Fluorescent Kitchen Light - 12v DC or 120v AC?

[Stripe]

Ok, quick question to all my fellow Holiday Rambler owners.


Is the Fluorescent Kitchen Light fixture 12v DC or 120v AC???

[M & J]

Ours are 12v.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Tough question.  Could be either.

[HandyDan]

I'll go look.  I think it is 110vt, but I'll go check for sure.
Dan

[HandyDan]

I hope you appreciate the effort I went to to find this answer.  I tromped through 9" of snow in 19degree weather to pry the ice off the door so I could get in.  Actually is wasn't all that bad, but I am so tired of cold weather!  Anyway, I would have sworn it was 110vt, but there was nothing on the light to indicate the voltage.   I took the tubes out and there wasn't anything on them that indicated voltage, just 15 watts.  So, I went outside and unplugged the shore power cord.  I verified there was no voltage in the 110 line by looking at my meter, which read 0.  However, the fluorescent light still came on.  By that, I would deduce that it is 12 volt.

[Oz]

Tough question.  Could be either.

.

That's the shortest reply I think I've ever read from Dave on an electrical question.  But, I actually understood it!!!

[HandyDan]

 

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Ureeekaaaa!  Another electrical problem solved!   

    Uh oh, Did I have the inverter on?   Hm?


Careful or I will start talking about electrical atomization of the particles in order to promote vaporization in a fluorescent vacuum chamber regulated by air bleeding via the emulsifier.

[Lefty]

Step one; Remove the bulb.
Step two: Turn the light on.
Step three: Lick one finger from each hand.
Step four: Stick wet fingers onto the exposed contacts.. be sure to get a firm grip.
Step Five: If still conscious, it's 12v.... If you wake up on the floor, or outside the door on your back, it's 110v. If your fingers are gone, it might be 220v.


Problem solved.


(THIS IS MEANT AS A JOKE!!! DON'T ACTUALLY TRY THIS.. IT MAY CAUSE A SUDDEN AND ACUTE CASE OF DEATH. OR DISMEMBERMENT... NAH, DEATH. ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT ALSO CAUSE CANCER.. AT LEAST IN CALIFORNIA I HEAR...)

[Lefty]

"Careful or I will start talking about electrical atomization of the particles in order to promote vaporization in a fluorescent vacuum chamber regulated by air bleeding via the emulsifier."



Oww Oww Oww, My head hurts...

[pvoth1111]

Ours is 12VDC....just swapped it out for a nice LED unit.....almost all my lights are now LED.

[Rickf1985]

Hey Lefty, A 12 volt flourescent will light up your life too. I believe the starting voltage is around 600 volts. They have these neat little things called transformers and capacitors.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

If'n you would like to try and let the smoke out, you might try this:
http://www.modmyrv.com/2009/05/10/mod-81-12-volt-fluorescent-lighting-on-the-cheap

[M & J]

Dave understands electrical devices operate by smoke and not electron flow.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Of course! Where there is smoke there is light! 

[Oz]

Interesting.  I had always surmised that is seemed that all interior lighting was 12v.  I collected a big bag of bulbs from dozens of RVs in the junkyard and they were all 12v.  In my non-electrically inclinded mind that, I reckoned that it made sense to do that because the lighting doesn't take the kind of power draw as electric appliances, so they could be run off just batteries without having to run the generator most of the time. 

i??

[Stripe]

THANK YOU ALL for the responses!!!


Dan, THANKS!  I owe ya! (Maybe an Ice scraper warm boots and mittens??)


Lefty, Tried your idea and it was a no go.  No voltage. (see below)


Dave, funny you found that link, have a look at what I found at goodwill for US$1.99. It even had good batteries in it still....

I want to put this where the old one was.

Which brings me to the other reason I asked the question in the first place.

After repairing the electrical short from a previous post ( http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,8841.0.html ) I had found that light at GW and thought, "Wow, I wonder if I could use this to replace the old one that had burned out?" Hm? ...

However when I went to measure the voltage, there was 0v where I thought I had measured 12v on a previous occasion.  I asked if it was 12 or 110v mainly because I honestly doubted myself as to what voltage I had measured on said previous occasion.

With the lack of voltage on the wires coinciding with the fact that even after repairing my short that my furnace isn't switching on either, I now have to wonder if there might be another short. 
Hopefully I can find a coach wiring diagram for the "Goose", otherwise, I will have to initiate a "Search and Repair" operation to see if I can find the reason for the lack of voltage to the lighting wire. Which I hope will also result in getting my heater furnace working again.

Thanks Gang!
Fredric

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Furnace is normally on a fused circuit by itself because of the higher amperage of the blower motor.

Dave

[Stripe]

I forgot to mention, I had to map out the 12v fuse box(pull one fuse turn on everything and that which did not turn on got labeled to that fuse) because, as Dan, Circled and Kevin can probably attest to, HR neglected to do it for us..  Unfortunately the overhead light circuit and furnace were already NOT working after the short repair so I dunno what fuse goes to them.  However I can say that none of the fuses are burned out.


Fredric

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

I remember you doing that from before.  Now it is hand over hand wire tracing time.  Never any fun - Dave

[Stripe]

Maybe, maybe not, depends on the attitude going forward..

[M & J]

Dave, Fredric discovered bourbon. So hard to tell what his diagnostic skills are now.

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

LOL - I discovered that as a young sailor!.  Had many a cubralibra sitting at the harbor bar looking out over the water on St. Croix island.  Ahh, I now hardly ever have a drink anymore!  Does make for a real cheap drunk though.

Dave

[Froggy1936]

Hmm. Got me thinking , I have not been drunk in over 30 yrs  Used to be more than two or three times a week . A case of beer lasts mo,s now Frank

[Stripe]