1988 Bigfoot 17'

[Ev in Oregon]

PLEASE don't laugh too hard, I'm new to all this. Just inherited my deceased parents' Big Foot (lucky me) & am still learning about it. (I'll be living in it full-time when my home sells.) A new 12V battery was installed, but I've had it plugged into my home electricity (yes, with the proper size extension cord ) while I'm cleaning it up. The converter is working, I believe, if the proof is a humming sound emanating from it (& by the way, is it supposed to hum continuously?). Today, I discovered that none of the overhead lights or the panel lights showing tank levels, battery condition, etc., are working any longer. The outlets work fine (I didn't check the fridge). I checked all the fuses & they appear to be OK. Any suggestions, or am I doomed to be in the dark forever? Thanks for any helpful advice; I appreciate it.

[Donna D.]

Hi Evelyn, to FiberglassRV, we're glad you're here

There's a fuse box in my Scamp. All the lights run off one block. Is it possible you've tripped a fuse and need to reset it? Others will pop in.

Since you're an Oregonian, have you considered coming to the Fall NOG? http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-56050.html

[Spanke]

The converter is working, I believe, if the proof is a humming sound emanating from it (& by the way, is it supposed to hum continuously?).

Do you know why the converter hums?

It doesn't know the words!

Spanke

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Ev in Oregon

The converter is working, I believe, if the proof is a humming sound emanating from it (& by the way, is it supposed to hum continuously?). Today, I discovered that none of the overhead lights or the panel lights showing tank levels, battery condition, etc., are working any longer. The outlets work fine (I didn't check the fridge). I checked all the fuses & they appear to be OK. Any suggestions?

1. I am suspicious of continuous humming of a 25 year old converter. These older units have the unintended consequence of boiling the battery's distilled water dry when left plugged in continuously. Open the caps and check the water level in the battery. Refill and recharge if necessary, but NOT with the trailer's converter!
2. A visual inspection of the fuses may not reveal if one has blown. Remove each fuse and test it with the "ohms" function of a multimeter. A blown fuse will display "OL" on the meter; a good fuse will display 0.0 (for a regular) to 5.0 (for a "slo-blow" type) ohms.

[Ev in Oregon]

Oh, I can tell this is the site for me -- bad jokesters & punsters; I feel at home already!

[Ev in Oregon]

I appreciate all the advice, folks. Today when I checked, the previously dead overhead lights came back to life. I hate when that happens; bringing her in for a checkup.

Thanks, again everyone!

[trainjunkie]

Hi Evelyn and welcome to fiberglassrv. Just a suggestion for future posts. Bigfoot is one word, not two. For those of us who regularly search out posts on Bigfoot topics, your post won't show up in our search. Yours was here for two days before I knew it even though I visit the site several times a day. But I only have time to peruse all of the forums every so often so the rest of my visits focus on Bigfoot-specific posts, which the search feature will only find if it's posted as one word. We're here to help and look forward to it. I've received a ton of help here with my 1989 Bigfoot 17 and I've learned a lot through trial and error so I'm happy to play it forward. Cheers!

[rabbit]

Made Big Foot one word to facilitate search. NOTE: For those searching for information on electrical or converter problems generally, this thread would remain inaccessible. The best possible thread head for maximizing accessiblity would be something like "Bigfoot electrical problem," "Bigfoot converter question," or similar. It's also useful to anticipate that certain proper names and other search terms will be misspelled and compensate by a search on variant spellings, punctuations.

jack

[rabbit]

Mike and Evelyn, you both may be interested in the results I got searching for both permutations of Bigfoot. Using Google search box, I got Evelyn's thread under her original title with search terms Bigfoot and Big Foot. I am now puzzled a bit by Mike's results. Still a good idea to name your trailer and your problem or specific question.

[trainjunkie]

Jack, I don't usually use the search feature literally. I bookmarked a link directly to the Bigfoot posting group, which I'm assuming searches for "Bigfoot" and puts these posts in this group > Fiberglass RV - Bigfoot Trailers

This is what I check most often for Bigfoot topics. Posts with "Big Foot" don't appear in this group so I miss them until I have time to dig through each individual forum, which I do only occasionally.

[Ev in Oregon]

Thank you for pointing out the correct spelling, folks, & the hints on narrowing down my question(s). Quite embarrassing, since I'm a retired copy editor -- can I use the excuse that I'd just spent a healthy amount getting the Bigfoot repaired & feared having to spend more $$$, so brain was not in gear?

Because of this forum, I'm so much smarter now than I was a few days ago -- thanks.

(Also, the awning is gone. Any suggestions for a replacement?)

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Ev in Oregon

(Also, the awning is gone. Any suggestions for a replacement?)

Carefree Fiesta Patio Awning

Carefree of Colorado Dealer Search

[Pam Garlow]

Welcome, Evelyn! I'm sure your folks would be thrilled to know that the Bigfoot is staying in the family and the fun continues on!

Are there any photos of this lovely unit? Please share!

[Ev in Oregon]

Thank you, Frederick, for the suggestions. I'll be checking them out. And, Pam, I'm still figuring out this picture thing. I thought I'd posted some on my "bio," so I'll have to double-check. As soon as I figger this out, I'll post some pix.