FTC Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this article. For more information, visit our Advertising Disclosure Page.

The Lights And Electric Outlets Are Not Working In My RV's Slide Out Room.

by Rickey Sain
(Corpus Christi, TX)

I have a 2001 Winnie Minnie 31c. The light on the driver side slide-out is not working as well as the light switch next to the slide-out and the lights in the storage under the slide-out. I checked all the light bulbs and they work fine in other locations. I checked the circuit breakers and changed all the fuses. I don't know what to do next. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Rickey Sain

ANSWER Hi Rickey it sounds like you have done a very good job of trying to track down your electrical problem. The only thing that you did not mention was if you checked all of the GFCI outlets. A GFCI outlet (pictured on the top of this page) looks just like a normal electrical outlet except that it has two buttons on it and acts like a circuit breaker when there is a ground fault in the 120 volt electrical system in the RV. When this GFCI outlet trips it also shuts down other electrical outlets in the RV. Normally these GFCI outlets are located in the bathroom, or kitchen area of the RV, but they can also be located in another part of the RV.

Good Sam Extended Service Plan is mechanical breakdown insurance for your RV, 5th Wheel, Trailer, and Tow Vehicle! FREE Quote
Look around the RV and see if any of these outlets are blown. The GFCI outlet has two buttons one is a test button and the other is the reset button. Make sure you press the reset button. If it blows again soon after you reset it, it means that you have an electric short in the 120 volt system for that part of the RV.

The one area that the GFCI outlets don't control is the 12 volt systems in your RV. Since the lights in the storage compartments of the slide are not working, it sounds like you having a problem with the wiring for both the 12 volt and 120 volt power that is running to the slide out.

So you may have a problem with the wiring system in the slideout. I have to assume that because you do not mention any problems with electric in other portions of the RV. There are connectors that connect the slideouts wiring to the main wiring of the RV. One of these connectors could have disconnected or gone bad.

How your slideout is wired varies by manufacturer and by model of RV. Understand; that they all have one thing in common, a portion of the wiring moves when the slideout is opened or closed and this could be causing your problem. Since I do not have a copy of the wiring diagrams for your RV, I could not even begin to tell you where to look for the connections.

Join the Good Sam Club Today! The Official RV Community Club
I am afraid that you are going to have to take this RV to a Winnebago service center and have them diagnose and repair the problem. Unless you know exactly what you are doing you do not want to start fiddling around with the electrical system of your RV.

If any of our visitors have additional suggestions or tips for you, they can leave them by clicking on the add a comment link located near the bottom of this page.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

LEARN HOW TO RUN 2 RV A/Cs ON A 30 AMP CONNECTION

Recommended Reading For You
Over 1,500,000 successful roadside rescues—Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service


Good Sam Extended Service Plan is mechanical breakdown insurance for your RV, 5th Wheel, Trailer, and Tow Vehicle! FREE Quote

LEARN HOW TO RUN 2 RV A/Cs ON A 30 AMP CONNECTION

---