LED Lamps for interior lights

[drboyd]

Well, I'm a little paranoid about running out of electricity while boondocking. Here's one of my plans that might help:

I'm switching some of the light bulbs (technically, they're "lamps") in my trailer to LED lamps. The theory is that they use significantly less current than the regular incandescent lamps.

The ones I'm going to switch are the two that come on with the "low" setting in each of the ceiling fixtures, the one "low" lamp in the bathroom and the porch lamp.

I figure when we're in the boonies, we can run the lights on low, and when we're connected to 120/1/60, we can run on whatever we want.

The LED lamps are kinda pricey, and this way I get the best of both worlds...

Thoughts? Rants? Flames? Sarcastic remarks?

Don

[Pick]

Don,
I put some LED's I got from Super Bright LED's .

I put two of the 4 I bought, in the reading lights over the gaucho, then, over the lights over the bed.

When I replaced the front light fixture/vent with a Fantastic Fan, I lost that light fixture. Recently I added a Thin Lite florecent fixture. It draws 1.3 amps vs the 9 amps the old fixtures with 6 bulbs drew. The Thin Light fixture was around $54.

[ALANSD]

so what is the light like from these? Is it brighter, whiter or what. Interested in how they might do in the reading lamps.

[53flyingcloud]

drboyd

I've recently replaced one of the two bulbs with an LED replacement.
Works very nicely for the purpose, which is to conserve power and to be functional.
I'm using a red LED bulb at the moment in the front living room area.
It's odd but, the red light is more then enough to see with and, yet.when you step outside during the night, I've found that your eyes adjust quite easily to the change. You could say it’s sorta like what they do on a submarine during surface runs.
Cost was just under 8$ for the bulb.

I'll be looking for white LED to replace some of the other ones now.


ciao

[Pick]

Alan, the white LEDs I put in the reading lights over the gaucho seem to work just fine for reading, as the LED bulbs are "focused". Because of this, they do not work well in regular Airstream fixtures that have the bulbs horizontal. They do not work well as reading lights over the bed, but do provide enough light to avoid banging your toes or knees in the dark.

[drboyd]

Pick, your place "Super Bright LEDs" looks like the hot price. I got mine off eBay, but your guy is a couple bucks cheaper per light.

Thanks for that link!

I'm a little concerned about the "directionality" of the LED lamps in some of the spots, but with the plastic housings in the ceiling lamps, they should diffuse the light enough to make it work.

I'm thinking I may pick up some more for the spots over the sink if this works....

Don

[53flyingcloud]

Pick

I'm in complete agreement with you abt the LED light's direction of
lumination..If it had been vertically positioned, all the better..
It's a test of sort to see what works and, how much you can get by with for me..
I now understand that there's plans underfoot to use LED for headlights`! Quite a come around`
I think it's interesting development, considering how I first discovered it quite by accident when I was in high school..
If I may relate;
I had gotten my 'ham radio' license at 16 yrs of age and, like a lot of tinkers in electronics started playing with transistors.(They were still very new then)
My first transistor was a 'CK722', which I paid just under 5$ for back then..(alot of money then for me!) Used it to make a transmitter and, afterward when I was finished playing with it..I decided to remove the TO3 case off the top to see what was inside..lol
It was while playing around with it then, I applied slightly higher DC voltage to two of the terminal leads that I saw it glowing inside..Eurka~! first LED...
Nooooo, I didn't have a clue what it could be used for then..
ciao

[Silvertwinkie]

Depending on the bulb type too, they also have just come out with a 19led bulb.

I have been thinking of placing LED bulbs not only in some of the interior lights but also in the exterior ones as well (tail, backup, marker lamps, step light, and the outside light).

Eric

[loechli]

Pick,

Did the new florescent thin light put out the same light as your old 6 bulb ceiling fixture?

[Gordon Watt]

The fluorecent lights I installed seem brighter (whiter) than the old six lamp system. They don't collect the same amount of bugs as the old lamp shades.

I have a Fantastic fan in the lounge with the Thin Light installed beside it and a Thin Light in the bedroom area.

I will be installing a Fantastic Fan in the rear vent next season and will put a Thin Light with it.

[rluhr]

I just put in a 19-LED lamp purchased from www.autolumination.com . I bought the 1156 replacement model with white LEDs for about $12 with shipping.

I agree with Pick, they are much too dim in the overhead fixtures that position the bulbs horizontally, except possibly as a nightlight. I may leave one in just for that purpose.

I tried to fit it in the reading lights but they are designed for 1383 bulbs and the 1156 LED lamp is just too short to fit in the fixture. I'd have to replace the fixture, which I may do anyway since one of them is falling apart.

These can also be used as brake light replacements but (1) my brakelights position the lamp vertically and so again it is too dim; and (2) power consumption isn't an issue when the trailer is hitched up anyway.

Finally, the light is very bluish-white. Apparently there are other "warm white" LEDs available which I'd like to try out. The one I bought looks very blue when mixed with incandescent light and so it's a pretty poor match.

I still like the idea of LED lamps and will keep looking. If we can cut our power budget for lighting, we can boondock for a LONG time, basically limited by the capacity of the holding tanks. In our vintage trailer the only electrical draws are from the lights and water pump. We boondocked for five nights a couple of weeks ago and didn't run out of power, just by being stingy with the lights.

-- RL

[drboyd]

I replaced my outside light with a 12 LED lamp last night, and it's definitely much, much less light than the standard 1156 incandescent lamp, and it's a very blue color. However, I'd feel comfortable leaving it on all night boondocking, whereas I woudn't do that with the other lamp.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with the rest of 'em (I got 8 total). I may revert to my original plan of putting them in the overhead lights in the "2-lamp" sockets.

I would NOT put them in tail lights or breakelights. Just not bright enough....

[Pick]

Agree with Gordon Watt, the Thin Light puts out more light than the 6 lamp fixture. Wife complains it's too bright. But, it draws 1/6th the power.

[CanoeStream]

I've run across an LED link at the bottom of the Dixon's webpage . It describes multiple Airstream applications and could be a useful resource.

JodynJeep's Off to LA thread got me thinking more about this...