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.
Where do you get the strip connectors?
ReplyDeleteWe've found better strip connectors than the ones we used here, and will be doing a video update about it soon. They are two sided (connectors on both ends), so you can either use them to daisy-chain two strips together, or just cut them in half and use them the same way we did here. They're also available on Amazon at this link:
Deletehttp://tinyurl.com/led-strip-connectors
Does a single 18" length of the LED strip give equivalent light intensity to the fluorescent tube it replaces?
ReplyDeleteEach strip we put in is about 1/2 as bright, so it took 2 to replace one bulb to equal the same light. We like the fact that we can adjust the brightness of the new light by varying the number of strips used, and since they're so reasonably priced, it's not expensive to add more. In the bathroom (where we want the brightest light), we even installed three light strips in place of each bulb, effectively increasing the light output by 50%, while still reducing the power consumption.
ReplyDelete