12 VOLT MISSING - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-28-2023, 02:43 PM   #1
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Trailer: Scamp 16 ft Custom Deluxe
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12 VOLT MISSING

I have a 2009 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17 ft. I have a 12 volt electrical problem, I do not have 12 volts appearing at all light fixtures and no 12 volt appearing at the range hood. There seams to be an opening, I have 12 volts at the light fixture over the dining area, but not over the sink, the light next to the door as well as the outside light. All other light and 12 volt systems are working as designed.
Any help would be appreciated, like a diagram on how the wires are physical run behind the wall covering. Thanking you in advance Bob
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Old 03-28-2023, 08:08 PM   #2
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Did you check all the 12 volt fuses
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Old 03-29-2023, 11:04 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by mary and bob View Post
Did you check all the 12 volt fuses
Yes one fuse provides power to all lights. I guess the next best thing to do would run new wires. Pick up 12 volts from the closets light.
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Old 03-29-2023, 11:04 AM   #4
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95% of my electrical problems have been a faulty ground issue.
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Old 03-29-2023, 07:59 PM   #5
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Since we don't know how the wiring is run, and there is only one fuse, I'm thinking the hot wire runs from one light to the next and on to the others. Maybe the wire is broken or disconnected at one of the lights in the circuit so removing each light and checking there may turn up the problem.
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Old 03-30-2023, 07:13 AM   #6
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The lights are all fed from the same 12 VDC lighting circuit originating at the 12 VDC side of the converter, (the section of the Converter with the fuses, not the 120 VAC side which has circuit breakers.) And they are all branched off the same wires that run around under the carpeting in the overhead cabinets. I removed the carpeting in most of my overhead cabinets because I didn't like having carpeting in them, but that's just me. Here's what the lighting circuit wiring looks like, with the carpeting removed. You will notice that Casita, (and probably most other trailer/RV manufacturer's,) use these ubiquitous Scotch Lock wiring connectors to attach most things, and the lights are no exception. Scotch Lock connectors are not the best, but they're cheap and quick to install, so that's why they use them. Often they go bad, create poor connections, etc. Not saying that this is the cause of your lighting problems, but understanding how they're installed and connected can help you troubleshoot more effectively.

And as an "aside," I bought a bunch of Dri-Dek plastic panels which I trimmed to fit in the overhead cabinets, (and also my floor level cabinets as well,) to keep things level, and provides an area underneath them to channel the wiring.
And as I go through my trailer, whenever I expose Scotch Lock connectors, I remove them and create soldered connections with a heat shrink tube cover over the connections. The Scotch Lock connectors in my pictures are no longer there. I never liked Scotch Lock connectors.
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Old 03-30-2023, 11:02 AM   #7
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Greg, this is exactly what I was looking for. I can't thank you enough. I will splice in a new wire and solder and sleeve it. Thanks again Bob.
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Old 03-31-2023, 05:46 AM   #8
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Your welcome, and good luck with your project.
Greg
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Old 04-01-2023, 10:43 AM   #9
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UPDATE: Still missing 12 volts

UPDATE upon further investigation and 3 more cuts in the wall covering still unable to find the open. I have a question regarding what items the fuse cover. The paper on the converter says fuse #3 is for lights, what I see is more ie all lights, the light and hood vent and the exhaust vent in shower area.
do you find that true? I still can not find how the wires run from the power supply to all of these functions. It appears the power is split and runs two different directions. Does anyone know if the purple wire running on the inside wall behind the fridge goes under the floor to the power supply? If it does then my open is between were it drops down behind the fridge and power supply. And I guess that is sealed area. Thanking you in advance Bob.
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Old 04-01-2023, 01:23 PM   #10
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All the wiring in the trailer, with the exception of the stinger that plugs into your tow vehicle, is installed inside the trailer. There is no wiring below the floor, but 90% of it is run as a "bundle" around the perimeter of the trailer at floor level. On my Casita, the wiring that feeds the 12 VDC lighting, as well as the light over the galley sink, the outside entry light, the entrance hallway light, and the exhaust hood fan power, come from the same wiring pair tied into the main wiring bundle at the floor level, under the sink cabinet on the curb side, In my trailer, those wires are "tapped" into under the wall carpeting in that perimeter wiring bundle, and then go up the wall to the overhead cabinet above the sink, behind the carpeting on the wall. These connections are also made using Scotch Lock wire connectors, which are down near the floor level behind the carpeting on my trailer. Those wires are connected to the main run at floor level, or close to it. If you feel around on the carpeting under the sink near the floor level, you can probably palpate those Scotch Lock connectors. And don't forget that the fault could possibly also lie with a bad connection on the white Ground wire. You need both to be making a good contact to have a complete circuit.

The bathroom ceiling vent fan is run from a different pair of wires tapped into the lighting circuit on the driver's side of the trailer, and are run up and over the bathroom module fiberglass enclosure, again, also under the ubiquitous carpeting.

As an aside, I have had problems with the bathroom vent fan not coming on, as many others also have, due to contact corrosion on the switch. I have found that pressing the little switch on the vent fan several hundred times, (ok, maybe just a few hundred times,) wiped the contacts on the switch and got the fan working again.

(And you may want to update your signature block on the left of your posts from Scamp to Casita.)
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Old 04-01-2023, 06:25 PM   #11
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Stop cutting things. Go to Harbor Freight and get one of these and trace the wires.
https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=wire%20trace get one of these also and that dirt cheep multimeter also.
https://www.harborfreight.com/612v-c...ead-63603.html
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Old 04-02-2023, 11:00 AM   #12
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And as Darwin says, get an electrical probe tester, if you don't already have one.
Helps greatly to troubleshoot where you do, and where you don't, have power. If power is available you'll get a reading. If not, you'll know your open circuit is between the last point you had power and where you don't have power. Process of elimination.
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Old 04-02-2023, 11:11 AM   #13
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Electricity and gas are 2 things left to the people who know what they are doing.
Having test equipment and knowledge is paramount to being safe.
Knowing how the power panel works and how to test it is the first step. Is there power going to the fuse and is there power coming out the other side of the fuse. Same applies to the AC side and the circuit breakers. Do you have 12 Volt DC coming from the power source. Do you have a good ground. Ground seams to be a major problem in all campers and even more so in fiberglass. Test Equipment and knowledge.

Here is something even better than soldering. A Positive Crimp tool and you can still heat shrink.. crimping is milspec because solder can melt if there is a short. Yes, I have soldered many connections and like it also but the crimp is superior if you use one of these ratcheting tools and you don't have to break out the soldering iron. https://www.harborfreight.com/ratche...ool-63708.html
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Old 04-03-2023, 04:25 PM   #14
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12 volt still missing

First I would like to thank all of you for your help in finding my problem. Greg I tried locating the wires that your trailer has running behind the sink and up the wall I am unable to locate them. What I do have is 3 wires running behind the refrigerator next to the door just inside the outside vents. They are 10 ga white ground, and a redish orange going unknown. But there is a purple wire 14 ga. which I believe comes from the main power sours that I am looking for. But is runs up into the microwave compartment for distribution. The other end got me stumped as to how it is run. All three wires run down but seam to disappear
like in between the floor levels. Any ideas? Yes I have all the tools, but tracer reads all over the place. Thanking you in advance. Bob
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Old 04-03-2023, 04:47 PM   #15
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Microwave should be 120 AC not 12V DC
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Old 04-04-2023, 06:48 AM   #16
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The White wire will always be Ground anywhere in the trailer. The Purple wire feeds all those 12 VDC lights, (and fwiw, all the trailer's lights are 12 VDC.)

The Microwave is strictly 120 VAC, but there are some 12 VDC lighting wires run up behind the microwave.

I'm not sure about the "reddish-orange" wire you mentioned, but it may be the 12 VDC wiring to the fridge control board, although the orange wire generally is dedicated to the Propane leak detector mounted near floor level in the aisleway, and to the 12 VDC "cigarette lighter" plug in the curb-side overhead cabinet where the entertainment center would be located.

As an aside, the 3-way fridge will work on 12 VDC, (although not real well,) 120 VAC, and on Propane. But the fridge won't work in any mode unless there is 12 VDC present for the fridge's control board, (and which would not be hooked up to the lighting circuit.)

Although my 12 VDC wiring is run up behind the carpeted wall under the sink cabinet to the overhead cabinet above the sink, they may have "smartened up" and started running them behind the fridge near the lower outside vent hatch where they would be more accessible. There is nothing except the 12 VDC lights, (inside hallway, outside entry light and the range hood light under the galley overhead cabinet, and the range hood exhaust fan that would be powered on 12 VDC in that area,) other than the afore-mentioned control wire to the fridge control board.

These are my trailer's 12 VDC "color codes" for the low voltage wiring. Yours should be similar for the most part, but Casita has been known to not always follow their own color codes in their trailer specs.
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Old 04-05-2023, 01:35 PM   #17
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Casita Wiring Diagrams

Webmaster Gene has posted a Casita Owners Manual on the Casita Forum web site (available free here with a free login-ID and password). Unfortunately the copyright info prohibits posting excerpts without “written permission”.

Page 18 of Gene’s manual is a schematic diagram of the 12v system for a “generic” Casita. It indicates that a 12v circuit (14 AWG PURPLE) powers the interior overhead streetside lights, the bath light, bath fan, the outside tongue light, the range hood, the light over the sink, the inside light at the door and the outside porch light. It also shows a 12v circuit (14 AWG Grey) circuit that powers the (overhead) fantastic fan, the interior lite over the rear dinette, the interior curbside light over the rear dinette and the water pump.

The diagram is (unfortunately) a schematic diagram and does not hint to the physical (behind the carpet) wiring location.

Eileen Glick has included a copy of Gene’s 12v diagram in her “Casita Travel Trailer A-Z Owner’s Guide” on page DI-1 (with written permission from Gene). Four formats of her guide are available for purchase directly from Eileen's web site and two formats are available for purchase from Amazon.
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Old 04-06-2023, 07:17 AM   #18
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Originally Posted by mary and bob View Post
Did you check all the 12 volt fuses
I know you answered this question on the following post, but did you check "all" the fuses with a meter? If not, its possible the circuit you're looking for is on another fuse. Casita, and previous owners if there was one, can do some weird things.
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Old 04-06-2023, 07:35 AM   #19
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Update 12 volt wire missing

Again thanks for all the help in my request for finding the missing 12 volts.
I now have all 12 volt items up and running. Unfortunate I was unable to find the open wire that feeds the 12 volt lite over the sink, the outside lite and the doorway light. I picked up the 12volt that was feeding the lite over the table/bed area to accomplish the goal. The Casita Trailer Guide gave me a lot information I did have and prove to be helpful. Now to put everything back together ughaa.
Thanks again, Bob & Judy
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Old 04-06-2023, 08:16 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy J View Post
I know you answered this question on the following post, but did you check "all" the fuses with a meter? If not, its possible the circuit you're looking for is on another fuse. Casita, and previous owners if there was one, can do some weird things.
Hmmm… Per my notes above, the lights on a Casita are on two different circuits. Re-reading your initial post I would suspect the issue might be one of the fuses that supports the lights.

Having blown a fuse or two while I was “tweaking” on a mod, I would take Jimmy’s advice to pull and externally check each fuse with an ohmmeter (infinite ohms means a blown fuse; zero ohms means a good fuse). Visually checking a fuse sometimes leads to an incorrect conclusion.

And, noticing your post immediately above, I see that you found the problem. Congratulations!!
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