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Old 12-16-2009, 06:12 PM   #1
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LED interior lights

I have a 2009 Beaver Contessa and I'd like to replace the interior halogen lights with LED lights. Has anyone done this and if so were did you get the LEDs and was it worth it.

Positives as I see it to going with LED is less power consumption and heat.

Thanks
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Old 12-16-2009, 06:18 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kketterling View Post
I have a 2009 Beaver Contessa and I'd like to replace the interior halogen lights with LED lights. Has anyone done this and if so were did you get the LEDs and was it worth it.

Positives as I see it to going with LED is less power consumption and heat.

Thanks
I have tried a couple and the heat and power reduction is dramatic but the light output is terrible!!!! Hopefully, a better answer is on the horizon. If you now have too much light when all of your lights are on you may be able to get by with LED's and all the lights on as you might get just the right amount.
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Old 12-16-2009, 06:19 PM   #3
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Might try here. Super Bright LEDs – LED Lights, Bulbs, and Accessories Great to deal with.
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Old 12-16-2009, 07:05 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kketterling View Post
I have a 2009 Beaver Contessa and I'd like to replace the interior halogen lights with LED lights. Has anyone done this and if so were did you get the LEDs and was it worth it.
Positives as I see it to going with LED is less power consumption and heat.
Thanks
If you are talking about the little teardrop halogens with the two pin connector then I did exactly what you are talking about. I believe they came from these guys. Depending on your light fixtures they may not be a direct plug and play replacement - I had to do some dremel work to get mine to fit but it was more than worthwhile. The light output is similar to the halogens but the power consumption is a mere fraction.
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Old 12-16-2009, 07:06 PM   #5
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LED interior lights

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Adams View Post
I have tried a couple and the heat and power reduction is dramatic but the light output is terrible!!!! Hopefully, a better answer is on the horizon. If you now have too much light when all of your lights are on you may be able to get by with LED's and all the lights on as you might get just the right amount.

That's my concern that the LED lights won't be as bright. Another concern is that they cost about $14 a piece and I need about 30 to replace all of them in the coach, so I want to make sure they are worth it before I take the plunge. Again anyone actually switched their halogen lights for LED and if so are you happy with them.

Thanks
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Old 12-17-2009, 07:45 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kketterling View Post
That's my concern that the LED lights won't be as bright. Another concern is that they cost about $14 a piece and I need about 30 to replace all of them in the coach, so I want to make sure they are worth it before I take the plunge. Again anyone actually switched their halogen lights for LED and if so are you happy with them.

Thanks
Hi, Ketterling - we did exactly that in order to allow us to boondock without bumping around in the dark! We initially purchased just a few to check the light output and quality, and then went ahead and replaced all: the ceiling halogens, the bathroom fixtures, the spots over the bed, and the sconces by the dining table. All of them came from LED light dot com (LEDLight.com: Online Shopping for LED Lighting Products). Make sure you get the "warm white" color, not the "bright white" or "cool white" which is a harsh blue light. Warm white is not available for all fixtures, so keep looking if you don't see it. We have been happy with them, and now we can have lots of light without worrying about battery capacity. It cost about $700 to replace all, but the convenience is worth it for us.

IM me if you'd like the precise item numbers, or you can see my reviews on the website listed above.
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Old 12-17-2009, 06:27 PM   #7
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Bruce,

I would be interested in the specific part numbers for the LED bulbs you used. I do not know if your lights and ours are the same but same year coaches mean maybe so. We have lots of the small round lights in the ceilings and counter overheads and very few tube florescent fixtures, hurray. The florescent lights use too much power. Small round fixtures - I've not looked to see what is inside them - provide good light but they sure suck up the amps so I assume they are some kind of incandescent bulb. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

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Old 12-18-2009, 11:49 AM   #8
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LED interior lights

Lew,

The little round ceiling lights in your coach are 10 watt Halogen and in addition to sucking the power get really hot if left on for very long. You will need a G4 base LED to replace the Halogens in the ceiling. Check this web page:

G4 Ultra Bright 9 SMT LED Light Low Voltage 12 Volt AC/DC - Low Voltage LED Lights - LEDLight

I'm going to order a couple first to see if they work. One of the features I like about my lights currently is the ability to dim them (have about 5 settings) and I want to see if the LED's will dim. This one indicates it can be dimmed (G4 Ultra Bright 9 SMT LED Light Low Voltage 12 Volt AC/DC)

Will report back once I install them
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Old 12-18-2009, 01:03 PM   #9
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Thanks Ken. I am interested in your results. Our lights all dim as well like yours and I believe it is all part of the 12v multiplex systems that power the fixtures. I would be interested in the color of the lights. My wife does not like the harsh white of many of the compact florescent bulbs - found that out the hard way after I bought about a dozen of them for the house. Thanks again.

Lew
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Old 12-18-2009, 03:28 PM   #10
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I replaced all of mine with these. They are bright and are a direct plug in.
Replacement Bulbs - LED Replacements - 12V ''Cool'' White G4 12-LED Light Replacement Bulb
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Old 12-18-2009, 04:07 PM   #11
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LED interior lights

Gordon,

Are you able to dim the LED lights?
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Old 12-18-2009, 07:40 PM   #12
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I don't have dimmers so I can't answer.
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Old 12-18-2009, 11:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LewF View Post
Bruce,

I would be interested in the specific part numbers for the LED bulbs you used. I do not know if your lights and ours are the same but same year coaches mean maybe so. We have lots of the small round lights in the ceilings and counter overheads and very few tube florescent fixtures, hurray. The florescent lights use too much power. Small round fixtures - I've not looked to see what is inside them - provide good light but they sure suck up the amps so I assume they are some kind of incandescent bulb. Any help you can provide would be appreciated.

Lew
Lew - the round ceiling lights in our MH are 20w Halogen bulbs. We also had 10W Halogen bulbs in the under-cabinet lights. Ours are only on-off, so I don't know if they can be dimmed but I suspect not. We found the best color with G4 Ultra Bright 9 SMT LED Light Low Voltage 12 Volt AC/DC Product Code: 85529. Be sure to order the "warm white" color if you want to come close to the "warmth" of the halogen.

We replaced the 1156 bayonet bulbs in our bathroom fixtures with these bulbs, again in warm white: Product Code: 34344 , 12 SMT Tower S25 LED. The adjustable "spot" reading lights over our bed with these, again in warm white: Product Code: 36754, S25 12 SMT Long Stem LED Light.

Just to be clear, you will still notice a difference in the quality of the light even with the warm white, it is not as warm as a halogen or a regular incandescent, but we can live with that for the power savings at 1W per bulb vs. 10W or 20W per bulb.
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Old 12-19-2009, 10:25 PM   #14
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Ken & Chris, if you haven't already ordered some of the light replacements as you indicated above, you may benefit by looking at this site:
www.LEDwholesalers.com in particular, you want the "WARM WHITE" unit that is 140 lumens bright: www.LEDwholesalers.com - Warm White 140 Lumen G4 Base 10 SMD LED Bulb . These appear to put out even more light than the similar model previously posted above. Also, I will reiterate, get the WARM WHITE type... they are soooo much more comfortable to read under.... much more similar to the stock G4 light than the Cool white types which seem "harsh". We have replaced several in our Trek ... and they do contribute in their tiny ways to extending our battery drain period when boon docking.
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