Lights Not Working

by Cathy (Derby, Vermont)

Question: My bathroom and hall lights do not work in my 1998 Coachman Catalina.

Answer: Here are some suggestions on how to diagnose the problem.

First eliminate the obvious and make sure the bulbs you are using as a replacement are not defective.

If your lights are still not working, it may be that there is no power to the light fixtures.

We assume the lights in the hall and bathroom are running off of 12-volt, and that other lights in the RV are working fine. If that is the case, then check for the following possible causes:

  • Faulty on/off switch. Solution is to replace the faulty switch with a new one.
  • Faulty wiring to the fixture. Solution is to fix/replace faulty wiring.
  • Faulty lighting fixture and or ballast (if it has a ballast). Solution is to replace/fix fixture/ballast. Note: It is not common, but some light fixtures have their own battery, which may have gone dead.

If by some chance the lights run on 110AC, then check for these possible causes:

  • Tripped circuit breaker. Solution is to reset breaker and find out why it tripped.
  • Tripped or faulty GFI. Solution is to reset GFI or replace GFI if defective.

If you can’t find and resolve the problem, you may want to ask someone for help. RVers are a helpful bunch! Or it may require a trip to an RV service and repair center.

We may have forgotten something, but hope this provides a start in trying to troubleshoot and fix your lighting problem.

Comments for Lights Not Working

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Nov 30, 2015 Hall and bathroom lights not working
by: Jimmy


1999 Bounder, 12v lights in bathroom, hall light and closet light not working. GFI is not tripped. All fuses in panel are ok. Checked bulbs. Are there any fuses that I’m missing?? Thanks in advance.


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