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Good Sam Roadside Assistance

My RV's TV Keeps Turning on By Itself

by Jim Mallow
(Lake Wales, FL)


Pictured Above: possessed TV scene from the Warner Brothers Movie Poltergeist


Made a recent trip and on returning home, we stored our coach and hooked up to shore power. The TV was turned off; however, three days later, I returned to the coach and the TV was on, no picture, but on. The power button on the TV control would not turn it off, so I unplugged it from the power source. What do I do to fix this problem.

Thank you.

Jim

ANSWER: Hi Jim thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page

Leave your RV repair bills to us—Good Sam Extended Service Plan

One thing that you do not tell me is whether this is a continual problem. Aside from beings from the "other side" taking over your TV as in the Movie Poltergeist, here are some other things that can cause your TV to turn on and of by itself.

* The first thing I would check is to see if your TV has a built in timer that turns it on and off. You may have accidentally activated the timer on the TV.

* If the TV has a remote control and you have it laying around in the RV a little visitor such as mouse or rat could have accidentally stepped on the remote and hit the power button. Our dogs have done this occasionally and changed channels or turned off the TV while trying to sit on our laps.

* An electrical power surge could trigger the TV to turn on by itself. The surge could also damage the the internal electrical components of the TV which could explain why the TV had to be unplugged to shut it off.

* This could be a sign that the TV itself could be failing.

If this was only a one time occurrence and the TV is now working fine then I would not worry about it.

If the problem continues to happen and you've checked the items that I mentioned above and they are not the cause of your problem then you have a choice to make to either take the TV in and have it checked or buy a new TV. In most cases you will find out that purchasing a new TV may cost less than having your existing TV diagnosed and repaired.

I hope that this information has been helpful.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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Comments for My RV's TV Keeps Turning on By Itself

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starstarstarstarstar 		tvs come on automatically when plug in
by: Anonymous

our problem is with our Sandpiper 5th wheel. Every time we plug into power the bedroom and livingroom tvs come on
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starstarstarstarstar 		Same TV issue
by: Anonymous

TV comes on when plugging and unplugging power. I can assure you no critters because the unit is brand new. I just unplugged the TV.... although something is wrong amd Now the transfer switch will not transfer to battery power. I’m hoping it’s control panel switch and not the transfer unit.

21 Ft. Dessert Fox toy hauler.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sorry don't but your response
by: Anonymous

I have the same issue with my Jensen TV. It's a brand new fifth wheel and I can assure you there no mice or rats running around our fifth wheel. So there's something else going on.

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