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Old 20-12-2016, 10:35   #1
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Cabin Lighting Question

I have a 36' Gulfstar that has cabin light that have a 120v side and a 12v side...so 2 lights for each fixture. There are enough issues with some of the lights that I'm going to replace all of them. I've chosen these from Amazon...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's my question...is there any reason why I would need a 120v light vs the LEDs or is this a good option for a refit?

Thank you
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Old 20-12-2016, 17:02   #2
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

I would just go with 12v LEDs. Just make sure the LEDs you buy are bright enough.
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Old 20-12-2016, 17:22   #3
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

Yep, primarily wire your boat for DC lights & equipment. Leave the AC for running the battery charger, & occassionally, tools.
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Old 21-12-2016, 05:25   #4
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, subers.
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Old 25-12-2016, 17:02   #5
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

https://www.superbrightleds.com/

Check out what this company has to offer - great stuff
cheers
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Old 25-12-2016, 17:24   #6
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

"IP44 refers to a type of lighting approved for use in some areas of the bathroom."

If you use in a salt water environment, I would be concerned they might not survive for long.
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Old 26-12-2016, 07:10   #7
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

I don't see any point in having 120 volt AC lighting so I suggest doing away with it.

One issue with LED lighting is that while many LED lights are designed for 12 volts DCC, your boat's DC system can reach 14 volts or more when charging and this will quickly ruin 12 volt LED lights.

You should look for lights with built in constant current drivers. These will be rated for 10 - 30 volts or something similar. The drivers keep the current through the LEDs constant and solve the problem of the variable voltage. They are more expensive but well worth it in reliability.
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Old 26-12-2016, 07:16   #8
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

I replaced my dual lights (110,12v) For 12 v LED . Then i read the posts about fluctuating 12v- 14 v . Grrr. So far working fine. Didn't see the reason for 110v lights on the boat. The pricing on LED is very cheap to expensive .
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Old 26-12-2016, 08:18   #9
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by landsend View Post
I replaced my dual lights (110,12v) For 12 v LED . Then i read the posts about fluctuating 12v- 14 v . Grrr. So far working fine. Didn't see the reason for 110v lights on the boat. The pricing on LED is very cheap to expensive .
I used cheap LEDs the first time I redid my interior lights. I eventually had a hard time reading with the lights on. Some were dimmer than others. When I checked, several of the individual LEDs were no longer working.

The explanation is in my previous post. I replaced all the fixtures (again) with better quality, regulated LEDs and they are working fine.
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Old 26-12-2016, 09:14   #10
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by landsend View Post
I replaced my dual lights (110,12v) For 12 v LED . Then i read the posts about fluctuating 12v- 14 v . Grrr. So far working fine. Didn't see the reason for 110v lights on the boat. The pricing on LED is very cheap to expensive .
Heres food for thought . Bet the manufacturers of 12v lighting for recreational vehicles / vessels have thought about that power fluctuation Ron keeps mentioning. Just dont try to go with the elcheapo Chinese bulbs. ( the lights I install come from an rv manufacturer in the midwest USA)
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Old 26-12-2016, 09:24   #11
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

The lights i bought were $19.99 each, four of them. Hopefully they will last,if not you guys have educated me as to the next better way of replacing them. Thanks.
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Old 26-12-2016, 10:18   #12
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

Myself I would go for all DC-powered LED lighting. Assuming you have AC outlets and need to have the whole DC system down for maintenance, you can just plug in some temporary AC lighting as needed.
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Old 26-12-2016, 12:36   #13
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Re: Cabin Lighting Question

subers,

Jim ordered us some new LEDs from Bedazzled in England, and they are amazingly bright, we love them!

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