How has your experience been with LED's ? Mine has been dismal, certainly not worth the time & effort.
Strips, usually without buck drivers, fail 3 elements at a time, the better units, with buck drivers, just fail. This is my experience in both the FT & Lazy Daze. I've had 50% fail out of the bath vanity units, shown here.
Eureka! Found: the best ever LED G4 replacement for the halogen pucks (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=23329.msg180940#msg180940)
What's your experience ?
I've replaced nearly every light inside our coach with LEDs. The fluorescent bulbs were fairly easy. I just ripped the guts out of the old fixture and put in stick-on strips of LEDs cut to length. So far all are working properly, although some of the sticky stuff isn't the greatest. The "table" lamp in the salon and the sconces in the bedroom gut LED bulbs. We're still trying to figure out what we want to do with (to) the three bulbs in the fixture over the bathroom sink. Haven't even thought about the three nightlights since we never use them.
The "fun" will be changing the clearance lights at the front of the coach since I'm fairly short. May get my 6' 2" son to do that part.
I have been very pleased with LED's used to replace my florescent tubes- got them from CabinBright.com. Easy install, bright, have not had any fail and been using them over a year now. I just replaced the tubes in the bedroom ceiling with 1 piece , not 2, of the mid range LED's. We love it- Karen can now read in the bedroom and I can see on my side in the cabinets without getting a flashlight ( the Thinlight on my side was out- probably bad ballast).
Joe at CabinBright might have LED's to replace your puck lights- check with him or go to his sight. Good luck.
Ted
Hi Dave, I tried several different G4 LED replacements with similar not so great success. What we really wanted to do is replace the brass bezels with brushed nickel but the cost of those from FT plus G4 LED bulb was just shy of replacing the whole fixture with an ITC LED, the same ines Ft is using in new coaches. These are much brighter, dimmable and the all frosted glass lens looks great.
I am using the bulbs that Tom Lang found in the basement round light fixtures. They are not on all that much but they are still working.
I have used strip LED lighting without any other power supply other than direct wiring. Inside of every cabinet, closet, some basement bays and all flourescent light fixtures.
The LEDs I used in the flourecent light fixtures were three elements in a short plastic holder connected by a short wire to the next. None of these have failed but they get hot, don't stay stuck on with the double sided tape that came with them and some elements have discolored. These are all going to get replaced with the strips of LED lights that come on a roll.
I have used quite a lot of these. The only problem I have had is with the crimp on wire connections. It is not the connectors but the very small spots where the connect tomthe LED strip. When these become troublesome I am just soldering them and they work fine.
Some of the cheap rolls of strip lights claim to have 3M tape to hold them on. More likely a copy because they don't hold well. I have just used a good 1/4 or 3/8 inch double sided tape to hold them in place.
All of the exterior lights (except for headlights) have been replaced with LEDs.
So I would say we are pretty happy with them. They are a good color for us, much much cooler than the halogen, use about 70% less energy and have been reliable.
In other posts I have listed sources for the LED strips and supplies and LED bulbs and fixtures that we used.
Roger
I replaced the fluorescent fixtures with strips of LED lights. I replaced the bulbs in the puck fixtures with G4 LEDs. I replaced the bulbs with bayonet bases with LED equivalents. All have worked well and we've had no failures. The LED lights are all from SuperBrightLEDs and have the built-in electronics for constant intensity in the conditions in an RV. We use our coach several weeks out the year.
Inside and outside are all LED and in 3 yrs not one problem. The strips I made off the rolls and soldered connections and the replacements for halogen are all on Dimmers and not one peep. The sticky back of strips I put a few dabs of clear silicone along and none gets hot and comes off. The bathroom lite fixtures I made and have worked well, again no issues. (Posted a while back).
So very happy with the whole lot.
JohnH
Four years ago, I replaced all interior bulbs with LED (puck driver) lights and have had zero failures.
LED lights without puck drivers will fail due to over voltage when driving.
Many LED failures with puck drivers may indicate a 12 volt circuit spike issue in your coach. LED lights are very sensitive to over voltage. Voltage spikes can be generated by faulty converter, faulty battery charger, faulty alternator, or something else using 12 volt power.
Determining the existence of a voltage spike is not easy. A "fast response" "max voltage hold" digital voltmeter can be used, or an oscilloscope. Note that most digital volt meters are slow acting and will not respond to a voltage spike.
Three years ago I was at an RV rally the DW's parents were attending and bought several LEDs that were plug-compatible with bayonet types (round heads festoones with LED lights). These went into the bedroom lamps (one each lamp), the makeup lights, and the vertical lights above the bathroom sink. They all are still running fine.
Then I replaced the long florescent lights above the bucket chair and recliner; I put a switch in the end so I could have one long line or two long lines (but one is plenty). My experience with those mirrors Dave (KB0ZKE); the lights work great but they don't still well. I did not prep the fixture very well though so that could be it.
I need to get the porch light converted next. But so far we have not experienced too much draw from lights. Never really have to run the generator unless we want to use the microwave or a long (dark) night of TV. Very happy with LED! Especially with solar!!!
Craig
I like the strips but the very expensive voltage regulated halogen replacement pucks I got from eez-rv are all failing. They are repairable and I have repaired many but it's very difficult. The soldering is poor on the led's themselves.
I went with the Starlights 1000 exterior light with the amber lens. It has worked well so far and has a motion sensor built in if you don't want your light to run all night.
Amazon.com: Starlights SL-1000 Smart Light 1000 12-volt Exterior Motion... (http://www.amazon.com/Starlights-SL-1000-12-volt-Exterior-Motion/dp/B004O7DBM4)
After several years of use, zero failures. Bought all rolls from China. First were about $17 delivered for 5 meters, later dropped to about $12.
I changed the outside entry light to a double row of LEDs and opted for a clear lens. Very bright. Takes over an hour as the light takes a bit of work to get off and clean up and prepare the surface so the LEDs stick. I used the waterproof variety for the outside light.
Careful work with a pencil soldering iron and very strong reading glasses make a secure connection that won't cause trouble down the road.
Pierce
Forgot to attach photo of the outside entry LEDs
P
Followed Pierce's lead, bought the cheapest high density interior model led rolls I could find, soldered them to existing 12V wiring in fourescent lights etc., going strong with zero failures after two years. I also did the entry light, but used the standard, not outdoor strip, no problems. Very little use while coach is running, tho, so maybe the elevated voltage hasn't got us yet.
Chuck,
I did have concerns about the voltage range and tried to look up specs for each roll I ordered. I was only able to find a couple with voltage specs. They were advertised to be also compatible to automotive use with voltage up to 15V. Guess one could power up a short section with 14+ volts and look at it every couple of weeks.
I called the MidNight factory in Seattle and asked them about keeping the Classic 150 solar controller on while driving. They said yes but with both the engine running and the controller on, I was getting mid to high 14 volts so I shut off the controller. If I start off early with just the engine alternator, the voltage goes to almost 14V dropping back to a little over 13V as soon as the batteries are up. A lot of the time a LED reading light is on but no failures.
Pierce
Pierce
I see no point in f'ing around with LED's for lights we use going down the road, when we have ample current, only for lights we use dry camping, from storage batteries. I am very pleased w the under-cab puck lights Roger recommended and with the smaller bi-pin bulbs I had already put in the other under-cab fixtures. just ordered some 6W "bulbs" for the BR and bathroom mirror lamps. happened to get a great price on a lot of ten at eBay.
The new OEM LED lamps, particularly low beam headlamps, AMAZE ME. I remember when halogen lamps were an extra cost option with autos that otherwise came with tungsten bulbs. I grew up with cars that had round, and later rectangular INEXPENSIVE sealed beams. History has shown that we cannot conceive of where the technology will go from here.