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Old 08-16-2015, 01:45 AM   #1
racquetballfreq
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Converter

Anybody out there experience their 12 volt lights dimming while plugged in to 120 volt service, then returning to the "regular" level of brightness? I'm guessing that my converter needs replacing but thought I would check with all you experts first. Any ideas?
 
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Old 08-16-2015, 08:01 AM   #2
jcurtis934
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Haven't had the problem. If you are relating that the lights that are on will flicker or dim and then return back to normal at some point without any other lights being turned on/off, it could be that the wiring for 12vdc runs out of the back of the converter have gotten loose over time. And this would mean extra resistance at the junctions and more heat and current draw. I would tend to suspect the more obvious problem sources first, such as battery older than four years old or has been showing signs of needing distilled water added sooner than normal to maintain proper water level, loose ground wire from battery, possible corrosion on higher current draw run, etc. But, converters are not always the best designs in an rv and you could be seeing it about to give up the ghost. Good luck on id'ing what the source of the issue is. John
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Old 08-16-2015, 08:46 AM   #3
rohrmann
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Don't know what brand or model of converter you have, but ours is the Progressive Dynamics that was installed in our Montana. It is possible that yours is also. If yours has the Charge Wizard, you will at times have different charge activity going to your batteries, which will cause your lights to brighten and dim slightly. This is copied from the manual for ours:

The Charge Wizard selects the best mode for your battery automatically. However, you can temporarily override the auto settings giving you the
freedom to change the way your battery charges. The Charge Wizard will be able to select between three very unique modes of battery charging.
BOOST, NORMAL, and STORAGE.
BOOST MODE: If the converter senses that the battery voltage has dropped below a preset level the output voltage is increased to approximately 14.4
volts DC to rapidly recharge the battery.
NORMAL MODE: Output voltage set at approximately 13.6 volts DC.
STORAGE MODE: When the converter senses that there has been no significant battery usage for 30 hours the output voltage is reduced to 13.2 volts
DC for minimal water usage. When in storage mode the microprocessor automatically increases the output voltage to 14.4 volts DC for 15 minutes
every 21 hours to help reduce sulfation of the battery plates.
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Old 08-20-2015, 02:35 AM   #4
racquetballfreq
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Thank you for your replys....I am also being told that I need a surge protector and that may be the problem.
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Old 08-20-2015, 07:52 AM   #5
bw2
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In my 2006 3400RL, the fuse panel contains two fuses for the converter. My 12v lights began to dim and I did not really notice until later when the lights were pretty dim. I had one of the fuses blown. I replaced the fuse and all was right again. I believe on some models, newer, the fuse may be on the converter.

Just a thought.
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