Community Forums

brucemcdou · 09-02-2010, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downsizer

Best part of LED - less battery usage!!!! The lumms and all that stuff are nothing compared to a dead battery in the am!!!! The LED's are AWESOME and save soooo much battery voltage for the next day!!

I heartily agree with this sentiment.

The comfort of being able to turn on a light without worrying much about the amp draw is (almost) priceless. We replaced all the lights on the interior of our Monaco over a year ago - we'd tried a few to find color we liked and then did them all at once: halogen puck lights, sconces, bedroom reading lights, bathroom mirror lights. The LEDs are across-the-board brighter than the halogens they replaced with no heat, and more imporantly very low battery drain. We boondock a lot (most of the time) and whereas before we'd only turn on a single light to read or brush our teeth, now we can use any or all the lights without much concern.

Now when will they make decent 120v LED lights for my house?

W9WLS · 09-06-2010, 06:45 AM

Just another thought for Ya'll.
I have used white and blue led's for several years now and even went to led flood's at home (initially for less power consumption) and have noticed a extra benefit , MOST BUGGS don't notice them (no uv radiation).
So I replaced the patio lights with led's (and awning lights) (still no buggs) and plenty of navigating light, to me that's a big plus.
The only problem I have found is that the bulbs in our motor home fixtures are mounted horizontally and most all led replacement's are "end fired".

SRT · 09-21-2010, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W9WLS

....SNIP....
The only problem I have found is that the bulbs in our motor home fixtures are mounted horizontally and most all led replacement's are "end fired".

That is also my problem. Tried several LEDs replacing 1156 bulbs. Color was too white and most of the light went horizontally. I'm waiting for an LED which will shed light (pun intended) like an incandescent light (with its bulb shape).

jcthorne · 09-22-2010, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SRT

That is also my problem. Tried several LEDs replacing 1156 bulbs. Color was too white and most of the light went horizontally. I'm waiting for an LED which will shed light (pun intended) like an incandescent light (with its bulb shape).

I used these:

www.LEDwholesalers.com - BA15s Bayonet Base18LED SMD5050 Bulb Warm White

throughout our MH and they work very well in the standard fixtures. Much cooler, lower power, brighter than the incondesent bulb they replace and the color temp is nearly identical to the incondesent lamps. Most folks that see them never suspect they are LEDs until I remove a cover and show them the bulb.

Essex-Spensive · 09-22-2010, 04:19 PM

I have found this company to have a good assortment of LEDS, any questions just call them and they recommend what to use. NO I am not connected to them only buy from.
www.LEDLight.com
1877-283-5060

Downsizer · 09-25-2010, 03:58 PM

A great source for RV LED Bulbs is JClampStand (Jirah) in CA. We put their brand of bulbs in various configurations and have been extremely happy. We also have them in our reading sconces next to the bed and give plenty of light for reading! Plus, the overhead fluorescents were extremely easy to replace!

Dave Rickey · 10-17-2010, 01:06 AM

LED's are going to be expensive for a while. They are just *barely* coming down to a price range where they make sense for limited applications for residential/commercial settings. I just bought a few of them for my home, one 9W flood for over the sink in the kitchen, and 4 1.5W bulbs for hallway lights in the basement. It cost $15 for the flood and $5 each for the smaller bulbs. They make sense in those places because those lights never get turned off, they run 16-24 hours a day.

LED's put out light equivalent to incandescents 10x their wattage, or Compact Fluorescents with 2x the wattage. Unless you're running them constantly, it doesn't make sense financially to use them instead of CF's (which now beat incandescents handily). But CF's aren't an option for 12V systems.

Most of your 12V lighting is going to be comparatively low-wattage (I'm not sure you can find them at bigger than 40W, and most are going to be 5-10W), and finding LED replacements as bright or brighter isn't going to be hard or extremely expensive. Especially after you factor the much longer bulb life (most LED's are rated for 10,000-20,000 hours, 10X that of traditional bulbs), and the reduced drain on batteries (less hours on the generator).

To put it another way: You could have twice the actual light, and use 1/5th the power. For RV use they make all kinds of sense, especially as they should be much less vulnerable to vibration. I'm probably going to convert all my RV interior lighting and signals to LED's, the couple of hundred it will take will be well worth it.

--Dave

John Hilley · 10-17-2010, 08:37 PM

I have had good luck with LED Trailer Lights

leadman · 10-23-2010, 08:31 PM

I have 4 compact flourescent bulbs that are 12v with the same base as a 110v incandescent bulb. Came with my Harbor Freight solar systems. Been thinking of installing these in my garage on a seperate circuit powered by my solar on the motor home while it is parked.

sightseer 30B · 11-05-2010, 08:03 PM

One of the unts they sell for RV's is cylindrical for the 1156 socket.

LED's are arrayed 360 degrees around the cylinder with an additional three mounted on the end. It is difficult to tell the difference between the LED and the incendecent bulb if used on a two bulb fixture.

I replaced most bulbs with warm white LED "Boards" from Superbright LEDs a couple years ago. Though they work very well and am very happy with them, I think the one from LEDtrailerlights work as well for light and current savings and look better in the fixture.

Also from LED trailerlights I purchased Red LED Lights to replace the bulbs in my magnetic stick-on lights for the Toad. Much brighter that the originals and I thing the instant on/off characteristic gets more attention from drivers following.

leadman · 11-06-2010, 09:42 AM

I just installed on of the 36 LED boards from Superbright LEDs and think it is dimmer than the 12 LED marine light I had in that location that I bought from Cabela's.
I may move this board to the shower and try one of the round bulbs or the board with the 4 chip LED lights on it.
There is also a bulb with the 1156 style base that I need with a board that rotates so you can aim the light where you need it, might try this also.

There is a huge assortment of LEDs available on EBay, some from the states and alot from overseas. The lights from overseas are much cheaper but am concerned about ordering from them. I think that most all of the LEDs come from overseas originally though.

Kagin · 11-13-2010, 12:52 PM

I have recently replaced the original interior reading lights with the JC-12HPR puck type LED's on a dimmer. I have found the original dimmer will not control the brightness of the LED's. Has anyone found a cure for this? Any suggestions appricated.
Kagin

Dave Rickey · 11-14-2010, 04:12 AM

If you want "Bright", these are the brightest I've found for bayonet sockets:

60 LED, 420 lumens, just as bright as a standard 40W while drawing only 5W. A little long so they may not fit everything, and no light from the very end. Pricey at $20, but I'm going to pick up a couple for my reading spots.

--Dave

Nick-B · 11-15-2010, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kagin

I have found the original dimmer will not control the brightness of the LED's. Has anyone found a cure for this? Any suggestions appricated.
Kagin

Normal dimmers don't work with LEDs. There are special dimming circuits for use with LEDs but that is about all I know. Do a Google search for more info.