Outdoor LED light strips at really low cost

[mikestock]

I installed a 5 meter outdoor LED light syrip about 8 years ago on a fifth wheel I owned at the time. I paid about $80 for the weather resistant strip and every time I set up more of the bulbs would fail.

When I found this at $12.99 I thought I would give it another try, in my motor home. I bought this one a couple of months back, had to cut off about 4 feet to make it fit my slide out wall under the awning. So far I have had no bulb failures and this strip puts out a significant amount of light. Sorry I didn't think about pictures. Will try to get some added.

I am not, nor do I know or wirk for Jeff Bezos.

[mbopp]

I just installed a 5m strip under the awning. The wires were routed down the awning track and into the front pass-through. Power was tapped off the light in the pass-through and run through a dimmer.

[Chuck_thehammer]

be careful...

I ordered 2 sets of leds' both arrived together...

1 reel was fine, second look like they had it on the floor and walked on ... some LED's do not light.. the 3m backing was missing about 3 foot ...

the good ones used 2 amps at 12 volts and the damaged one used 3 amps...


its a good thing I only needed 1 reel.. 12 dollars for 1.. or 24 for 1 that is useable.

and I did the gorilla tape over the leds.. works well.
still trying to get a replacement for the second set.

[mikestock]

eDUBz wrote:

They come with 3M backing. I did this the length under my awning.

Mine came with the sticky backing, but since the strip will be exposed to highway speed I also added clear silicone adhesive on both ends just to be sure they wouldn't start pulling away.

The second time I applied a roll of these on a previous fiver, the strip came with no adhesive, so I had my wife help me and we applied them with clear silicone. The temperature was very warm and it stuck readily by holding a section at a time for a few seconds. Never had a problem with them coming loose.

The new set, I showed in my original post, is wired into my, never used, map light switch. The only problem I had, was that it is on a slide out and I had to protect the wiring from pinch points when the slide comes in.

I got this ad in an email today. If I'm reading this correctly, my original post, showing Amazon at $12.99 looks pretty good. They show a 16.4 ft strip at $79.95.

[RVcircus]

Thanks for sharing! I've been meaning to pick some up for a project I have on my list.

[Big_Love]

I used the waterproof led strips with 3 colors (RGB) that make white when all on together. I cleaned the area under the awning with acetone, then prepped it with 3M primer, which enhances adhesion of the 3M tape on the backside of the strip. Tapped into the porch light - works great.

[eDUBz]

Mrs. O'Mordha wrote:

hbrady wrote:
I'm thinking about doing this to my TT but I have a couple of questions for folks who have installed them.

-How did you attach strips under trailer, some type of glue or screws (I have an enclosed belly)?

-How do you power lights, jump off outdoor light switch perhaps?

Thanks all.

I have also been looking into this, I saw that a lot of guys have been using the clear Gorilla tape to attach the light strips.

For power, it seems tapping into the porch light is the preferred option.

They come with 3M backing. I did this the length under my awning.

[hbrady]

Actually, I've done a little digging and I think I have a plan (for power). I found a 12v remote LED dimmer on Amazon Clicky. I think I'll mount it inside back door (under bunks) and tap into the fused 12v supply going to my stabilizer jack. Then I'll feed the power down through an existing hole I have for coax running under the trailer. I'll come back and do a DIY post when I'm done.

[Mrs__O_Mordha]

hbrady wrote:
I'm thinking about doing this to my TT but I have a couple of questions for folks who have installed them.

-How did you attach strips under trailer, some type of glue or screws (I have an enclosed belly)?

-How do you power lights, jump off outdoor light switch perhaps?

Thanks all.

I have also been looking into this, I saw that a lot of guys have been using the clear Gorilla tape to attach the light strips.

For power, it seems tapping into the porch light is the preferred option.

[hbrady]

I'm thinking about doing this to my TT but I have a couple of questions for folks who have installed them.

-How did you attach strips under trailer, some type of glue or screws (I have an enclosed belly)?

-How do you power lights, jump off outdoor light switch perhaps?

Thanks all.

[mikestock]

cpaulsen wrote:
You can buy almost the same thing at WalMart for about 14-16 bucks and they also have different colors.

I looked at WM a couple of months ago but the ones at this WM were indoor only. Maybe I was at the wrong store.

[westend]

Thanks for the heads up, Mike!

[cpaulsen]

You can buy almost the same thing at WalMart for about 14-16 bucks and they also have different colors.