1141 vs 1156 bulb....what's the difference?

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Bocephus

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Sep 13, 2010
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as i was taking apart my exterior light assemblies to check which bulbs i had, i noticed that the clear lamps in the rear (shining on by my rear door {toy hauler}) were an 1156 bulb.  then when i checked the bulb behind the amber lens above the main entrance door it had an 1141.  the bulbs look the same, and the 1156 works in the 1141 housing........so whats the difference?  can i order an 1156 automotive LED light and use it?  something like this.... http://www.dingjuled.com/UploadFiles/Others/20090604012512_49606.jpg

also, i see that my interior light assemblies use this 1141 bulb.  can i used these automotive type bulbs in these as well?  they are considerably cheaper than this type of bulb 200 Lumes 12V LED interior lighting RV and Trailer | eBay
 
wow, great web site.  so it appears as if the 1156 doesnt have as much resistance.....thus burns brighter.  other than that they are the same.  thanks!
 
1156 is 19 watts 1141 18,  56 is brighter., hotter and takes more power to run.

I knew the 1156 was brighter, now I know how much.. Thanks for asking and giving me an excuse to find out.
 
Keep in mind that using a brighter, meaning higher wattage and heat, bulb in a fixture not designed for it can lead to melted lenses and faster burnouts.
 
The only thing I know about electricity is how to use a light switch, so you might want to take this with a grain of salt.  However, when my light bulbs were burning out like crazy in the MH, I noticed that I had changed them from a two prong on the bottom to a one prong.  When I changed them back to the two prongers, everything was fixed.  Hope this helps.
 
In an incandescent bulb the brighter it is the hotter it is.  So if you put a 1156 incandescent in place of a 1141 you may have more heat than the fixture can handle.  Also not there is a difference in light output for the two bulbs.
 
NY_Dutch said:
Keep in mind that using a brighter, meaning higher wattage and heat, bulb in a fixture not designed for it can lead to melted lenses and faster burnouts.
Click to expand...

i realize this.....but if i put an automotive style tail light LED bulb (clear) in place, it shouldnt put off much heat at all, correct?
 
No, clear or not has little to do with it. Watts (power consumption) is what produces heat and an 1156 uses about 50% more watts (and amps) than an 1141. An incandescent bulb produces light by "burning" electricity, so the watts are converted to heat in order to produce light. More light = more watts = more heat, all in proportion.
 
Here is a more technical answer
Both the 1156 and the 1141 are Single eliminate bulbs using a BA15s single contact base.  The glass envelope is a S8 on both.  So they are physical the same size and would use the same electrical socket.

The difference is in the element.  The 1156  is a 12v 2.1 amp 26.9 watts unit with 1200 hrs life. While the 1141 is 12v, 1.44amp and 18.4 watts with 500 hrs life.  The 1156 produces 32 candle power while the 1141 produces 21.

The 1156 will produce more heat than the 1141 and that will require a slightly different design for a mounting fixture/lens cover/shade.  Said a littel differently the 1156 in a 1141 housing may melt the lens cover/shade.

As to the use of an LED in a mount designed for either bulb I doubt that any problem from heat would be encountered using either.  The  LED for the 1156 would have more lumen's than one designed for the 1141.

It comes down to what is the requirements in lumen's for the application.
 
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