LED lighting retrofit for interior lights

[Gene]

I'm glad to hear the LED's sold by Airstream are holding up, but usually Airstream's prices are high and quality is not always the same. Going on 2 1/2 years (I think) and the LED's from Superbright have been fine.

Gene

[UAPachyderm]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

I'm glad to hear the LED's sold by Airstream are holding up, but usually Airstream's prices are high and quality is not always the same. Going on 2 1/2 years (I think) and the LED's from Superbright have been fine.

Gene

When I purchased from Airstream, I felt comfortable talking to and trusting Rhonda. She did me right. At the time, I didn't know who I could rely on from this board. If I had to do it over again, I'd know to listen to Gene and save myself a little money. Regardless, I'm a happy camper!

[barts]

Attached is a picture of me working on the indirect lighting on the Tin Pickle; we're using flexible LED strip lighting from ledwholesalers.com; the color temperature is 3100K and we're quite happy with this. This is super easy to do; we simply stick the self-adhesive tape to the top of the overhead shelving frame (an aluminum extrusion on our 71) and wire w/ switch or dimmer to 12 V source. The strips may be trimmed w/ scissors to the nearest 2"; it's relatively easy to solder on wires.

[Mr.Bill]

I think I have a different take on the LED lights. A few weeks ago we rented an Airstream at a KOA, and it had the puck overhead lights. I found the lighting to be extremely dim - basically mood lighting, not really useable. Looking at the Airstream website, it appears that the Safari and International models all have the puck type lights, but the Classic has something else entirely. Is the lighting in the Classic brighter? Is there a way to make the puck lights brighter? We don't have an AS yet, but we don't plan to do much dry camping, so energy use isn't a big issue. Could some additional 110v lights be fitted to the ceiling?

[Gene]

Bill, there are different brands of LED's and some are brighter than others. Websites should list lumens and you can compare brightness that way. They should also list color rendition. It takes a while to understand and research, but it is worth it especially if you do boondocking and need to keep power consumption low.

Gene

[Msmoto]

As a lurking SOB (Some other brand) former Airstream owner, I offer the following caution. I converted my 2009 27 foot Int FB Ocean Breeze to complete LEDs and used three suppliers. Two were less than upfront about the quality of their products. While replacing the G4 bulbs, it required sending in the failed units which becomes expensive in itself. Also, several months after the warranty period, most all of the cheaper ones failed.
Always, use your search engine to seek out the reviews on a company before ordering. Many of these .com sites are crooked. The one who has always been good to me, and this includes the complete conversion of a 44 foot Allegro Bus, is LED4RV. He has replaced bulbs quickly and works with suppliers to obtain a source which has high consistent quality. Many of the 1000's of the Chinese suppliers are making junk.
Hope this is helpful.

[TBRich]

I will 2nd the recommendation for LED4RV...we have been totally satisfied with the lights and the customer service from Dan.

[pod people]

We recently replaced all of the lights in our 16' (except the halogens in the upper cabinets).

I did way too much research and ended up with bulbs from MarineBeam.com

I was impressed with the info on their site - their explanations really helped. They are built to handle the voltage changes that happen in boats and RVs. We purchased them from Welcome to eMarine Systems - who have a quantity discount of 20% when you purchase 5 or more.

We used warm white for all the bulbs:
- "G4 LED Bulb - 6 LED SMD power cluster - side pin" for the halogen puck ceiling lights
- ""G4 LED Bulb - 6 LED SMD power cluster - back pin" for the halogen reading lights
- "G4 LED Bulb - 15 LED SMD mini tower" with "G4 adaptors" for all of the small incandescent bulb replacements

Took about 20 minutes to replace all 16 bulbs. They are working great. We wanted a just little less light than the halogens - and these are perfect. If you want more light - they have lots of bulbs with more LEDs and more lumens. Couldn't be happier.

[ROBERT CROSS]

We have done the LED replacement thing for the indoor lamps we use while dock'n, also the step and scare lights outside. The goal here was to save DC power. Big improvement!

How many have done the rest of the outdoor lamps, are you happy with the changeover, what was the motivation?
I can't rationalize the power saving angle,(only used underway), in 8yrs I haven't had to replace any of the exterior lamps, and their so... CHEEP!!

Bob

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

How many have done the rest of the outdoor lamps, are you happy with the changeover, what was the motivation?

I replaced the front clearance lights on our 1980 with LEDs just to eliminate the chintzy sockets on the incandescents that I was continually having to fiddle with to keep the lamps lit. The operation was very successful so I will do the rear clearance lights when I get a round tuit.
.

[ROBERT CROSS]

NV

I think I lost my tuit.

One popular site recommends same color bulbs, ie. red lens, red bulbs. Did you go that route or go clear?

I tried the bulb I got for my step light in one of the amber clearance lights, it sure was bright but mostly white, I can see where an amber would be better BUT more $$.

Maybe around tuit is the way to go, replace as needed. I can DO that.

POI...a little dielectric grease on the base works wonders for that socket corrosion.

Bob

[Nuvite-F]

One popular site recommends same color bulbs, ie. red lens, red bulbs. Did you go that route or go clear?

I just replaced the whole clearance light assemblies with LED models, eliminating the sockets altogether.

You definitely want to use red LEDs in red tail lights, amber LEDs in amber lights, etc. The colored lenses were designed to filter the light from an incandescent bulb, which produces a continuous spectrum, to give the desired spectral output. The light from LEDs is not a continuous spectrum. Colored LEDs produce sharp spectral lines in the desired part of the spectrum. White LEDs produce either a combination of spectral lines which look more-or-less white, or use a blue LED to excite a phosphor which produces a more-or-less white spectral output. If you put a white LED in, say, a red tail light, at best the lens is absorbing most of the output of the LED and at worst the LED may put out little or no light in the spectral region passed by the lens.
.

[reinergirl]

I'm looking for red and amber bulbs/strips... that would fit in the teardrop marker lights. Any links would be appreciated!

[Msmoto]

Hello out there in Airstream land,

LED4RV,com will help anyone get the correct item if possible. If using the strips in outside mounted lights, they will work best if potted in epoxy so as to prevent moisture damage. The nice thing about Dan at the above address is that he stands behind his stuff. He supplied the LEDs for an entire 500 square foot New York Apartment, which I just had built, 15v strips, 110v GU10 bulbs, and others.

A note. If you are putting in 12v LEDs in an automative or RV application, you may want to use a 15v LED as the RVs and such may run up to nearly 14v and this will kill the LEDs rated for only 12v.

Check the feedback on the web for any supplier. Many who have been touted as good, are found to be those who seem to vanish after a few attempts to resolve problems.

HAve a great day...

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

I just replaced the whole clearance light assemblies with LED models, eliminating the sockets altogether.

You definitely want to use red LEDs in red tail lights, amber LEDs in amber lights, etc. The colored lenses were designed to filter the light from an incandescent bulb, which produces a continuous spectrum, to give the desired spectral output. The light from LEDs is not a continuous spectrum. Colored LEDs produce sharp spectral lines in the desired part of the spectrum. White LEDs produce either a combination of spectral lines which look more-or-less white, or use a blue LED to excite a phosphor which produces a more-or-less white spectral output. If you put a white LED in, say, a red tail light, at best the lens is absorbing most of the output of the LED and at worst the LED may put out little or no light in the spectral region passed by the lens.
.

Originally Posted by reinergirl

I'm looking for red and amber bulbs/strips... that would fit in the teardrop marker lights. Any links would be appreciated!

FWIW..

As noted above you will get better performance by using the proper color bulb behind the lens you are you are using...there are examples of replacements being offered that do not follow that rational.

Bob

[Florida 55]

My experience with LED4RV was terrific. I replaced all of the interior light bulbs in my 2008 Safari 27FB. Dan was very helpful working with me via email to ensure I purchased the right LED's. I had trouble inserting the replacement light in one overhead fixture. Dan met me and personally put the lights in the fixture (I was in the area). A-1 service and support from LED4RV. The new lights are much cooler and energy efficient than the halogens they replaced.

[polarlyse]

I bought a couple of LED's to install in our '85 Excella. The double fixture over the sink took 2 of the LED pads that plug into the automotive socket and work fine, no problem. I also got 2 for the reading lights over the front sofa and they cause interferrence in the TV and or radio. Haven't had time to try and track down a solution. Just wondering if anyone else has ran into this issue with their retrofits.

Thanks,

[reinergirl]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

FWIW..

As noted above you will get better performance by using the proper color bulb behind the lens you are you are using...there are examples of replacements being offered that do not follow that rational.

Bob

I understand the rational behind using the red and amber led bulbs in the teardrop fixtures but I've been on quite a few sites (including LED4RV) and haven't found any that will fit. If someone can post a link I'd be grateful. Have taillights and scarelight, just need teardrop.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

I understand the rational behind using the red and amber led bulbs in the teardrop fixtures but I've been on quite a few sites (including LED4RV) and haven't found any that will fit. If someone can post a link I'd be grateful. Have taillights and scarelight, just need teardrop.

Shelly,

Here's a link...

To expensive for me though...after all your not replacing them for conservation, just looks. Can't recall the last time I replaced a burnt out clearance light.

Bob

[Pahaska]

After battling the fluorescent light in the bathroom of my trailer for seven years (bad tubes and bad contacts), I installed LED lighting strips from the Airstream store while at Alumapalooza.

The ten-minute installation consisted of cutting the wires to the ballast and attaching the leads with the included crimp connectors. The instructions say that polarity can be ignored, but I was careful to observe the color-coded leads. Sticky pads mount the strips on the reflector. The resulting light comes on instantly and is at least as bright as the original long tubes.

I like it so well that I bought additional strips for the bedroom and over-sink florescent lights as well. A bit pricy at $45 each, but well worth the price.