Why Do My RV Lights Dim and Brighten?

This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no extra cost to you. As an amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.   Learn more from the privacy policy page

The level of independence and convenience offered by an RV is unparalleled by any other type of vehicle now available on the market. This is why there is nothing more enjoyable than hitting the open road in an RV, as any RV owner can tell you this. Nevertheless, if you own an RV, it is essential to be a responsible RV owner so that you can avoid problems and find solutions to them if they do occur.

The problem of the interior lights of the RV beginning to dim and brighten is one that even the most experienced RV owners seem to have to deal with on a fairly regular basis. 

Why Do My RV Lights Dim and Brighten?

Why Do My RV Lights Dim and Brighten?

Your RV’s battery is probably to blame for the dimming and brightening of the inside lights as it moves through its charge cycle, issue with the functioning of the battery itself is highly likely that you may need to replace an outdated battery that does not keep its charge very well.

When it comes to the battery, don’t go cheap because you want to ensure that your RV always has electricity that is reliable and operational.

It’s also possible that the battery’s terminals are damaged or unclean, which would prevent them from receiving a proper charge. If this is the case, you might want to try dropping a little bit of cola onto the corrosion while the battery is OFF. You can do this if you have any cola on hand, or you can buy a bottle of cola at a nearby gas station or market, or shop.

It’s possible that this will be effective in preventing some types of corrosion from forming on battery connections. Clean it with some rubbing alcohol and wait for it to dry before trying to start the battery again.

If this does not appear to be what is wrong with the battery of your RV, the problem may be the converter. This might be the cause of either the dimness of a dying battery, or the annoying spikes of brightness, and it could even be responsible for both of these issues.

If your battery isn’t functioning properly or is functioning inconsistently, or if your converter isn’t functioning properly, then the lights won’t receive the appropriate amount of power. This can happen for a number of reasons.

Your lights might become dimmer as a result of this, but the dimmer state won’t last as long as it would if the battery were actually dying. Because of this, there would be a varying degree of darkness.

When this dimness takes place, the converter may abruptly activate, causing a type of surge in brightness as well.

SEE ALSO | Do I Need A Water Pressure Regulator For My RV? 2023

What Does it Mean to Dim and Brighten?

By dimming and brightening, it implied the moment when your lights start to shake. It doesn’t matter when it happens; it’s always annoying when the lighting suddenly dims or brightens, and sadly, this is quite a regular problem with artificial lighting that we have to deal with.

In explaining what the two terms mean it is what happens when the converter is turned on and off, making the lights gradually decrease and then gradually brighten. This is pretty usual. More so, the larger the load, represented by the number of lights, the clearer it will become. 

When Can The Lights In An RV Get Dim Or Bright?

If we are able to rule out the generator as the source of the issue as all of the appliances are operational, meaning that electricity is being transferred from the generator to the converter. Then, the lights in an RV can get dim and bright when the converter has a problem that comes and goes, which is why sometimes it looks to operate great and other times it doesn’t. This is because the problem is intermittent.

It is also possible that the lights in an RV can get dim and bright when a surge has destroyed the converter, but it is also possible that it has just aged to the point that it no longer outputs the same kind of power that is necessary for your lights to function correctly. If your batteries are damaged in any way, they won’t be able to provide the necessary amount of power to your lights, which will cause the lights to dim. 

Tips for Dimming and Brightening RV Lights Without Paying For It

When your lights go brighter, it means that you are receiving an excessive amount of electricity. In the same vein, when they fade, it indicates that an insufficient amount of energy is being received.

If this situation continues to become worse, you run the risk of sustaining additional harm to your electronic gadgets as a result of receiving either too much or too little power. To prevent this current issue from becoming even more severe implement the following:

Try replacing the Incandescent Light Bulb because an outdated light bulb can be blamed for the lights dimming and brightening, and then replacing the light bulb will fix the problem.

This is why you should make it a habit to inspect the light bulbs in your light fixture. Your difficulties may almost always be traced back to this one relatively straightforward issue.

Do you invest in wiring upgrades? It’s possible that you have faulty wiring if turning on heavy equipment, like the air conditioner, is the sole thing that causes your lights to flicker or shake. Thus, I recommend that you investigate the possibility of having your home rewired in order to prepare it for the installation of such devices.

Since prevention is better than cure, you should immediately replace any defective light switches because the flickering of the lights is often caused by a problem with the light switches themselves. This brightening and dimming are occurring as a result of malfunctioning light switches that are perhaps not connecting with the bulb.

Thus, you would have to be patient as brownouts can also be the source of lighting issues such as fading and flickering. This can happen as your electrical provider must have purposefully decreased the supply to avert a total blackout, most likely as a result of the adverse weather.

Unfortunately, the only thing you can do is wait out the brownout, keep a flashlight on hand, and disconnect any electronic items you want to protect from the low voltage that will be there.

When all other troubleshooting methods have been exhausted, removing the entire lighting fixture may be the only option left. In any case, if you feel up to the effort, then give it a trial.


Conclusion

In the end, I have provided answers to one of the many questions RV owners keep raising. Well, you should determine the nature of the problem and work as quickly as possible to resolve it.

This way, you won’t have to wait a long time to get back on the road, and if you’re lucky, your lights will remain dim when you want them to be bright and bright when you want them to be dim.

Leave a Comment