LED bulbs

[jjrbus]

I replaced the two interior main ceiling lights with new LED fixtures, the originals were old, well used and not in good condition.  The rest of the fixtures are in decent condition and work well, a bit of cleaning are they will be fine. 

Has anyone replaced the 12V bulbs in the old fixtures with the newer LED replacements?  If so what kind, where did you buy them and any other information would be greatly appreciated. Jim

[zero]

I replaced all the bulbs in the old fixtures in my RV with LEDs. Not sure how to answer your question.  Just go by the base type and room under the cover.  The rest is kind of a crap shoot.  Some LEDs make an awful sharp and annoying light and some soft and even nicer then the originals. Only problem I had with a few was for fixtures with bulbs that were somewhat recessed.  With them - even if the base fit, and there was room under the cover - the bulbs would not plug in because the OD of the bulb part itself was too big.  

[payaso del mar]

yeah, I've hit that "too big to fit in the fixture" issue too.  there are also some that are directional and if the "direction" doesn't line up correctly with where you want the light when the bayonet lugs are engaged. the light goes into the fixture rather than out. 

I've replaced all the bulbs in all 3 of our RVs with LEDs.  I LOVE them and feel this is one change with almost no downside.  you can get them lots brighter than the old incandescents, and they use so little juice that, for all practical purposes, there's never an issue with adding lights to a circuit or heat from bulbs.

Camping World has packs of 6 for about $75; they're not bad and a medium white color.  but my favorite source is superbrightleds.com....lots of selection (they probably offer a dozen different sizes and intensities with an 1156 base), good info, choice of light colors ((usually 3 different shades of white, and even blacklight!), and good attitude.  Also look at their LED strip lighting for fill light on countertops or inside closets etc.

I noticed Sylvania is also offering 2 grades of LED replacements for automotive bulb sizes (which is what most RV bulbs are.....1156s were originally turn signal bulbs), in regular and extra bright light intensities, at your friendly local otto partz....but they're pricey, $10-20 each.  got one for my MR2 and it's a lot brighter than the factory dome light

[Back East Don]

You can pay a little to a lot for bulbs.  The biggest factor is going to be color temperature.  There are a ton on Ebay and Amazon.  The ones I went with are not color corrected for daylight or even soft white.  They have a bit of a blue-ish tint to them but they were pretty cheap.  To me the lighting from these are more subdued but if you want to read a magazine or paperback it is not the best solution.  So preference is going to play a big part.  The only lamp I did not replace was the stove fan/vent lamp as it is a different bulb.  You can find all sorts of solutions though for the 1156 base.  If you need to, go with more expensive bulbs in areas that are more important for reading and cheaper for parts where you just need utility.