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08-25-2018, 03:01 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 7,053
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What Makes an Incandescent Bulb Burn Out?
I very rarely use my scare light and my porch light on my Windjammer. I have used the scare light maybe five times and the porch light about 10 times over the last three years. Each time they were used, they were only on for a few minutes. This morning I tried to use the scare light and it didn’t come on, so I tried the porch light and it didn’t come on either. I figured it must be a fuse, but it wasn’t. I took the covers off of both lights and the bulbs were blackish on the inside, but both of the filaments were intact. There are no signs of moisture or water intrusion inside of the light fixtures. I tested the sockets and I had power, so I installed new bulbs and they work.
What would cause these bulbs to go bad with hardly any use, and why are the filaments still intact and the inside of the bulbs black?
Bruce
__________________
2016 Rockwood Windjammer 3029W Diamond Edition
2015 Chevy 3500HD LTZ 6.0 Crew Cab 4x4 Long Bed 4.10:1 SRW
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08-25-2018, 03:03 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Between Pickles Gap and Toad Suck, AR
Posts: 6,070
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Incandescent porch lights have actually caused fires on several trailers, due to excessive heat. PLEASE change out to LED!
__________________
"Next to prayer, fishing is the most personal relationship of man" Herbert Hoover
"American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God"Lewis Grizzard
FROG AR-0019-242
2016 GMC Denali 3500Dually--2017 CC 36CKTS
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08-25-2018, 03:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 7,053
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BandJCarm
Incandescent porch lights have actually caused fires on several trailers, due to excessive heat. PLEASE change out to LED!
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Is there an easy way to work out how to convert from 1156 and 1141 incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs?
Bruce
__________________
2016 Rockwood Windjammer 3029W Diamond Edition
2015 Chevy 3500HD LTZ 6.0 Crew Cab 4x4 Long Bed 4.10:1 SRW
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08-25-2018, 03:38 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 10,518
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Google is your friend.
Just search for 1156 led
and 1141 led.
Ebay has them.
__________________
Peace!
Dan & Rita D
2017 Nissan Titan 5.6L King cab 4wd
2016 Evergreen Everlite 242RBS
29' empty nest model. Blue Ox WD hitch
(1 queen bed, large main cabin and huge bathroom)
Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
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08-25-2018, 05:04 PM
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#5
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Just as confused as you
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: south central Wisconsin
Posts: 5,108
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What causes incandescent bulbs to burn out without the filament getting burnt in two is a small leak in the bulb allowing just plain old air inside. It used to happen a lot when water would get inside the light assembly and crack the hot bulb. Had it happen several times on a boat trailer years ago.
__________________
Richard & Jill
2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS Classic Super Lite
2018 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71 4WD All Star Edition
Camping since 1989, Seasonal since 2000.
Car Shredder Op/Tech, Scrap Metal Recycling - retired
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08-25-2018, 05:14 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: North of Seattle, WA
Posts: 17,288
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Besides air leakage another enemy of incandescent bulbs is vibration. When cold it can fatigue the filament which then cracks. The circuit is broken but it can still look intact to the naked eye. When they are on, and subjected to sudden impact the filament is extremely hot and can be stretched to the point of breakage. Ask anyone who's ever dropped a work light while under their car about that.
Last, and perhaps the most common factor, is how cheaply most of these lamps are made. The price of replacement LED bulbs that still use the same type socket has come way down so I'd recommend replacing with the new technology.
I positively love my trailer. Not a single incandescent bulb anywhere. Not even in the refrigerator. I can have every light in the trailer turned on and consume less power than a single light bulb (60 watt 120 v). Even the 12 v bulbs use more power and put out less light than the LED replacememts
__________________
"A wise man can change his mind. A fool never will." (Japanese Proverb)
"You only grow old when you run out of new things to do"
2018 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25BDS
2023 f-150 SCREW XLT 3.5 Ecoboost (The result of a $68,000 oil change )
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08-25-2018, 05:28 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Port Charlotte Fl/Hinsdale Ma
Posts: 4,823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad297
Is there an easy way to work out how to convert from 1156 and 1141 incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs?
Bruce
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auto parts stores have direct replacements.
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08-25-2018, 06:18 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Lexington, NC
Posts: 2,621
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Good question and good answers. Thanks.
__________________
2018 Coachmen Apex 249 RBS
2010 Silverado LT 5.3 V8
The world is a great book, of which those who never stir from home
read only a page. - St. Augustine
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08-25-2018, 09:15 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Posts: 7,616
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The only bulbs on my trailer that weren't led are the porch, hood and fridge lights. I replaced porch and hood lights with led. Not worth messing with the fridge.
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08-25-2018, 09:28 PM
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#10
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Gold Tee Box
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Rolla, MO
Posts: 563
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All good posts here.
I was told that to compare bulbs you need to look at the Lumens rating on the package instead of the old wattage ratings we were used to.
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Success is hiring someone to mow your lawn so you can play golf for exercise.
2018 GMC 2500 Duramax Denali
2018 Coachman Freedom Express 287BHDS
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08-25-2018, 09:44 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 10,907
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Quote:
Originally Posted by babock
The only bulbs on my trailer that weren't led are the porch, hood and fridge lights. I replaced porch and hood lights with led. Not worth messing with the fridge.
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If you have a Dometic fridge with a Low Ambient Switch, you should NOT change the incandescent bulb for an LED (at least not if you plan to use the fridge in cold weather).
See page 18 of the attached.
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1988 Coleman Sequoia - popup (1987-2009) - outlasted 3 Dodge Grand Caravans!
2012 Roo19 - hybrid (2012-2015)
2016 Mini Lite 2503S - tt (2015 - ???)
2011 Traverse LT, 3.6L, FWD
2009 Silverado 1500 Ext Cab, 5.3L, 4x4, 3.73
2016 Silverado 2500HD Dbl Cab, 6.0L 4x4, 4.10
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08-26-2018, 06:05 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 7,053
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Thank you, everybody. I love learning.
I think I will make changing all of my exterior bulbs to LED my next project. All of my interior bulbs, except for my range hood light, are LED from the factory.
Bruce
__________________
2016 Rockwood Windjammer 3029W Diamond Edition
2015 Chevy 3500HD LTZ 6.0 Crew Cab 4x4 Long Bed 4.10:1 SRW
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08-26-2018, 07:11 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Waynesville
Posts: 14,428
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad297
Thank you, everybody. I love learning.
I think I will make changing all of my exterior bulbs to LED my next project. All of my interior bulbs, except for my range hood light, are LED from the factory.
Bruce
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Contact Joe at "Cabin Bright LEDs" he was a Vender at the Goshen Rally ! Youroo! !
__________________
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08-26-2018, 12:36 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 5,037
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Quote:
Originally Posted by youroo
Contact Joe at "Cabin Bright LEDs" he was a Vender at the Goshen Rally ! Youroo! !
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That guy knows his bulbs and is great to work with. I just swapped my step light for a LED.
__________________
Al
I am starting to think, that I will never be old enough--------to know better.
Tolerance will reach such a level that intelligent people will be banned from thinking so as not to offend the imbeciles. Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, Russian Novelist
S.E. Mich. Flagstaff 26FKWS / 2022 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost SCrew Propride
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08-26-2018, 12:42 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,083
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad297
Thank you, everybody. I love learning.
I think I will make changing all of my exterior bulbs to LED my next project. All of my interior bulbs, except for my range hood light, are LED from the factory.
Bruce
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Amazon has the LED replacements at much cheaper prices than the car parts stores (or Walmart). However, pull one of the existing bulbs first and measure. A lot of LED replacements are substantially taller than the incandescents they replace. My marker lights would not fit an LED over 1.1 inches tall.
And yes, brightness gets measured by lumens. There a lot of "Super Bright" leds that are way too bright for exterior vehicle use. I found that if I got the regular brightness, that was still a little brighter than the incandescent it replaced.
Fred W
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08-26-2018, 02:28 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Wisconsin/Florida
Posts: 1,905
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cavie
auto parts stores have direct replacements.
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Or go to Amazon or Ebay and type in the search bar "1156 LED replacement", , "1141 incandescent bulbs to LED bulb replacement" or any key words using the incandescent bulb number and LED in the search. Just be careful, sometimes they stick the incandescent bulbs in the same search.
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08-26-2018, 02:50 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 230
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X2!!!!
__________________
Si Hoc Legere Scis, Nimium Eruditionis Habes!
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08-26-2018, 03:33 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,738
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You can test the filament by flicking the bulb with you finger and if the filament is cracked it will vibrate even though it looks good otherwise.
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08-26-2018, 06:18 PM
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#19
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Bene Gesserit Rule
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Victoria, Australia
Posts: 846
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad297
I very rarely use my scare light and my porch light on my Windjammer. I have used the scare light maybe five times and the porch light about 10 times over the last three years. Each time they were used, they were only on for a few minutes. This morning I tried to use the scare light and it didn’t come on, so I tried the porch light and it didn’t come on either. I figured it must be a fuse, but it wasn’t. I took the covers off of both lights and the bulbs were blackish on the inside, but both of the filaments were intact. There are no signs of moisture or water intrusion inside of the light fixtures. I tested the sockets and I had power, so I installed new bulbs and they work.
What would cause these bulbs to go bad with hardly any use, and why are the filaments still intact and the inside of the bulbs black?
Bruce
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Incandescent bulbs work by an internal carbon or nichrome wire glowing because it presents a high resistance to the applied voltage/current. It gets hot, all the way to near white hot, which is why you see varying colours in a bulb from orange to yellow to white. These elements are actually quite fragile as well, which is why the sometimes break, inside the envelope. The black inside the envelope is carbon, a byproduct of the wire burning, caused by impurities getting inside the envelope during manufacture.
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08-26-2018, 06:35 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: North of Seattle, WA
Posts: 17,288
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murbella7
Incandescent bulbs work by an internal carbon or nichrome wire glowing because it presents a high resistance to the applied voltage/current. It gets hot, all the way to near white hot, which is why you see varying colours in a bulb from orange to yellow to white. These elements are actually quite fragile as well, which is why the sometimes break, inside the envelope. The black inside the envelope is carbon, a byproduct of the wire burning, caused by impurities getting inside the envelope during manufacture.
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Sometimes it' metal actually boiling off the filament and depositing itself on the inside of the glass which can turn the glass black.
I thought they stopped using carbon filaments long ago and went to tungsten. Way back in while Edison was still alive
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