Rv Tip: Troubleshooting a 12-volt Dc problem

If you enjoy Rvs you already know that a major part of the fun with Rving is getting away from everything. You can just pack up the Rv and head out to get some well deserved rest and free time without having to deal with the hassles of day-to-day living. These restful, relaxing, memory development Rv trips should not be jeopardized by something as straightforward as a 12-volt electrical question ruining your vacation.

If you've been Rving for any estimate of time you are already aware that a good part of the devices and accessories in your Rv control off of 12-volt Dc power. 12-volt Dc or Direct Current is electricity supplied by the Rv batteries. Dc electricity flows in one direction, from negative to positive. 12-Vdc electricity is stored in the Rv batteries and supplies power for components, devices and appliances that control off of 12-volts.

High Voltage Power Supply

These 12-volt devices include overhead lights, the water pump, vent fans, furnace fan, range hood fan, Lp gas leak detectors, stereos, 12-volt Tvs and the refrigerator when it's operating in the Lp gas mode. When you go camping you rely on these 12-volt items to control properly, especially if you're dry camping without hook-ups. So what do you do when one of these 12-volt items quit working?

For the sake of an example let's say that we are dry camping and our 12-volt water pump quits working.

I am convinced that just about anybody is capable of troubleshooting a 12-Vdc problem, and in many cases repairing the question without it ruining your camping trip. For starters you will need a integrate of straightforward tools to assist you in troubleshooting your Rv's 12-volt electrical system.

1). An inexpensive 12-volt test light.

2). A multi-meter that can test for Dc power.

Both of these are available at local auto parts stores. You should also keep some electrical tape, various size wire nuts, 12-volt light bulbs and 12-volt fuses on hand. Check the amperage of the fuses used in the power distribution box and keep an assortment. If you're aware of any inline fuses used on any of the 12-volt devices keep these on hand too.

Now, try to resolve the last time the water pump nothing else but worked. Did you leave the Rv for a duration of time with the pump on? Is there water in the fresh water holding tank? Were you working on or colse to something else that could have affected the performance of the water pump? Try to think of all potential scenarios. Something might jar your memory resulting in a quick fix to the problem.

If not, the first step is to verify that the coach battery or batteries are expensed adequate to supply power to these 12-volt items. There are a integrate of ways to achieve a quick test on the coach batteries. You can use the monitor panel to check the health of the coach batteries. To get an literal, reading make sure the Rv is not plugged into electricity and turn on a integrate of overhead lights to place a small load on the battery. Check the reading at the monitor panel. (If you check the reading at the monitor panel when the Rv is plugged in to electricity it will give you fully expensed reading) A more literal, recipe is to test the battery with a multi-meter. Set the meter to read 12-Vdc and place the negative test probe on the negative battery concluding and the clear test probe on the clear battery terminal. A fully expensed battery will read in the range of 12.6 to 12.7 volts. If it reads less than 12-volts it is below a 50% state of payment and will need to be charged.

If the battery is fully charged, the next step is to make sure that any battery disconnect switch for the coach battery is turned on. If the battery disconnect switch is on, verify that other 12-volt devices in the Rv are operating properly. If there is 12-volt power to the interior of the Rv you need to check the fuse for the water pump in the power distribution center. resolve which fuse is for the water pump (fuses are normally labeled) and find a suitable ground for the 12-volt test light. Test both sides of the fuse for 12-volt power. If the test light only lights on one side of the fuse replace it with the permissible size fuse and try the water pump again. If there was power at both sides of the fuse check for 12-volts at the water pump switch. If there is voltage, and the switch is operating properly check the water pump wiring for an inline fuse.

Find a good ground for the 12-volt test light and probe the wire on both sides of the fuse. If there is only power on one side of the fuse replace it with the permissible size fuse and test the pump again. If there is power on both sides of the fuse check the water pump wiring connections at the wire nuts. It's potential for connections to come loose due to inordinate vibration. literal, any loose connections and try the pump again. If the pump still doesn't work feel the motor to see if it is hot to the touch. If the motor is hot, a thermal breaker may have been triggered. Allow the pump time to cool off and see if it re-sets itself.

If you perfect all of these tests and there is 12-volt Dc power advent to the water pump motor, and it still doesn't come on, chances are the water pump is bad and it will need to be replaced.

Troubleshooting a 12-volt electrical question in your Rv is not that difficult. Supervene the logical path of the gismo you are troubleshooting and see if you can resolve where the question is. It might be potential for you to save your well deserved vacation, some money and a trip to the Rv dealership too.

Note: If you don't feel comfortable performing your own maintenance or troubleshooting the 12-volt electrical system, take your Rv to a reputable fix town to have it checked out and repaired

Happy Camping!

Copyright 2006 by Mark J. Polk owner of Rv education 101

Rv Tip: Troubleshooting a 12-volt Dc problem

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A View On High Voltage Transformers

Today voltage transformers are widely available in shop with varying requirements and necessities. At this present age transformers are thought about to be as a most important gismo in our daily life.

As we are using more number of electrical items in our day to day life we are becoming more and more dependent on such transformers. They are designed in such a way so as to transform us a quarterly and unremitting power to all of our electrical equipments. Over here we have two classification based on transform one being high voltage and the other one is low voltage.

High Voltage Power Supply

As the term implies high voltage transformer are commonly designed to work with higher voltages. In normal they are used for transmitting power where the voltage is very high and it is adequate to offer security hazards. Microwave oven is a excellent example for this kind of voltage electricity.

Around 120 Vac is imposed on traditional windings, where elevated voltage would step up the traditional voltage to an exceptionally elevated voltage. It is true that we may not come over to the universally appropriate definition for a higher voltage transformer, but still some industries have proposed different definition for minimum and maximum voltage. Such kind of definition is mostly based on security concern or on voltage where the arcing will be appearing.

Magnetic low voltage transformer is another name for low voltage transformer. It is designed to supply electrical power in a low form. It is very well organized and it offers an optimum security to the user. The main job of this electrical power is to lower down the risk of an electrical shock. Such electricity is beneficial for every household appliance where it is safeguards the user from short circuits. This type of electricity shifts electrical power from one circuit to another, with the help of magnetic coupling.

High voltage transformer is designed to knob electrical power which can range from 600 to 5,000 volts. The power is mostly used for metering, providing security to circuits which are of higher voltage, electrostatic industrial appliances and in scientific applications. Since it has the quality to set up traditional voltage into a higher voltage it is also referred to be as a power transformer.

In normal such higher transformers are mostly made to transform power from a higher level to a lower level. Some of its applications are used in electrical isolation, instrumentation and in distribution of power and the operate of the same. Due to the high voltage capacity that it handles, it has a different winding technology and insulation method for the quarterly current transformers.

High voltage transformers are helpful to us in many ways. The power is used in Crt displays, medical utensils and in amplifiers too. Laminated transformers are widely used for lighting, power-driven gates, operate of alarms, air conditioning and vending mechanisms. It is also beneficial in transformers like isolation, step up and step down, network of telephone, medical application, in estimation tools, industrial controls, audio systems, music fertilization system, etc.

A View On High Voltage Transformers

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Constant Current - Constant Voltage - Low Voltage Leds and Their Driving Circuits

As Led technology develops and new solutions appear on the shop nearly every week, it is getting more difficult to find out which explication is the best for your applications and most importantly, what features you have to pay concentration to while purchase. In my former description at Ledcentre.uk.com about general features of Led transformers I already mentioned that Leds require extra transformers features.

Leds are very sensitive to changes both in voltage and current, so if you are dealing with low voltage Led lights, wire-wound, stabilized transformers are the safe solution. As mentioned in the article, the majority of household Led lights operating at low voltage require constant voltage drivers for their operation. However, recently, with the growth of high power Led technology, constant current circuit solutions are becoming more frequent. Below, I will give a short description of how these circuits work, and why it is significant to pay concentration to details at the buy of the driver for these applications.

"What Is High Voltage Power Supply"

Three components matter in the operation of Led lights: voltage, current and heat. Leds are very sensitive to a change in all three of these, so their regulation is very prominent for gaining a long lifespan. Current is often looked at as an exponential function of voltage, therefore even a small volume of change in voltage can succeed in a large change in the current. This is exactly why the majority of the Led lights need stabilized constant voltage power supply. However, current load can also growth with the growth of heat. To avoid overloading, Leds are driven from low voltage Dc via a current limiting resistor or constant current regulators. an additional one further explication is the cooling of the Leds with heat sinks. Not all Leds are attached to heat sinks though, which is why the limitation on the hours of application is so important. If Leds are operated longer than they are supposed to, they overheat, increasing the current (even if within the range puny by the resistor), and lose some of their lifespan.

Constant current circuits are especially safe for high power Led lights, as they are favorable for 24/7 operation. If the Led light is man-made with constant current circuit, the current is fixed by the stabilized transformer, and it does not create further heat within the Led light. By less heat generation, the Led gains a longer lifespan. Also, constant current source keeps the Leds glow constant. These constant current lights are, however, not favorable for operation with 12V batteries, since batteries are constant voltage power supplies.

There are obviously advantages of both circuits, and as usual we could terminate that details matter. Never use a light requiring constant current with batteries or constant voltage power supplies. Always check this feature of your light, and buy the significant transformer. And if you would like to know more about Led lights, check out the rest of my articles or palpate us at Ledcentre.uk.com.

Constant Current - Constant Voltage - Low Voltage Leds and Their Driving Circuits

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