Lighting design question

Consider a light near your dump valves, and water fill ports, if so equipped. I've only had to night-dump once, but fumbling with a flashlight along with a stinky slinky was not fun, and a light in that area is on the list for this season.

My general thoughts:

1. Spotlights/floodlights on the outside are probably excessive, though you know your usage better than I do. I think (but I do not know for sure) that you would be legal on the road in the US if you put opaque covers over the lights while driving.

2. I would not attach the only entry side outside light directly to the awning, mainly because it means you have no "porch light" if you do not have the awning extended. I'd suggest some sort of a light attached to the side of the van, either instead of or in addition to the awning light. If nothing else, you might like some light when deploying the awning. Having some low-power light to act as a sort of night light/porch light if you go out wandering in the dark is a great convenience, too; just enough to see where the door is, and maybe where a rock or hole right in front of the door is.

3. There's no great shock hazard from 12V lights, and so far as I know there are not any GFCIs available, certainly not as common standard parts. The resistance of the human body is sufficient to generally prevent a dangerous current from flowing from a 12V source. (With wet skin, the human body resistance does go down a lot, but even so 12V is no more than uncomfortable absent extreme circumstances.) In my class C, the light in the shower is identical to the other ceiling lights throughout the motorhome and they are not any sort of waterproof or damp location fixture so far as I can make out.

4. Consider putting a light in your outside accessible storage compartment(s). They are mighty handy. A simple stick-on battery powered light would probably be perfectly acceptable since it shouldn't be on for hours and hours at a time, and would need no extra wiring.

evy wrote:

RoyB wrote:
Just keep in mind here in the US we have to follow DOT guidelines for the safety lights around the trailers. This is especially true for the the front and rear lights... They have to be DOT approved lights in order for the trailers to be able to pass the DMV Inspections if used on the public roads.

Adding BRIGHT WHITE lights for backing-up also get included in the DMV Inspections.

It has been my experience you can't just add some spot lights to a toggle switch and get away it...

Just saying...
Roy Ken

When I come down in the U.S. do you think the police can give me trouble? I don't plan on using those lights in the streets more like in trails when I'm boondockin or briefly when I'm parking the van at the campsite.

I doubt it. Does Quebec Province have any sort of vehicle road-worthiness inspections? They'd be the ones to give you trouble.

American cops will only notice your white flood lights if you're using them improperly, that is, on the highway as a nuisance to other drivers.

I have two remote 30w LED floodlights on the back of my trailer and one on the front, and haven't had trouble with the law in 30,000 miles, in US or Canada (since I've put the lights on.) I thought about wiring them into the reverse switch, but two things stopped me. Number one, the reverse switch wire in my trailer's 7-way cable is cut off flush (by manuf no doubt), it would be extensive surgery to restore it to functional status. Number two, more importantly, often times backing up at night, I want to see what's behind me even if I'm driving forward.

RoyB wrote:
Just keep in mind here in the US we have to follow DOT guidelines for the safety lights around the trailers. This is especially true for the the front and rear lights... They have to be DOT approved lights in order for the trailers to be able to pass the DMV Inspections if used on the public roads.

Adding BRIGHT WHITE lights for backing-up also get included in the DMV Inspections.

It has been my experience you can't just add some spot lights to a toggle switch and get away it...

Just saying...
Roy Ken

When I come down in the U.S. do you think the police can give me trouble? I don't plan on using those lights in the streets more like in trails when I'm boondockin or briefly when I'm parking the van at the campsite.

Just keep in mind here in the US we have to follow DOT guidelines for the safety lights around the trailers. This is especially true for the the front and rear lights... They have to be DOT approved lights in order for the trailers to be able to pass the DMV Inspections if used on the public roads.

Adding BRIGHT WHITE lights for backing-up also get included in the DMV Inspections.

It has been my experience you can't just add some spot lights to a toggle switch and get away it...

Just saying...
Roy Ken

For whatever reason, the industry is fixated on strip lighting right now. Chinese nock-offs are super cheap from flea-bay, aliexp, etc. The real deal cost a bit more, but still affordable. Plastic tape you can stick down, that's covered with LEDs in any color or shade of white you desire. High end strips have the plastic tape dressed up with an aluminum extrusion making it look nicer from the side.

12v illumination grade fixtures exist mostly in the form of recessed or surface mount lighting, like puck lights. Drill a 3-5" hole, snap in the fixture, bam. Lots of options here for brightness, color, focus etc. Either a simple flood or a fancy eyeball light you can aim.

RV "pill / oval" shaped lighting fixtures use typically indicator grade LEDs, replacements for the 921 halogen bulbs, etc. This is far less than ideal, although many seem content with the solution. Indicator grade doesn't offer the best in terms of color rendering (makes colors look weird / washed out), and some are not designed with continuous use in mind (over heating on hot days for example). Something called a COB light is a good substitute for the 921 type bulb. The COB gives you a "sheet" of light, you glue or screw into the fixture.

Designing something from scratch, my advice, avoid the pill / oval fixtures, unless you want to maintain the ability to go back to halogen bulbs. Puck lights and strip lights offer better light and better economy.