A) BENEFITS
There are several advantages why you should consider making the switch from incandescent lights to LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights:
1) LED's do not have a filament that needs to be heated to a high temperature to emit light. Unlike incandescents, LED's use far less energy and are much more effecient. An incandescent bulb will use about 10 times the amount of energy meaning that you will be drawing only 1/10 the amperage from your house battery. This is good news for those who dry camp and where conserving battery power is crucial.
2) LED lights emit less heat that incandescents. You will notice that the plastic lens and the area around it will feel much cooler and; depending upon the number of lights you have on, the interior of your RV will also be somewhat cooler.
3) LED lights generally last much longer than incandescents.
4) They are very durable and less sensitive to vibration making them ideal for RVs.
B)
TYPES OF LED LIGHTS
LED lights come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, intensities and temperature ranges. They may be flat like a pancake, square column and other configurations. The diodes themselves are either square or round and can emit a warm/soft light, a natural light or a cool, bright white.
The base of the LED must be matched to the your present incandescents. Some of the more common bases are wedge, screw in, pin, bayonet and festoon. You can easily obtain LED wedge replacements for the 921 incandescent commonly found in almost all interior overhead lights.
The intensity and color of the light is often a personal preference. Some people prefer a softer, warmer ambience while others like a brighter, cooler atmosphere. Since LED's can be obtained quite cheaply, it would be advisable to order a small sampling of each type and then when you have made a decision about what you like best, order larger quantities.
Some LED's give off light in all directions while others, like the pancake type, emit a downward light. Choose the best type for your application.
While it sometimes difficult to determine the number of lumens of LED lights, try to get ones that have a higher lumen rating.
C. WHERE CAN I GET THEM FROM?
Almost all LED lights are made in China and can be purchased in a number of ways:
1) at RV supply retailers like Camping World. This is the most expensive route.
2) Online retailers dealing in LED's ----
www.superbrightleds.com for example -- seems to be a popular choice of many.
Try these:
http://www.rvledbulbs.com/category-s/42.htm
http://www.rvupgradestore.com/RV-LED...show=25&page=2
http://www.led-outlets.com/
http://www.led4rv.net/
www.LEDTrailerlights.com
3) Online from ebay and Amazon. Most economical.
4) For general information about RV LED lights:
www.jwspeaker.com/bulbs/
Since there is such a huge and changing inventory of LED lights it is best to go online and do a Google search for the various sites selling them. For example, if you type in "T10 921 LED Bulbs" on ebay, you will find hundreds of hits. (921 being the incandescent bulb that you will probably be replacing).
D. EXTERIOR LED LIGHTS
When replacing your interior lights, you might want to go ahead and swap out the exterior ones at the same time - marker and brake lights. Many of these lights will use a different base and cost more but worth the conversion nonetheless.
Brake lights can be ordered from Bargman. It seems that Bargman #84 in the Bargman 07 series is a favorite with many. Go to
www.bargman.com to see these lights. Check the type, size and base of your marker lights before ordering.
You can also use LED lights as accent lighting in cupboards, awnings, stairs and compartments. Rope or strip lighting is the preferred type in these cases.
E. HOW TO INSTALL LED LIGHTS
This is not a complicated process. Simply remove the plastic cover and the incandescent bulb and replace with the LED. Note that in some cases, the LED bulb may be polarity sensitive. If it doesn't work one way, switch it around and it should work.
There are also a number of videos found on uTube on how to install LED lights.
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This is a draft. If you have any comments or pertinent information you wish to add that will enhance this tutorial, please send a PM to me. Because it is a Sticky, it will be kept as brief as possible.
Thank you.
Festus2
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