Best rv interior lighting according to redditors
We found 28 Reddit comments discussing the best rv interior lighting. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 28 Reddit comments discussing the best rv interior lighting. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Here you go!
RV Boat Recessed Ceiling Light 4 Pack Acegoo Super Slim LED Panel Light DC 12V 3W Full Aluminum Downlights, Warm White (Silver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012ZOI44C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tfOQybKENJ2DE
These are the lights here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R6NJ5M9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_u91MDbNZ21SAT
I've got 4 lighting areas on the bus, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Each section will be independently controlled by an arduino mega through a relay module. 4 in the living room, 4 in the kitchen, 2 in the bathroom, and 2 in the bedroom
Currently, the wire ends are all twisted together and Hooked up to a car jump starter to give me light until I can finish the Ac electrical system.
Do roof fans use that much? I get by with one or two 0.8A 12v fans from WalMart. Usually one's blowing in and on me, and for the hottest, muggiest Florida nights, another one blowing out. That'd half your fan consumption (or put your roof fan on low only, and use a rechargeable USB fan set near a window).
LED lighting shouldn't need 4 amps unless you're trying to recreate the sun in there. 4A@12V of LED is kind of a lot. This set of lights are dimmable, and use .25A max, each. 4 of them can light the inside of a van quite well, for both general and specific purposes. They also come in "warm" or "cool" color choices; I recommend "warm", as it's less jarring.
Those two things alone would have you under 100Ah per night. I'd personally also skip the TV in favor of a laptop, at which point, what would you need the inverter for?
For the record, I spent ~6 months at a small RV dealership before I got my current job.
It is possible that one of those places could identify a proper replacement. And even if they can't, they could probably sell him an approximate lens or even a replacement lamp assembly.
Don't get a job selling RV parts tho. It is absolute hell on wheels, given that any camper is the work of 10 different companies. (And none of them keep records...)
EDIT - Camco is by far the sanest company you can deal with. And most of their parts are sold thru major distributors like Camping World, etc.
The one I'm seeing has a maximum draw of 5V and I figured 10 hours of use was also a maximum, so we're definitely assuming maximum usage here and worst-case scenario. But definitely possible that we use much much less energy.
​
4 amp is 8 LED lights running together at full brightness for full 4 hours, so again, a maximum. These are the ones I was looking at X2. I can reduce from 16 to 8 (obviously another maximum) but wanted to look at putting them in different layouts for different use cases (lower ones for just floor use late at night, upper ones for natural light, front ones for cab use only and then extras if needed, but honestly don't need nearly that many).
Just the fan and lights are 66Ah together, so those really wouldn't need much, possibly even just one battery if we went with one set of lights and normal use of the fan. We are definitely going for extreme comfort in this case since it's just a vacation van.
The inverter came with the vehicle and currently only runs when the car runs. It is nice to have to charge devices while we drive, so we intend on keeping that. I'd like at least SOMETHING for when the vehicle isn't running, so I guess I'm curious what the smallest setup would be that's still reasonably cheap and reliable for maybe a few things? I know I can limit my useage down to absolutely nothing, but that's not what I'm aiming for.
Buddy of mine got this for his GTI and I really liked it. This’ll probably be what I go with, way cheaper and has all the color changing magic you’d want
A 60W bulb is about 750 lumens so any RV light that is close to that.
Here is a pack of two at 500lumens & 3.5w each:
https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-Interior-Light-Switch-Camper/dp/B01N4D2OHQ/ref=sr_1_3_sspa
https://www.amazon.com/acegoo-Recessed-Ceiling-Aluminum-Downlights/dp/B012ZOI44C?th=1
Your motor may not like PWM. Try a regular DC dimmer instead, like [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C4UBMW8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ykmRzbCRCQ4WH).
Something like this dimmer switch might work? Would be a fun rabbit hole to fall down.
[Edit]
So I tracked down the power to the dash lights (cluster etc). Its fuse #6 in the fuse box on the passenger side interior. Could tap right into that and run the dimmer up to the dash for easy access. I've saved it to a wishlist but have bigger fish to fry atm. Cheers!
We used these,
they are almost flush to the ceiling and look really nice,
warm hue too.
Mineral wool, foam board and 3M Thinsulate. And for the lights:
12V RV LED Touch Boat Ceiling... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D35SHZB?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
From the details "DO NOT Use With AC 120V Or AC 240V - This Is A Bulb Designed For Low Voltage DC 12V to DC 20V"
So yes you can run directly off of 12V battery.
I was originally going to say no as the bulb end looks like a 120v bulb and usually LED bulbs like that have their own 120AC to DC converter built in but this one doesn't.
I put one of these https://www.amazon.com/Kohree-Ceiling-Interior-Lighting-Trailer/dp/B01L8CW9R0
in my power shed connected directly to my 12v system so I have lighting to work on my inverter system without needing it to be running. Its the exact same thing except the one you suggested will need a base to screw into where as this one just has wire leads.
There are several lights out there that can be dimmed. Baja Designs (12m,30s) lights can be dimmed to 50%, and MTN LITEbar has several modes as well.
You could also probably use one of these or similar, but they might, or might not work.
I shopped endlessly for one before I gave up and decided to make my own.
Get a small piece of sheet metal and find some switches that you like, then make your own! There were some small sheets of brass and such at my local ACE Hardware, probably also at home depot, and I bought some brass from Amazon and eBay for my project as well.
I drilled some holes in my brass plate for some toggle switches that i really like, added a couple of LED indicators on things that I don't want to forget (propane valve open, wifi system running), and some LED dimmer knobs for my lights. It takes extra time to cut and drill your metal plate, then grind off the sharp edges with a dremel, but you'll get result that you like.
(tip: if you are trying to drill into sheet metal, clamp it to a wood block first or your holes will warp - the bit frequently catches the edge as it goes through at the very end. Some of mine turned out a little rough as I was figuring things out)
I am using these round flush mount LED fixtures. I have seen numerous other builds with them as well. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012ZOI44C/ref=ya_aw_oh_bia_dp?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am also using some warm led strip and red led strip in a few places
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012ZOI3ZW/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/acegoo-Recessed-Ceiling-Aluminum-Downlights/dp/B012KCNN5O/ref=asc_df_B012KCNN5O/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312089957955&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2330697712718917869&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031639&hvtargid=pla-539250507595&psc=1
Here is the link to the lights, I've attempted to re-wire them with 2 POS off the switch ( 1 to the lights and 1 to the fuse box), and the fuse is still blowing out at 7.5A, is it something wrong with my wiring then? Because I have 4 lights spread across the van it is quite convoluted with many wire connectors. This is a mixture of 18AWG wires (comes with the lights), 16 AWG spool that I own and using 14 AWG to stretch out the remaining length needed because I ran out of the 16 AWG.
Like this?
Lumitronics RV LED Surface Mount Scare Light with Mounting Gasket (White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010P9UJYM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UTSmDbNM9GSP5
Right - I get you now. These look like a good alternative then, 12v @ 3.8 w x 4 = 15.2
https://www.amazon.ca/Dream-Lighting-4-5inch-Interior-Lights-Dimmable/dp/B00ODSB42I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1519768405&sr=8-8&keywords=12v+LED
I purchased the panels from Nglantz and son's sign shop, they have a warehouse in my area so I just drove over and purchased it there. website is www.nglantz.com
The 12v reading lights were found on amazon, but purchased on ebay because it was 5$ cheaper per light http://www.amazon.com/Green-LongLife-9090111-Reading-Fixture/dp/B00D225BXO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-2&keywords=green+longlife+rv+nickel
I am only speculating that your cabin is using 12v DC. Really depends on the size of the boat, bigger boats will have different electrical setups. If you have a volt meter you can see what sort of power is coming off of those wires. However, going of the assumption that really IS 12v you will need a power inverter similar to this. This needs to be turned on and off however, if left on it will drain the battery. I would recommend first grabbing a cheap volt meter and verify what voltage is coming from those wires, then basing your decision on that. If it is 12v DC you should look online for a light that is compatible. Maybe even something like this.
Note: I am not an electrical expert, I just have experience installing 12v lights and accessories in cars and some boats. Hope that helps!
you will need
​
Total will run you $200 to $250 in parts