Electrical Question

[Amielin923]

We have a 2011 Jayco G2 that is connected to shore power. Yesterday we noticed the interior lights dimming randomly. My husband checked our 12v batteries and they are putting out 13-14v, which according to my reading, is correct.

Tonight, when the furnace kicks on, the microwave beeps as though it’s resetting.

I’m not sure what could be causing this. Is the converter going out?

[Cavie]

Micro is 120 volts. The furnace is 12 volts/gas. The two are not connected.

[deepsea5]

Bad electrical connection? First thing I'd do is check my shore power connections.

[SmokerBill]

Sounds like a loose ground wire connection where it attaches to the frame of the RV. It would be the wire between the converter and the frame, or the negative connection between the battery and the frame.

I've removed and cleaned the ground connections on my TT a couple of times in the last 10 years as preventive maintenance. One connection near the converter and the other near the battery box.

[16WhiteColly]

That happened to me a couple of times during the night in a campground, while on shore power, and it was a bad campground receptacle and loose wire in the power pedestal.

[kcmusa]

As a test. Plug into another outlet on the pedestal.

[Vicr]

You could possibly have a loose neutral connection on the 120v system and when the in-rush current of the furnace fan occurs the 12v current demand to the converter causes a 120v low voltage supply event at the electrical panel to the converter just long enough to cause the microwave to sense the loss in voltage which causes the beep. Tighten all your 120v neutral connections.

[RogerR]

I recently worked on the breaker box adding a breaker. I discovered the wire connecting the neutral bar to the frame was very loose at the bar. The screw holding it to the bar was never tightened at the factory. I went to the frame and it was okay there.

[16WhiteColly]

Need to disconnect power and one time go thru and check every screw in the panel. You may find several loose from the factory. Do not know until a problem arises.

[Jagiven]

Couple thoughts; I suspect your root issue is a brownout or blackout from your shore power supplier.

120V system;

• The Microwave is on 120V. If it beeped, it was from when it turned back on after a loss of power.
• Back in the 2011 timeframe, Jayco was not good about ensuring the wire lugs were tight in the back of the circuit panel. With both the 120V and 12V power system turned off, you can remove the power box and check the connections. A loose connection can cause power outage issues.

12V system;

• When you checked your battery voltage, was the battery connected to the TT? Where you connected to shore power? If not how long had the battery been disconnected from the TT? A 13-14 volt reading should be for a battery that is connected to the RV with shore power, or just recently disconnected. If the battery has been disconnected for a few hours and has had a chance to rest, it should read 12.7 volts.
• How old is your battery? Is it still an original battery? If so, it might need to be replaced.
• If you lost 120V power, a strong battery, will keep the lights lite. With a dead/weak battery the lights will dim, pending on how bad the battery is will determine how quickly you will see the lights dim.

I suspect you have two independent issues.