What to do if Some of Your RV 12V Lights Stop Working

What to do if Some of Your RV 12V Lights Stop Working
One of our RV 12v Light Fixtures stopped working the other day, and we were unsure if it was the fixture itself, or the wiring.
We tested a couple other light fixtures in the same spot but neither worked, and when we went to install those light fixtures back in their original spot, they were no longer working either. At this point 3 of our 12V RV Lights were not working, yet the rest rest of our 12v lights were.
In this video I walk through the steps of testing our wires and looking for a solution to get our RV lights working again. Luckily, this solution worked for us and we hope it will work for you too!
To find more information on RV lighting check out our post that shows an easy way to update your RV lighting:
mountainmodernlife.com/rv-int...
Dreaming of RV Life? Make sure to register for your FREE pass to Full-Time Freedom Week (mountainmodernlife.us16.list-... largest online event for RV'ers! There will be over 30 speakers and Katie will be sharing tips on how to get started with an RV renovation or design project!
To check out more of our journey and see how we turned our 2008 Tiffin Allegro Open Road into our rustic modern cabin on wheels feel free to check out our website below.
Website:
mountainmodernlife.com/
Check out our RV Tours Playlist:
RV Tours Playlist - goo.gl/BgxF9R
Visit our Shop:
mountainmodernlife.com/shop/
To shop on Amazon using our affiliate link click below. Meaning if you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Amazon Affiliate Link - amzn.to/2w2K2ua
Follow Along:
Subscribe to KZbin: goo.gl/bq3dzc
Instagram: / mountainmodernlife
Pinterest: / mtnmodernlife
Facebook: / mountainmode. .
Twitter: / mtnmodernlife
All content created on this site is for inspiration purposes only. Creating projects with our suggested methods, products, and tools is at your own risk. Please use your best judgment and always follow safety precautions as the owners of MountainModernLife.com will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

[@dw5878]

If you get a multi meter with 2 leads, you can put it on continuity( the ohms symbol) and touch the back of the fuse. On the back of the fuse there will be 2 small metal pieces. If the fuse is good the multimeter will beep or register on the needle if it’s not a digital one. if the fuse is bad then there won’t be continuity and you will get no reaction. You can do this without pulling the fuse.

[@IntroxVerse]

Thanks so much for this video! I was about to go crazy until I realized that the light fixture I was trying to fix was actually connected to that switch in the stairwell when you mentioned it in the video. All I had to do was flip that switch and the switch on the light fixture. Saved me hours!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

hahaha I know it's not funny @PJ Gaballo but I did the exact same thing :)

[@ArbitraryExploration]

I Love your videos! This is one of those things that you don't think you will need until you need it. Thank you for putting it together!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thank you +Arbitrary Exploration It is exactly that, something you don't even think of till you need it. Once we were using it, we thought why didn't we get one years ago haha.

[@lindseylamb07]

I feel like you guys are reading my mind! Haha I was so happy to see this video because I’m about to start tackling some lights that don’t work in our RV, but now at least I know where to start! Thank you guys so much! 🙏

[@Mountainmodernlife]

That's awesome +Lindsey Lambert I'm glad the timing was great :) I'm not sure if you've seen our post on an easy way to update lighting in the RV but you can check it out here - mountainmodernlife.com/rv-interior-lighting/ - Anyway maybe it'll give you some ideas. Best Wishes, Eric

[@mr.rosenburg3749]

I am currently in the process of renovating a 1978 Travel trailer and i cant wait to get off work today to see if this is the same issue i'm having. thank you so much for posting this video.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

No worries @Jerry Rosenburg I know it's been awhile but was it able to help you fix your problem?

[@Cajunjpaul]

You can buy the new fuses that have a small LED light inside that will illuminate when the fuse has been tripped. When there is a problem one quick glance will tell you if the fuse is bad, no need to test all of them. I replaced all of ours on our RV and saves a lot of time.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Nice! +Justin Duplantis sometimes it can be such a pain to pull them out and put them back in just to see if their blown. I think we'll have to look into these, especially since we have nothing to ground to near our fuse box. Anyway thanks for letting me know those exist.

[@carlbrothers]

Hey I recently stumbled across your channel and I have to say I love your format, honesty and the ideas that you have come up with. Many will find their way into my own Class C soon.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thank you so much for the kind words +Carl Brothers I'm glad the videos have been helpful, and if you use any of our tips we'd love to hear how they worked out for you :)

[@SammyLGarcia]

You just solve me a headache, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[@flutter115]

Thankyou... you just saved us by telling us to look by the stairwell!💞💞💞💞

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Right +flutter115 I remember the first time we took our rig out the lights just stopped working and I had no idea why. I was borderline freaking out haha, when I finally found the switch I was so relieved. I'm glad we saved you a bit of a freak out :)

[@kjoboz]

You have helped me hopefully tremendously!! I will check my fuses tomorrow this is my same exact scenario as of now!!! Thank you!!

[@gramie3368]

Excellent simple working rv light instructions. Thank you.

[@rottsrool]

Brilliant! I have the same problem, some 12v lights work some don’t. I hope I have the same luck. Great tutorial.

[@williamhale837]

Just watched your video and want to thank you, as I was sure I was going to have to rip open the ceiling to find a wiring issue, but it was indeed just a blown fuse. I was relying on the fuse indicator light to come on if I had a bad fuse and shouldn’t have. Thank you!!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

No worries at all @William Hale I'm super stoked it was able to help you before you went about taking down the ceiling! That was actually my first though in our situation too :)

[@captlynhall]

Thanks so much. The lights in my RV kitchen stopped working yesterday. I'm a bit rusty on trouble shooting 12V so when you said check the fuses, I had an aha moment. All my fuses were good, but one was not in all the way (we had taken them out a few days ago checking another issue and I guess we didn't re-seat it all the way. Once I did that, the lights came on. All but one fluorescent. I have been having issues with that one coming on sometime and not others. So I popped the cover off and rotated one of the bulbs a bit and it came on. So I guess it was kinda loose too. It has some discoloration so I will order a couple as back up for when it goes. Good video.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

No worries at all @captlynhall I'm glad it worked for you :) It's funny how a lot of times it's just a little tweak that can fix things haha

[@tubewatcher314]

Man. I have some lights above my couch that have been out for two years. I’m getting a tester today! Thank you!

[@timhvv]

Thanks. This was a reminder that it's usually something simple, like a fuse. I will check my fuses to see why I have no lights in the back end (bedroom) of my old motorhome.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

No worries at all @Tim VanderVeen I hope the fuses are the trick :)

[@michelleb2210]

Thank you so much! This video helped us find the same problem.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Yay!! @Michelle B I'm glad it was helpful :)

[@johondarr2530]

Great teacher! Thank you for going in depth with the explanation, I truly helped. Thank you!

[@LTMOM7926]

Thanks for posting this video! I'm gonna go get hubby and have him watch it, too.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

No worries at all +Dori Johns I hope it's helpful :)

[@dalefrank4149]

Thanks, great video, we need to get a 12volt tester! Good job!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

No problem +Dale Frank I'm glad you enjoyed it and I have to say I can't believe we didn't already have one. I think I commenter above mentioned one that actually shows you the voltage and it's still only about 10 dollars, just a thought :)

[@cindyboskofsky8571]

I really hope this is what happened with the lights that went out on me tonight. I went to put a bulb in, got some sparks, then 5 of my 5th Wheel lights went out, and will not come back on. Loved your video!

[@rolandocruz1507]

Hello sir I actually have the fuse box with lights so when something goes wrong a little red light turns on however no lights were on. But then I did what you did in the video check 1 by 1 and there was one bad so I changed and everything it's good now👍 thanks a lot

[@williamdavis5225]

Thanks. So an easy fix. I had the same problem. I was stumped. Guess I was tired.

[@gypsybelle4757]

Love a happy ending with a relatively easy fix. Great idea to have extra fuses in the home tool kit. I’ll be adding some my next trip to the hardware store. Thank you, Modern Mountain Life! Looking forward to the dimmer installation project.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

We loved the happy ending too haha, though I think we are going to need to re-wire the light fixture in the living room :( but I'm happy to report the mason jar lights are back up and running at full capacity :). We should be getting our dimmers any day now and can't wait to see how they work. I know Katie is really looking forward to being about to control the lights.

[@philheath2919]

Thanks, that was the answer. First fuse checked was the culprit.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

That's awesome @Bad Driver I'm glad it was helpful :)

[@stephanievosburgh2348]

Wow thank you!

[@ImpalamansGarage]

Thanks dude!! I am such a DA. LOL....... Was trying to figure out why certain ceiling lights had no power. There is a switch at the door called "ENTRY LIGHT". Turned that on. Boom. Power. Now who is the person that decided to label that switch "ENTRY LIGHT" ? It should simply say "CELING LIGHTS". Unbelievable. Thank you Coachmen.

[@ImpalamansGarage]

For a good ground while testing interior electrics, grab a 100 foot roll of speaker wire. It's cheap. Put an alligator clip on one end and just run it to the negative post on your house batteries. There is a 100 feet of wire so if you have to run it all the way from the rear to the front, through the door and then all the way back down to the house batteries ..... you have plenty of wire. Now you can test anything in the coach because you have a good ground.

[@joshheathermuffley9435]

Clutch. Thanks man

[@PatriciaDavidsonPhotography]

Very helpful! Our cab lights went out. Time to check the fuses 😊

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks +Patricia Davidson, that's the first place we'll go looking in the future if it happens again :)

[@FormerDelusional]

What I dislike is that none of the RV manufacturers standardize their electrical wiring. We have black, blue, yellow, and white wires. Thanks for the video!

[@rvdreamin836]

Have enjoyed your videos for a few years now, Thanks, Beautiful job on the rig, Was wondering if you folks could do a video on how you pack down befoe heading down the road? Seems you have a lot of loose items throughout the rig, Thanks

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @RvDreamin sorry for the delayed response, thank you much for the kind words and I'm glad you've enjoyed our videos. To be honest we were planning to do one right before all of this stuff happened and now we've been kind of holding in place, but we will come out with one. To give you a heads up most of the stuff on the walls stay in place while the items on the kitchen counters ride in the sink. But will come out with a video when we can on how we do it, if we're in a rush we can generally be ready to leave in 20-30 minutes.

[@Amer1ca56]

Thanks. I went out and pulled each fuse and inserted a new one until I isolated the culprit. Found it strange the red indicator light didn’t come on indicating the blown fuse though.

[@silentwalk1768]

thanks a lot now I have to find the 12 v fuse box haven't been able to fund cheers

[@annettegraves716]

thank u!!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Now worries @Annette Graves I hope it was helpful :)

[@ronhughley6510]

They do sell fuse testers so u can just touch it to the fuse witho uh t a ground an check without pulling them.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

You're totally right +Ron Hughley they do sell them and I recommend it, the right tool will make any job easier :)

[@johnsweat5247]

If you have an RV you need a good voltmeter and circuit tester. Sooner or later you WILL need these tools. Have them handy and learn how to properly use them. And like someone else stated already, it is best to know what caused the fuse to blow before swapping fuses. In RV.s, 12 volt wiring can be, will be, and is a pain in the butt. Many of the electrical problems are caused by shoddy workmanship when RV was built. But even the hign end coaches have these type problems at times.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Couldn't agree more +John Sweat I wish we would've had our tester a long long time ago. And you are completely right it's important to understand why the fuse blew in the first place otherwise you could run into even bigger problems. So far the cause has been more with what we did versus the actual coach wiring, though I am not looking forward to the problem being with the wiring!

[@spyglassfreowestaus2733]

So fuses blow, good troubleshooting. BUT why are the fuses blowing? And why on both light runs? each time you removed them? Keep up the great vids!

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @Spyglass Freo West Aus I can't remember exactly with this case cause it's been a while but it may have been due to the wiring because since we created a new light fixture for it we haven't had any more blown fuses.

[@mimijohnson7714]

So we had power without problems 3 days ago, went back and the AC wouldn’t work. Then my husband said the battery was at 0% charge. We got the battery fully charged put in back in, not only was the AC units still not working but now additional lights/plugs also not working. Went to dealership of original purchase, They tell us our DRV came with 2- 6 volts and instructions for installation, $330 later back at the RV installed, same problem with even more lights/plugs not working. Finally called an RV repairman. 1- we didn’t need 2 six volts! The installation instructions on them was wrong. Also we had the original 12 volt installed wrong when we had retried it. 2- the battery (both kinds being installed incorrectly) blew all 3 fuses on the converter. Also because the original 12 volt battery had been installed wrong it wasn’t getting charged via the converter as it supposed to. Lesson learned! We are taking pictures of how the battery is now properly installed so we don’t get confused again! We also found a trusted RV repairman who didn’t overcharge us and had things fixed in less than 30 minutes! Told you all this so perhaps it will give others other ways to find loss power problem troubleshooting ideas.

[@BKKKevin]

You might look into replacing your 12v fuses with EasyID fuses that have little LED lights to show the status of each fuse...

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Fantastic idea +Kevin Rummelhart I actually didn't even know they had fuses like that until it was brought to my attention by a viewer. But I think I'm going to take your advice and replace them all with the ones with the LED lights.

[@rickwitkowski4498]

Basic, BASIC electrical troubleshooting. Checking fuses should be the very first thing you do.

[@richardlinn5512]

Superb ole chap :)

[@buzzlightyear8507]

Nice video, I hope that fixes my problem

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @Greg Siegert were you able to get your problem fixed?

[@buzzlightyear8507]

@@Mountainmodernlife Yes, absolutely. What had happened was I was replacing my incandescent lights with LEDs and when I removed one of the fixtures I must have crossed the wires and shorted the fuse. Your video helped me to figure that out and I was able to id the fuse and replace it. All's good now. Thanks again. Greg

[@vernonsteinkamp1088]

Bought a used 1981 RV class C. The 12 exterior clearance lights don't work. I'm not even sure where the fuse box is, but once I find it I'm hoping I'll find bad fuses. They are probably the older glass tube type.

[@RVHabit]

You should consider a voltmeter that shows a reading of actual volts. They are invaluable when diagnosing problems in an RV. Pick a basic one up for under $10. Nice job, Lou

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey +RV Habit do you have a specific one you like to use? As I was in the store it was kind of difficult to get a feel for what I really needed, but I think getting a reading of the actual volts could be helpful.

[@RVHabit]

Mountain Modern Life to be honest nothing fancy that you won't use. I use a 7 function digital multimeter by cen-tech. It's $7.25 on Amazon. It's good for 12v and 120v. Just search cen tech multimeter on Amazon and look for the little square red one for the price above. It will become your best friend in an RV. You will learn to test everything lol. Stay safe, Lou

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Thanks Lou, I'll have to check that out for sure. Considering how excited I was to see the light on the volt meter light up I can't imagine how I'll react when I actually see the reading haha. Thanks again :)

[@noeleenfalkner4557]

my light is ceiling light and the bulbs are going out and the lights are $35.00 each! Yea right ouch this is the cottage from Cedar creek USA so they work but do they only last for a certain amount of hours then? Is there such a thing as just putting a 12 volt bulb into the ceiling and if it goes out i can replace that instead of paying so much for one light? Thanks for any suggestions as my cottage was imported to New Zealand from the States. The wiring had to be NZ standard wiring with NZ lights. the original kept going out which were the bulbs

[@mount971]

How come you didn't use your electric sensor thingy to test fuses

[@janicehubbell]

Ok i have a good one for you. Lights work everywhere except the back room. It works for a little then goes off for no reason. So shut it off, then the light is very dim. I changed the light bulbs and still does the samething. Fuse going bad?

[@hunterhenry6890]

overhead 12 v lights on slideout wont work ?

[@lennyjamesthunderstone7117]

In the RV world white wire is negative and black is the positive.

[@wolvesghosts]

So I have a single light fixture in my back bedroom that isn't turning on. I tried pulling all of my fuses and none of them were bad! And those bulbs are still pretty new so I know it isn't them! 😣

[@valeriemarik9042]

Our bathroom light went out while camping, when we check the fuse for that light it was blow, when we tried to replace the fuse it sparked and blew again. We had just replaced all of our lightbulbs with LED bulbs and wondering if we might have damage the wiring in the light fixture when pulling out the old bulb or installing the new Led bulb?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey +Valerie Marik that really stinks, and with the electrical in a rig, it can be very difficult to pinpoint the exact problem. Just replacing the bulbs shouldn't have messed up the wires but it is a possibility. If I were you I'd start by checking the wiring in the light fixture, I think the main thing you'd be looking for is making sure the two wires coming from the RV aren't touching, that was our main problem. But if it gets too confusing and you can't figure out the problem through research you may want to reach out to a professional. Sorry I can't provide more information, I just don't think we have enough experience to suggest other problems that may be occurring. Anyway I hope this does help and that your problem gets resolved ASAP :) Definitely keep us posted and let us know what the solution is, and for that matter what was causing the problem, thanks.

[@valeriemarik9042]

Well we replaced the fuse again and now everything is working so far.

[@Mountainmodernlife]

That's awesome +Valerie Marik :) It's so weird how these things work but I'm glad everything is back in order

[@kevinrapp7142]

Are you running off of your battery or shore power at The time of this video?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @kevin Rapp we were running off of shore power at the time of the video

[@xysanctuary6434]

Are the outlet fuses the same as the light fuses?

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @XY Sanctuary every RV is different so it's hard to say how others may be put together. But with ours there are different fuses for the different lights and outlets, most of them are the 20A fuses though. Anyway, hope that helps.

[@vduval52]

Love the map. Where did you find it? 👍

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @vicki duval if you check out our post - mountainmodernlife.com/diy-push-pin-vintage-style-map/ - we talk about where we picked up our map as well as some other options we were looking into. Hope that helps :)

[@vduval52]

@@Mountainmodernlife Thanks for the info!!

[@philramsey8588]

The fuse box is grounded

[@cgoble1999]

Not helpful at all the Fuze was the 1st thing I checked I was hoping this video would give me other suggestions

[@philramsey8588]

It's a fuse

[@joshcollins2423]

what happend wit your little tester:#(

[@Mountainmodernlife]

Hey @josh collins I wasn't able to find a viable ground in order for the tester to work properly. It was probably my own misunderstanding on find a ground, but either way we just had to pull them all out :(

[@briangreen6907]

Ppl

[@matthewknight6425]

It’s good practice to always know why a fuse blew before replacing it. In this case especially because 2 fuses blew. Is it possible that when the lights were removed you inadvertently connected the two wires? That would have caused a short circuit and easily blown the fuses. If that’s the case then nothing to worry about but you know what not to do next time :-)

[@Mountainmodernlife]

I completely agree +Matthew Knight I'm almost 100% certain that the two mason jar lights blew the fuse because the wires touched. The one in the living room not so much, I'm thinking we may have a wire lose in the fixture itself because we recently messed around with it and hadn't had problem till we did. But after we replaced the fuse for the living room light it blew again, so we are in the process of re-wiring the fixture. I am happy to report that the mason jar lights are working great. Anyway thanks for bringing attention to the importance of understanding why a fuse has blown. Sometimes it may just be the fuse, but sometimes it may be a sign of much bigger problems. Best Wishes, Eric

[@user_abuser_o7]

Really dude? A mid-roll ad for AI generated content? Pathetic