Community Forums

followingsea · 01-09-2020, 10:40 AM

Maybe it just how I was raised, but it was customary to turn off lights when not in a room. I was frequently reminded that I was not born in a barn.

As an parent I mellowed. I found that leaving a 25 lamp on in a room made it more welcome and less likely I would find 800 watts of lights on in an empty room. Whit more efficient bulbs, 25 watts became 5 watts.

So in the MH, I generally have 3 LED lights on. One in the bath, one in front, and one in the bedroom. About 5 watts!

Other lights are turned on as needed. Since I boondock, I have converted light that use lots of power and I use frequently to LED.

In discussion about LED you hear things like:

"Nice part is they use a tenth of the power... when you have 30 lights in your rig that can really add up!"

So my question is what is customary for interior lights when just sitting around at night?

Isaac-1 · 01-09-2020, 11:42 AM

With 400 watts of solar panels on the roof, I don't worry too much about 5 or 10 watts of LED lights left on around the coach, though if boondocking I may pay more attention to it.

A32Deuce · 01-09-2020, 11:44 AM

I put 2 lines of 300smd strings along both side walls and they are dimmable. If more light is needed, then the overhead or over the chair, couch, kitchen table go on as needed.

theboondork. · 01-09-2020, 11:48 AM

I have 840 Watts of solar panels, 400 amps of lithium iron batteries, all LED bulbs, and I boondock most of the time. But the only lights I have on are what it takes to allow me to do what I need to do at the moment.

theboondork.com

twogypsies · 01-09-2020, 12:07 PM

We just turned on lights as needed. Never used strings of outside lights.

Old-Biscuit · 01-09-2020, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

We just turned on lights as needed. Never used strings of outside lights.

Same here....

Turn light on as needed

SavnTheWales · 01-09-2020, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by followingsea

In discussion about LED you hear things like:

"Nice part is they use a tenth of the power... when you have 30 lights in your rig that can really add up!"

So my question is what is customary for interior lights when just sitting around at night?

Hey, I resemble that comment

I no longer worry about lights and the power they take since it is so low with LEDs. Even LED TVs require little power. Now if only DISH would reduce the power the Wally takes I would be happy.

Bobbafett · 01-09-2020, 02:04 PM

What is customary.......? Clueless in that statement.

I put all in in hotel rooms all the time. Same in rv. I like it lit up. Only on shore power though.

EdInArk · 01-09-2020, 02:13 PM

In the S&B with incandescent bulbs it was about heat as well. We'd be trying to air condition the house, and I'd walk around the house and find lights on all over the place. Leave the lights on in the master bedroom and bath, and we'd have 8 little 60 watt heaters going. It wasn't unusual to come home after work, when nobody had been here all day, and find all 13 bulbs burning in the living room / kitchen area -- 780 watts of heat going all day while air conditioning the house.

I finally decided, though, that if that's the biggest problem I've got, I'm doing OK. I will turn lights off as I walk through the house, but I'm over worrying about it.

Same with the RV. If they're left on for no apparent reason, so be it.

Mudfrog · 01-09-2020, 02:24 PM

Just like at home, we only turn on lights as needed. We go into a dark room, we turn on the light,,, turn it off on the way out.

I admit that I'm cheap but I do splurge at times. I usually hang our 25 year old string of owl lights under the edge of the awning. But I still unplug them at bedtime because at 7 watts each, that 49 watts adds up!

Teamfoxy · 01-09-2020, 02:52 PM

Only lights that are being used and we only have led everywhere.

Dutch Star Don · 01-09-2020, 03:13 PM

My coach has so many multiplex switches and electronics running, I don't need any lights. When I get up late at night for one of my three bathroom runs

and I can see everything in coach.

momdoc · 01-09-2020, 06:34 PM

Turn on as you need them. AT night when going to bed then a small LED night light in the bathroom and kitchen so you can see if you get up at night.

Unplanned Tourist · 01-09-2020, 06:50 PM

I changed the hallway night light to a VERY small LED that you don't even notice in daylight and leave it on all the time.

It probably takes less power than a smart watch.

It stays on even when we boondock.

We only have 340 watts of solar, but we get along just fine.

Saving on energy is just what we both were brought up with, so we do fine even with only 300 AH of batteries.

Happy Glamping.