fluctuating, and the test panel is not showing 4 lights, you may have a Power Converter starting to fail.

As the Power Converter degrades, the battery will not be kept fully charged. If allowed to continue, at some point you may not be able to get enough power to the slides and landing gear to get hooked up to tow.

In a pinch, you can use a battery charger hooked directly to your trailer battery to keep it charged.

Absent that, if you connect to the truck, you should be able to get enough of a charge to operate everything, but it could take an hour or more and you may have to run the engine depending on how your truck is set up.

 

[Diamondjim]

Appreciate the input.....
When I get settled at the final destination in Ohio for 6 weeks and do my testing......are there consumer parts to replace or repair of the converter/inverter unit necessary.
I think I know where it is located, and how to get to it in my 2011 Greystone, but we'll be in Ohio later today and once settled will make it a project to correct, with luck.
Thanks for the input. Once again, this forum is awesome.
Oh, asked about awning replacement....Progressive was super, and we have a new awning installed and working great! A friend helped me install it, so the $250. deductible never entered the picture!

 

[danemayer]

Appreciate the input.....
When I get settled at the final destination in Ohio for 6 weeks and do my testing......are there consumer parts to replace or repair of the converter/inverter unit necessary.

You can find direct replacement converters at RV dealers, Amazon, and other online sources. If yours is a Progressive Dynamics unit, you may be able to ship it to the for repair and save a few dollars. But you'd need a battery charger to keep things going in the interim.

 

[JohnDar]

When the converter senses the battery is low, it goes into “Boost” mode, outputting higher voltage to charge the battery. That causes the lights to brighten. When it returns to “Normal” mode, they dim back to their usual brightness.

Don’t rush out and replace the converter until you determine there is actually a problem with it. A new one will do the same thing. Other problem may be your battery is weak and requiring more work from the converter.

At least with the Progressive converters, you can add a Charge Wizard indicator pendant that shows what mode the converter is operating in.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Diamondjim]

It appears that the converter died a peaceful death.........made it to Ohio and got set up, thanks to being plugged into the RAM. Called my son for a battery charger and away we went. The charger kept us in lights for a couple of night and a new replacement is on its way from Amazon.
While searching for a new converter, found YouTube and other information on rebuilding the bad one, which I may do, just for the challenge when I return to Florida.
The new converter will arrive 6/7, so I have time to clear the way and tear the basement wall apart to get to the bad one. Once there, it should take less than 10 minutes to make the swap. I found it cheaper several places, but not as quick on delivery (by 10-12 days). I'm leaving my wife in Ohio as I head to Western NY to do some MCing for a barbershop show. Wanted her not to have to mess for 3 days I'll be gone.
Again, appreciate the help in figuring out what was wrong..........it's called a learning curve.

 

[katkens]

Glad you are getting things fixed . Here is some links for future part needs great parts stores and super quick. https://www.rvupgradestore.com/ and http://tweetys.com/