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new LED bathroom fixtures

March 22, 2012, 07:46:04 pm

Well finally I have them up and working. I never liked the 3 bulb units that are standard as they look so "theartre-ish" so when Peirce sent me the rolls of LEDs I got to thinking surely I can change them. So as you can see in the pics I made a wooden fixture with  a plastic clear panel in and sprayed it a wood finish then made an insert to put the strip led lights on and wired it up. Simple but a little fiddely but I am pleased with the result. What do you think??  The last one is what the old one looked like.
John H

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Reply #1 – March 22, 2012, 08:12:56 pm

Yeah, I hate the OEM bulbs and the gold trim. Looks like you used part of a ceiling plastic florescent light cover for the lens. Angle looks good. How do the LEDs compare in brightness to the bulbs? The original bulbs used a ton of juice and was easy to burn your hand if you tried to remove one while turned on.

All right John! Good work.

Wonder if the mirror will still say "Movie Star" after I convert mine?

Pierce

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Reply #2 – March 22, 2012, 08:25:56 pm

yes I ran a panel thru the table saw to cut to size. The boxs are made of 1/4" ply. It is a test gluing and pinning them together, but once done are actually quite strong. I have another one in rough stages to use as a template to do the bedroom ones later, but not important as Ruth never uses them. I only have the closet lights to do then we are all LED in and out!!
The brightness is a bit more as I used 2 strips as was not sure if 1 would be enough as I could always cut the wires on one if it was way too much but I think it is ok. We will let time tell.
John H

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Reply #3 – March 23, 2012, 07:34:20 am

Real nice work, they look great and a lot classier than the bulbs did.

Thanks for the explanation of your work and the pictures.

Barry & Donna

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Reply #4 – April 04, 2012, 08:02:05 am

Beautiful job!  Jan and I liked the new look so much that I ordered some LED strips today.

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Reply #5 – April 29, 2012, 10:44:04 am

I took John's idea and ran with it.  I used some of the walnut I had left over from remodeling the forward TV.  I wanted to be sure the lights were plenty bright, so I glued two narrow strip lights side-by-side, staggering them to smooth out the light.  The two bathroom lights I was able to screw in place from behind.  The vanity lights had to be screwed from in front with the screw holes plugged.  All in all it was a very easy remodel job. 

By the way, if anyone has a use for the old fixtures and/or light bulbs, they are yours for the asking. 

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Reply #6 – April 29, 2012, 10:55:59 am

Always has to be someone that raises the bar and makes the rest of us feel badly.

Really nice job!

Pierce

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Reply #7 – April 29, 2012, 12:10:40 pm

You did a great job, now I have to get to work and do mine.  Richard, where did you get the led bulbs. 

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Reply #8 – April 29, 2012, 03:03:37 pm

Thanks Jimmy, I bought my LED light bars from LED Lights, Bulbs & Accessories - SUPER BRIGHT LEDS. I used their rigid light bar (narrow) which is 19.5 inches long.  You can cut the bars in increments of about 3 or 4 inches to match your requirements.  I chose the color "warm white" because that is the color I have used elsewhere in the coach.  I just used epoxy glue to edge-glue the two strips together and then used foam mounting tape to secure them to some metal mounting strips. 

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Reply #9 – April 29, 2012, 03:41:17 pm

way to go guy's, nice job and being the matching wood makes a better job, but as mine have been in a few weeks now we do not even notice the slightly different finish to original cabinet.
Good work.
John H

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Reply #10 – June 28, 2012, 03:23:51 pm

You did a great job, but I've looked at the florescent 18" bulb replacement. I think it's new, but it's the same size and shape as a T8 bulb. The difference is they don't connect through the normal pins, but are wired with a connection directly to the 12V. I bought one at a local RV dealer and am going to try replacing the existing T8 with the new 18" tube shaped LED. Anyone else try this?

Dick Lokar

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Reply #11 – June 28, 2012, 05:32:58 pm

Howdy Dick,
  I have replaced all my 18" floursecent lites with a LED tube that fits your description. Here's a link:  Revolution F15T8-18™ RV LED Replacement Tube for Fluorescent Lights
I have been VERY happy with these LED lites.  Kind of pricey, but very good quality tubes, good color, good lumens and with easy installation.
  Our coach had seven floursecent lights.  In several cases I removed the ballast and associated wiring and installed the LED tubes in the existing tube holders..On the recessed floursecent fixtures, I removed the whole fixture and installed some floursecent tube holders in the recessed box  to hold the new LED tubes. I left the old fixtures in the laundry room at FOT to be re-used by someone else.
Good Luck,  Dave Abel

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Reply #12 – June 28, 2012, 07:04:06 pm

Great look. I have the same crummy old lites with the dreaded brass fixtures that have seen better days.  Thanks for sharing. Ernie

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Reply #13 – July 17, 2012, 01:42:02 pm

John,

An old subject, but just wanted to say I like the looks and appreciate the idea and your explanation.

Thanks & regards, Lee

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