camperadi Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Just been looking around B@Q and they have LED spot light bulbs that are identical to the ones fitted to the under locker spotlights in my Chausson Welcome 27 of 2004 vintage. The spot lights in the camper are 12 volts The ones in B&Q had no voltage on them but were supposed to replace mr16 bulbs. My camper ones are not stamped with that number, but look identical.They were £9.99 each. Is it really as simple as that? Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Although some may say different, they may be 12 volt, but some are not voltage tolerant and will fail, you need to get voltage safe ones that handle voltage spikes, look here for supplies and information. Excellent company and goods backed by a guarantee and most are internally fused for protection. I bought a total of 15 for my van, and all excellent compared to the cheap junk I originally bought on Ebay that all started to fail soon after, with the seller saying they were not meant for M/homes or Boats with varying voltages, only regulated mains operated 12 volt power supplies, little by little they all ended up failing, so much for trying to save money http://www.bedazzled.uk.com/12v_LED_Bulb_Replacement.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 To the best of my knowledge all MR16 LED bulbs use a 12V power supply. If the B&Q LED bulb price was very cheap it might be worth buying one as a trial, but a GOOGLE-search will show that's not the case. MR16 halogen bulbs usually produce a fairly narrow beam of light that's good for reading, whereas the LED equivalent bulbs tend to produce a wider beam. You haven't said what wattage your Chausson's MR16 halogen bulbs are, but you should ensure that LED replacements have a 'wattage rating' at least as high. If there's any doubt, err on the high side (eg. choose an LED bulb with a 25W rating to replace a 20W halogen bulb, rather than one with a 15W rating.) Opt for "warm white" colour, NOT "cool white". I assume this is the B&Q bulb: http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/lighting/lightbulbs/led_bulbs/Diall-LED-1-7W-MR16-GU5-3-12418961 It is advertised as having a 110-degree beam angle, a current usage of 1.7W, a light ouput of 85 lumens and (apparently) is equivalent to a 10W halogen MR16 bulb. If (as I suspect) your Chausson's halogen MR16 bulbs are 20W, the B&Q bulbs' low light output will make them unsuitable as replacements. As 1foot warns, there is a risk that cheap LED bulbs will prove to be a bad long-term investment. Two LED-bulb-supplying companies have been recommended on this forum in the past - Aten Lighting and Bedazzled. Two MR16 LED bulbs are advertised by Aten Lighting http://www.atenlighting.co.uk/caravan-motorhome-lighting/mr16-leds.html If you were considering obtaining the 3*1W bulb (in warm white) it would be wise to ensure that it would fit in your Chausson's light units. (My Hobby has MR16 bulbs in its reading lights and, due to its extra length, the 3*1W Aten bulb would be unsuitable for the Hobby's light units.) Either the MR16-10L or MR16-12L bulb on the webpage retrieved via the Bedazzled link 1foot gave should, on paper, be OK to replace a 20W MR16 halogen bulb. (I would have expected the £9 12-LEDs bulb to produce more light than the £8 10-LEDs one, so you might want to check this apparent anomaly with Bedazzled.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Derek Uzzell - 2013-01-13 9:30 AM To the best of my knowledge all MR16 LED bulbs use a 12V power supply. If the B&Q LED bulb price was very cheap it might be worth buying one as a trial, but a GOOGLE-search will show that's not the case. MR16 halogen bulbs usually produce a fairly narrow beam of light that's good for reading, whereas the LED equivalent bulbs tend to produce a wider beam. You haven't said what wattage your Chausson's MR16 halogen bulbs are, but you should ensure that LED replacements have a 'wattage rating' at least as high. If there's any doubt, err on the high side (eg. choose an LED bulb with a 25W rating to replace a 20W halogen bulb, rather than one with a 15W rating.) Opt for "warm white" colour, NOT "cool white". I assume this is the B&Q bulb: http://www.diy.com/nav/decor/lighting/lightbulbs/led_bulbs/Diall-LED-1-7W-MR16-GU5-3-12418961 It is advertised as having a 110-degree beam angle, a current usage of 1.7W, a light ouput of 85 lumens and (apparently) is equivalent to a 10W halogen MR16 bulb. If (as I suspect) your Chausson's halogen MR16 bulbs are 20W, the B&Q bulbs' low light output will make them unsuitable as replacements. As 1foot warns, there is a risk that cheap LED bulbs will prove to be a bad long-term investment. Two LED-bulb-supplying companies have been recommended on this forum in the past - Aten Lighting and Bedazzled. Two MR16 LED bulbs are advertised by Aten Lighting http://www.atenlighting.co.uk/caravan-motorhome-lighting/mr16-leds.html If you were considering obtaining the 3*1W bulb (in warm white) it would be wise to ensure that it would fit in your Chausson's light units. (My Hobby has MR16 bulbs in its reading lights and, due to its extra length, the 3*1W Aten bulb would be unsuitable for the Hobby's light units.) Either the MR16-10L or MR16-12L bulb on the webpage retrieved via the Bedazzled link 1foot gave should, on paper, be OK to replace a 20W MR16 halogen bulb. (I would have expected the £9 12-LEDs bulb to produce more light than the £8 10-LEDs one, so you might want to check this apparent anomaly with Bedazzled.) It's worth noting that having replaced all 15 of my halogen bulbs with smd replacements that I can have all 15 on for the same current draw as a single 25 watt halogen, mind you it's a bit like Blackpool if we do. We have found the light output suggested as replacements for any given halogen unit to be fairly accurate as quoted by Bedazzzled, having said that if you do want more illumination go for the highest output unit that will fit, that's one of the win wins with this technology, more light, but with dramatically lower battery usage, even on mains hookup the 12 volt regulated charger / supply is hardly working at all. AS Derek said go for warm white, much kinder light than the bluish cool white ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 The only point I'd add is on the subject of the choice of "warm" or "cool" white. For me it depends on the light's purpose, if its a work light, over the kitchen area for example or a light you will read by then the "cool white" I find to be a better option, for general/ambient lighting then yes I'd agree with "warm white". I find the "cool white" is great for reading by as it improves the contrast of the written word. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Dave You've either become addicted to 'weldng-torch blue' or you are unkowingly being influenced by alien intelligences... http://healing.about.com/od/awake/a/bluelightstar.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camperadi Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Thanks for all the great advice given and the time taken. I now Know a lot more and have decided to take a middle price route with these from EBAY. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MR16-15-LED-SPOT-LAMP-BULB-2-5W-12V-24-VOLT-WARM-WHITE-BOAT-MOTORHOME-CARAVAN-/230907986182?pt=UK_Campervan_Caravan_Accessories&hash=item35c3304106. The B&Q ones are not bright enough. The chosen ones are brighter and are cheaper than those at bedazzled or Aten with cheaper postage and packaging. They are still voltage protected. I am going to replace 6 spots to begin with. There are 5 other lights which may follow suit. The original spots are 10 watt so the chosen one should be much brighter. Any comments please? Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Should be OK and the light output should be more than adequate as your original halogen MR16 bulbs are 10W. Although the LED bulb you are planning to buy is said to operate happily within a 10V-30V window (which is good), if the Bedazzled advert is to be believed, 'your' LED bulb won't be internally fused. Having had an MR16 bulb spontaneously melt down, I see an internal fuse as a desirable feature. In my case the bulb was open-fronted so, when the bulb failed, smoked and fell apart, the potential danger was higher than it would be with an enclosed-front bulb like yours. You might want to ask the e-bay vendor about fusing and also check what guarantee is offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Derek Uzzell - 2013-01-13 4:24 PM Dave You've either become addicted to 'weldng-torch blue' or you are unkowingly being influenced by alien intelligences... http://healing.about.com/od/awake/a/bluelightstar.htm Funny Derek, but I do find the cool white better for reading by or working by, as I said, for ambient or background lighting then yes I agree warm white is better. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 If you have replaced all of your original lights with LED units, you can improve safety by reducing the value of your lighting circuit fuse. The fuse for your old lights could be 10 or 15 amps, with LED's you can reduce this. Add up the total wattage of your new lights and use the appropriate fuse. The total current drawn is roughly :- 10 watts = 0.8 amps. 20 watts = 1.6 amps 30 watts = 2.5 amps. 40 watts = 3.3 amps. 50 watts = 4.1 amps. Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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