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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