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  1. #1
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Awning Lights Inop Went Not So Simple

    Well my day has gone from simple to complex. During my monthly inspection I had extended the front awning out to inspect, but had to fight off the wasps that had built a nest inside the arm. It was armageddon fighting off the pests. Then I noticed our front awning end is pulling away from the sidewall right above the door. The screws are pulling out of the sidewall. Darn, Crap, Shoot, Ok so I need the molly rivets, I thought they had started using the rivets on the ends of the awning track not just screws. Well no they haven't.
    Then I noticed the awning lights do not work, well awning pulling away from the side wall, pulling on the wires, shorted, gotta find the fuse behind the convenience center panel. Remove AC power and disconnect the battery, kill all power to the RV.
    Took the screws out of the convenience panel but it wont come out away from the wall. You can not hank on it or a whole bunch of wires will come unplugged from the back of the panel. Then what!? Finesses, easy does it, work it out, NO go, convenience panel will not come out!

    Took the cover panel off the power dist center, looked around in there. Nope cant see behind it. Oh crap noticed two hot wires in the terminal strip installed under screws but no insulation was stripped. They just tightened the screw down through the wire insulation. What do they go to? Refrigerator and Convenience Center panel. Now I'm getting a little heated! Ok removed the wires, stripped back the insulation, reinstalled and tightened. Inspect all other wires in the power dist panel. Everything else seems ok. Put the power dist cover back on.

    Now back to TSing the awning lights and removing the convenience center panel, maybe if I remove the back closet wall that's just below, I can get access to the wiring and see what's holding up the convenience center from coming out. Got the back wall out of the closet, and this is what I find. Snarled up tangled mess. Pull on the convenience center panel, I see some of the wires move, but no go. Now I am really hot!
    All just to trouble shoot the awning lights! Came inside to cool down, got something cold to drink, write this rant, relax, before I go back out there and rip the sucker out of there!!!!
    No I'm not really going to do that, but I don't know how I'm going to get the convenience panel out of the wall so I can get behind it???!!!!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_2401.jpg  
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  2. #2
    Long Hauler geotex1's Avatar
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    Bummer! Ours was messy too. I had the converter out to install the Progressive unit. Cleaned up some things then. It was clear the switch panel was installed first, then the converter with the zip tie work. I cut all the factory zip ties and redid things. Even so, this gains you only enough to pull the switch center out about 4" but that's enough. I'm working out how I will divide the awning lights, and plan to first see if there are home runs from each awning light to the switch. Could you post back if you find such?
    Rob & Nikki + Cloverfield
    2020 Grand Design Solitude S-Class 3350RL
    2015 RAM 3500 Longhorn Laramie Crew Cab, Long Bed, 4x4 Dually Cummins/AISIN

    Mountains of Pennsylvania

  3. #3
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    @Steven@147, I like my Solitude, but some of the "workmanship" leaves a LOT to be desired. If you can not see it .......

    Anyway, by chance is the the convenience panel "glued" to the wall? I had some fixtures/plates attached when the wall was wet (humidity, finish, or ????!) and really stuck. I took a razor and slide it between the panel and wall (careful not to go to deep and cut any wires - a putty knife would be safer) and got my fixtures off without any further problem.

    Just a thought.

    Chris
    Chris & Karen
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    2017 F-350 SRW 6.7 Lariat Value CC LB 4x4
    2018 Solitude 310GK - Sold 7/2023

  4. #4
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geotex1 View Post
    Bummer! Ours was messy too. I had the converter out to install the Progressive unit. Cleaned up some things then. It was clear the switch panel was installed first, then the converter with the zip tie work. I cut all the factory zip ties and redid things. Even so, this gains you only enough to pull the switch center out about 4" but that's enough. I'm working out how I will divide the awning lights, and plan to first see if there are home runs from each awning light to the switch. Could you post back if you find such?
    Quote Originally Posted by CoChris View Post
    @Steven@147, I like my Solitude, but some of the "workmanship" leaves a LOT to be desired. If you can not see it .......

    Anyway, by chance is the the convenience panel "glued" to the wall? I had some fixtures/plates attached when the wall was wet (humidity, finish, or ????!) and really stuck. I took a razor and slide it between the panel and wall (careful not to go to deep and cut any wires - a putty knife would be safer) and got my fixtures off without any further problem.

    Just a thought.

    Chris
    Nope not glued, I could only get the panel to pull out maybe 1/4 inch at first. I kept working with it and from inside the closet I very gently pulled up on the wires a few at a time to get some slack and tried to untangle as much as I could. Finally got the panel to come out at the bottom about 1 inch without pulling on the wires and terminals too much. Using a pen flashlight looking up from the bottom of the panel I spied a fuse holder. Using mechanical fingers pulled the fuse holder and wires out under the panel. I could not see what it was attached to. From what I could see its a tangled mess behind the panel too. Pulled the fuse out, ATO 2 amp. yup blown fuse. I replaced it but I have not re-applied power yet so I don't know if that was it. The awnings seemed to work fine, its just the lights that didn't work. Probably so. I want to check the battery acid level before I re-apply power.

    In the picture that green thing is the back of the shower, its full of saw dust back in there and I pulled a big piece of cut board out of there. They just cut something out and left it in there.
    It would be a herculean task to pull all the wiring mess out, even if you knew where all the wires were connected to each appliance and switch terminal to straighten out all the wiring. I might even have to pull the AC / DC power panel out to get some of the wires straightened out. They are all warped around eachother.

    It would have been a perfect and a quality installation if the wires were all installed in bundles and tie wrapped neat and orderly (I saw no evidence of any use of tie wraps) and with proper strain relief and the convenience center panel was installed with a bottom hinge so that you could just take a couple screws out and hinge it out and down. Well anyway, I've got it all back in there for now. Left the back of the closet out just in case I have to tear into it again if something doesn't work after I reapply power.

    Got a call and e-mail into GDRV to see if they will send me some molly rivets for the awning and at the same time send me the heat shield for the convection/microwave.
    If not I may just get some of those oscar rivets 3/16x1 I think they are. Still got to figure out how I'm going to get the awning top track back up against the side wall at the top of the roof and held there until I can get the rivets in. Its pulled away from the side wall an inch for about a foot long starting at the left end just above the door. Maybe I can roll the awning out, then use a prop on the left end to push the roller back and give some slack to the awning material so it not pulling on the top track, put some new screws in there to hold the track back up against the sidewall and then drill out the holes and insert the rivets. Don't know. have to scope that out for the easiest and best way to fix the awning.
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  5. #5
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Thought I would post what really caused the awnings lights to blow the 2 amp fuse. On the front awning they drilled the hole for the wiring through the arm wall support. Then ran the lights wiring over the top of the support. This means when the awning is retracted the outside arm closes against the wiring and pinches the wires, shorts them together. That is what caused the fuse to blow. I repaired the wiring and put tubing over them to help protect the wiring. The motor wires run down the arm so they don't get pinched.
    The rear awning they did right, they drilled the hole for the wiring through the side wall just to the left of the arm, then over and down the outside seem of the awning fabric, so no chance the arm pinches the wires.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails IMG_2403.jpg  
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  6. #6
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    Front awning lights failed

    Quote Originally Posted by Steven@147 View Post
    Thought I would post what really caused the Front awning lights failedawnings lights to blow the 2 amp fuse. On the front awning they drilled the hole for the wiring through the arm wall support. Then ran the lights wiring over the top of the support. This means when the awning is retracted the outside arm closes against the wiring and pinches the wires, shorts them together. That is what caused the fuse to blow. I repaired the wiring and put tubing over them to help protect the wiring. The motor wires run down the arm so they don't get pinched.
    The rear awning they did right, they drilled the hole for the wiring through the side wall just to the left of the arm, then over and down the outside seem of the awning fabric, so no chance the arm pinches the wires.
    I think I have the same problem, just had a new awning installed with lights worked a couple times and now the lights don’t work I figured I had to be something on the outside probably pinching them I’m just worried about having to find this fuse that everybody fight for it or replace it probably caused a short and blew the fuse oh well it’s not like I don’t have anything else to do. Later

  7. #7
    Seasoned Camper
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    Yep. I spotted the wires being smashed and corrected that quick. The small clamp I used had a small mounting hole so I drilled it out to fit. I believe I caught it before it created a problem.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    2020 Imagine 2450RL born 7/2019 Anderson hitch
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  8. #8
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geotex1 View Post
    Bummer! Ours was messy too. I had the converter out to install the Progressive unit. Cleaned up some things then. It was clear the switch panel was installed first, then the converter with the zip tie work. I cut all the factory zip ties and redid things. Even so, this gains you only enough to pull the switch center out about 4" but that's enough. I'm working out how I will divide the awning lights, and plan to first see if there are home runs from each awning light to the switch. Could you post back if you find such?
    Been awhile, and I never got the panel out far enough to really get a good look at the awning light switch to see if there were home runs from both awning lights to the switch. i would have liked to separate the front and rear awning lights on separate switches. It was such a pain I just replaced the fuse and got them to work. Still works last time I checked, but we rarely have the awnings out any more. More often than not its too windy here in Texas, dont want to take the chance of them getting bent up.
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

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