Take the time to make a list of all the "interior" light bulbs you have in your RV. Be sure to count the bulbs in the kitchen, stove hood, dining area, living area, lavatory, toilet, bedroom, closets, patio lights, and basement lights. Count how many fluorescent fixtures (two tubes each) you have. What about those reading lights and map lights? Do you have lights sunken into the ceiling or into the cabinets above work spaces?
You can make a rough estimate of how much current you would pull if you turned on all the lights by estimating each bulb and each fluorescent fixture at one amp each.
What did you get? 20 or less if you live in a camper; 30 to 40 in a mid-sized fifth wheel. In a big motor coach the count can approach a hundred.
One hundred amps! You have to be kidding. How long would your batteries last if the lights were all on? At that rate, about one hour. Four batteries would last four hours. Just hope you have a BIG generator or a 50-amp service at the pedestal.
Most people swear they never turn on all their lights, but if you visit them in the evening you will notice a large number of the bulbs are burning.
The first application of LED lamps in an RV is to replace those bulbs you use the most, like over the sink and dining table, or the reading lamp over the couch or at the head of your bed. Those are the ones you use long periods of time. Find an LED replacement like the B15.3ZL3 or the W9.RV3-V.
By the way, if you live on a boat, you probably do not have chassis ground, so some of your fixtures may use the BA15d socket, with two contacts on the bottom of the base for power and ground. Be careful, do not use a BA15s bulb in a BA15d socket, or vice versa. It can blow a fuse.
What about the patio lights around your coach? How many times have you forgotten to turn them off overnight? Or left several of them on so you can find your way back home after dark? Do several of the bulbs turn on at once, even when you only need the one next to the door? Put LEDs in them all. If you want bright light try the B15.4ZL3 or W9.4ZL3.
Do you have those puck lights in the ceiling or over counters under the cabinets? Those contain halogen bulbs, the hotest thing going. The bulbs reach a temperature over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you notice the covers around the bulbs starting to crack, or the wood or ceiling paneling starting to turn brown? That happens when you heat something to near the ignition point. Put G4.RV3-H LED lamps in their place for the safety of your rig and your pet.
Those fluorescents are okay, right? Well, some are, but you can do better if you replace the tubes with a SL1 or SL2 nexLED LightStrips. Just don't wire the lightstrip to the ballast. In fact, you might want to cut the power wires to the ballast so it will not draw current and get hot. Ot better yet, replace the tubes and ballast with the fLEDescent products.
Have you ever left one of your basement lights on. They usually use good, strong incandescents so you can see back into the crevasses, but if they burn for a long time in an enclosed space, they get awfully hot. Even though you use them little of the time, it is a good idea to trade them out for LEDs, like the B15.2ZL3
We used the lightstips to replace the incandescent balls surrounding the vanity mirror in our bath area. It cut the power usage from 7 amps to 250 milliamps.
So, you see there are many places where you can use a LightBlasters LED lamp around your RV or boat, and when you do you make it safer and save on power. Do it today.
BY THE WAY, White LEDs are not recommended for use as vechicle brake and turn lights. There is little energy in the spectrum between 600nm and 700nm, the colors that can be seen through the red covers. Use native red LEDs instead. For more info on LED RV light
