Problems with RV Dome lights Starting Up

[mdmarmd]

I have a 2017 3720RL and am having trouble with the LED lights starting up each morning. We have four pairs of dome lights; 2 in the rear, 2 over the kitchen, 2 over the entryway and 2 in the hallway.

Each morning when we wake we turn the interior lights on and usually only two pairs initially work, often the reare and one other pair. The remaining lights start to blink and within 5-10 minutes all come on and glow about normal brightness and without any flickering. At first I thought that the battery might be weak but I exchanged it with a battery I took off my boat that had 12.8 volts and the lights still did the same. I even jump cabled another boat battery in parallel to the one in the RV if definitely rule out a battery problem. And the problems persisted. I thought maybe something was faulty with the 12 volt converter.

An RV repairman was working on a nearby rig and I passed the problem by him. He thought it was an indication that the LED lights were getting worn out and needed to be replaced. Seemed odd to me that it would effect them in pairs because it seems their all independently wired and seems like they would randomly go bad, either not starting or at least blinking.

He came in and looked at the lights and admitted that they all seemed to be shining brightly as they usually do once they finially get warmed up in the morning.

So, I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this and found out what the cause was. He said it wouldn't be the converter because that would show up in the refrigerator malfunctioning as it would be very sensitive to any low voltage problems.

If I do need to buy new lights I would like to get the same model if possible. I can't find a vendor and wondered if anyone knows where to get these:

MODEL: PM-12V-PA4-PC-S BY QAI

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by mdmarmd

I have a 2017 3720RL and am having trouble with the LED lights starting up each morning. We have four pairs of dome lights; 2 in the rear, 2 over the kitchen, 2 over the entryway and 2 in the hallway.

Each morning when we wake we turn the interior lights on and usually only two pairs initially work, often the reare and one other pair. The remaining lights start to blink and within 5-10 minutes all come on and glow about normal brightness and without any flickering. At first I thought that the battery might be weak but I exchanged it with a battery I took off my boat that had 12.8 volts and the lights still did the same. I even jump cabled another boat battery in parallel to the one in the RV if definitely rule out a battery problem. And the problems persisted. I thought maybe something was faulty with the 12 volt converter.

An RV repairman was working on a nearby rig and I passed the problem by him. He thought it was an indication that the LED lights were getting worn out and needed to be replaced. Seemed odd to me that it would effect them in pairs because it seems their all independently wired and seems like they would randomly go bad, either not starting or at least blinking.

He came in and looked at the lights and admitted that they all seemed to be shining brightly as they usually do once they finially get warmed up in the morning.

So, I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this and found out what the cause was. He said it wouldn't be the converter because that would show up in the refrigerator malfunctioning as it would be very sensitive to any low voltage problems.

If I do need to buy new lights I would like to get the same model if possible. I can't find a vendor and wondered if anyone knows where to get these:

MODEL: PM-12V-PA4-PC-S BY QAI

Check the voltage at each light. It could be a bad connection.

[BB_TX]

Before doing anything else I would check the voltage at one of the slower fixtures immediately upon turning on the switch. If that voltage is immediately 12+ volts then I would suspect it is the fixtures. If the voltage is low then probably a wiring issue, maybe loose or poor connection causing resistance and low voltage.

[Mikendebbie]

Are they turned on with wall switch/switches or by InCommand screen?

[DutchmenSport]

BEFORE doing anything.... check the fuses. If the light are run through your "converter - breaker box" you have a set of 12 volt DC automotive fuses. Check them, by pulling each one out and pushing it back in. Why? Because oxidation can for on the connection points between the fuse and the plug connection. This can prohibit good electrical flow. Also, it's possible one of the fuses might have wiggled loose. I had this happen once and it caused the house lights in the middle of the camper to dim down and sometimes flicker too. I had no clue, the battery was good.

On a whim, I started pulling the 12 volt DC fuses one at a time. As it turned out, the very first one I touched caused the light to brighten up immediately. I could actually wiggle it (it was loose). I pulled it, put it back and NEVER had a problem again.

It's an easy starting point before tearing things up. Check your fuses and make sure they are not oxidized or have wiggled loose.

[john659]

Had this issue on our 2017 3790RD. I ended up replacing the relays in the control center.

[mdmarmd]

Thanks for all the helpful input.

They are turned on by the In Command Screen. I was already wondering about whether that big Lippert control panel could be a source of the problem since all those lights have separate circuits controlled by those relays. It would seem odd to be that a simple wiring problem would cause this to affect all four circuits unevenly, but malfunction at the board could cause these different circuits to falter.

John659 can you give me any more details on how you confirmed that the board was at fault and what you had to do to replace the relays. Are they plug in relays or are they soldered into the board?

Did you get help from Lippert?

I know there is a wiring diagram somewhere that shows where each circuit is controlled by a relay. I initially found it was a pain to always turn something on from the panel or phone especially at night and I even bought a bunch of relays with FOBs that could activate whichever relay I decided to control. But I did get used to things and got around having to walk into the dark areas at night by putting a motion activated light that allowed me to see my way down the staircase safely without using the phone app.

[Mikendebbie]

You should have a book on your InCommand Global…if not, they are online. Screenshot below was from the website. There are several types of InCommand Global - yours my be different from the one I selected.

Your BCM is located in the basement storage area. I believe the BCM will be oriented vertical - not horizontal like the screen shot. Take the black cover off and the clear plastic cover. I have highlighted the “interior light groups” and show 4 lights go to a relay. It will be one of these relays. These will be numbered exactly like you see here. Unplug all four relays and reset them firmly then try the lights. If you want to know exactly which relay controls those lights, have someone watch inside the rig and you can operate the lights one at a time with your phone. If reseating the relays does not work, try swapping one into this slot and check it again. If the problem persist, you can order relays on Amazon for maybe $15 each. All of the relays on that board are the same relay type.

Edit: I just noticed your rig is a 2017 - so you will not have the InCommand Global. It will be one of the types I circled in the second screen shot - but the procedure will be the same. The system in my rig (manufactured Nov 2017) is a ProPlus. The “Global” came with 2020 models (???) and newer, and can be updated over Wi-Fi. I updated mine with a thumb drive a few years back.

[john659]

Originally Posted by mdmarmd

John659 can you give me any more details on how you confirmed that the board was at fault and what you had to do to replace the relays. Are they plug in relays or are they soldered into the board?

Did you get help from Lippert?

It wasn't the board it was the replaceable relays attached to the board. I did a bit of troubleshooting by swapping out the relays on the board. For instance I took a relay that isn't used often (i.e. the security lights) and swapped it with the kitchen light relay. It took a little bit of playing around to figure out which relay goes where. When I swapped the two relays the flickering issue went away.

Switching the relays is pretty straight forward. In my rid the control board is located in the front basement compartment. I unscrewed the two black knobs holding the cover on, removed the cover, from there you will see all the relays. On the back of the cover is a description of the relay functions. I pulled the relays off of the board and pushed in a new one. They do take a bit of force to remove. I should say I also turn the power off from the rig to prevent any potential issues.

I didn't receive help from Lippert.

[mdmarmd]

Thanks for all the help.
I have looked at that control panel soon after I bought the RV so I am familiar with the layout. Im going home briefly but may try to trouble shoot it when I return before closing up camp. But it may be wiser to wait till spring as it is still working and don't want to risk messing something up just as we close up things.

BTW, I mistakenly referred to Lippert because I seemed to recall they made that system, but it actually was made for Keystone by ASA Electronics.

Doug