Have any of you changed out your incandecent really hot interior bulbs to reduce power consumption? I read somewhere and can't locate it about new leds or something similar that would save DC power just like the new floresent bulbs do for our home. We don't have a gen yet and really hoping to minimize its use when we do.
Thanks,
Tony
Use the search function to find a bunch of posts that give the advantages and disadvantages of LED lighting. They save a lot of power, however the beam width tends to be narrow, the color too blue for some, and most are sensitive to overvoltages...
We swapped out all the interior lights with LED's and are pleased. Finding the right LED ended up to be a chore. By ordering one or two and trying them, we were able to come up with the right color and intensity to suite our needs.
We put an ammeter on each switch before and after the change out. The savings was amazing. We are using LESS than 10% of the power we had been using, for no reduction in quality of life.
We boondock for weeks at a time and there are some days when we do not run the generator at all. I use a Hughes Net Internet setup and a HDTV dish as well, but we added an additional battery bank and inverter for the audio/visual gear. Great system
John
2008 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40' QSP
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Did you have the small spotlights in your bus ceiling or the 18" dual tube fluorescent lights?
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Thanks for all the replies. I did do the search function and got so much info but still wanted to know who had tried it and what were the results. the search gives a lot to tech but just want the real world. I saw the flourscent lights in the search as well. I need, "what" to purchase, "where" and "results". JUrban, I also would like to know about the flourscents.
Tony
Much of my camping is done with only the power from two coach batteries. Several ceiling fixtures have two-position light switches. One setting lights one of the bulbs, the other setting lights both. In each fixture, I replaced the first bulb with LED's. Yes, the light is bluish. It is enough to read by. When I get tired of blue, I can click to the second setting and have more standard-colored light. I haven't measured the power consumption, but this setup must save some amp-hours. It definitely produces less heat.
Order a couple of LEDs and try them. In spite of the power savings, some people don't like them. They also vary in quality. Some last considerably longer than others.
I tested a few LEDs when I decided to switch from incandescents. I found that I actually prefer the fluorescents. They consume more power than LEDs but considerably less than incandescents. Those lights that stay on for long periods (night lights, etc., might do better with LEDs, however.
David
Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people seem bright until you hear them speak.
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