When it comes to choosing auxiliary lighting, RVers have a multitude of choices “” and potential locations.
By Peter D. duPre
July 2006
Before the discovery of fire, life was much different than it is now. During daylight hours early mankind lived an active but precarious life as hunters and gatherers, and after sunset they retreated into the dark, dank safety of their caves. Many anthropologists and social scientists think that we would still be living pretty much in this manner if fire had not been harnessed.
Light in the darkness enabled civilization to begin and flourish. Fire supplied light that effectively extended the day for our early ancestors. Like our ancestors, we still enjoy gathering around the warmth of a campfire in the evening. As for the firelight itself, we no longer depend upon it so much for extending our daytime; we have modern technology supplying a variety of lighting to do that task. Whether you want to light a footpath, see down a fogbound highway, brighten up a motorhome interior, read a road map, or illuminate a darkened engine compartment, there’s a light type designed specifically for the job at hand and generally myriad models within each category of lamp.
Before you can decide what types of lights are needed, it is important to realize that the reason different types of lights exist is that varying amounts of light are used for different jobs. For example, most refrigerators use a 15-watt to 20-watt light bulb to illuminate the interior. In the cramped, white interior environs of the fridge a stronger light is unnecessary. In fact, it can actually increase the spoilage rate of the food, as a brighter refrigerator bulb will produce more light and also generate more heat, which takes longer to dissipate once the door is shut. Put that same bulb in the reading lamp next to your bed, however, and you’ll barely be able to read the page. For that, a 60-watt bulb is far superior, because it delivers a considerably brighter and whiter light.
How light is measured
Although we generally rate a light by the amount of wattage it draws, we measure the amount of light by its color temperature (not actual temperature), stated in degrees Kelvin (K). Except for deliberately colored lights, such as taillights, plain light appears white to the eye, which can be a little confusing when talking about light temperature. The low-wattage refrigerator bulb looks white in the fridge, but put it next to a 60-watt or 100-watt bulb and it appears yellow in comparison. The reason for this is that the human eye is quite good at adjusting for changes in light temperature. So, the refrigerator bulb appears white, while in actuality the color of the light is quite yellow because its color temperature is low “” somewhere in the 2,000-K range. In comparison, a 40-watt bulb has a color temperature of around 2,500 K. By comparison, summer daylight has a temperature of approximately 5,500 K, and on a really bright summer day the light temperature can reach as high as 6,500 K. This is a very bright and white light.
These numbers may not mean that much to you, but they are a quantifiable measurement of the type of light “” not the amount of light “” a lamp produces. This is important when deciding upon specialized lights for particular uses. For example, the golden glow of sunlight we all talk about actually occurs in the early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low on the horizon. It has a color temperature of around 4,300 K, and while it looks wonderful, it isn’t great light for automotive use. You may remember that the headlamps of cars from the 1960s and earlier had a similar golden glow (but were much less bright at around 2,700 K). How dim they appeared when quartz halogen headlamps with a color temperature of about 3,000 K first appeared. Suddenly everyone realized just how dim the standard sealed-beam headlight was and how much better they could see at night when they made the switch to halogen. The halogen lamps produced a much whiter light that made seeing down a dark highway much easier for the human eye, which is designed primarily for seeing during daylight hours.
High-tech lighting
While many vehicles still use halogen headlamps because they are both affordable and efficient, scientists and automotive engineers have been working on ways to improve the types of lights used for automotive headlamps. The result is that vehicle lighting has been dramatically improved over the past few years. In fact, new high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are being offered on many new cars, trucks, motorcycles, and motorhomes. They produce a light temperature of around 5,000 K “” close to daylight illumination. You have probably seen these lights in action. Vehicles equipped with them produce a very intense white light that can be blinding if the vehicle’s headlamps aren’t properly aligned.
The reason the HID lights are so bright is that unlike the old sealed-beam and halogen headlamps, they do not use a filament to attain illumination. Old-style lights work because the filament is very small and does not let electricity cleanly flow across it. The result is resistance that heats up the filament, making it glow brightly. HID lights, on the other hand, work like a streetlamp. Instead of a filament, the lamp uses a glass (or quartz) tube with electrons at each end that is sealed and filled with xenon gas and other chemicals. Switch on the light and electrical current flows through the tube and across the electrons, electrically charging the gas and creating a plasma discharge that produces an extremely bright white light. By tinting the glass tube or by adding a little mercury to the gas, engineers have come up with xenon blue lighting, which still lets objects appear virtually as they do in daylight but is easier on the human eye.
Most current HID lights use xenon gas for the low beam only, and a high-performance quartz halogen filament for the high beam, because it was extremely complicated to produce a xenon gas lamp that could be focused for both low- and high-beam use. Recently, however, lighting engineers have come up with a method of coupling an HID xenon bulb with a mechanical means of switching between high and low beam. The new system, called bi-xenon, is now being used in many production vehicles and works extremely well. In fact, on lonely stretches of highway the xenon high beam often will show reflective signs that are over a mile away. Another advantage of HID lighting is that it better illuminates the road edge and shoulder area, making it much easier to see hazards, animals, and pedestrians.
Being able to dramatically improve night driving vision simply with a change of headlamps seems almost too good to be true, and it is. Unlike swapping out sealed-beam headlamps for quartz halogen, changing to HID lighting is much more complicated. These new lights require considerable voltage (30,000 volts) to fire up, and a ballast unit with an igniter must be installed between the vehicle’s DC circuit and the light. When the light is turned on, the ballast increases the incoming DC current from 12 volts (or 24 or 48 volts, depending upon the vehicle) to 1,200 volts, and the igniter boosts this up to the 30,000 volts needed to ignite the gas contained in the HID bulb. This process can cause increased resistance in the vehicle’s wiring harness. Unless the electrical system is designed to handle the extra load, electrical fires can result, so a simple bulb swap is not an option on most vehicles.
Another thing to be aware of is that increased candlepower doesn’t come cheap. HID lighting systems start at around $300 for a bulb upgrade to an existing HID system and can cost as much as $1,400 for a kit that retrofits an older vehicle. If you are interested in gaining the advantage of HID lighting without changing out your headlights, look into a set of auxiliary HID driving lights. The costs are similar but the advantage is that the HID wiring harness is not integrated with the vehicle harness, so installation is easier and less problematic.
LED lights
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been quietly illuminating calculators, watches, videotape players, and clocks since the late 1960s, but it wasn’t until recently that they have gotten any real respect. Initially LEDs were available only in red or blue-green, and while they did a great job showing off the numbers on a tiny screen, they just didn’t provide enough illumination to be used as a light. Over the past few years, however, technological breakthroughs in semiconductor development have allowed modern LEDs to develop extremely bright light, so they are now used for automotive and marine illumination. Currently LEDs are being used in the RV world primarily for stop/turn signals, marker lamps, and interior reading lamps.
So what is an LED? At the most basic level, an LED is just a tiny light bulb, but unlike a standard incandescent bulb, the LED doesn’t use a filament to produce light. Instead it employs a specially constructed diode encased in a plastic bulb designed to project the light in a specific direction. LEDs offer a number of advantages that make them useful for automotive purposes. They don’t have a filament to burn out and, as such, have an expected lifespan of 100,000 operational hours, compared to 3,000 hours for a standard lightbulb. In addition, LEDs are vibration-proof, shockproof, waterproof, and produce almost no heat. Finally, because they have no metal base, they are corrosion-proof as well. In short, they are perfect for use in harsh environments such as the RV world, which is why they have recently become popular as stop/turn and marker lights on semi-trucks, motorhomes, cars, and trailers. But LEDs are not cheap.
The development of bright, white LEDs over the past few years has greatly increased the possible uses of this technology. Industry experts expect that it won’t be long before LED headlights completely replace the current halogen and HID technology. In fact, Toyota installed experimental LED headlights on a show car in 2003, and Audi is using LEDs for the daytime running lights (DRLs) on its A8 W12 sedan. Engineers at Hella, the German auxiliary and original-equipment lighting manufacturer, have stated that by 2010 LEDs will be used for low-beam and high-beam headlights, fog lamps, and auxiliary driving lamps across the automotive industry.
Fog lamps
While most driving lights are designed to project a relatively narrow beam of light some considerable distance away from the vehicle, fog lamps are intended to provide a wider beam pattern a short distance in front of the vehicle. The purpose of the fog lamp is to provide illumination below the driver’s normal line of sight and minimize the reflected light from weather hazards such as fog, heavy rain, or snow. Fog lamps are generally yellow or amber in color because these colors reflect less backscatter into the driver’s eyes, allowing improved visibility under marginal conditions.
Several new motorhomes now include some kind of fog/driving lamp setup as original equipment, but many of these setups can be greatly improved by the addition of auxiliary lights. This is because original-equipment lights are generally mounted in the bumper, and motorhome bumpers are often quite high off the pavement. Hanging a set of auxiliary lamps under the bumper may improve your visibility in inclement weather. Also, depending upon the load your coach carries, it may be necessary to readjust both the headlights and the fog lights for proper beam dispersal.
Work lights
If there is one thing that can improve any RV’s lighting, it is the addition of work or docking lights. A set of these mounted high up on the sides of the coach can really make life easier when you are dealing with problems in the dark, such as easing into a narrow pull-through for the night. If you decide to install a set of work lights on your coach, spend some time aiming the beam so it illuminates the ground alongside the coach and not the side of the vehicle.
Also, many motorhome manufacturers don’t illuminate the entrance very well. Sure, most coaches have an illuminated grab handle and a light that illuminates the general entrance area, but I am amazed by the number of motorhomes I see that have poorly lit step areas. A couple of well-placed interior and exterior lamps that really light up the entrance steps can dramatically improve safety for those among us who have trouble seeing well in subdued lighting situations.
Other parts of the motorhome that often need extra lighting include the storage bays and engine compartment. Most storage bays have a couple of dimly glowing bulbs for illumination, and many engine compartments don’t even have that (particularly diesel pullers). If your coach isn’t well lit in these vital work areas, consider installing bright halogen or LED lights to make your work easier.
I’d also like to suggest that you purchase a couple of 110-volt halogen work lamps such as those seen on job sites. These brilliant work lamps come mounted in a curved metal stand that is also the handle. They are sturdy, stable, compact, weigh only a couple of pounds, and are great for lighting up engine compartments as well as nighttime picnic areas. Work lamps can be purchased at home improvement and discount department stores, plus a variety of automotive and RV stores, with prices starting at about $12.
Interior lighting
Although the main cabin area of most RVs is well-lit with a combination of 12-volt and 110-volt lights, there’s always room for improvement. One area that often needs extra light is the galley. If your coach doesn’t already have them, consider installing small, under-the-cabinet fluorescent lamps to better illuminate the food preparation area. These lights are easy to wire into existing electrical systems and can be picked up at RV and even some home supply stores for less than $25 apiece. You might also consider putting some fluorescents in the closets.
Another area that often needs attention is the bedroom. Two things bug me about the lights in most RV bedrooms: 1) The over-bed reading lights are usually poorly placed for relaxed reading and often too close for comfort, especially if they are heat-producing. Try installing LED reading lamps for a cool, bright light to read by. 2) A lack of mood lighting. The careful placement of a nice lamp that can be turned on from the doorway can make an unappealing bedroom area suddenly romantic. You may not think much of this idea, but ask your spouse. You just may be surprised.
Come to think of it, the main salon can often use a little mood lighting improvement. Try adding a lamp or installing a dimmer for the existing lamp to see how much better subdued lighting can be for the psyche. Bright light may be great for headlamps and baseball stadiums, but a softer light for the interior spaces is usually much more relaxing.
Final thoughts
Whether you are thinking about upgrading your headlights, adding auxiliary driving or fog lights, installing work lights, or just adding a lamp for mood lighting, it is important to do your homework before buying any product. Make sure any lighting product you want to install is compatible with your vehicle’s electrical systems and that your wiring and fuses can carry the extra load(s) the new installations will require. If you haven’t worked much with electrical systems, it is probably worth a few bucks to pay an installer who will do the job correctly. As always, it pays to shop around and remember that discount brands may have a low price, but they often shortchange you on quality. Finally, don’t forget to talk to your fellow FMCA members. They may have valuable information about products or installation that you can use.
Lighting Source List
For additional lighting sources, check FMCA’s Business Directory, which is published in the January and June issues of FMC magazine and online at FMCA.com.
ARB USA
20 S. Spokane St.
Seattle, WA 98134
(206) 264-1669
www.arbusa.com
Hella Inc.
P.O. Box 2665
Peachtree City, GA 30269
(877) 224-3552
www.hellausa.com
KC HiLites Inc.
2843 W. Avenida De Luces
P.O. Box 155
Williams, AZ 86046
(928) 635-2607
www.kchilites.com
Osram Sylvania Inc.
100 Endicott St.
Danvers, MA 01923
(978) 777-1900
www.sylvania.com
PIAA Corporation USA
15370 S.W. Millikan Way
Beaverton, OR 97006
(503) 643-7422
www.piaa.com