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Old 05-30-2022, 08:24 PM   #1
brudichuk
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Default Trailmanor rear shell lighting problem.

I tried to replace all of the old light fixtures with new led fixtures this weekend. Upon connecting the first fixture to the white and black wires from the ceiling(the one over the stove) I turned on the power, turned on the light and it worked fine...so I mounted it to the ceiling. I turned off the power and installed four more fixtures over the bed, the wardrobe hall, the bathroom and the kitchen sink all the same way as the first fixture. Upon turning power on the fuse blew and continues to blow if I try a new fuse. I am guessing I pierced a wire when screwing in the fixtures. The new lights cover the old holes but screw holes did not line up so created new ones. Not sure where to go from here. How hard is it to pull fresh new wire through the ceiling? Please help with troubleshooting and wire install.
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Old 05-30-2022, 10:49 PM   #2
Shane826
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I’m guessing when you mounted that first light you screwed through a positive wire, creating a dead short when the light is turned on.
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Old 05-31-2022, 07:48 AM   #3
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The first fixture in the series is the one over the bed according to the wiring diagram in the manual. Then the wiring goes to the hallway, bathroom, kitchen and finally the oven. Can you recommend a course of action? Even if I remove all the screws and the lights begin to work I now am concerned that I have a wire in the ceiling with a screw hole and broken insulation. Is pulling new wire a project that a DIYer can tackle? Or is it a dealer repair?
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Old 05-31-2022, 08:10 AM   #4
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I sweated over the same problem and wondered about pulling new wire as well. Luckily for me the problem was elsewhere and it wasn't necessary to pull new wire.

I think it can be done. I wouldn't pull any wire without a string attached to it for the subsequent pull, and you would have to remove all of the blue connectors first.

The wires come in from the front of the shell and run under the cable channel in the center of the ceiling. Pull that first and you can get a good look at how it runs. You might also have to remove the fiberglass and plastic covers at the top rear of the shell, I found those easy to remove and replace.

My fall back plan if I were unable to pull the wires was to use cable channel to run on the inside surface to all of the fixtures. Again though, I got lucky and never had to pull the cable.

Good luck with this and be very methodical. The wire loops into a branch and loops back out again I think. All of this becomes clear when you pull the cable channel.
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Old 05-31-2022, 08:10 AM   #5
Bill
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Pulling a new wire can be done, but it can be tricky. First, you have to figure out which wire is bad - not easy in itself - and then cut it off at both ends. Then you have to maneuver a new wire through the rough-cut channel in the foam inside the ceiling, as the end of it snags on the foam as it moves. This can be really difficult if there is a bend in the channel - and there is always a bend in the channel. Here is a different - perhaps less desperate - approach.

Get yourself a fistful of fuses - they are cheap. Now dismount (unscrew) the fixtures, one at a time. After removing each fixture, check to see if the fuse blows or stays good. This should tell you which fixture is causing the problem. Once you have identified that, you can continue in one of two directions.

My guess - and it is only that - is that the problem is not caused by a screw piercing a wire. The problem may be in the fixture itself. The fixtures are constructed with a lot of bendy metal pieces and a lot of sharp metal edges. In addition, the hole cut in the bendy aluminum skin of the TM ceiling is also sharp, and as you push a wire back into the hole, and screw the fixture down tightly, it is easy to pinch the wire against a sharp metal edge, cutting through the insulation. So examine the fixture carefully for something that doesn't look right. Examine the wires that go through the hole in the skin, looking for a cut or abraded spot. By the way, there is nothing wrong with cutting the hole in the skin a bit bigger, to give a little more room for the wires that go through it.

If I am wrong about the fault being in or near the fixture, then remount the bad fixture, one screw at a time. This may tell you which screw is causing the problem. If you can identify the offending screw, then dismount the fixture and figure out which wire heads toward that screw after it goes into the hole in the skin. If this tell you the story, then you can probably insert the end of that wire into a length of soft plastic tube and push the tube down the wire until it reaches and passes the location of the screw. This gives you new insulation over the faulty location in the wire. Push the newly-insulated wire back into the hole, being careful not to pinch it, and push it a bit to one side of its previous path, to get it away from the offending screw. Mount the fixture, and check again proper operation.

For "soft plastic tube", I am envisioning what is called heat shrink tubing, available in the electrical section of hardware stores. It is flexible, reasonably tough, and comes in a lot of sizes. Pick a size that lets you slide it down the wire easily - but of course don't shrink it - just leave it loose.

Although what I have outlined is annoying and time-consuming, it may be a lot better than trying to run a new wire through the cramped spaces inside the ceiling.

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Old 05-31-2022, 08:27 AM   #6
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What I have not done yet is to remove all screws from all fixtures and see if they light up while they are just hanging. This will not put any real strain on the wiring because the new fixtures are all LED and made of mostly plastic and weigh about 1/3 of the original fixtures they are replacing. If they were to light at that point I would begin replacing one screw at a time until the problem reoccurred. It will be a laborious drag to do this but may be the best route. Thanks.
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