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ron_dittmer's avatar
ron_dittmer
Explorer III
May 21, 2014

Swapping 12" Fluorescent Bulbs For LED Equivalents

Our 2007 rig is equipped with 12V fluorescent light fixtures throughout. I think the fluorescent bulbs are 12v-12"-8 Watt-T5-400 Lum, but will need to confirm. I was thinking of replacing Just The Bulbs to LED equivalents to reduce power consumption and to change the ambiance from the blue-ish fluorescent feel to a warm incandescent. I am not sure equivalent LED replacement bulbs exist. I've searched the web and found bulbs that appear to be direct-replacements in regards to plug-n-play, but question if they offer the same amount of light in a warm incandescent feel. I am also concerned that the LED bulbs shine only in one direction, not utilizing the reflector inside our fluorescent light fixtures, nor the 270 degree lens that shines light all about the rig. I really don't want to change the fixtures because we like the way they look and function.

Has anyone here researched this in great detail? Have you found "The Right" LED bulb at a decent price?
Class C

10 Replies

  • tpi's avatar
    tpi
    Explorer
    May 25, 2014
    If you're looking for LED (or any light actually) to have somewhat equivalent warm look of incandescent you want to buy lamps of 2700-3000K color temperature.

    LEDs dropped into fluorescent fixtures need to have the ballast bypassed.

    If you don't want to rewire, just want warmer color temp fluorescent lamps for your fixture google your lamp number with the suffix 830 instead of CW. 830-- the 800 refers to tri phosphor lamps and the 30 refers to 3000 K color temperature. The CW indicates "cool white" 4100K lamps with a less pleasing phosphor combination.
  • steveh27's avatar
    steveh27
    Explorer
    May 22, 2014
    Lots of past threads to search for. Here's a few:

    http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25843585.cfm
    scroll down a bit to see the fluorescent

    http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27382126.cfm

    http://blog.commandelectronics.com/2010/05/10/fluorescent-light-to-led-conversion.aspx

    https://www.cabinbright.com/shop/warm-white/fled12r-96/

    A youtube tutorial:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAMPQrAu0aI


    Here's some tube replacements:
    http://www.starlightsinc.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=36&idcategory=2

    http://www.rvledbulbs.com/product-p/18-0577.htm

    http://store.marinebeam.com/replacement-led-tube.html

    http://www.t8tubes.com/installation/t8-tube-installation.pdf
  • tenbear's avatar
    tenbear
    Explorer
    May 22, 2014
    Here is what I did. Clicky.

    I think if you frost the lens it would diffuse the light and somewhat hide the individual LEDs somewhat, and the price is substantially less than buying LED tubes.

    I only frosted the ends of the lens to hide the wires. I sanded the inside of the lens with sandpaper. Worked ok.
  • 4x4van's avatar
    4x4van
    Explorer III
    May 22, 2014
    Take a look here at my conversion. I replaced incandescents rather than fluorescents, but you can get a feel for the light output of the strip LEDs. I used a 16.4' strip of 600-3528 LEDs, cut into sections. Over my sink, there are 2-2' sections for a total of 4' worth of light. Assuming 3 or 4-12" sections in a fluorescent fixture, that's similar output to mine, and very reasonably priced ($30 for the entire 16' strip) as long as you can do a bit of wiring/soldering. BTW, 2700K-3200K is extremely yellow (warm), and even up to 4000K is still somewhat warm/yellow. The downside to warm is that it actually puts out less lumens than a comparable LED with a higher color temp. 5000K-6000K is pure white (what I have), and anything above 6000K is considered cool white and starts to look blue. As you can see in my pics, the 5000K-6000K does not have a blue tint, but is certainly not yellow either and is a bit harsh for some people (although we prefer it).
  • KD4UPL's avatar
    KD4UPL
    Explorer II
    May 22, 2014
    The 12" T-5 bulbs can be replaced with LED "tubes". I have looked into it and the cheapest I can find them is about $30 per "tube". That's not in my budget so I haven't bought them. These will snap right into your fixtures but you will have to rewire the fixture. I'm not aware of anything that doesn't require rewiring.
    The color is given as a temperature in degrees kelvin. What you want is around 2700 to 3200. That will look similar to an incandescent. The higher numbers (4,000 and 5,000) will look more blue and are not at all what I like for lighting.
  • Colo_Native's avatar
    Colo_Native
    Explorer
    May 22, 2014
    Try cabinbrite.com they have low prices, I bought 4 @ $8 apiece for the 1141 base they also have floresent type replacements
  • ronfisherman's avatar
    ronfisherman
    Moderator
    May 21, 2014
    Color will be you biggest problem finding LED lights that you like.
    I like colors in the 5000 kelvin scale. Not yellow/warm like many put in.
    Even if you find bulbs that fit into same location as florescent bulbs you will need to rewire your fixtures. There are replacement fixture that will also work.
    I did all my fixtures with LED strips and voltage regulators.
    On another forum there is a good thread on replacing florescent bulbs with LED. Here is a link.
    Here is a picture of my LED project. 2 fixtures on right are in the 5000 color range. The rest are closer to 6000.
  • Peg_Leg's avatar
    Peg_Leg
    Explorer
    May 21, 2014
    I purchased and tried 3528 SMD Pure White and Cool white smd5050. I tried 3 and 4 strips. The 5050's were marginally OK under the counter. The other fixture above our chairs just didn't cut it. We have a frosted covering on each light and they just defuse the light to much for our liking.

    I ended up putting a couple of strips to light the entry steps. I spaced 3 light segments about a foot apart and attached them under the side with a switch in the basement. Makes a nice light to grab a beverage from a cooler.
  • mthockeydad's avatar
    mthockeydad
    Explorer
    May 21, 2014
    Yes. "A decent price" might involve some soldering, but it's worth it.

    Search eBay for "DC 12V 5050 SMD" and "G4" or "Bayonet" or "1154" or whatever type of lamp base you are trying to replace. You will need an LED with about eighteen 5050 SMD chips on it to get the equivalent light output as one 18W 1154 lamp.

    An 18W 1154 lamp puts out about 250 lumen. An 18 LED module puts out about 290 lumens and consumes only 3.6W (20% of the incandescent).

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/G4-5-9-13-18-24-26-6-SMD-DC-12V-3528-5050-LED-Light-Warm-Pure-White-Bulb-Lamp-/121049963692?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&var=&hash=item1c2f23dcac

    In my experience having the LED's shine in only one direction still shines around the rig due to the diffraction of the housing lens. In my opinion, 270º light output won't put out as much useable light...the reflectors in our 12V fixtures really aren't that stellar. Lens good, reflector bad. haha

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