All Of The 12 Volt Fixtures Have Stopped Working On My Fifth Wheel Trailer

by Dave
(Grand Haven, Michigan)

Bought a 4 year old 5th wheel, (Cougar 281BH), and on our first trip out the lights in the trailer began to gradually get dimmer and dimmer until they stopped working entirely. I was correctly plugged into shore power, 30amp, and so I expect that the "converter" device inside the breaker box has gone bad.

Is this something I can buy and swap out myself, or do I need to pay for an assessment and replacement of the unit by a dealership?

Dave

ANSWER: Greetings Dave thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

The first thing I would do is go into the electrical compartment of your trailer and check for any tripped circuit breakers or blown fuses. Based on what you are saying I tend to agree that you may have a problem with the Converter/Charger on your Fifth Wheel Trailer.

If it turns out that the converter/charger is bad, I strongly recommend that you have a qualified RV Technician do the repair or replacement. This is not a job I would recommend a do-it-yourselfer to do. One wire hooked up incorrectly could cause severe damage to your trailer's electrical system as well as possibly cause an electrical fire.

There are some things you can check before you take your 5th wheel trailer to the shop. Take a look at the answer I gave to the question below to get some additional troubleshooting tips.

Our RV Interior Lights Only Work When We Are Plugged In Or Generator Is Running

If after you have done all of the troubleshooting outlined above and you still have not located the problem; it will then be time to have a qualified RV Technician check out your electrical system.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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