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Old 02-09-2017, 11:31 AM   #1
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Switching to LED light bulbs?

I need advise. I want to switch to LED light bulbs. Do I have to replace the entire light fixture or can I just swap out the incandescent bulb for the LED bulb?
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Old 02-09-2017, 12:58 PM   #2
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You can just switch out the bulbs. For each fixture, you need to check and see what type of base the bulb has. Some are twist in some are two wire pins that just plug in, and some are just push in. You have to make sure to get the proper base type. Beyond that, your next decision would be what "color, or temperature" you want. Higher the temperature, the more bluish the light will be. "Warm white" is usually close to what a normal incandescent bulb puts out.

One more thing that is critical for LED bulbs is polarity, the fixture needs to be wired correctly. Since this isn't an issue for incandescent bulbs, the manufacturers sometimes get a bit sloppy in this area. They do sell LED bulbs that internally correct this, they are termed "polarity neutral" or something similar.
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Old 02-09-2017, 02:36 PM   #3
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Regarding the polarity, it is not very difficult to swap the wires that feed the fixtures, if needed. I had to do it on one of my fixtures.
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Old 02-09-2017, 02:49 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LyleB View Post
You can just switch out the bulbs. For each fixture, you need to check and see what type of base the bulb has. Some are twist in some are two wire pins that just plug in, and some are just push in. You have to make sure to get the proper base type. Beyond that, your next decision would be what "color, or temperature" you want. Higher the temperature, the more bluish the light will be. "Warm white" is usually close to what a normal incandescent bulb puts out.

One more thing that is critical for LED bulbs is polarity, the fixture needs to be wired correctly. Since this isn't an issue for incandescent bulbs, the manufacturers sometimes get a bit sloppy in this area. They do sell LED bulbs that internally correct this, they are termed "polarity neutral" or something similar.
Thanks!
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Old 02-09-2017, 06:33 PM   #5
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Regarding the polarity, it is not very difficult to swap the wires that feed the fixtures, if needed. I had to do it on one of my fixtures.
I found most interior bulb sockets allow the bulb to be just turned over.
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Old 02-10-2017, 10:10 AM   #6
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You need to pay attention to the brightness as well. They should put out at least 300 lumens to have comparable brightness to the incandescents. Not all will meet that level.

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Old 02-10-2017, 10:10 AM   #7
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I need advise. I want to switch to LED light bulbs. Do I have to replace the entire light fixture or can I just swap out the incandescent bulb for the LED bulb?
How old is your Parkliner? We got ours in October, last year. I has all LED lamps on the inside and the side markers. Only the tail/stop/turn lamps at the rear are not.
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Old 02-10-2017, 12:21 PM   #8
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You can replace incandescent with LED bulbs. Just make sure your LEDs have the same base as the bulbs you are replacing as there is more than one kind. Most incandescent bulbs produce a mid range frequency (warm) light. A mid range (temperature) LED will produce a similar light. Also match the output of the LED with the original bulb so you have enough light.
If the LED doesn't light when installed, remove it and turn it over as they are polarity sensitive, unlike incandescent bulks.
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Old 02-10-2017, 01:08 PM   #9
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How old is your Parkliner? We got ours in October, last year. I has all LED lamps on the inside and the side markers. Only the tail/stop/turn lamps at the rear are not.
I picked it up on January 31st. I didn't order it with LED lamps. Thought I could replace them for less than the charged for LED's.
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Old 02-10-2017, 07:28 PM   #10
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You can, and it's an easy process. Wise decision IMO. Don't worry if the new LEDs happen to be a little less bright. They use about 1/10 the power, so you can afford to run more of them at a time.
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Old 02-11-2017, 04:36 AM   #11
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I picked it up on January 31st. I didn't order it with LED lamps. Thought I could replace them for less than the charged for LED's.
You do not need to replace all of them. In my large trailer I replace some where I know I would need them, Like over the easy chairs where I know I would be doing some reading and over the Kitchen counter were I would be cooking but in places where it's not too important, Over table and in bathroom, I didn't.
In my small Boler where there is only 4 lights in all I replaced them all.
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Old 02-13-2017, 08:42 AM   #12
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I picked it up on January 31st. I didn't order it with LED lamps. Thought I could replace them for less than the charged for LED's.
I replaced some with LEDs that I found less expensive, but it turned out that the lights were overheating and I had to replace them with better quality ones to fix the problem.
The little led lights went out, burning, one after the other.
After discussions on this site, I realized that the inexpensive lights I had bought, were able to receive 14 volts DC max, which is o.k. with the battery only.
But when connected on the 120 volts AC, the transformer provides up to 16 volts, which cheaper lights could not survive, they overheated ...
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Old 02-13-2017, 09:03 AM   #13
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Also, studies show that when replacing our incandescent lights with led, it is better to replace them with warm white instead of white-blue (cold white).

The blue white led (cold white) would affect our brain, until we stop sleeping after a less prolonged exposure.

If you do a little research on the internet, you should easily find an article on these studies.
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