Let there be light......please!

[krowsea]

So, there I was, minding my own business, puttering around in my recently purchased '75 Sovereign, when I had the unmitigated gall to turn the interior lights on. Or shall I say, attempted to do so. As I, and my A/S, remained in the dark, I went about trying all things electrical to see what's up. The Sovereign is hooked to 110v city power full time. The (short) list of what electrical devices work;

Small wall light inside, next to door, above couch(has a cute 'lil lampshade on it).
Dometic fridge
A/C
All electrical outlets

The (long) list of what doesn't work;

All ceiling fans and lights
All lights over sink, bathroom, etc.
Round outside light, to right of door
I don't know if the toilet uses an electric pump to swish the wonderful debris
down the bowl, or if it's just powered by water, but it doesn't do anything
when the handle is pushed down. I am hooked to city water, and both sinks
work fine.
The control panel does nothing, despite my best efforts to wake it up. I've burned incense, chanted, swung a dead chicken over my head while reciting the Magna Carta..backwards, but surprisingly to no avail. The needles don't move and the lights don't wink at me.

So, this then begs the question. Is there one big source of magical power, which when awakened will bring joy and wonder back, and claw these devices back from the brink of extinction, or do you feel I have a variety of ailments which just happen to all be electrical?

I wait patiently for your enlightenment......

John-Boy

[thenewkid64]

All the stuff listed is 12 VDC powered.

Your battery is in a small compartment just rearward of the main door.

Check the voltage on the battery as well as the water.

Your fuse panel and charger are under the kitchen sink. The fuses may be accessible thru the magazine rack, there is sometimes a sliding panel or hinged door. Check the Positive and negative feeds to the fuse panel. They are 40 AMP fuses. The main circuits are 20 amp fused.

All are glass auto style fuses.

[emanon25]

jb-

looks like you've lost your 12 volts direct current source. if you have the stock uni-volt converter, you need to check six fuses, on a circuit board inside the converter unit: 12vdc from the battery, 12vdc from tow vehicle (not likely the problem), four smaller 20 amp fuses feeding dc circuits in the trailer. in addition there is a seventh fuse on the negative side of the battery, probably mounted near to the battery.

if you do not have the stock uni-volt converter, hopefully a fuse panel was installed that is similar.

use a volt meter to see if you have greater than 12 volts at your battery terminals. if your battery is dead, your converter (charger) may have failed.

also check any disconnects in the battery leads. these are male/female connectors. like many such relationships they can develop problems with years of neglect.

the reason your toilet has failed is because the water pump isn't working. it needs 12vdc.

hope this helps-

emanon

[JohnG]

Originally Posted by thenewkid64

All the stuff listed is 12 VDC powered.

Your battery is in a small compartment just rearward of the main door.

Check the voltage on the battery as well as the water.

Your fuse panel and charger are under the kitchen sink. The fuses may be accessible thru the magazine rack, there is sometimes a sliding panel or hinged door. Check the Positive and negative feeds to the fuse panel. They are 40 AMP fuses. The main circuits are 20 amp fused.

All are glass auto style fuses.

Are you sure on the location?? I have a 75 Sovereign and in that location sits the furnace. I have never really looked into just getting down and looking either at or for mine, but there is a hum that comes from under a raised floor panel in the closet just forward of the bathtub, and there is a fuse box mounted to the wall there also. I don't know if this is original or a modification by the PO. But for sure there is a furnace where you said just rearward of the main door under the sink.

[john hd]

krowsea

since only some of your 12v stuff works try this:

find your univolt (blue box that hums) open the front door, then check each of the fuse holders to make sure they have a good grip on the fuses.

a shot of wd 40 and trying to rotate the fuses may restore the contact.

of course check them all with a volt/ohm meter for voltage and continuity.

john

[thenewkid64]

Originally Posted by JohnG

Are you sure on the location?? I have a 75 Sovereign and in that location sits the furnace.

Nope.

Not 100%,I know on some earlier and some newer models with the battery by the door (in front of the wheels) that the univolt was under the kitchen sink. It seemed to depend on the bath location to correspond to the univolt and fuse panel location. Since you mention a tub John, I assume you have a rear bath, and the battery is at the rear curbside corner. That would go hand in hand with what you describe for the location of your univolt and fuse panel.

[krowsea]

Thanks for all the quick responces and the wealth of info. There's a lot of love in this trailer.....lotta love. I'm heading out of town for a couple of days, I'll check out the systems when I get back.


John-Boy

[JohnG]

Brett,
Thanks for straightening that out. I was wondering if I had mistaken where mine was for a minute. Too badd that AS didn't use a common design, it would sure be a lot less confusing..........

[krowsea]

I'm back in town, and planning on checking into the electrical problems. One quick question though. Does the Univolt need a battery hooked up, even when the trailer is hooked to city power, or will everything function fine without it. There's a battery there, but It's probably dead. I'll replace it for when I'm not hooked up, but don't know if it needs a charged battery for other systems to function.


Thanks!
John-Boy

[thenewkid64]

Originally Posted by krowsea

Does the Univolt need a battery hooked up, even when the trailer is hooked to city power, or will everything function fine without it.

The battery should be there, it acts like a big filter and is necessary to make it all work right. If all you are doing is testing, any battery will do.

[krowsea]

Thanks for the update. I'll be picking up a battery today and trying things out this weekend. Just out of curiousity, if I hook up the battery and the lights dim in the town 4 miles away, would that be a bad thing? I want to be prepared for all eventualities. BTW, thanks to all you Wizards of Aluminum for your answers and suggestions!


John-Boy