In Part 5 of our LED Your RV series, we’re replacing our RV’s docking and patio lights with cool, bright, low-power LEDs. We’re also excited to announce our newest RVgeeks Contest! On September 15, 2014 at 8pm Pacific Time, one lucky RVgeeks viewer will win a $250 Online Shopping Certificate, which they can use to outfit their RV with brand new LEDs!
Watch the video for details, then enter for your chance to win!
By definition, “boondocking” means there’s no external source of electricity for your RV. But camping off the grid often means there’s no external source of outdoor light either. If you need light outside your RV at night, you’ll need to provide it yourself, at a time when you’re least likely to have power to spare.
We’ve been upgrading our RV’s interior lights to LEDs, but we also want plenty of exterior light available, while using as little power as possible. That means upgrading our incandescent patio and docking lights to LEDs, which are much brighter, but use only 1/4 to 1/6 the power. This video will show you how easy it is.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
Showing posts with label Lights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lights. Show all posts
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Converting RV Lights to LEDs Part 4: 12-inch Fluorescents
LEDs are such a hot topic. One of our most popular videos demonstrates how we used inexpensive strip lights to convert our fluorescent fixtures to LED. Our videos on switching incandescent and halogen bulbs to LEDs have also been very popular.
There's been so much interest that we wanted to share the details about the new higher-end technique we’re using to upgrade the rest of our fluorescent fixtures. This video covers the steps needed to convert 12″ fluorescent tubes using beautifully-designed LED tubes. They're more expensive than the cheap strip lights, but the quality and elegance of the bulb designs are really sweet!
M4 Products, the company that sells them, even offered to give a discount to RVgeeks viewers. If you shop at M4products.com, simply use the code "RVgeeks5" when you check out, and you'll get a 5% discount off your entire purchase. :)
Since 12″ fixtures are upgraded to LED in a different way than 12″ fixtures, we’re creating two separate videos. If you want to see how to convert an 18″ fluorescent fixture to LED, there's a link at the end of the video and in the video description, or you can see our post about it here.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
There's been so much interest that we wanted to share the details about the new higher-end technique we’re using to upgrade the rest of our fluorescent fixtures. This video covers the steps needed to convert 12″ fluorescent tubes using beautifully-designed LED tubes. They're more expensive than the cheap strip lights, but the quality and elegance of the bulb designs are really sweet!
M4 Products, the company that sells them, even offered to give a discount to RVgeeks viewers. If you shop at M4products.com, simply use the code "RVgeeks5" when you check out, and you'll get a 5% discount off your entire purchase. :)
Since 12″ fixtures are upgraded to LED in a different way than 12″ fixtures, we’re creating two separate videos. If you want to see how to convert an 18″ fluorescent fixture to LED, there's a link at the end of the video and in the video description, or you can see our post about it here.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
Converting RV Lights to LEDs Part 3: 18-inch Fluorescents
LEDs are such a hot topic. One of our most popular videos demonstrates how we used inexpensive strip lights to convert our fluorescent fixtures to LED. Our videos on switching incandescent and halogen bulbs to LEDs have also been very popular.
There's been so much interest that we wanted to share the details about the new higher-end technique we’re using to upgrade the rest of our fluorescent fixtures. This video covers the steps needed to convert 18″ fluorescent tubes using beautifully-designed LED tubes. They're more expensive than the cheap strip lights, but the quality and elegance of the bulb designs are really sweet!
M4 Products, the company that sells them, even offered to give a discount to RVgeeks viewers. If you shop at M4products.com, simply use the code "RVgeeks5" when you check out, and you'll get a 5% discount off your entire purchase. :)
Since 18″ fixtures are upgraded to LED in a different way than 12″ fixtures, we’re creating two separate videos. If you want to see how to convert a 12″ fluorescent fixture to LED, there's a link at the end of the video and in the video description, or you can see our post about it here.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
There's been so much interest that we wanted to share the details about the new higher-end technique we’re using to upgrade the rest of our fluorescent fixtures. This video covers the steps needed to convert 18″ fluorescent tubes using beautifully-designed LED tubes. They're more expensive than the cheap strip lights, but the quality and elegance of the bulb designs are really sweet!
M4 Products, the company that sells them, even offered to give a discount to RVgeeks viewers. If you shop at M4products.com, simply use the code "RVgeeks5" when you check out, and you'll get a 5% discount off your entire purchase. :)
Since 18″ fixtures are upgraded to LED in a different way than 12″ fixtures, we’re creating two separate videos. If you want to see how to convert a 12″ fluorescent fixture to LED, there's a link at the end of the video and in the video description, or you can see our post about it here.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
How To Convert Fluorescent RV Lights to LEDs
Being frequent boondockers (for the uninitiated, that's camping without hook-ups), we're always looking for ways to conserve resources. Even though our RV came equipped with some fairly energy efficient fluorescent lighting, LED lights are the reigning champs of miserly power consumption, using about a third the power of a fluorescent. We'll show you how to convert a 12-volt fluorescent fixture into low-power LED lighting.
There are LOTS of ways to convert RV lights from incandescent or fluorescent to LED. The simplest is for incandescent lights, where you can purchase a direct plug-in replacement for an existing bulb. You can also replace entire fixtures with LED equivalents. But since these solutions can be a lot more expensive, we prefer to look for other alternatives. LED strip lights are an inexpensive replacement for fluorescent tubes, and really versatile too, since they're designed to be cut to length. They just take a little extra effort.
LEDs are available in a range of colors from cool to warm, which are listed as "K" ratings, which refers to the color temperature in degrees Kelvin. We suggest skewing toward "warm" as very cool LED light is similar to very cool fluorescent light, in that the blue cast can make your RV seem like a cold science lab. lol
The general range of color runs from about 6,000 to 7,000 K (very cold blue cast) to about 2,500 to 3,500 K, which is much warmer (and our preference), with a color cast similar to an incandescent light. If you want something in between, 3,500 to 4,500 K more closely mimics daylight white.
It might take some trial and error to find exactly what you like best. We actually demonstrated this installation with lights that were too cool, so we ordered warmer lights to replace them. It was so inexpensive to try them out, we weren't too worried about it!
For any RVer who spends much time boondocking, small reductions in power usage can be a big help. Even for those who don't dry camp much, bringing your RV up to date with some 21st century technology can be a fun and rewarding project.
Please remember that electrical projects aren't for everyone. Even 12-volt power requires extra caution in this case, since the capacitor in a fluorescent light ballast stores energy even after the power has been disconnected. If you're not comfortable working with electricity, hire a professional!
We purchased our LED strip lights on Amazon. Click here to find them.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
There are LOTS of ways to convert RV lights from incandescent or fluorescent to LED. The simplest is for incandescent lights, where you can purchase a direct plug-in replacement for an existing bulb. You can also replace entire fixtures with LED equivalents. But since these solutions can be a lot more expensive, we prefer to look for other alternatives. LED strip lights are an inexpensive replacement for fluorescent tubes, and really versatile too, since they're designed to be cut to length. They just take a little extra effort.
LEDs are available in a range of colors from cool to warm, which are listed as "K" ratings, which refers to the color temperature in degrees Kelvin. We suggest skewing toward "warm" as very cool LED light is similar to very cool fluorescent light, in that the blue cast can make your RV seem like a cold science lab. lol
The general range of color runs from about 6,000 to 7,000 K (very cold blue cast) to about 2,500 to 3,500 K, which is much warmer (and our preference), with a color cast similar to an incandescent light. If you want something in between, 3,500 to 4,500 K more closely mimics daylight white.
It might take some trial and error to find exactly what you like best. We actually demonstrated this installation with lights that were too cool, so we ordered warmer lights to replace them. It was so inexpensive to try them out, we weren't too worried about it!
For any RVer who spends much time boondocking, small reductions in power usage can be a big help. Even for those who don't dry camp much, bringing your RV up to date with some 21st century technology can be a fun and rewarding project.
Please remember that electrical projects aren't for everyone. Even 12-volt power requires extra caution in this case, since the capacitor in a fluorescent light ballast stores energy even after the power has been disconnected. If you're not comfortable working with electricity, hire a professional!
We purchased our LED strip lights on Amazon. Click here to find them.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
How To Replace an RV Skylight
Whether your RV's skylight is cracked or broken, or just old and cloudy, we'll show you how easy it is to replace it with a brand new one. Access to your roof and a few tools are all it takes to get the job done. Since most motorhomes, 5th wheels and travel trailers have skylights, this video is one that might help just about any RVer.
You'll need a putty knife or two, a can of mineral spirits, a caulk gun loaded with SureBond SB140 butyl sealant, a screw gun, an old rag and a pair of nitrile gloves (mostly to protect your hands from the mineral spirits). Of course you'll need a brand-new replacement skylight too. Also be sure to have some extra self-drilling screws on hand just in case, since there may be more screw holes in the new skylight than in the old one.
Surebond SB-140 Skylight sealant can be a bit hard to locate. We found it on Amazon.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
You'll need a putty knife or two, a can of mineral spirits, a caulk gun loaded with SureBond SB140 butyl sealant, a screw gun, an old rag and a pair of nitrile gloves (mostly to protect your hands from the mineral spirits). Of course you'll need a brand-new replacement skylight too. Also be sure to have some extra self-drilling screws on hand just in case, since there may be more screw holes in the new skylight than in the old one.
Surebond SB-140 Skylight sealant can be a bit hard to locate. We found it on Amazon.
We don't pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But many systems are the same on different RVs. The advice we give works well for us, but be sure to consult a professional technician if you're unsure about working on your own RV.
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