please need help

[mjack]

bought 93 ford coachman rv  bought new batteries for  engine and house , all my lights are 12 v when I pluged my rv from  the house electric, my lights in the rv suppose to work when I flip the disconnect switch to store  or is the converter not working? everything else works with it off

 

[Molaker]

The "store" switch is supposed to disconnect the house batteries.  Some RVs still have 12 vdc from the converter when plugged in, some do not.  I have a 2000 Coachmen and it does like yours - shuts off all house 12 vdc - dark as a tomb.  Yours (and mine) are working like Coachmen intended (even though I wished the output from the converter still powered the lights).  BTW, I don't think "everything else works".  At least with mine no device or appliance (fridge, furnace, A/C, etc.) works because there is no 12 vdc to the control boards or A/C thermostat.

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

    With our 2000 Coachmen, I think the only thing that works with the coach and chassis switches off is the charging function.  However, I'm not sure about the fridge as it needs to be shut of by a switch up on the door of the freezer section.

Ed

 

[mjack]

thank you, this might help me;
I'm guessing that the light are 12v only and they only run on the batteries.

 

[JudyJB]

For the first six months i owned my Class C, I made the assumption that the lights magically switched to 110 when I connected to shore power.  Then one day after I had left my vehicle parked but with the refrigerator operating for several days, I heard this strange noise under my bed when plugged in.  I thought it might be something connected to my furnace which is in that area.  I was worried something was not working right and I might have some sort of strange motor burn out, so I pulled the circuit breaker until the noise stopped.  I figured I would get it checked eventually at the dealer.  The next day I had a brownout with all of the lights getting really dim. 

Duh.  Turns out the noise under my bed was the converter trying to charge the batteries.  I discovered that in my rig the lights are ALWAYS 12 v.  They pull power from the batteries, which are charged by the converter when I am plugged in or when the generator is on.  A helpful neighbor clued me in, verified by Coachnet technical support, that I needed to switch the breaker and put up with this strange noise until my batteries were completely recharged!!

So you might want to check something as simple as a fuse or circuit breaker to make sure the converter is getting power. 

 

[John From Detroit]

Your assumption was not 100% out of line.. Many older low end RV's have a converter called a Magnetek 6300 series.. This is a combination converter, and power distribution panel (12 volt fuses and 120 volt breakers) all in one.

And with this model, it works exactly the way your originally assumed, when you plug in a relay in the unit switches the lights over to a 12 volt unretulated power supply (Which runs on 120 volt)

by the way, I rate the Magnetek 6300 as "The converter most needing to be upgraded".

Mose newer rigs and higher end rigs the converter is in parallel with the battery, however due to a few assorted laws of physics.. The lights still "Switch over" when you plug in.  It's just now it really is "Magic" (The magic of science).

 

[JudyJB]

Actually, my unit is a 2012, although it is only a medium cost unit.  I do not know what brand of converter it has because it is under the bed with the rear furnace and is not accessible unless you remove a lot of screws and the plywood cover. 

At least now I know what the noise was and will not disconnect it via the fuse panel any more.