please if someone has an idea. New owner of a 2014 38ft trail runner. Trailer is stationed in park with Florida room. Noticed out of the blue my running lights and tail lights on the trailer are staying on. Trailer is not hooked up for tow and has never done this .it started last week. I have pulled all the bulbs out for now.
Tail and running lights staying on
- Thread starter Engiman34
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
Hi Engiman34,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.
Running and tail lights are not powered by the trailer battery, so if they're on, it suggests an alternate power source.
If the trailer is plugged into shore power when this happens, I'm wondering if perhaps you have a "hot skin" condition where the trailer exterior is carrying power. This would be usually be caused by 2 failures: a 120V device that is leaking power, along with a lack of ground connection where the trailer is plugged in. Sometimes using a damaged extension cord, or plugging into an improperly grounded power receptacle, will contribute to this condition.
An easy test: when you see that the lights are ON, turn off power to your shore power receptacle, or unplug the trailer from the receptacle. If the lights go out, the next step would be to get a $20 Non Contact Voltage Tester from a local hardware store (skip the $10 testers). Plug back in and if the lights are ON, see if the tester indicates a "hot skin" as you approach the trailer.
"Hot Skin" can be lethal, especially if the ground is wet. Be careful about going into the trailer or touching the trailer until you eliminate this possibility.
Alternative theories on your lights would be 1) the previous owner changing the wiring in some way, 2) a cross connection, probably at or near the trailer umbilical cord.
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.
Running and tail lights are not powered by the trailer battery, so if they're on, it suggests an alternate power source.
If the trailer is plugged into shore power when this happens, I'm wondering if perhaps you have a "hot skin" condition where the trailer exterior is carrying power. This would be usually be caused by 2 failures: a 120V device that is leaking power, along with a lack of ground connection where the trailer is plugged in. Sometimes using a damaged extension cord, or plugging into an improperly grounded power receptacle, will contribute to this condition.
An easy test: when you see that the lights are ON, turn off power to your shore power receptacle, or unplug the trailer from the receptacle. If the lights go out, the next step would be to get a $20 Non Contact Voltage Tester from a local hardware store (skip the $10 testers). Plug back in and if the lights are ON, see if the tester indicates a "hot skin" as you approach the trailer.
"Hot Skin" can be lethal, especially if the ground is wet. Be careful about going into the trailer or touching the trailer until you eliminate this possibility.
Alternative theories on your lights would be 1) the previous owner changing the wiring in some way, 2) a cross connection, probably at or near the trailer umbilical cord.
Flick
Well-known member
After checking out and following up on all the other suggested comments, if the situation still exists, you can pretty well bet that a previous owner has picked up a hot wire from the onboard 12v source and tied into the lights for some reason. They may be switched somewhere and you accidentally bumped the switch without knowing. Weird.
wdk450
Well-known member
Is Pin 7 at +12 vdc or at 0 VDC?
If your tail and clearance lights are ON, and pin 7 is at 0 VDC, then somehow your umbilical cable wiring has been changed.
Maybe this is a stretch, but the umbilical cable connects to the trailer wiring at an accessible standard 4x4 electrical connection box up inside the pinbox, and maybe someone rewired it on you as a prank.
