Need a light or mod for bathroom for the kids

[prof_fate]

All of our lights are on the ceiling with the build in switch. Great for me as I"m 6 foot, but my wife is 5' and our kids are, well, kids and they can't reach them without climbing on things.

This came to light (pun intended) last night (our first night) when my son needed to use the toilet after we'd all gone to bed and couldn't reach the light switch on the ceiling.

I guess we're finding all those little reasons why our camper was $5,000 less than some others. Next time I'm at an RV show or dealer I'm going to be doing some research. It just seemed common sense to me that swtiched would be located where, well, swiiches can be reached.

[Fire Instructor]

A simple temporary solution (low cost) might be to pick-up a 3' wooden dowel. Get one that you can put a little rubber "foot" on, and it wont scratch or mar the light. Hold it in a storage location with a couple of spring clips.

[kbrown1075]

I did a mod for a friend a few years ago where I installed a pull string switch in the light fixture. I removed the fixture, drilled the hole next to the existing switch, moved the wires to the pull switch, reinstalled fixture, job done. His wife is under 5 feet tall and the light in the bedroom was unusable. Problem solved, cost was about $3.00(US).

[miatared]

Originally Posted by prof_fate

Next time I'm at an RV show or dealer I'm going to be doing some research. It just seemed common sense to me that swtiched would be located where, well, swiiches can be reached.

As life goes, by then, the kids will be able to reach the switches and you'll struggle to reach them

[jimh]

someone had a post abt a remote that was very inexpensive to turn the lights on and off.

the unfortunate thing is that u will always find things u should have looked for. when i bought mine, the dealer had had the 2nd air electrical run and the ladder installed. didn't know at the time but these things had to be ordered when it was built.
now i am trying to figure out how to put a rear view camera on it and run the wires so that they are hidden. guess there is always something that should have would have....
enjoy ur trailer; i see if i can find the post.

check this out: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tch-10911.html.
(still haven't figured out how to copy the exact thread to another post).

[oldfordguy]

hi ya,
had exact same issue/disappointment. didnt look close enough before traded my other trailer. anyways, i modified the light in the bathroom using wire mold, project box, and a switch. drilled hole in side of light and wired new switch in series. by placing new project box switch on wall with high strength velcro, my kids can turn lights on/off.

[F and E Damp]

I haven't done detailed research yet, but I saw a post on either RV.net or iRV2.com that identified "Thinkgeek.com" as a source for a radio-controlled remote. The switiching module is small enough to go inside the light fixture.

Only downsides are that it can only handle 60 watts, and I'm not sure yet if the remotes can be identified to work a specific switching unit. Have bought quite a bit of stuff from them and always been satisfied.

[08flagvlite]

Just make sure that any switch or switch accessory you buy is 12 volt DC powered. Some people don't realize that all of the lights in the trailer are 12 volt operated....EVEN when plugged in to external 120 volt AC, from a campground or garage. The CONVERTER changes the power supplied to the camper to 12 volts DC for the lights, and a few other things, as well. Randy

[rthrbelsewhere]

What about purchasing one of those puck LED lights? I know it's not a permanent fix, but we've used these in our popup camper during that short spurt between turning off the fixture and climbing into bed. My wife loves them because she doesn't have to climb out of bed to turn a light on to see why our dog is doing circles on its sleeping bed in the middle of the night.

Walmart.com: LED Wireless Puck Light, Three Pack, Grey: Sustainability

[prof_fate]

the molding looks interesting...i wonder how hard it would be to fish a wire down through the wall?

I've thought of the 'tap light' idea too.

Still thinking.

[scubieman]

Check out post 7 on this weblink http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ion-12009.html

[donn]

Originally Posted by prof_fate

the molding looks interesting...i wonder how hard it would be to fish a wire down through the wall?

I've thought of the 'tap light' idea too.

Still thinking.

Easy. Only need to cut a small hole to fish the wires through. Where the wall meets the ceiling you can cover any holes with a piece of inexpensive crown molding.

[kmzad]

On my 28bh the left bathroom wall is an inner wall so no insulation to deal with. I carefully removed the 1" molding at the top and drilled holes behind it. I was then able to fish the wire into the wall. I removed the plastic sky light framing in the ceiling which gave me access to the wires. As long as I was at it, I put in a switch for the fan too. A duel light/fan switch cost me $14 on Ebay. I put the same molding back on and you can't tell it was removed.
Happy camping! (If the weather ever breaks!)

[caper]

RV NightOwl Motion-Activated LED Lights 2 pack

(5 reviews)
President's
Club Price: $49.99
Reg. Price: $55.55

















These are available at Camping World. I know they are a bit expensive but they are motion activated so you would not have to worry about finding the switch in the dark. Because they are a two pack you could install one out side the bathroom and one inside. It would make is safer at night.

[allards5]

If you don't want to go the tap light route check out Mobi TykeLights. They are portable nightlights. They throw a decent amount of light - especially the green ones and stand up on a counter. My kids really like them.

[sunqueen]

We plugged a fancy little carved sea shell night light into the bathroom outlet. It goes on every night at sunset and off first thing in the morning. It throws enough light to perform most imperative bathroom functions without having to turn on lights and disturb other sleepers.

[F and E Damp]

I looked briefly at ThinkGeek and it's not clear if their unit will work on 12VDC. I sent a query in. A family member has used that device on 115VAC.

A web search for "12V remote-controlled lights" got me about 12,000 hits, so there are some devices out there.

[miatared]

I am still waiting for the 12V version on the Clapper

Would be great.

[F and E Damp]

Chris:

A trick I used for "fishing a wire" in our stick house was to get a length of Romex-type house wiring, solder a small flaslight bulb across one end and a flashlight battery across the other. I added a length of string to the lighted end.

With about 1/2" diameter holes at each end of the proposed run for the wiring, I then pushed the stiff house wire, with the light on, down the wall while DW looked for the light to show at the other hole.

When the light appeared, I was able to snag the string and pull it through and use the string to guide the wiring I wanted to install into position, then removed the piece of Romex.