refurbishing a light fitting?

[Jabamusic]

Hi The Collective,

My internal lights are in serious need of a make-over (well actually a make-under) as I only want to replace the internals and leave the exterior as is.

I would like to replace the mechanisms inside and replace with LED.

Anybody done similar?

regards as always

Jaba

 

[vyv_cox]

You can buy LEDs that directly replace incandescent bulbs.

 

[laika]

I would like to replace the mechanisms inside and replace with LED.

Anybody done similar?

Yes. I have a combination of aquasignal fittings which take festoon bulbs and vetus reading lamps which take BA15Ds. Tried a few cheap LED festoons, didn't like 'em, then tried some more expensive warm white ones which I liked and replaced everything. Trivial to do. quite expensive in one hit but power use plummeted. Sensible compromise is probably to identify the fittings which you use most (or guests who might not grasp the need for power saving use) and replace only those.

I got the ones I liked from bedazzled but other suppliers are also recommended in other forum posts.
www.bedazzled.uk.com/12v_LED_Bulb_Replacement.htm

 

[robmcg]

I would polish up the external surfaces ant re lacquer them at the same time, will be good as new!

 

[duncan99210]

I bought some Lalizas ones for about €19 a time which look identical to the ones you have. I replaced the festoon bulbs with LED plaques which came with adaptors to fit the bulb holder. However, I couldn't fit the plaques into the dome with the adaptors so I soldered the plug provided as part of the kit to the bulb holder and connected them up that way. Great light with next to no current draw: less than 1 amp for all 5 light fittings. Bought the plaques off Ebay for about £1 a time. Make sure you choose warm white LEDs as the cool white ones are too blue for comfort, although they give a bit more light. Check the dimensions of the LEDs before you buy; I made the mistake of simply buying a festoon bulb replacement without checking the size of the plaque and found they were maringally too big (used them in another project so no loss). The second lot I bought I checked the dimensions of my selected LEDs against what would fit inside the dome. Job done.

 

[richardh10]

Slight drift, but....... if you are changing to led bulbs, which are the best ones to use for reading by?

Cheers

 

[duncan99210]

We now only have LEDs on the boat and use warm white throughout. They're fine for everything. However, even before we changed over, there isn't enough light after dark for doing fiddly stuff and so we have a couple of LED battery powered 'reading lights' that we use for doing that sort of thing.

 

[Burnham Bob]

i had the same fittings and the switch was constantly failing to make contact. replaced the one over the cooker with one of these from ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-18-...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item3a6b626d38

had to wait a while for delivery from china but is perfectly adequate for general lighting. might be a bit harsh for bunk reading light. tried to get a UK version with a built in switch but prices were horrendous.

 

[Jabamusic]

Thanks thus far...........

How is on/off switching achieved when you replace the bulb holders?:
I don't like the very crude contact/no-contact arrangements on my current lights.

Thanks

Just seen your post Burnham Bob. By expensive. - like how much?
Anybody come across something more suitable for a 30 year old boat?

 

[BarryH]

Recently I was doing the same thing. In the end I gave up and changed mine for these... http://hmsmarinesupplies.com/epages...bjectPath=/Shops/950002851/Products/HMS453SWW

Worked out easier and cheaper in the longrun. They give a very good spread of light and are brighter than the aged originals that use 2 10watt festoon lamps in each fitting. I'm glad I did. The interior of the boat is a much cheerier place when it gets dark.

 

[Jabamusic]

Thanks BarryH. That is what I was looking for

 

[William_H]

LED bulbs come in all sorts of styles. There are the festoon type ie contact on each end with LEDs that shine reasonably widely in one direction. You get the sort meant to emulate a normal light bulb. They have LEDs mounted around a circumference and on the end opposite the contacts. They are intended to light an area. Then there are the type that shine in a fairly narrow beam either 25 degrees or 50 degrees to emulate the down lights. They obviously give a very good light for a small area as in reading light or work bench. If you use your existing lens then that implies an area lighting job. Although if the lens faces the area you want lit then you could use a down light type directed beam.
http://bangood.com from China have lots of cheap LED of various power rated for 12v. They have resistive current control which is OK by me but may be a bit dim on a low 12v battery and may be a concern if your battery voltage goes to 15v with a fast charger. Mains or generator controller. good luck olewill

 

[vyv_cox]

If considering replacing the fitting altogether, have a look at CAKtanks website first. They have a large range of LEDs and fittings at caravan prices instead of yacht ones.

 

[nigelmercier]

If considering replacing the fitting altogether, have a look at CAKtanks website first. They have a large range of LEDs and fittings at caravan prices instead of yacht ones.

Looks good: http://www.leisurelines.net/

 

[Modulation]

Hi
I replaced all of my internal lights over the winter with LEDs. Although you CAN get bulbs with like-for-like fittings, I found it more economical to change the bulb holders to all G4 fittings. This meant I could even convert the fluorescent tubes and not spend the earth. I used heat shrink for the connections.
3 important issues
1 Go for warm white lights - the cool white is very clinical and won't create a nice ambiance
2 Ignore all comments like "equivalent to 35w halogen........." Instead look for the light output which is measured in lumens and the higher the better
3 look at the angle of light spread - do you want spot or a general light - the bulbs are not all the same. I've found that the flat bulbs with the LEDs on the front to be best.
It's worth doing the maths to ensure you get a good light spread.