Alternative Light Bulbs

Nearly all of us hassle with the issues of RV interior lighting. The typical "incandescent" bulb is a power hog, and not always the most pleasant thing to try and read with. Fluorescent fixtures are much less "expensive" to feed in terms of how much power they use--a real plus for the boondocking set, however they are expensive to purchase.

Some have tried going to halogen bulbs for their reading lights. Halogens put out a pretty fair amount of light--more than than the same "size" and power consumption xenon bulb. However, a xenon bulb will last a whale of a lot longer than the equivalent halogen bulb.

If you do decide to go the halogen bulb route, take care when handling these bulbs. Back in another life, the male specie of this blog team was a movie house projectionist. Our big machines used halogen projector lamps, and replacing them required donning cotton gloves. It seems finger grease causes hot spots to develop on the glass portion of the bulbs, and premature failure is an almost certain result. When handling a halogen bulb, wear cotton gloves or use a CLEAN rag.

What about LED bulbs? They hold a lot of promise: Far less power consumption for the equivalent amount of light. But the problem many RVers report is this: They seem to be extremely sensitive to over-voltage situations and will burn out easily. Since battery charging is inherent in the life of an RVer, higher voltages can be present, and often create all kinds of grief.

Many RVers say they've had good (inexpensive) experiences purchasing xenon and halogen bulbs on eBay. Be careful and check out any potential seller's record before purchasing, and be sure to read the fine print--particularly information on how much you'll spend on "shipping and handling" charges.

Photo: greg westfall on flickr.com