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LED Replacement Fluourescents
Quote from: Chris Horst  - 

Very nice, warm 3200K units, easy to retrofit ($15/tube; $30/lamp).  I just received 8 more and will shortly have all 5 fluourescents replaced with LEDs.  In the past we never used the fluourescents for more than 5 minutes unless we had plenty of sunshine or shore power.

Ted, what brand and source did you use for your LEDs? Did you replace both tubes in the fluourescent fixtures?

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: LED Replacement Fluourescents
Reply #1 –
Chris--

Rod M. got his on ebay, but I tracked down the seller's direct website.  There is a discount for 8 or more tubes ($15/each), free and very fast shipping:

LED 18″ T8 Tube Replacement Light Warm White Leisure Rv Parts - Leisure RV Parts

Yes, both tubes replaced per lamp.  Extra bonus:  the tubes can be rotated independently of the pins to change the angle of illumination to suit your purpose.  Note:  in this installation, the pins are not conductive.  Wiring is included for each tube  to butt-connect each tube directly to LD's wiring.  Even I can do it.
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: LED Replacement Fluourescents
Reply #2 –
Quote from: Chris Horst  - 
Chris--

Rod M. got his on ebay, but I tracked down the seller's direct website.  There is a discount for 8 or more tubes ($15/each), free and very fast shipping:

LED 18″ T8 Tube Replacement Light Warm White Leisure Rv Parts - Leisure RV Parts

Yes, both tubes replaced per lamp.  Extra bonus:  the tubes can be rotated independently of the pins to change the angle of illumination to suit your purpose.  Note:  in this installation, the pins are not conductive.  Wiring is included for each tube  to butt-connect each tube directly to LD's wiring.  Even I can do it.
Ted, thanks for the info. I see you bought warm white rather than cool white or neutral white. What made you choose warm white? Is warm white the LED color of choice for other folks reading this message?

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: LED Replacement Fluourescents
Reply #3 –
Hi Chris. I used the M4 version 960 lumens per bulb, at 4500K. The color matches the cool white of the phosphors in the florescent bulbs and are indistinguishable from the unconverted fixtures except for instant operation, no problems at cold temperatures, and lower power usage. In my TK I converted two main room florescents with Nighthawk. At 6000k the light was too glaring (harsh), and you could see the individual LED di. I put in a switch to shut off one of the strips which cuts the light to tolerable and cuts the power in half. They are ok because I don't use those lights much. My remaining 4 lights are the M4.

LED Replacement for 18" T8 Tube Lights

Ronb
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: LED Replacement Fluourescents
Reply #4 –
Quote from: Chris Horst  - 
Ted, thanks for the info. I see you bought warm white rather than cool white or neutral white. What made you choose warm white? Is warm white the LED color of choice for other folks reading this message?

Chris
It's a matter of taste.  An old-fashioned, standard incandescent bulb is about 2700K.  "High-noon" daylight is, I believe, around 5000K.  For us, changing to 3200K LEDs, in addition to the primary incentive to reduce power consumption significantly, will eliminate the harshness of  fluorescent lighting, which we hate.  We do not like cold color temps for "close-in" lighting, such as in a coach (as opposed to recessed lighting in a cathedral ceiling living room).  For us, it is not pleasant for dining and reading.

I experimented by buying some inexpensive bayonet-mount car bulb LEDs in a range of color temps  that fit the small ceiling fixtures around the coach.  That experiment confirmed our expectation that we much prefer the warmer range.  Although "we knew what we wanted", we thought it best to confirm by testing before spending $150 to replace 10 tubes in 5 fluorescent fixtures.

We have been living with LEDs in the aforementioned car bulb fixtures for a couple of years, once we picked the temp we liked, so we are confident in choosing the 3200K tubes discussed above.  This was confirmed when Rod M. replaced two tubes in one fixture the day he installed my 4 new AGM batteries last week, so I could learn how to replace the tubes in the remaining 4 fixtures.  As soon as Rod turned on the fixture with the new tubes installed, I knew it was the right choice--for us. 

However, to complicate things further, lumens also matter, and these are only 600 lumens per tube.  We are willing to accept lower brightness in exchange for a warmer temp. 

It's akin to when newbies ask:  "what's the best floor plan"?  The answer, of course, is:  "the one that most effectively accommodates your lifestyle."

Re: LED Replacement Fluourescents
Reply #5 –
As they say "it's a personal preference".  We like 4000-4500K leds.  That's what we put in our S&B and converted the lights in the MB to, and our 2 previous Newells..  I find it gives us better contrast and color rendition with our aging eyes. 
BTW I used the self stick led strips to convert my fluorescent lights.  I was able to do all 5 with 1 15meter strip.  Plus had enough to add a single strip under the stove hood to get much better lighting than existing light.
Whichever way you go converting to leds is a great improvement.
2004 26.5 MB
Enjoying retirement traveling, Rzr riding, photography, and of course the 2 grand girls!
 
Re: LED Replacement Fluourescents
Reply #6 –
Quote from: folivier  - 
As they say "it's a personal preference".  We like 4000-4500K leds.  That's what we put in our S&B and converted the lights in the MB to, and our 2 previous Newells..  I find it gives us better contrast and color rendition with our aging eyes. 
BTW I used the self stick led strips to convert my fluorescent lights.  I was able to do all 5 with 1 15meter strip.  Plus had enough to add a single strip under the stove hood to get much better lighting than existing light.
Whichever way you go converting to leds is a great improvement.

We like the 2700K bulbs for the lounge and a little colder, about 4000K for the kitchen area.
Rewiring the fixtures, using the 15-meter rolls of LEDs is the cheapest way of relamping a fluorescent, at about $4 a fixture
The LED rolls are available in both both warm white (2700K) and cool white (4000K).

More information here,.
Upgrade to LED interior lights
The Lazy Daze Companion: LED Replacement Bulbs

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze