rwitt Report post Posted September 25, 2015 I have 2008 Monaco Camelot. I have noticed recently that on some occasions, the lights will dim for just a second and then go back to bright. It is not necessarily all of them that are on that do this. We connected to shore power and surge guard shoes full voltage on both legs (50 amp). Anyone have any ideas? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted September 25, 2015 Most motorhomes use 12 volt lighting, therefore the fact that the 50 amp shore power being correct probably has no bearing on lights dimming. How old are the house batteries? This is where I would start looking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted September 25, 2015 House batteries are a couple of years old. They are showing a full 13.3v each. I check water level once a month and added as needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted September 25, 2015 Some converters and even some inverter/chargers turn themselves off at intervals to "test" battery charge state. Then turn themselves back on-- if needed in bulk mode, if no significant charging needed, back in float mode. So, best advice is to check with your converter or inverter/charger manufacturer to see if this is normal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted September 25, 2015 Wolfe10, my unit has an inverter/charger with separate power on/off switches on the panel. I keep the charger on and the inverter off since I am not using the unit without being connected to shore power (per manual and Monaco tech instructions). I've been in this mode for over a year now and just started noticing the dimming. I've checked the panel when the dimming occurs and it shows it still in floating mode at 13.3v. Am I missing something? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted September 25, 2015 Measure the voltage at the light when it dims, then back track. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted September 25, 2015 I wouldn't have time to get a meter on it. It (they) go dim and then back to normal in less than 10 seconds. It is random as to which one/ones do this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted September 25, 2015 I keep the charger on and the inverter off since I am not using the unit without being connected to shore power (per manual and Monaco tech instructions). As I understand it from the above statement, you are plugged in and charging batteries when noticing the dimming. That sounds like a normal occurrence when a large appliance switches on. Is the furnace coming on when the dimming occurs? If you have a household refrigerator, it could be the refrigerator compressor kicking on. Air conditioners or perhaps Aqua Hot if you have that could also be responsible. As batteries get weaker, this effect might be more noticeable. You could also check the battery cables and switches to be sure they are clean and connections are tight. I had the house battery cut-off switch fail last fall. I was getting all kinds of electrical gremlins until the switch failed completely. When I replaced the switch all the gremlins disappeared! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted September 26, 2015 We have changed to a residential refrig but everything else is the same and this just started. Batteries fully charged, cables tight and clean. Is there any way to check the cut off switch before it fails Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossboyer Report post Posted September 28, 2015 Why not wait until you see this condition occurring, turn off the refrigerator and see it the condition stops. You might also check to see if you have a water heater electric element and turn it off, also. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted September 28, 2015 I don't know a way to check the switch other than to check it when everything is running. If it is very warm to hot, I would suspect high resistance that should not be there. I'd be surprised if the resistance would be so high that you could test with a normal meter. You could check for specific appliances by turning them on and watching the lights. Shut off the refrigerator, leave it off for an hour or two. Then turn it on and watch the lights, listen for the compressor to kick in, see if the lights dim. You could do the same with the microwave, washer/dryer, air conditioners one at a time, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted September 28, 2015 rwitt, Checking each appliance as Tom said is a good suggestion. Appliances are like us, as we get older it takes more for us to get going. But, hay, we live in the country and the lights dim and flicker all the time. (not just us, it's the same with the neighbors to) Ah, the fountain of Youth for appliances, I beleive it's called Lowe's or Home Depot. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted September 29, 2015 Tom/Herman, Thanks for the info. Herman, I certainly understand about more energy with age LOL......... All of the lights do not dim at the same time. It is sort of random. I've tried several of Tom's suggestions with no visible results. I did notice that normally the Power Management System is showing floating charge, but today I also noticed for a few minutes that it went to full charge. It stayed that way for a couple of minutes and then went back to floating. None of the lights dimmed during that event. I may need to get someone who knows the 12V system to check it once we get to the valley. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted September 29, 2015 If by "full charge" it went from float to bulk mode, voltage would have gone UP from around 13.2-13.5 VDC to 14 or a little higher. So, the lights should have been brighter when this occurred. See also my post above. Bottom line is that a digital voltmeter (start under $20) hooked up to the house battery bank and monitored when this occurs should tell you whether you are dealing with a charger/battery issue or something further "downstream" in the 12 VDC system. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
