Troubleshooting Interior Lights Not Working When 30 Amp Power Connected to Trailer

Published 01/31/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Go Power RV Converter and Smart Battery Charger - 12V - 35 Amp

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Digital Multimeter with 42" Long Test Leads - LED Display

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Question:

I was at a horse show this past weekend. My lights were working fine. I turned the overhead lights off at the actual light at night. The wall switch was still on. Next morning the lights would not turn on. The trailer was hooked up to 30 amp at showgrounds. The outside lights, plugins and heat strip still working. The fuse looks fine. Any ideas?

asked by: C H

Expert Reply:

I believe I know exactly what happened. The overhead lights in most trailers are connected to 12V power from your trailer battery versus the shore power that all the other fixtures run off. I recommend checking your trailer battery for power using a multimeter like # PT89ZR with the red probe on the positive terminal and the black probe on the negative terminal. A properly charged battery should show around 12.6 volts. If your battery is good, then check your power at the switch, and then at the light as it may be a wiring short.

It sounds like your battery slowly drained overnight and your trailer doesn't have a converter to charge the batteries when connected to 30 amp power. I recommend adding the Go Power Smart Battery Converter Charger - 12V - 35 Amp # 34266167 so your trailer batteries remain charged when connected to 120V power.

expert reply by: Jason S