Hello,
I recently purchased an RV so yay. On the downside, it means I have a lot of work to do. Right now I have two switches upon entering my RV (only one of them is connected to wires) that control the step outside, the lights, refrigerator, and other electrical appliances inside and out. I also have multiple wires inside that are not yet connected, but must be connected to this switch. A large red, large white, small white, 2 small brown, and small black. The small black and small brown have been tied together with a twist tie by the previous owner. Here's the question: where do they all go? I have received so much conflicting information from people, including the company that made my RV. My RV is a 1988 Allegro. If someone could help me figure this out, I would be incredibly grateful! Thank you for reading this.

 

First you need a volt meter to find the ones carrying voltage. The you can just touch the other wires to the 12 volts and see what lights up or starts running.

Check the ones with no voltage with an ohm meter also. No telling, but if one is connected to ground you do not want to jumper 12 volts to it.

 

First you need a volt meter to find the ones carrying voltage. The you can just touch the other wires to the 12 volts and see what lights up or starts running.

Check the ones with no voltage with an ohm meter also. No telling, but if one is connected to ground you do not want to jumper 12 volts to it.

As far as I know, the

First you need a volt meter to find the ones carrying voltage. The you can just touch the other wires to the 12 volts and see what lights up or starts running.

Check the ones with no voltage with an ohm meter also. No telling, but if one is connected to ground you do not want to jumper 12 volts to it.

 

As far as I know, the

Ummm, you've lost part of your post. The remaining bit does not make sense.

 

Do you have a soldering iron?

 

just check with a multimeter to make sure. But as said above by Kermit, that is a good way to go to find out where everything goes to where at what.

 

... try to draw a sketch with labels.
... pick one wire at the outlet, then look around the RV until the other end turns up.
... When you have identified all the wires, have the sketch scanned and post it here.

 

Well, I know about testing the wires, i just am not sure how to hook them up to the switch itself. I'm completely new to all of this, but I get the basics. Where do the wires go on the switch? Does it matter? How do I connect them? I just don't want to take any risks when messing with this. The switch has 6 posts and I have 6 wires... the photo I attached shows them all. I'm just afraid of messing something up and want to be more confident before going any further....

 

... try to draw a sketch with labels.
... pick one wire at the outlet, then look around the RV until the other end turns up.
... When you have identified all the wires, have the sketch scanned and post it here.

Will do! Thank you

 

Do you have a soldering iron?

I have to find it, unfortunately I just moved and am all out of sorts.

 

I have to find it, unfortunately I just moved and am all out of sorts.

Just asking so you make a more secure connection to the switches later.

 

Your best bet is at the manufacture for the RV There are way to many things that could be going on here. One of the things that I used was a Tone Generator to find my Friends wiring in his RV. Yours seems to be in little better shape then what his was in when I got there. Seeing I had no switches and just a mess of wiring hanging out the wall and a couple was 110v.

With looking over things at the Inverter/Charger my Tone Generator and my DMM I was able to get everything worked out where it all went. The hardest part was there was wires in the mess that went to a Meter and Gen Set option that would have been installed when new even without the option being installed in the Gen bay. He had a GenSet so I had to get that all sorted out in that mess of wiring as well.

Also note that some of the wires that are larger then the normal wires can be and in his case was 110v wiring for lights so be careful while working in there. The switches for 110 lights can be same type switchs as the 12v side.

 

Hello,
I recently purchased an RV so yay. On the downside, it means I have a lot of work to do. Right now I have two switches upon entering my RV (only one of them is connected to wires) that control the step outside, the lights, refrigerator, and other electrical appliances inside and out. I also have multiple wires inside that are not yet connected, but must be connected to this switch. A large red, large white, small white, 2 small brown, and small black. The small black and small brown have been tied together with a twist tie by the previous owner. Here's the question: where do they all go? I have received so much conflicting information from people, including the company that made my RV. My RV is a 1988 Allegro. If someone could help me figure this out, I would be incredibly grateful! Thank you for reading this.

What does the front panel say on the switch that is not connected?

Don't take this following advice until we confirm from your front panel, but, It sounds like the 3-way 2-poll switch that lets the RV run from a generator (or dock-side power) vs. running off of the battery power.

 

What does the front panel say on the switch that is not connected?

Don't take this following advice until we confirm from your front panel, but, It sounds like the 3-way 2-poll switch that lets the RV run from a generator (or dock-side power) vs. running off of the battery power.

Yes!! You are correct, sir. Beneath the switch that is not connected it says '12 v'. There are also little switches to the left for floor, inside, outside, and step. I've been learning everything about RV's since purchasing the old girl, but damned if I can't find anything about how to wire this switch! All the wires are connected elsewhere, just not to the switch. Does it matter which wire goes to which post on the switch? Do I need a loop? If so, where? I honestly think I get it mostly, but there is really no room for error here. Any advice for cleaning/testing these wires to ensure safety? Any specific problems I should watch for while tracing them? I've read horror stories of RV fires and this has largely discouraged me from doing much.

 

Take a better picture of the switch cover the two middle switches just turn things on the two outside switches on both ends are doing something more like making something move forward and backward steps door shade or something.
or they are used as been posted

3-way 2-poll switch that lets the RV run from a generator (or dock-side power) vs. running off of the battery power

 

Yes!! You are correct, sir. Beneath the switch that is not connected it says '12 v'. There are also little switches to the left for floor, inside, outside, and step. I've been learning everything about RV's since purchasing the old girl, but damned if I can't find anything about how to wire this switch! All the wires are connected elsewhere, just not to the switch. Does it matter which wire goes to which post on the switch? Do I need a loop? If so, where? I honestly think I get it mostly, but there is really no room for error here. Any advice for cleaning/testing these wires to ensure safety? Any specific problems I should watch for while tracing them? I've read horror stories of RV fires and this has largely discouraged me from doing much.

Ok, I would imagine you have, obviously, three pairs of wires.

1) pair, the small black and white is likely a pair.

2) 2 small brown are likely a pair

3) large red/ large white is a pair

Then, there are three categories that these connect to/from...

A) the fuse panel (breaker panel) that distributes to the rest of the RV.

B) the 12v battery bank

C) the A/C power source (generator / "dock power" / "shore power") port (plug) on the side of the RV.

You'll have to dig a bit to figure out where each goes (number list to letter list)

Maybe someone (or you) can help understand how the 12V supply is able to power the appliances/lights (is it an inverter, or are you limited to just lights when not connected to A/C power.

 

Off topic on a topic that you mention however. Please be sure to check all Propane exits *Exhausts* on your RV the main reason for fires in RVs and Motor homes are people not cleaning out the Vents from Bees nest and birds nests that they build in the vents. Main area is the Motorhomes that run propane Refer and also RV's however in most cases people have a 3 ways system and can turn the Refer on a RV off 12v through the wired plug that has a High Output for doing so. So most issues is with motorhomes. Does happen on rare occasion. Most Rv have issues with electrical from trying to run a Heater over 110 thinking that they were made for this. because they have a 30amp 110 system or a 50amp 220 system don't mean they can handle the normal heaters that were made for homes.

back to topic. About wiring and what wire goes where it is hard to say without knowing where the other end is and what it is going to. It almost looks like a switch that was removed and another one put in but didn't work so they didn't reconnect it. What a lot of people don't understand there are many many types of switches out there and they can have different functions. So say there was a 6 pole switch there to start with. It don't mean that this 6 pole is under the same use as this one that was one there. Once you confirm what that goes to and how that is wired up then you can meter out the switch and see if it was designed for this use.

Most issues with RV issues as stated before is also people that bypass safety features that were designed into a RV. This could be the Power system in the unit has gone bad and the owner couldn't afford the unit that it should have been replaced with and tries to wire it in a way that don't offer protection. So take for instance there are systems out there that have the 110v and 12v in one unit with all the switching and fuses and breakers in the unit. at times this will go bad and rather then the owner forking out the cash to repair or replace the unit with the right one rated for the right settings they elect to get a 12v inverter/charger and make a connection to the wiring out to the RV without the right protections because most times they don't come with anything other then plug in cord and 12v out. So bypassing the 12v fusing and so on. Then problem happens where the lights installed are for a bulb that is rated say 22 watts and that isn't enough light so the owner takes a bulb of same design can and plugs it in and it can cause a fire because the light housing melts and so on.

First thing I did when I bought a Trailer 10 years ago was took out all the lights in the thing and replaced them with much better higher end units. Some of the housings on the old units were crispy or melted to a point of fire.

Also always check your vents. Put screens over them that are designed to keep birds and bees out. It will make you happy camper.

James

 

Ok, I am still not clear how (or where in the schematic below), your switch will serve its function.

It could be near,
I) the "120 V Circuit Breaker", or,
II) the "12 V circuit panel", or,
III) a bit of each

(Or something else)

 

Ok my son got home from work and I asked him about the switch on the RV that I had to replace. On 2 that I replaced for our RV was one for the Power sunshade. There was a switch the same as out Step switch as well.

2 center pins were output Pins 1 and 2 was for ground and 12v and the top pins was the same 12v and ground. It was a 2 way switch and when you press the button up it would retract the shade or steps and when you press the button down it would go out. Both our switches had larger wires then what your is showing in your picture however the switch looks kind of the same with a Center Off position. However another thing that was different on ours is the switches we took out and put in both had screw on terminals and even though it went to a control board under in the storage area to relays with Auto features our wires were little larger then yours. So again only thing I could say without the Maker of the RV telling you what color does what and goes where for what functions test test test is the only safe bet.

 

Ok my son got home from work and I asked him about the switch on the RV that I had to replace. On 2 that I replaced for our RV was one for the Power sunshade. There was a switch the same as out Step switch as well.

2 center pins were output Pins 1 and 2 was for ground and 12v and the top pins was the same 12v and ground. It was a 2 way switch and when you press the button up it would retract the shade or steps and when you press the button down it would go out. Both our switches had larger wires then what your is showing in your picture however the switch looks kind of the same with a Center Off position. However another thing that was different on ours is the switches we took out and put in both had screw on terminals and even though it went to a control board under in the storage area to relays with Auto features our wires were little larger then yours. So again only thing I could say without the Maker of the RV telling you what color does what and goes where for what functions test test test is the only safe bet.

There are two separate toggle switches on this panel. One is for the step (which is just like what you described!!) This one is beyond that. I will go take several (more detailed) pictures!!
I appreciate the help everyone. I will soon be living in this RV and hope to get it to where I can comfortably and safely sleep in it at night.