Caravan Tail Lights - Electrical PRoblem

Earthing problem??

Hi Andrew

Nice blog site

putting a larger fuse should not cause a voltage drop?

I would be checking the earth but if that was a problem you shouldn't be blowing fuses

hopefully someone with brains will get on the site shortly and can help you..LOL

Looks like your having a good trip

Regards

Richard

i would be checking each light for a problem or the connection car/van as by calculations you should only be drawing about 8.5 amps

steve
or get a auto leccy to run some meters over the system

YOU HAVE A PARTIAL SHORT in lights when parkers turned on with 15a fuse see which ones dims the short is at the closed one to front which dims if all caravan dims short in plug or main wiring loom

i agree with earth problem,our 80 series is wired from right hand tail light and the van has 10 lights running off that and has been for 10 years with no problems

If you want to do some detective work then try this;

Remove all lamps and turn lights on and replace lamps one by one.

If the lamps suddenly go dim as you add them to the circuit then check the lamp holder where you replaced the last lamp. Do you feel a resistance from the spring contacts as you push the lamp down into the socket? The contacts should not be discoloured (dark blue or black or coroded).

Hi Andrew, I think you will find your own suggestion of putting in a relay is the best solution.

While I agree that one of the most common problems found on trailers and caravans is poor earth connections, poor earth connections not only will not blow fuses but because they reduce the amount of current will actually lessen the chance of a fuse blowing.

The fact that you blew a small fuse but the higher rated fuse did not blow indicates that your problem is just too much of a load on the circuit and this is also the most likely cause for the voltage drop.

First off, the existing circuit is designed to cater for a given load and is protected by a suitably sized fuse, you should NEVER replace a blown fuse with a bigger one than the one that was intended to protect that circuit.

In worst case situations, you can have a fuse in the circuit but because the wiring is so thin, it can not carry enough current to blow the fuse and the cable simply heats up and catches on fire. So stick to the correct fuse.

Next, put on your glasses and read the wattage on the globes. This is not meant an insult to you, you MUST know the exact wattage of all the globes so you can then work out both what size cable will safely handle the current needed and give you the least voltage drop and, more importantly, what size fuse will give you the correct protection.

Cheers

Have you consider replacing the globes with LEDs ? I did with my caravan