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Old 01-16-2012, 09:17 AM   #1
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incandescent 12volt screw in lights keep blowing out

We are restoring our 1960 airstream back to the way it was originally. My 12 volt incadescent lights keep blowing after a very short time. I checked the voltage and I keep getting 13.6 volts. What could be the problem?

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Old 01-16-2012, 09:35 AM   #2
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13.6 volts should not be a problem. A fully charge 12V lead acid battery should read around 12.6V. It the 13.6V you are seeing from a battery or is it when you have the converter/charger plugged in. When the charger is plugging in you will get a voltage reading higher than 12V.
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Old 01-16-2012, 09:37 AM   #3
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13.6 volts should not be a problem. A fully charge 12V lead acid battery should read around 12.6V. It the 13.6V you are seeing from a battery or is it when you have the converter/charger plugged in. When the charger is plugging in you will get a voltage reading higher than 12V.
Here is a good link for info on 12V
-http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm
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Old 01-16-2012, 04:23 PM   #4
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Brian - what about trying a 12V LED or CFL and see if that lasts...
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Old 01-16-2012, 04:49 PM   #5
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I have the same problem. But I know why. I bought some closeout Phillips lamps from a big box store on sale. They are listed at 12 volts but are not automotive. Since I got a good deal of 25 cents per package, I will use them all. Once they are gone I will be looking for automotive lamps. They are made to tolerant of the higher voltage that the battery charger/alternator puts out. LED are my 1st choice as well.
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Old 01-16-2012, 05:44 PM   #6
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The automotive filaments may also be a little thicker, to resist the vibration found in autos, but unnecessary for low voltage household bulb applications. Your axles may also be old and stiff and result in a rougher ride.
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Old 01-16-2012, 06:45 PM   #7
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Ganglin:

Do you recommend one? I want something that will screw into the old 1960 socket and give me some decent light. I looked at one on line and it was equivelent to a 25 Watt incadescent. I was hoping for something a bit brighter.

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Old 01-16-2012, 06:48 PM   #8
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DwightDi:

Illinois is where I was born and raised. Moving back in a few years. I wish I had my trailer on the road. I am still restoring it. Axels have not even been looked at.

The lights work for a couple of weeks and the go out. I think they may be old. I wonder if that plays into the factor of burning out. The packages looked pretty old.

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Old 01-16-2012, 09:04 PM   #9
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Try these ...? Least expensive place to get them I could find - others are over $9. It's worth trying.

I don't have anywhere that requires these so all I have to go on is the reviews out there - which vary from love to they burn out to fast. The thing to remember about CFL's is they don't do well when turned on and off without being left on for 15 or 20 minutes - at least that's what the "experts" say....
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Old 01-16-2012, 09:58 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lothlorian View Post
We are restoring our 1960 airstream back to the way it was originally. My 12 volt incadescent lights keep blowing after a very short time. I checked the voltage and I keep getting 13.6 volts. What could be the problem?

Brian
Brian

Incandescent light bulbs are extremely voltage sensitive. It has been this way since the days of Edison, and in olden times there were both 110 volt and 120 volt bulbs for sale in stores so that people could adjust for the voltage they experienced. Incandescent bulbs being resistive the power at the filament goes by the square of the voltage so applying 13.6 volts to a bulb designed for 12 volts applies 1.28x the rated power. As a result the lights burn out quickly since the filament temperature is much higher than it should be.

In the 1950s and 1960s when trailers that used the 12v Edison-base screw-in light bulbs were built, there were no converters. The battery was charged (to the extent the term can be said to apply) only by the charge line from the tow vehicle. Therefore it was not being charged while the lights were in use. The battery would deliver a float voltage of typically 12.7 volts. Since there is some voltage drop in the wiring the voltage at the lamp itself was typically between 12.0 and 12.5 volts, within the range for which the lamps were designed.

I assume your restoration includes a modern converter. This is keeping the system voltage closer to 13.6 volts in order to charge the battery and it is this change that is causing your lamps to fail early.

Since screw-in (Edison base) lamps aren't available in 13.6 volts, your choices are limited.

You could avoid using the converter and the lights at the same time.

You could use a dropping resistor in line with the lamps. For 25 watt lamps an 0.5 ohm, 2 watt resistor would be about right. You may be able to improvise something with ignition ballast resistors, which are in roughly the right ohm and power range. For example you could hook up 3 1.5 ohm ballast resistors in parallel. For 50 watt lamps you would want an 0.25 ohm, 5 watt resistor.

You may be able to lower the output voltage of your converter although this will mean that the battery will take much longer to charge.

Hope this helps. I like the old dual-volt setups and it's good to see some of them live on.
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Old 01-17-2012, 03:39 AM   #11
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Well - no link above so here are these. The lower Kelvin rating is more like a standard light bulb.

Phocos CL1215C 12V, 15 W Cool, CFL Lamp

they show an operating voltage of 11 to 15 v DC...
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Old 01-17-2012, 04:04 AM   #12
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One thing not mentioned in above posts; Do you have both a battery and a converter/charger in the system? The battery acts as a "filter" to smooth out the voltage to our many 12 volt appliances and lights. It is necessary to have, unless you are going with battery alone, and then charging the battery after use.
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Old 01-17-2012, 05:49 AM   #13
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Try these ...? Least expensive place to get them I could find - others are over $9. It's worth trying.

I don't have anywhere that requires these so all I have to go on is the reviews out there - which vary from love to they burn out to fast. The thing to remember about CFL's is they don't do well when turned on and off without being left on for 15 or 20 minutes - at least that's what the "experts" say....

The link that should have been included - sorry:

12V Fluorescent Spiral Bulb 15W

Note the color temperature is 6400K.
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Old 01-17-2012, 08:09 AM   #14
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I think all you good airstreamer's have answered what I need to know. I thank you very much. I have been running my converter and I have been getting 13.6. I will have to just invest in LED screw in lights because I will continue to run the converter. I will just order one online and see if it works well before I order any more.

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