Converting RV's to LED

[rossb]

I'm in my third year of replacing the stock bulbs in my motorhome with LED's.  There have been some fairly cool recent improvements in LED's, I have some 1000 lumen emitters, and they are fairly close to the same light output. 

The typical RV bulb is about 2o watts, a reasonable 240 lumen repalcement is just 3 watts for about the same amount of light, but in a nicer color (6000K - daylight).  I have used 1 Watt - 5 watt emmitters and they work well.  We can now go almost indefinatley with solar panels and leds, plus there is enough light to actually read by.   The replacement emmitter and driver is in the $5.00 range and takes about 15 minutes to convert.

Although I don't want to start a debate on the practicality of doing this, if anybody is tired of running their batteries down due to energy hungry lights I can recommend some nice LED replacements - and some tips on modifing your RV lights.  The 1 watt ones are really good in areas where kids never turn the light off.  If you need any tips - let me know. 

(I'm pretty solid with electronics if you have any questions).

ross

[Spinalguy]

ross, i am interested in this.
Did you also change the outside light to LED?

i was told that the lights do not draw much power, its the heater that kills the battery. However, my wife likes to hang out inside more often and tends to have lights, laptop and music box running.

Thanks

[Vinman]

I'll also be keeping an eye on this thread. I dry camp a lot and anything to reduce power consumption has my attention.
Thanks for posting.
Vince

[rossb]

A standard RV bulb uses 25 watts (give or take).  depending on your furnace fan it will take 15/30/60 watts for a 500/750/1000 CFM fan.  Having 2 standard bulbs on uses very nearly the same amount of power your funace does.  A Sterio is 10 watts...

If you can drop the power comsumed by a bulb from 25 watts to 3 watts it is a big savings in power.  Until recently the amount of light produced by the emitters was not high enough to be all that useful, now a 3 watt emitter  produceds a reasoanble amount of light.  With a bulb that uses this amount of power it's no big deal to leave a light or two on.

You have to get a 12v driver  and the emitter and I get them from a website in China.  It takes abou0t a week - 2 to get here and they all usually work.  There is a bit of soldering involved, and I also increase the size ofthe heat sink, but it is straight forward.  I'll take some pictures and I'll try to post them.

[Spinalguy]

My trailer is a bumper pull, i have 2 6V batteries to power it (as well as a portable generator).
i have 2 large fluorescent lights (1 in kitchen and 1 in bathroom). i also have 10 bulbed lights.
Do i need to change all the light fixtures as well as bulbs?
And based on my lighting and that it is a bumper pull trailer, what all do i need?
Also, the outdoor 'orange' light i have and love, can it too be replaced?
The 2 large flourecent light fixtures might have to remain as is, i take it? (which is ok).
How much am i looking to spend to do this right?
i am mechanically inept so i would need your help, which i will happily compensate you.
Thanks

[rossb]

As I mentioned I have been working on this for three years.  At first I changed the most common lights to 1 watt LED's.  They provided enough ambient light but not enough to read by.  Last year I added some 3 Watt 340 lumen lights and they are much better.  Over the table I used two and it is at lest equal to the old bulbs, and the color is about 6000K - close to sun light.  I now have some 5 watt 1000 lumen emmitters and I am going to try them this year.  They are a little bit lower in color/temperature and look just a tad yellower.

I suggest you try a few and then see how you like it.  I would say to do the whole RV but the technology changes so fast that a new generation of emitters could come and go in the process.

I t takes about 15 minutes a light and the process does not distroy the old light, if the LED's should stop working you can stick the bulb back in.  I can show you where to order them, how to wire them and show you how I mount them. 

Depending on the type of driver/emitter combination they run about $5-$6 dollars for the emitter/driver combination. 

pictures coming - soon as I free up a bit of time.

ross

[yyc_tbird_sc]

I picked up some LED modules off ebay...they're strings of 20 modules. All 12v. While I was out at the cabin last week, sitting at the fire looking at the solar lights that didn't light up worth a damn....when the sun was up the next day, I stripped the guts out the next day and put one LED module into each fixture then just ran some 2 wire cable to each one and they're 100% brighter/better. I'll pickup a photocell so they are a dusk-to-dawn light. I'll put a few more up so the driveway is lit up so no-one stumbles around after a few wobbly pops.

[yyc_tbird_sc]

Pics of solar light mods...the LED modules being installed:


Lights installed on the side of the cabin and down one of the pathways. They're actually on in these pics and can be seen in bright sunlight:



Lights at night....way better than before! Sorry...no before photos as the point 'n shoot camera I have couldn't even get a decent enough photo:

[Spinalguy]

i see that rigid light industries has a couple options...

https://www.rigidindustries.com/category-s/144.htm