Look for LED Applications
In And Around An RV
or Boat
Take the time to make a list of all the "interior"
light bulbs you have in your RV. Be sure to count the bulbs in
the kitchen, stove hood, dining area, living area, lavatory,
toilet, bedroom, closets, patio lights, and basement lights.
Count how many fluorescent fixtures (two tubes each) you have.
What about those reading lights and map lights? Do you have lights
sunken into the ceiling or into the cabinets above work spaces?
You can make a rough estimate of how much
current you would pull if you turned on all the lights by estimating
each bulb and each fluorescent fixture at one amp each.
What did you get? 20 or less if you live in
a camper; 30 to 40 in a mid-sized fifth wheel. In a big motor
coach the count can approach a hundred.
One hundred amps! You have to be kidding.
How long would your batteries last if the lights were all on?
At that rate, about one hour. Four batteries would last four
hours. Just hope you have a BIG generator or a 50-amp service
at the pedestal.
Most people swear they never turn on all their
lights, but if you visit them in the evening you will notice
a large number of the bulbs are burning.
The first application of LED lamps in an RV is
to replace those bulbs you use the most, like over the sink and
dining table, or the reading lamp over the couch or at the head of
your bed. Those are the ones you use long periods of time. Find an
LED replacement like the B15.3ZL3 or the W9.RV3-V.
By the
way, if you live on a boat, you probably do not have chassis ground,
so some of your fixtures may use the BA15d socket, with two contacts
on the bottom of the base for power and ground. Be careful, do not
use a BA15s bulb in a BA15d socket, or vice versa. It can blow a
fuse.
What about
the patio lights around your coach? How many times have you
forgotten to turn them off overnight? Or left several of them
on so you can find your way back home after dark? Do several of
the bulbs turn on at once, even when you only need the one
next to the door? Put LEDs in them all. If you want bright light try
the B15.4ZL3 or W9.4ZL3.
Do you have those puck lights in the ceiling or over counters
under the cabinets? Those contain halogen bulbs, the hotest thing
going. The bulbs reach a temperature over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do you notice the covers around the bulbs starting to crack,
or the wood or ceiling paneling starting to turn brown? That
happens when you heat something to near the ignition point. Put
G4.RV3-H LED lamps in their place for the safety of your rig
and your pet.
Those fluorescents are okay, right? Well, some
are, but you can do
better if you replace the tubes with a SL1 or SL2
nexLED LightStrips. Just don't wire the lightstrip to the ballast. In fact, you might
want to cut the power wires to the ballast so it will
not draw current and get hot. Ot better yet, replace the tubes and ballast
with the fLEDescent products.
Have you ever left one of your basement lights on. They usually
use good, strong incandescents so you can see back into the crevasses,
but if they burn for a long time in an enclosed space, they get
awfully hot. Even though you use them little of the time, it
is a good idea to trade them out for LEDs, like the B15.2ZL3
We used the lightstips to replace the incandescent balls surrounding
the vanity mirror in our bath area. It cut the power usage from
7 amps to 250 milliamps.
So, you
see there are many places where you can use
a LightBlasters LED lamp around your RV or boat, and when you
do you make it safer and save on power. Do it today.
BY THE WAY, White LEDs are not recommended for use as vechicle
brake and turn lights. There is little energy in the spectrum
between 600nm and 700nm, the colors that can be seen through
the red covers. Use native red LEDs instead.
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