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07-13-2014, 01:45 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19
Posts: 90
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Task lighting (Captains Lights) in our new Escape 19
We are planning to order Captains lights for reading in bed. Are these a good solution? Are they too bright?
We are folks who will spend lots of time at night at the dinette table reading, journaling and poring over maps. Are the standard lights sufficient? If not, are Captains Lights the best solution to provide extra light?
Dave
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07-13-2014, 01:51 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2012 15A
Posts: 398
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The Captains lights work good for reading. We think they are not too bright. I can sleep while my spouse reads with hers on (but I do sleep through most things). We turn the lights towards the wall and bounce the light off there to diffuse it a bit if needed. I recall one poster commenting that they thought they were too bright. We have the single LED fixture on one side, foot of bed, and 2 Captains lights at the head for reading. They are a more focused light than the standard LED fixtures. Would recommend them.
Not sure if the standard fixtures are single or doubles in the dinette area of the 19. If singles you can always switch to doubles and then control level of light by having one or both bulbs on in each fixture. The doubles would probably give lots of light for most things you would do at the table. We have double LED's under the side overhead storage in the front dinette as well as a double on the ceiling centered over the table in the front of the trailer (tons of light!).
For head of the bed area, we really like the Captains lights.
ETI will install additional lights in areas that you think you will need more light. They need to know the location for ceiling lights before the build as they fiberglass in the mounting blocks ahead of time.
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07-13-2014, 02:05 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Bellingham and Glacier, Washington
Trailer: 2013 Escape 15A
Posts: 2,051
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I have a captain's light over my bed for reading and do not find it too bright. But I did find the LEDs under the overheads by the dinette too harsh so covered them inside with a light filter: http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...me-2285-6.html (post #51).
The overhead LEDs were great for table work like map reading, journal writing, and such.
__________________
Karen Hulford
2013 Escape 15A, "Egbert"
'93 Ford 150 XLT or
'22 GMC Acadia Denali
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07-13-2014, 02:33 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Too bright for us, I'm going to try some different leds.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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07-13-2014, 02:51 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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It might be the color, not brightness that's irritating you.
I've moved a blue/white LED to over the sink and all the ones used for reading are a warm white.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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07-13-2014, 02:53 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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An alternative to swapping LED units is to add a dimmer, in line in the wiring before the lamp. This would let you suit the amount of light to the situation. Two requirements: - the LED module in the lamp must handle dimming (typically they do, but not all); and,
- the dimmer must be a 12VDC unit, not the type used on 120VAC with incandescent lamps.
LED 12V Dimmers
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07-15-2014, 03:06 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Kamloops, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19
Posts: 90
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Thanks so much for the great input folks. My conclusions are:
1. captains lights at the dinette are not needed
2. the standard lights in the trailer, when upgraded to LED's ,can come in different colours (and that warm white is good for reading)
3. some LED lights may also work with a dimmer
4. filters can be added to LED lights to change the colour a well.
Great information for discussion with my wife as well as with ETI
Thanks so much.
Dave Whiting
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07-15-2014, 05:24 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
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We find the Captain's Lights over the head of the bed WAY too bright for general reading and I plan to replace them with gooseneck fixtures that I purchased on-line. Our 19' has the full LED package and I have said before that with all the lights on, you could comfortably perform surgery . I don't like overhead lighting in any situation so I'm probably over critical. If Reace will do it, I'd strongly encourage you to consider at least a couple fixtures with built in dimmers (I replaced the stock fixture over the dining table with a dimmer - and added a strip of LEDs along the inside of the trim over the table for some indirect light).
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07-15-2014, 05:40 PM
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#9
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zardoz
We find the Captain's Lights over the head of the bed WAY too bright for general reading and I plan to replace them with gooseneck fixtures that I purchased on-line. Our 19' has the full LED package and I have said before that with all the lights on, you could comfortably perform surgery . I don't like overhead lighting in any situation so I'm probably over critical. If Reace will do it, I'd strongly encourage you to consider at least a couple fixtures with built in dimmers (I replaced the stock fixture over the dining table with a dimmer - and added a strip of LEDs along the inside of the trim over the table for some indirect light).
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Well, Zardoz is a DARK movie, so maybe you're predisposed? .....lol
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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07-15-2014, 05:51 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Middle, Tennessee
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19' #2
Posts: 1,441
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__________________
Tom
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07-16-2014, 09:28 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Received the new warm white bulbs from Super Bright LEDs (see KountryKamper's link), I like these better, not as harsh, the lamps themselves are fine.
FWIW here are a few shots from the phone cam. Warm is the left side of the first shot and also the 2nd.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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07-16-2014, 09:40 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Trailer: 2014 5TA/ *012 17B (previous)
Posts: 442
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what is the bulb model?
__________________
Min D
Chapi II
--------------------
'Have No Regrets'
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07-16-2014, 12:26 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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I think an mr16-we3w-38
3 watt, 38 degree, 2800-3200 k
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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