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Topic: MB Flourescent light bulb question?? (Read 6 times) previous topic - next topic
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MB Flourescent light bulb question??
Yahoo Message Number: 86199
Can anyone tell me if the flourescent light bulbs are some special kind that works on the house battery or if I can just go to my local Home Depot and replace a burned out bulb from regular stock?
 My dinette light in my 2001 MB has a burned out bulb, it looks like a small standard florescent tube to me, but I just want to be sure.

Thanks in advance!

Bonnie
2001 MB who never did finish my travel tales from the Colorado Plateau...I'll get back to it soon, I hope..at least the parts I think are interesting to some beside me.

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Re: Fw: MB Flourescent light bulb question??
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 86201
"Can anyone tell me if the flourescent light bulbs are some special kind that works on the house battery?"
 Nope, they are standard 18"/15W tubes available at any hardware store.
They're able to run on 12V because each fixture contains a mini-inverter to boost the voltage up to 120V. (Which is why if you ever have to replace a fluorescent fixture in your LD, you'll pay $50-$60 instead of the $20 or less you'd pay for ordinary 120V fluorescent fixtures.)
 By the way, if you're shopping for replacement tubes, this is a good opportunity to buy "warm white" tubes instead of the "cool white" ones that came with the coach. Warm white tubes give a much friendlier, more pleasant light. :-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Fw: MB Flourescent light bulb question??
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 86202
Bonnie,

Besides replacing a tube with a new one, try taking out and reinstalling it or swapping a couple of tubes.  Sometimes the vibration of the rig will develop a poor contact at the tube end.  We had an instance of that on our rig.  A fix with no new parts is nice!

Alex Rutchka
'05 MB, SE #4