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Ivylog's avatar
Ivylog
Explorer III
Oct 10, 2015

What I've learned about LED lights... long post.

Eight years ago I bought my first home LED light bulbs (half off for $12 at Sam's). They are 40 round bright white leds in circles that I'm still using in a hallway 24/7... 40,000+ hours. They are still working BUT they now put out aprox 40-50% of the original lumens as I recently put in two spare ones I'd bought. Boy are they much brighter.

The good news is the prices keep falling and the square chip has replace the round ones and the Cree chip is replacing the square ones. The square chips will still put out 80% at 30,000 hours and the Cree chip is even better. Since most of us spend more time at home than in the RV (I'll get to RVs) replacing home incandescent lights will save you the most money... Home D now has Cree LED for less than $10.

For indoor use I prefer the warm white and for outside... bright white. Warm white is obtained by putting a yellow filter in front of the led which decreases the light output slightly and it's the reason the chips look yellow. The energy savings of a led over incandescent is close to 10/1 but LED to CFL (florescent) is only 1.5/1 approx. There is very little savings in replacing CFL with LED because of the 4X price difference. Granted the LED should last 2-3 times longer but the decrease in lumens become a problem with the LED after years of use.

Five years ago I started experimenting with different LEDs to replace the 34 halogen ceiling puck lights in my MH which drew 32 amps... 34 LEDs only 4 amps. I did it for the amps savings as we boondock often although replacing the energy hog plasma TV with a LED TV has saved the most energy. I have found the G4 5050 SMD warm white bulb to be the best for the ceiling pucks which now cost less than $1 each on Ebay from China. In five years of half time use I've had to replace two.

I did replace one ceiling 18" florescent with four 48 5050 LED panels when the ballast went out but there is not a big enough energy savings to change the others until it takes more than a new bulb to fix. I have some concerns with the longevity of the LED strip lights which I have used as night lights in the bathroom. Installed them at the bottom of the cabinets and leave then on for 8-10 hours/night 150+ nights/year... 1350+- hours/year. I need to replace them for the third time in four years as they have dimmed or more than half of the LEDs have stopped working. I have used this strip under my awning and it still works fine BUT it probably only has a couple hundred hours on it.

Hope this helps others.

G4 5050 $0.90: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-G4-6-9-12-24-LED-5050-3528SMD-Pure-Warm-White-RV-Boat-Light-Lamp-Bulb-DC-12V-/371023172918?var=640202882668&hash=item5662b45536

48 5050 Panel $1.80: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-Warm-White-T10-BA15S-1156-LED-48SMD-Panel-Interior-Dome-Map-RV-Trailer-Light-/261700514519?hash=item3cee90f2d7&vxp=mtr

5M 5050 strip $13.59: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Warm-White-12V-5M-500CM-Waterproof-5050-300-LED-SMD-Flexible-Strip-Light-3M-Tape-/151169308647?hash=item23326497e7
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6 Replies

  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Oct 11, 2015
    My halogen lights under the ceiling cabinets were dim-able and the replacement G4 12 LED 5050 dim also. I did try some G4 15 LED 5630's chips and while they were a little brighter than the 12/5050's they got hot (200+ degrees). Under these cabinets I could use some G4 15 LEDs 5050 as it's harder to notice that they are too big to center in the puck light... in the ceiling it was very noticeable.

    While on LEDs... you need to buy some of the little cree flashlights. Amazing how much light and how long the batteries last. I like the ones that us three AAA batteries to put in vehicles where they do not get used much. For $5.49 without the batteries you really need to try some. If you use one a lot then the rechargeable ones which includes the battery and charger are probably a better choice for $5.90.

    Last Christmas Home D had two for $10 including the six batteries, BUT they did not focus. They also had headlamps for the same deal... should have them again in December and the price should be even lower.
  • AllegroD's avatar
    AllegroD
    Nomad
    Oct 10, 2015
    Excellent info. Good write ups. Thanks for taking the time and sharing.
  • Kayteg1's avatar
    Kayteg1
    Explorer II
    Oct 10, 2015
    I build new house last year and all mostly used lights are LED.
    With good insulation, even with 2 refrigerators our power company keeps sending me congratulation letters that my house draws 11% less energy than average energy-saving house in my area ( I think they have solars, while I do not).
    I was buying LED directly from China using ebay.
    Outdoor, waterproof 10W reflector cost less than $10 and prices keep on dropping.
    One that comes with remote and can change colors per your program cost less than $20 and those sure are fun in my living room and in garden fountain.
    I knew to get biggest LED lights I could for bathrooms, but even the 7W was not that much. In bigger bathrooms put 2 of them.
    100W installed over kitchen countertops makes it a day at night.
    I like the white spectrum, but this is personal choice.
    Did not have good luck with E27 sized bulb replacement. The internal converters on them died in the matter of weeks.
    Also replaced all internal bulbs in my camper. Whenever you can't find direct fit bulb, you can use LED panels with plug in adapters.
  • MaverickBBD's avatar
    MaverickBBD
    Explorer
    Oct 10, 2015
    My problem is figuring out where we want what type of light. Sometimes I want bright for reading and super bright when I drop that eye glass screw. Other times it is just 'mood' lighting. I think the only solution (besides carrying around bulbs in my pocket) is new fixtures.

    Have you noticed any difference with fixtures built specifically for l.e.d.?

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