LED light bulbs???

[Paul O.]

I think it is too much to expect some consistent "LED language", especially when different brands are trying to out-market one another.

Look for "temperature" in degrees Kelvin - that's your only chance to maintain sanity.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Paul O.

I think it is too much to expect some consistent "LED language", especially when different brands are trying to out-market one another.

Look for "temperature" in degrees Kelvin - that's your only chance to maintain sanity.

Don't forget lumens for light output

Also I would determine if I want LEDs just because everybody has them and gotta keep up, or I really need them to extend battery charge life.

[WaltP]

Here's a link for 10 68 SMD bulbs in Warm White for $24. They ship from LA so no long delay.

10x 1156 BA15S RV Trailer 12V LED Lights Bulbs 68 SMD Warm White | eBay

The Whiter ones sell for $17. Again, that's for 10.

As you'll see, if you want to share an order with a friend, they offer 10% off for two sets.

Walt

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by WaltP

Here's a link for 10 68 SMD bulbs in Warm White for $24. They ship from LA so no long delay.

10x 1156 BA15S RV Trailer 12V LED Lights Bulbs 68 SMD Warm White | eBay

The Whiter ones sell for $17. Again, that's for 10.

As you'll see, if you want to share an order with a friend, they offer 10% off for two sets.

Walt

I just switched out a friend's Scamp with these. They are as bright as the incandescents, and very close to the same color temperature. A good deal!

[mbbear]

Hi guys Michael here. I don't have my camper yet and at this point I'm feeling that I'll be buying used. I already know that I will replace all bulbs with led's if they haven't been. Three questions: 1) do the LED bulbs have the same number or base that the incandescent bulb has, or do you have to replace the fixture; 2) is the brightness (lumens) the same; is there a way to dim the brightness - I've noticed on many interior photos that the light is harsh which I don't like? I tend to like a soft light unless I need the brightness. Thanks!

[WaltP]

Michael
1) They come in various bases, including the two main bases used in RVs.
2) They aslo come in various brightnesses and you need to be careful to get close to 300 lumens to match the incandescents.
3) The link I gave earlier is for the warm white version which is actually a little softer than most incandescents.
4) As with incandescents, any dimming would need to come from the fixture, not the bulb.

Walt

[mbbear]

Originally Posted by WaltP

Michael
1) They come in various bases, including the two main bases used in RVs.
2) They aslo come in various brightnesses and you need to be careful to get close to 300 lumens to match the incandescents.
3) The link I gave earlier is for the warm white version which is actually a little softer than most incandescents.
4) As with incandescents, any dimming would need to come from the fixture, not the bulb.

Walt

Thanks Walt

[Uplander]

I did some research on the subject of LED language at my local RV dealership.
The owner of the dealership had the best way to help me determine what would work best...he took me into actual RV units (new Travel Trailers in for pre-delivery prep). I got to see with my own eyes. I wanted to avoid that "blue" and/or un-natural light some of these bulbs cast. I found the "Natural White"
To meet my standards and bought one test bulb. The retail cost for one bulb was over $10.00 but the test was well worth the cost...now I can buy off the internet and feel sure I will be a happy camper!
The factory interior lights all were the same and were what the guy at the auto store identified as a "#921".
When doing a conversion from incandescent to LED all you do is match the base type of your current bulbs. Then select either Natural White, Warm White or whatever other name the mfgr has given his product. Try a single test bulb first as this will prevent a costly mistake.....it is all very easy once you do the initial fact finding...no need to change the fixtures.
I am about to order a dozen from Amazon...best price...least negative comments from other RV reviewers...my bulbs translated to #92111803...921/T15 wedge base...190 Lumens..Natural White.....I did note all these bulbs had a very broad operating range for safe voltage...from less than 12Volts thru 24Volts.

Cost for a dozen...$69.95..... Much better than over $10 each at the RV dealer!

Happy Camping

[mbbear]

Uplander thanks so much. This has been on my mind on and off for weeks so I deeply appreciate everyone's responses. Thanks again, Michael

[Gardnpondr]

I finally started ordering us some LED's for our camper. I got one of the bulbs from the camper and I think it was 8 or 10 bulbs I bought. I don't know that I even have that many sockets inside the camper. I think we have 2 overhead lights and then 4 reading lights and they all had the same bulb n them. So at least I got a start on that now.

[WaltP]

I'm not familiar with a '85 Bigfoot G, but on my 2002 17' There are also 3 outside fixtures and 1 in the bathroom with the same bulbs.

Walt

[John Linck]

You can phase in LED's over time, starting with the most frequently used fixtures. That way you can initially achieve most of the energy savings for something like half the cost.

I just took the plunge on Amazon buying all warm lights and spent about $50.00 overall with several spares left over. I think I bought at least 3 different style "bulbs" to fit my existing fixtures.

Gotta say their cooler operation and increased boondocking time make it well worth it, especially compared to the price of a generator.

I also bought a roll of the Hit Lights (based on Norm's recommendation) and now our closet and pantry have top to bottom light. See closet in picture below. I also added a strip, with a remote control dimmer, over the table underneath the upper cabinet too. That roll added about $20.00 with switches and dimmer.


We are very pleased with the changeover and additions.

John

PS. I noticed that some LED's claim they operate at 12 volts, others claim a range of 12-15 volts. Not sure it really matters but I chose the broader range since camper voltage varies quite a bit depending on whether the charger is operating.

[Joe Romas]

How about these? they come from Washington state and are $15.29 for TEN.

They are "Cool white 7000 kelvin". 48 LED's on a flat panel with double sided tape on the rear.
Other shades of white are listed lower on the page.

They come with adapters for two common bases.

Something to think about is on round bulbs about 1/4 the light is projected outward and the rest is up, down or out the back.
With these all the light is projected outward!!
10x Cool White RV 1141 1156 BA15S T10 921 194 48 SMD Panel Interior LED Lights | eBay

Joe

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Joe Romas

How about these? they come from Washington state and are $15.29 for TEN.

They are "Cool white 7000 kelvin". 48 LED's on a flat panel with double sided tape on the rear.
Other shades of white are listed lower on the page.

They come with adapters for two common bases.

Something to think about is on round bulbs about 1/4 the light is projected outward and the rest is up, down or out the back.
With these all the light is projected outward!!
10x Cool White RV 1141 1156 BA15S T10 921 194 48 SMD Panel Interior LED Lights | eBay

Joe

Well the seller may be in Washington I would not count on the lights themselves having been made there

Two things you should know about the ones you have linked to:

They are a Cool White which means they will throw a blue hue.
No mention of the Lumens or Lux or Foot Candle - numbers you want/need to know if you are wanting to figure out if the light will be bright enough. I know a number of folks who have purchased online what they though was a good deal but at the end of the day where not happy with the light level the lights produced.

Many here (including myself) would suggest that a light with a min. of 300 lumens would be what they would buy in order to get decent brightness, but thats just one number to consider, there is actually more to determining how much out put light you can expect from a light based on its Lux or Foot Candle numbers as well - I did not see any of those number of the page detailing the lights you are considering or if there is I missed them.

www.ledlightingexplained.com

Another site that gives you LED Definitions some of which you need to know when buying LED lights is: LED Definitions WWW.LEDLIGHT.COM

[Gardnpondr]

I bought warm white after reading about how the others hurt your eyes.

[JeanS]

The Cool White LEDs from Bellevue, WA are listed as 192 Lumens:

This listing features 10 pieces of Brand New, super bright Cool White 7000K (192 LUMENS) Wedge 48-SMD LED Light Panel (Include free T10 Wedge & BA15S 1156 adapters). Each LED bulb contains 48 super bright 3528 SMD chips.

[rainjer]

This is where I got mine.
BA15S 1156 BAY15D 1157, BA9S items in 1156 store on eBay!

Jeremy

[Joe Romas]

Carol.
I've been using "warm white" florescent bulbs at home for years but recently tried cool white ones in the kitchen fixture that has 4 four foot bulbs. Both my wife and I found we liked the light much better! I had warm white made in China LED's in our Casita at the time and ordered 10 cool white China leds and we both prefer them over warm white there too, expecially in the stark white bathroom.

I stand by what I wrote and was only suggesting these as an option pointing out where 3/4 of the light is pointing with round bulbs.

As far as where they are made I can only say what isn't?

Have a good day.

Joe

[Joe Romas]

Originally Posted by rainjer

This is where I got mine.
BA15S 1156 BAY15D 1157, BA9S items in 1156 store on eBay!

Jeremy

That's where I linked to above and have gotten several sets and styles of bulbs from them too

Service is quick and I've found their quality a tad above some I've gotten shipped from China.

Joe

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Joe Romas

Carol.
I've been using "warm white" florescent bulbs at home for years but recently tried cool white ones in the kitchen fixture that has 4 four foot bulbs. Both my wife and I found we liked the light much better! I had warm white made in China LED's in our Casita at the time and ordered 10 cool white China leds and we both prefer them over warm white there too, expecially in the stark white bathroom.

I stand by what I wrote and was only suggesting these as an option pointing out where 3/4 of the light is pointing with round bulbs.

As far as where they are made I can only say what isn't?

Have a good day.

Joe

I have used cool white (blue hue) as well in some locations. Personally find it provides a light that works well when doing close up work. I am aware though from past threads on the topic there are a lot of folks who buy LED lights and are not happy about the blue hue they throw off if they haven't paid attention to how the manufacturer describes the light.

My post was simple in response to your questions regarding the lights you asked about and provided the link to, as well as your earlier posts asking about
"how the actual light is identified in LED language"

Glad to hear your happy with the ones you have.