12 VDC LED Lighting

RVTECH · Sep 20, 2012

I don't usually chime in on this area but I was messing around with some new RV LED lighting fixtures this evening and if a person were real creative you could easily install a 12 VDC backup lighting system in a house that could be both tasteful, unobtrusive and very effective in the event of a power outage - even for an extended period and only utilizing a few batteries and maybe a conservative solar system. Some of the new LED light fixtures I see in new RV's I receive in are incredibly efficient and could be strategically placed for maximum output with little power draw. I am not talking about a high end system with mega - output solar, inverters and massive battery banks but a simple placement of flush mount LED fixtures and a couple dedicated batteries kept on inexpensive maintainers could really make a difference in the event of an unexpected power outage.

mjbskwim · Sep 20, 2012

I was all gangbusters for this,until I saw how much the bulbs are.
Yes the last longer and use a fraction of the battery power.Great for dry camping and such.
But man,the initial cost is crippling.

Unka-Boo · Sep 20, 2012

mjbskwim said:
I was all gangbusters for this,until I saw how much the bulbs are.
Yes the last longer and use a fraction of the battery power.Great for dry camping and such.
But man,the initial cost is crippling.

I dunno....I've been looking here for ideas for my el-cheapo camp trailer, pretty reasonable.

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PX4WA · Sep 20, 2012

Just bought a white 5meter roll from ebay for 12$

That thing is bright....

Also runs off a 12v selaed lead battery.

Run the strips around your home and you're good to go...

RVTECH · Sep 20, 2012

Actually if you do some research you can find bulbs for a fraction of the cost of retail but that is not what I am talking about. I am referring to some new style fixtures with integrated arrays of LEDs. These are fairly new and I can look into the cost of them. As far as initial cost is concerned a few of these and a couple deep cycle batteries is cheap compared to some of the pipe dreams I often see suggested. Like I said I am referring to a a simple setup here that could be installed by almost anyone and could really make a difference when the sun goes down.

OFADAN · Sep 20, 2012

RV please share pics, prices, links or whatever you've got. I'm taking the bait!!!

Nwcid · Sep 20, 2012

I have 3 lights in my 26' trailer. They are the dual 18" Fluorescent bulbs. I had one go out and thought it was the ballast (found out I had a wiring gremlin) so I ended up ordering a pair of these, Replacement 18" F15T8 LED Tube for Fluorescent Fixtures and they are awesome. Even though the rated Lumen output is less then the regular fluorescent bulbs they are way brighter. I ended up putting them in my middle fixture and use the end ones as needed.

These kind of lights are awesome and I really like them. Problem is I have a problem spending $250 on 3 sets of lights......