Can halogens and vent fan be on the same circuit?

[adwriter73]

I removed my light/fan kits and am installing fantastic fans and recessed/puck lights. Two of the fans will need to be wired to the same wires supplying power to the lights. Has anyone done this? Is it too much for the fuses?

[Dan@LED4RV]

Yes I did this for a customer before and the fans by themselves were too much for the way he was using them. He had both fans pulling air in. The good news was that the fans were fused by them self and that was the fuse that poped first. Once he learned to let one pull and the other push he was fine.

He did not have the power hungry Halogens in line.

How many puck lights are going to be on this run?

Dan

[adwriter73]

Originally Posted by Dan@LED4RV

Yes I did this for a customer before and the fans by themselves were too much for the way he was using them. He had both fans pulling air in. The good news was that the fans were fused by them self and that was the fuse that poped first. Once he learned to let one pull and the other push he was fine.

He did not have the power hungry Halogens in line.

How many puck lights are going to be on this run?

Dan

In the front, I just discovered that I can run the lights on a separate circuit as the old vent/fan that was there had a wire to the lights and a separate wire to the vent/fan. There will be 6 halogen lights on that circuit, and the new fantastic fan vent on the other circuit.

In the kitchen area, there will be 4 halogens on the same circuit (old kitchen light) as a 2nd vent fan.

In the hall, there will be 4 halogens on another circuit (old hall surface mount light)

In the bedroom, there will be 3 halogens on another circuit (old bedroom light).

[Dan@LED4RV]

Originally Posted by adwriter73

In the front, I just discovered that I can run the lights on a separate circuit as the old vent/fan that was there had a wire to the lights and a separate wire to the vent/fan. There will be 6 halogen lights on that circuit, and the new fantastic fan vent on the other circuit.

In the kitchen area, there will be 4 halogens on the same circuit (old kitchen light) as a 2nd vent fan.

In the hall, there will be 4 halogens on another circuit (old hall surface mount light)

In the bedroom, there will be 3 halogens on another circuit (old bedroom light).

Adwriter,

With the extra wire and spreading them out like you are, I think you will be fine. Airstream puts 8 to 10 on a circuit, sometimes more.
As a fall-out plan ,if it seems that you are pushing the limit, you can use LEDs in those Halogen sockets. They use far less power. I'm pretty sure you are wanting to make sure before you get those holes cut.

Love the pics on your blog. You are into it!!!!!

Dan

[adwriter73]

Yep! I want to be absolutely sure this will work before I cut. I did check the old fixtures and, if I understand it correctly, each of the old incandescent bulbs were 18 watts, and there were 6 on the larger fixtures. The halogens are 10. The only thing I don't know is the power usage of the old fan vs. the new.

I will probably upgrade to LEDs later. I got these little "puck" halogen lights for $6 a piece!!

Thanks for the comments.

[Foiled Again]

Six bucks a puck light - did that include a bulb in the fixture? Replacement BULBS at a big box hardware store run $5 each! And the Airstream store at the factory will hate you for publishing that price! Pray tell where did you get them? I've been considering redoing the bathroom lights with LED lighted pucks. Will have to see how big the holes are for the original lights first.


I just tested a replacement LED bulb for one of my halogen puck lights to see how I liked it. Pretty decent.

I understand this year's Internationals have the LED's in the pucks. The light isn't as yellow as the LEDS - I think it's fine - and supposedly these new lights will last for years and years. I fulltime so I have burned out several bulbs and unless you buy them in bulk you'll pay $5 per Halogen bulb. The Airstream store however charged over $20 for a single LED - gotta do a search for bulk priced replacements.

Halogens put off a lot of HEAT. Don't ever try to replace a bulb unless you're sure the fixture is OFF - you'll burn your paw. Supposedly finger oil will also cause premature failure, but I can't hang onto the little bulb with anything but bare fingers. They are battery killers too, so I tend to use only independent spotlights under the cabinets when traveling or boondocking. Halogen or Xenon aren't all that good for highly detailed work like beading or sewing - they're yellowish. The LED's are better - cool color and temperature. Apparently mosquitos aren't attracted to them.

Originally Posted by adwriter73

Yep! I want to be absolutely sure this will work before I cut. I did check the old fixtures and, if I understand it correctly, each of the old incandescent bulbs were 18 watts, and there were 6 on the larger fixtures. The halogens are 10. The only thing I don't know is the power usage of the old fan vs. the new.

I will probably upgrade to LEDs later. I got these little "puck" halogen lights for $6 a piece!!

Thanks for the comments.

[adwriter73]

"Six bucks a puck light - did that include a bulb in the fixture? Replacement BULBS at a big box hardware store run $5 each! And the Airstream store at the factory will hate you for publishing that price! Pray tell where did you get them? I've been considering redoing the bathroom lights with LED lighted pucks. Will have to see how big the holes are for the original lights first."

I bought them direct from ICM (the manufacturer) off an ebay post. I'll look for the contact I had if you are really interested. They had 200 of them that an RV manufacturer over-ordered. They are chrome & nickel trim.

[Astroboy]

bulbs.com*|*Light Bulbs, Ballasts, Fixtures, Recycling & More

You can find the halogen 10W capsule bulbs for about $1.50 each.

Last year, I ordered 30 of them. It seems that I've been replacing one or two burn-out bulbs every few weeks -- there are about 30 puck lights in my trailer.

I'm still not sure if I want to splurge for LEDs, because of the price and because of the color.

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BTW, our Airstreams' 12V system, lighting included, is grounded through our aluminum skin and ribs and the chassis. Do you think we can improve the reliability or quality of 12V system by having dedicated ground wires for the circuit?

[Bowmans]

I love your signature Astroboy!