LED bulbs to replace RV incandescent bulbs

[Tiercel]

All the bulbs in my Y2K MH were original, and some had started to burn out. I thought I would try some LED replacements https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071G5Q643/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I thought it might save some battery since I only have room for one battery of about 100AH. This means every amp counts. I did not get enough to replace all the bulbs because I wanted to see how they looked. Since they are made in China, I was skeptical about the energy draw. After hooking up my new battery monitor today, I played with different things to see the amp draw. I switched on 4 LEDs then four incandescent bulbs. These LEDs only pull 1/5 the amps of the incandescent bulbs. I compared again with only one bulb of each, and the results were the same. Just four incandescent bulbs pulled five amps. If you only wanted to draw a 100AH battery down by 60 AH, that means two double lights on for 12 hours, and you are done. Needless to say, when I saw the data, I immediately ordered another pack.

Even though they say warm light, they are a little whiter light than the incandescent bulbs. They also are much cooler than the incandescent bulbs.

 

[IBTripping]

Some of my light covers in my TT were burned through because of the incandescent bulbs heat. Converted my TT to all LEDs and am very satisfied. Lots of light using low amps.

 

[cully]

I find LED lighting dreadful to my eyes. Blue light is ugly yet that's what my RV carries. Is there anything soft about any LED's

 

[A Traveler]

I have converted every light in our coach (including the headlights) to LEDs.

The important part of choosing LEDs is the color temperature (expressed in degrees Kelvin or ”K”) or the color name they have been given.

• If you want to duplicate the warm glow of an incandescent lamp, you want ”Warm White” or an LED lamp rated at 2,700K.
  
  
• If you want a slightly “whiter” light, look for LED lamps rated at 3,000K.
  
  
• ”Bright White” is usually set at 4,000K and is a slightly blue light.
  
  
• ”Daylight” LEDs are rated at 6,000K. They have a distinct bluish appearance. The color is very similar to the color of direct sunlight.

 

[Tiercel]

The ones at my original link are "Color: Warm White 3000K". They are not as warm as incandescent yellowish light but they are not offensive or glaring and they have no flicker.

 

[CharlesinGA]

I buy all of my LED bulbs from M4Products.com The quality is exceptional, and they specify the Brand/part number of the LEDs used by the company that make them for M4 (who does the actual design/engineering of them) They usually have at least two colors available, a yellowish warm white and a pure white natural light. In many cases they offer a cool white that is on the bluish end of the spectrum. The good thing is that if you buy different kinds of bulbs for different fixtures, and you specify for example, natural white, they will all be the same shade. There won't be any variation in them. The quality is excellent and you won't be having individual elements going out in a few months.

When I bought the trailer someone had bought a mishmash of different LED lamps that were the full spectrum of color and most had several LEDs burned out in them. I have replaced every single lamp in the trailer with LEDs from M4Products and could not be happier. (the exterior was LED from the factory)

Many people install 1156 incandescent lamps in place of the 1141 and the 1156 draws more current and produces more heat. The globe on an 1156 is much more rounded than an 1141.

The small halogen reading lamps that use the G4 side bi-pin are the ones that really generate heat and consume the power. In my motor home I replaced ten of the 10w G4 bulbs with LED's and all of the LED's together drew less current than ONE of the halogens did.

I prefer Natural white. Trailers and motor homes tend to be dark places with lots of wood or woodgrain and having lots of light is a necessity. My old eyes do not gather light like they used to.

M4 LED Color Ranges and Base Cross Reference

I watched the RVGeeks YouTube videos on converting to LEDs and they turned me on to M4Products and I have converted 3 RV's with them now.

Converting RV Lights to LEDs — PART 1 — Incandescent & Halogen

This is the first of about 7 or 8 videos covering all of the different RV lights. Somewhat old but still useful info, and yes, M4 still honors the 5% discount when you use M4 Products Coupon Code RVGEEKS5

Charles

 

[Tiercel]

Charles, Is this the price for ONE BULB ??? 1156-24-5050-WW (1141) Warm White 5050 SMD LED Light Bulb Round Base

That is 8 times the price of the link I posted for 3000K warm LEDs that have worked without flaw.

 

[Kirk]

They also are much cooler than the incandescent bulbs.

Some of my light covers in my TT were burned through because of the incandescent bulbs heat.

The heat created by any type of incandescent light bulb is a major part of the reason that they require so much more power than an LED. I read a university study that indicated that only 10% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb is visible light. Anything that uses electricity produces some heat, but because an LED uses far less electricity than an incandescent it also creates much less heat. If you replace an automotive type of 12V light that has been used for long, the materials above it will always be browned by the heat. LEDs are much cooler than incandescent lights, reducing the risk of combustion or burnt fingers. Sturdier: LEDs are made with epoxy lenses, not glass, and are much more resistant to breakage.

LED technology costs more than CFL and fluorescent lighting, but the LED bulbs also last longer and use less energy than fluorescent bulbs. LED bulbs are also more durable than fluorescent bulbs due to their compact size.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

I replaced all of the incandescent lights in my rv to regulated LED's ten years ago when I bought it. Since then I have replaced exactly one of them and we full time. I have esaily saved the $250 I paid for them.

Ernie

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Several years ago I wrote an article explaining how Led differs from incandescent and what you need to know to choose a suitable bulb. Incandescents came in basically just two flavors, but with Led you have more choices for brightness and color. It's in this sites Resource library at https://www.rvforum.net/resources/led-lighting-for-rvs.146/

 

[SeilerBird]

LED lights use less power but costs a whole lot more.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

And last longer.

 

[Tiercel]

There must be something I am missing because I replaced half of my bulbs with LEDs for $14. I just ordred the other half so, they don’t cost “a whole lot more.” Are they top of the line? Apparently not but they are:

A little brighter than the incandescent bulbs and as bright as I would want.
A nice warm white
Two bulbs have been on 24/7 for more than 4 months so they last.
Cool and have the low energy consumption of all LEDs

At $1.35 Each I can not imagine what a more expensive LED could offer or why I would spend even a dollar more much less ten times more.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Some bulb types (lumens, color temp, base, shape) are more expensive than others. And there are definitely quality differences. Each led bulb is a circuit board that manages voltage across a variety of situations in order to produce consistent lighting. Cheap designs are prone to blinking, color distortion, and shorter life spans when faced with the fluctuating voltages (11.0-14.5v) of an RV power system as well as swings in temperature and humidity.

That said, I mostly agree with your sentiment.

 

[Tiercel]

…there are definitely quality differences…That said, I mostly agree with your sentiment.

Yep, if it turns out they have a shorter life span I guess I will have to bite the bullet and cough up another $1.35

 

[Old_Crow]

There must be something I am missing because I replaced half of my bulbs with LEDs for $14. I just ordred the other half so, they don’t cost “a whole lot more.” Are they top of the line? Apparently not but they are:

A little brighter than the incandescent bulbs and as bright as I would want.
A nice warm white
Two bulbs have been on 24/7 for more than 4 months so they last.
Cool and have the low energy consumption of all LEDs

At $1.35 Each I can not imagine what a more expensive LED could offer or why I would spend even a dollar more much less ten times more.

I have 26 fixtures on the inside of my coach, so I bought a lot of 20 bulbs off Ebay, for cheap. The first set I bought was the bright white light. After a year or so, my wife and I decided we didn't like the bright white, so I bought another lot of 20 from the same seller, but in warm white this time. Their warm white is very close to incandescent in color.
I've used the warm bulbs everywhere but in the head. I use the older bright white bulbs in there.
Going on 6 years since I bought the first set of cheap, bright white bulbs and I've only had one of them show loss of any segments. None of the warm white, purchased a year later, have lost any segments yet.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

I've found the "cheap" led bulbs are not regulated, using just a resistor for power limiting. I've had several fail in places where they see ~14V converter voltage a lot. Places where they only see battery voltage (12.7V and less) they are longer lived. Color and brightness are also variable, you can't always trust what the vendor says they are. So what I do is buy a sampling of a few different kinds then order what I like from there to install, plus a few spares. For what the cheap bulbs cost I don't mind losing a few over the span of years. To be sure the premium bulbs are more consistent and reliable but I can fit my entire RV with the cheap bulbs for what a couple premium ones cost, so cheap wins out in this case.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Alontheway]

I use the LED strips of little lights that you can cut to length; the cheapo ones from china, hard to avoid china since the mid 90's...
Always there are individual lights in each strip that burn out right away.
The issue with LED is that they flicker and this can affect your eyes or head or brain, though it is subtle.
Confirm the flickering of yours by using your phone's video camera and you will see it flicker. Incandescent lights will not flicker on your phone.
If the flickering is an issue then leave one regular bulb in place to overcome some of the flicker, the one that is closest to your eyes most of the time.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The issue with LED is that they flicker and this can affect your eyes or head or brain,

Leds aren't supposed to flicker - that's a sign of the poor power regulation mentioned here.

It's especially a problem in a vehicle where the DC voltage varies widely in normal operation.

 

[Alontheway]

Yet LEDs still flicker. My garage LEDs from HD plugged into an outlet do not flicker that I can tell, but all auto or RV ones that Ive tested do.
That might be a good reason to buy expensive LEDs