Interior LED Lighting

[Alex C]

Hi, I want to change my interior bulbs to LED. I was told at the 2013 Bolerama that you can buy cheap LED'S with 1140 bases. If anyone can let me know where (website) it would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Alex

[steve dunham]

What's CHEAP? LED trailer lights has some nice LED replacement lamps with the B15 base , just swap the lamps and your done . 315 lumens ,warm white color with voltage regulation. I used them in my Scamp and they worked great,well built & NO LED failures in 3 years. Plus they come with a guarantee
Yes there are less expensive lamps on the market!!
Eliminating the heat from the incandescent lamps was as much of a factor as power savings as a reason to change to LED lamps IMHO

[Jon Vermilye]

The cheapest come from China via ebay. Do a search and you will find many suppliers. I have had good luck with some, but others have complained about quality.

[Carol H]

If you check your local RV supply store they may have them. More and more are carrying them but they run in the $18 per bulb range.

Cant comment on the cheaper made in China ones as to how long they may or may not last as I have not used them.

Another popular website that a lot of people here have used is Superbrightleds.com

From my experience using replacement bulbs the higher the luminus rating the better & the ones with the square flat area work much better than the cylinder shaped ones.

White vs Warm White - which ever way you go just get the same in all light fixtures.

When going to LED some people have found they need to switch the wiring on the lamp fixture otherwise the LED's dont work. Only had one fixture I had to do that on, otherwise its a pretty simple update. If you camp off the grid at all like I do you will be happy with the change well worth the money - *far* less power consumption.

[tartosuc]

you can get cheap LED of all type at DX.com in china. if you cant find the exact type you are looking for you will find all kinds to replace your completely.

i've been buying from there for a while and always get good stuff, just be patient, order can come to you anywhere from 1 week to 2 months but you will get it.

[Orlen Wolf]

I've had good luck buying LED bulbs and fixtures from Wired Communications in Scottsdale AZ. While they are not the absolute cheapest source they do have good quality merchandise and they are in the USA, not HongKong, so if there is a problem you have a stateside contact. Shipping is also a lot quicker.

Check them out at Wired Communications | Discount connectors, adapters and cables for computers, home theater, network, and ham radio. or email roger at wiredco.com.

73
Orlen

[fusedlight]

Orlen... those prices aren't too far off the eBay ones. Of course, they ARE the same product...the inexpensive LED's all come out of China. BUT, if there's a problem you'll be a lot more likely to get a fix if you get them from a US company.

[rick.a]

If you are happy with the placement and style of the existing light fixtures that you have, then replace the bulbs as you have been considering. But adding LED lights to your interior is the perfect time to put fixtures where you really need them. In our 13' 1984 Burro, we added LED fixtures to illuminate the front dinette area (formerly a bunk) and the rear bed area. The small puck fixtures are relatively inexpensive and can be put on dimmers. If you are handy you can figure out how to run the small 12V wires to where you need them.

We also put a flexible light strip composed of a line of LED's over the sink-stove area, also on a dimmer. This was a terrific upgrade from the stock light which was a fluorescent tube shining in your face. The strips can be cut at about every 2 inches allowing you to make exact custom lengths. If you are cheap like me you also don't need the special clip on connectors. Just solder on 18 ga wires with a $4 Radio Shack soldering iron.

Parts came from:
Elemental LED
Superbright LED
Kick lighting.

If you use dimmers be sure to get PWM style (pulse width modulation) as standard dimmers for incandescent will not work. But don't get the cheap $5 dimmers from china. They will not handle the vibration in a trailer and may fail.

Most folks agree that you should get warm white LED's and not "white" as the plain white are too blue and not pleasing.

As for replacing the lamps in the existing fixtures, you get more bang for the buck by changing the cheap socket fixture in your light for a bayonette style mount which will enable you to use the flat cluster lamp style which typically are brighter behind the diffuser in your fixture.

Good luck,
Rick

[Mrshobo]

try RV warehouse in cookstown

[tartosuc]

i dont understand why people seem reluctant to buy from dx.com in china.
its the same product! for 1/2 of the price. Most of the electronic products are made in china. 95% of what you see here in america was made there(or somewhere else in asia) and was rebranded for sale here.

in the 5 years i've been buying from that place only once a product was came in with a problem and they took care of it(it was a dv player)...

talking LEd in general a 1m led strip cost 10 to 20$ locally depending on type, on DX its about5$ to 10$... and shiping is always free.
to me its worth the risk of loosing 5$ if one does not work...(wich never happen to me with LED). and if you want to return it they will credit you!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by tartosuc

i dont understand why people seem reluctant to buy from dx.com in china.
its the same product! for 1/2 of the price. Most of the electronic products are made in china. 95% of what you see here in america was made there(or somewhere else in asia) and was rebranded for sale here.

in the 5 years i've been buying from that place only once a product was came in with a problem and they took care of it(it was a dv player)...

talking LEd in general a 1m led strip cost 10 to 20$ locally depending on type, on DX its about5$ to 10$... and shiping is always free.
to me its worth the risk of loosing 5$ if one does not work...(wich never happen to me with LED). and if you want to return it they will credit you!

I for one would rather deal with a company based in the USA or Canada.
I am old school and would rather phone and talk to a real person than swapping E-Mails with some unknown entity in a foreign country .Nothing against DX.com it's just my preference. Cost is not the only deciding factor when I make a purchase.

[tartosuc]

i understand, but I think it depends on what you are buying, to me there are things wirth buying locally and other not worth it.....

For a simple device like led strips or bulb that sells really cheap in china, to me theres not question about it, i go china unless i'm pressed with time.

on the total cost of 70$ setup in my last camper, if one 10$ strip would have gone bad, i would just absorb the cost and order more...same setup would have cost me close to 200$(led were pricier then) if bougt here for the same risk since its the same device, and most electronic store dont warranty these strips unless they dont work right out of the box.


for stuff more complicated(electronics in general) with a real risk of problem, I'd rather buy here and have somekind of warranty...

to each his own ! its just my opinion on this, theres no right or wrong!

[cpaharley2008]

There are these to consider :http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...hts-59818.html

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Carol H

White vs Warm White - which ever way you go just get the same in all light fixtures.

Originally Posted by rick.a

Most folks agree that you should get warm white LED's and not "white" as the plain white are too blue and not pleasing.

And now for a 3rd opinion. Pick the colour and intensity for the intended purpose. The white is good for task lighting, such as over the counter. The higher powered warm whites are nicer to read by the lower powered are nice for ambient lighting. The average person has different lighting throughout their home, why not their trailer.

I've been toying with the idea of using a single red LED as a night light.

[tartosuc]

Originally Posted by Roy in TO

And now for a 3rd opinion. Pick the colour and intensity for the intended purpose. The white is good for task lighting, such as over the counter. The higher powered warm whites are nicer to read by the lower powered are nice for ambient lighting. The average person has different lighting throughout their home, why not their trailer.

I've been toying with the idea of using a single red LED as a night light.

I agree with Roy,
I'm installing cold white (6000k)led strips inside the cabinet.
Warm white (3200k)as general lighting .
And i have a red strip by the door that serves as entrance light/ambiance light when we are at the front dinette. A few "reading" sngle lightwill be placed at a few spots.

One thing i like to do with led is use reflexion to create the ambiant light, that way everything is lit up but you dont get light blinding you.. I does not work with all trailers but with the uhaul it should work nicely with the shinny FG.

I'm also thinking about putting a light "in between " the two fiber shell to. Create effects.. Dont know if it will work but it sure would be nice

[cpaharley2008]

Like what I did to my Escape Roy? I installed little led red lights with a microswitch and at night it gave off a nice night light glow.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Like what I did to my Escape Roy?

Exactly. Low enough to let you see and find things at night. If it was too bright - it might have strangers knocking on your door all night.

[FTTRV]

I sell quality LED interior lights single or double pancake at FiberglassTravelTrailersRV.com
Chuck

[Alex C]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

What's CHEAP? LED trailer lights has some nice LED replacement lamps with the B15 base , just swap the lamps and your done . 315 lumens ,warm white color with voltage regulation. I used them in my Scamp and they worked great,well built & NO LED failures in 3 years. Plus they come with a guarantee
Yes there are less expensive lamps on the market!!
Eliminating the heat from the incandescent lamps was as much of a factor as power savings as a reason to change to LED lamps IMHO

Hi Steve,
What website did you use to get your led replacements.

[AM Moats]

I could use some help finding 12 volt LED lights too. I'm looking for a fixture with a swing arm or gooseneck for reading to install on a shelf just above my dinette table. I'm not really finding anything. Is it possible to retrofit a regular light? I don't really know much about 12 volt lighting or LED's.