handyman Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 got some 24 led 1.8 watt MR11 bulbs off ebay for £5 each. Used them this weekend, and they are really good indead. They are especially good on the 2 lights over the bed, as the halogen bulbs they replaced were far too bright. I like the white light they produce, especially for reading. The main light on the ceiling isnt as good (not bright enough), so would say they are fine for the spots, not so good for the ceiling light (where you would also like a warmer lighting). Will wait for caktanks new range of LED ceiling lights, which is out soon. Very handy when we use the battery instead of site leccy when you have to pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 We've been using LED lighting in much of our van for over a year now and I thikn they're superb! We have three ceiling mounted 8 Watt fluorescent units supplemented with two (soon to be four) LED cluster spots for reading in the main living area. We have an LED strip over the kitchen and another in the bathroom and they give plenty of light. I too quite like the pure white light for reading by. At the York show we did four days and when I checked the leisure battery (110 AH wet lead acid) on Sunday AM before we left it was still showing 12.3 Volts, not bad considering I'd been using the laptop for an hour or more each day powered via a 12 Volt PSU. I reckon with a bit of care we could probably manage between 6 and 8 days away from hookup before power became a problem. and we don't even have a solar panel! D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 caktanks have a 48 cluster ceiling light, but its white light. I'd rather have a warmer light, so will wait for the new stuff. Glad to hear someone else is a fan. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 daven's head is so far in the clouds me ansums he dont need no solar panel, an who wants fans this time of yer anyhow me biddies f Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlieme Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Caktanks. what is it or them and where from or is that the company? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 CAK tanks is the company, CAK stands for Caravan accessories Kennilworth, that's where they're based. Great stock range, super catalogue but customer service can be found wanting sometimes. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 http://www.caktanks.co.uk/ order a catalogue. My order was on my doorstep 2 days later. Get your LEDs off ebay, they are half the price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 handyman - 2007-09-30 7:51 PM Get your LEDs off ebay, they are half the price I'm sure this will start a similar debate as that questioning the wisdom of running LCD TVs running on nominal 12v supplies that can go up closer to 14v when on charge, but many LED bulbs are rated for 12v only (for use on transformed mains supply, not voltage from a motorhome charger). This may lead to significantly reduced life as a result of over-voltage. It is entirely possible to buy LEDs that are more tolerant to overvoltage, specifically designed for automotive and leisure use. I bought a couple of 21 LED warm white bulbs some time ago from www.ultraleds.co.uk, for use as main lights when not on hook-up, and found them very acceptable. Almost as much output as a 10W halogen, and the warm-white option is much better than the rather stark cool-white. The only down-side was not being able to replace the glass in the spotlight unit as the bulbs were too deep. They've recently released a smaller but equivalent output 6 LED version which is great, as it fits all my spots correctly, and allows the glass to be refitted. I'd recommend them to anyone who is without hook-up for any amount of time, the current consumption is much lower, and in reality, it is possible to replace only the bulbs used for extended hours, and get much of the desired saving for limited investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 these leds were from bailey caravan supplies (its ebay shop) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaleg Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 we spent months and traveled many miles to find reading lights for our van, we looked a led's, but found the light to harsh, and ended up with 5watt halogen, which we find is more than adaquate for reading and a nice soft light for background light. we thought that finding lights would be easy, or maybe were were to fussy. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGD Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 I totally agree about how good 12 volt LED bulbs are, especially the new generation that give a somewhat warmer light, and more "lumens" of light output per LED. I'm gradually converting all the bulbs in our MH to LED - overhead lights, reading lights, lights in bathroom, courtesy lights in cab, and even the van side and brake lights too. The brakelight ones seem brighter than the standard filament bulbs that were there before, and (alledgedly) the LED bulbs light up even faster than filament bulbs, so giving drivers behind a little more notice that you've hit the brakes. They are also FAR less likely to fail, so you're less likely to get a pull from Plod for a light not working. We do almost all of our travelling by wild-camping, so conserving leisure battery power is important for us. These LED thingies really do seem to use virtually buggerall power - they're fantastic! In addition, the LED bulbs don't generate heat, so for us in a hot climate, they are better for inside the MH at night. As others have said, ebay really is the place to get them. Much cheaper! Only thing I would say, is go for more Led's per bulb rather than fewer wherever possible (subject to the bulb being physically able to fit into whatever fittings you have). Definitely the way to go - I suspect that as the manufacturing technology continues to improve their perfomance, and increased volumes bring the prices down still further; in a few years time the old filament bulbs will just be a quaint old thing, like those quaint old cameras that used rollls of film.... Maybe worth MMM doing a techie feature on these things in an upcoming issue? Cheers, Bruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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