RV led upgrades

[spasm3]

I thought I would try a few leds to replace the incandescent 921 bulbs in my camper. I bought these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDFM5QU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Should get them this weekend. Anyone else swap out rv interior bulbs for leds? I have had a few instances of no power when camping, and leds will pull far less from my battery.

 

[dparm]

They don't throw diffuse light very well (more like a spotlight), so the interior illumination might look a little weird and inconsistent. The housing won't be reflecting the light properly.

 

[rubberchicken]

Not sure on RV, but in the mid-size boating world - 25 to 45 footers, we try to run as much off of batteries as possible. It is considered bad form to leave your generator running overnight, not to mention a possible safety hazard due to CO poisoning. So, since we rely on the house batteries, upgrading to LED is a popular option. Almost any boat bulb now has a LED equivalent. I use Superbrightleds.com myself.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Great lights but their way over priced. For 5 or 6 dollars I'd pop for them for twenty thanks but no thanks.

 

[UG_Passat]

Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson

Great lights but their way over priced. For 5 or 6 dollars I'd pop for them for twenty thanks but no thanks.

It's $20 for a pack of 10. That's $2 per LED bulb

 

[bioburner]

Have you considered full receptacle replacement? I am in a 38 foot 5th wheel camper this winter. Good options available for 10 and up.

 

[AZjeff]

I bought some LED bulbs for our older trailer, metal push & turn base. They failed, some dangerously before I pulled them out. Then bought some LED replacement fixtures, uneven weird light patterns instead of even distribution. Hope you have better luck and keep an eye on those bulbs for a while.

 

[Bear]

We have an older camper permanently set up at our camp site, powered by solar panels. I installed these: Efoxcity 12V 1156 10 Pack Bright 1156 1141 1003 50-SMD White LED Bulbs For Car Rear Turn Signal lights Interior RV Camper 4.0 out of 5 stars 154 customer reviews | 20 answered questions Price: $13.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details That's $1.40 per bulb. They are working out just fine. Great light output using the original light fixtures. Some campers spent about $5 each just a few years ago on similar bulbs.

 

[wrcsixeight]

LEDs with the t10 wedge base can be hit or miss, I've bought and gone through many. Excessive heat is usually their downfall as they do not have enough heatsinking, especially the brighter ones. The ones which claim a wide voltage range are better at dealing with battery charging voltages, but they will emit RFI and screw up some OTA tv channels. Some of the warm white versions are very artifical looking in color, but better than the blue tint of the cool white, but this has gotten better recently. I've found the LEDs with 5630 or 5730 emitters to be brighter and more efficient, but not immune to death by overheating. I use PWM LED dimmers and go for the brightest LED's I can find, then tame them via PWM and just try to not leave them on at full brightness, especially when battery is charging. If these bulbs do not work on initial installation flip them over as most LEDs are polarity sensitive. If your specific bulbs do not rotate you will have to swap the wires or flip the receptacle. Sometimnes the little wires which serve as contacts can make poor connectivity in socket. Bend an arch in the wire so it can press against the receptacles contacts. I use a difereent name brand than these but the design is the same. https://www.amazon.com/Ecosin-Fashion-Ca...ds=5730+t10+led Easily my favorite in color and output, but they are not long life at full output as they get too hot. Once they start flickering I pull out a spare.

 

[spasm3]

Got them today. Much less yellow than the 921 bulbs, not bluish, really about right. About the same brightness but slightly crisper due to the color temperature. I'm happy so far. I think the 921 incandesants were 18 watts each. These are 1.5 watts. I'm going to order another pack. 13 leds together using 19.5 watts total ( even though they are never all on at the same time) vs 234 watts. Should i go camping without a/c power, it should help the group 27 battery life. I'm hoping that since these are rated 12v-28v that i won't have them burning out. I have read about the 12v only leds not lasting in rv use.