bobfears
louisville
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We have a 2012 primetime tracer 2800rld. The porch light uses a 1003 bulb which burns out after 3 or 4 hours of use. It also basically provides no light. Would changing to l.e.d improve the amount of light given off? Do I have to change the fixture or can I use the existing one? What could cause the bulb to fail so quickly? Water? Thanks in advance. Bob PS we start a 8 day camping vacation at Nolin lake in Ky June 1st!
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Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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Overheating is a major cause of premature bulb failure, but another cause in RV's is that in many cases bulbs are also subjected to variable voltage flows. Spikes up to around 14 aren't uncommon, and the bulb you're using is 12.8v rated.
Replacing with LEDs is certainly an option- they do run cooler- but they're expensive and I don't know how voltage variations will affect them, if at all.
A cheap way to determine if voltage variation is the cause of the failures might be to replace your 1003 bulb with a 1093, which has the same base but a higher voltage range.
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien
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phenrichs
Sioux Falls, SD
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Francesca Knowles wrote:Overheating is a major cause of premature bulb failure, but another cause in RV's is that in many cases bulbs are also subjected to variable voltage flows. Spikes up to around 14 aren't uncommon, and the bulb you're using is 12.8v rated.
Replacing with LEDs is certainly an option- they do run cooler- but they're expensive and I don't know how voltage variations will affect them, if at all.
A cheap way to determine if voltage variation is the cause of the failures might be to replace your 1003 bulb with a 1093, which has the same base but a higher voltage range.
Where can you find information on which ones are interchangeable and what the voltage ranges are? I have a similar issue with a 1141 bulb and would love to find an alternative.
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Francesca Knowles
Port Hadlock, Washington
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Bulbtown gives the base/etc. info- here's a link to yours...
Also, googling the base number/LED gives choices of LED bulbs that will fit your socket. Here's one site.
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SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
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3-4 HOURS?
LED is the way to go, but if you're burning out lamps that fast you need to look at the house DC voltage and determine why that is, or you will smoke the LED even faster.
Jeff - WA6EQU
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ROBERTSUNRUS
Lakewood, Ca.
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 Hi, you say the bulbs are burning out; Are they changing colors inside of the glass? If silver or black, they could be over voltage or over heated. If white-ish or yellow, They have a cracked or broken glass, sometimes from water getting on a hot bulb. If the bulbs are clear and the filaments are broken, it could be from slamming a door that is close to the light assy when the light is on and the bulb is hot.
Bob
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spike99
North America
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.
Few tricks of the trade...
- When replacing a bulb (even 12V bulbs), never touch the glass with one's bare fingers. Always use a dry tissue between the glass and your hand. If wondering, the natural oils from one's hands gets onto the glass and this oil creates a hot-spot. This hot-spot dramatically reduces its life expectancy.
- On the 12V buld's connect points, apply some dielectric grease using a Q-Tip. re: - Click Here - If wondering, dieletric grease comes in a small tube and makes better contact. It dramatically eliminates corrosion from natural moisture as well. I put that stuff on all my 12V bulb connections.
- Check bulb assembly for water exposure as well. Even 12V bulbs don't like water. Especially light assemblies that don't have enough spacing for natural cooling. Hot assemblies and water leak on "hot bulb" is very bad combo...
- If you need lights for your RV stairs, a 12V "porch light" is a very bad choice. Suggested getting some auto rear license plate light assemblies and installing on your RV stairs instead. Underside of its upper stair lights up its lower stair very nicely. If wondering, I installed - Click Here - on my TT stairs and it works great. IMO, these small clear 12V lights should be mimimum factory inclusion on all RV stairs.
- If your RV's Porch light still isn't very bright (even with new bulb), then perhaps one should replace its factory porch light assembly. Simply visit your local RV store and they will sell you a generic replacement. Simply replace the entire assembly (if your RV's porch light design is under sized). Add some external silicone behind the light assembly (to make its contact water resistant) and connect its 12V wiring.
Hope these tips help as well...
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SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
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Thats true with Quartz Halogen lamps, and the failure is dramatic, but I have never seen an incandescent lamp fail due to finger prints, and it's REAL obvious when that happens Even so, any lamp that's failing at 3-4 hours needs to have their input looked at
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RoyB
King George, VA
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I had trouble with my scare light filling up with water inside the lamp assy. Turns out there is a water WEP hole in the removable lens and it was installed at the top instead of at the bottom. After I reversed the lens cover all has been fine since.
My Posts are IMHO based on my experiences - PM me
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bobfears
louisville
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Thanks for all the good advice. Bob
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