Porch Lights?

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Porch Lights?

Postby Kelleyaynn » Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:09 pm

How many of you have porch lights on your tear?

Do you feel they are worth the time and trouble of wiring them?

Trying to decide whether or not to include them in my design.
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Postby Cliffmeister2000 » Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:53 pm

I don't have one, wish I did. Doubt I would ever need it, but it gives the trailer a "Home" quality, IMHO

Edit: One thing I did do, and I am Soooo glad I did, was put small LED lights inside my cabinets. It really helps when I'm trying to find something in the middle of the night and don't want the glare of the overhead!
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Postby asianflava » Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:49 pm

I have generic amber RV porch lights. It wasn't that big of a deal to install because the wires were already running nearby. The only extra wiring was for the porch light on the other side. I got ones with on/off switches mounted on them. I can reach them and turn them on from inside, but it would be nice to switches inside so that I can see what is going on when I hear something without having to open the door.

Some sound like Arroooogggghhhhaa!!! make you wonder what is going on. :lol:
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Postby planovet » Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:12 pm

asianflava wrote:Some sound like Arroooogggghhhhaa!!! make you wonder what is going on.


That's just Spinnernut pulling into camp :lol:

I have porch lights and I like them. I used 12V deck lights. They are more expensive than the traditional RV porch lights but I liked the look and heft of them (they are made of stainless steel). They point down toward the ground, not in your face. I put a switch inside so I can turn them on to look outside if I hear noises at night.

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Postby Nitroxjunkie71 » Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:32 pm

Here's mine.

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It's wired for both 110
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And 12V
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Postby Bodyman » Fri Jan 29, 2010 5:39 pm

Mark
I don't have a porch light. Afraid someone would break it if they didn't like it :)
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Postby Toytaco2 » Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:36 pm

I used porch lights I got off ebay. I didn't like the white color, so I painted them black with some of that spray paint for plastic. I think they turned out nice. And, they're definitely worth the trouble IMHO, especially when someone needs to make the inevitable trip outside in the middle of the night.

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Postby dakotamouse » Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:43 pm

We have them. When giving a tour I tell people they are for checking for bears before I make that midnight run to the biffy. :lol:
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Postby S. Heisley » Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:56 pm

It is not a huge deal to wire them in and they don't cost much. But, if you decide to add a porch light, be certain to get the kind that need a switch. Otherwise, they're a waste and a flashlight will work just as well.

With an inside switch, they are a safety feature because they allow you to turn on the light without opening the door. That way, if a stranger comes knocking on your door or if there is a bear marauding around, you can turn on the light to see whether you even want to open the door. Also, somebody on the outside can't extinguish the light quite as easily.

While we're on the subject, porch lights are also a convenience feature that gets over-used. If a person is going to the bathroom or to a communal fire pit or ranger talk, he/she will be taking a flashlight anyway, so why leave the porch light burning, using up the trailer battery?
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Outside lights or ears (?)

Postby Alfred » Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:15 pm

Hey gang,

I used this outside light from Home Depot, one on each side, I paid $19.99 each, but the Home Depot website says they are now $10.97. They're available in white or black.

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Here's one all lit up...I used a 12v RV bulb, looks like a standard bulb but is 12v, available from Walmart for $1.47, so that I could use the existing hardware but wire it up as a 12v light...

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One on each side, my friend David from the T&TTT forum says it makes it look like my camper has "ears"...(Grin)

I wired my on/off switch into the fixture itself, you can see the toggle on the bottom in the photo, so it is only accessible from the outside...Good consideration in the above posts to wire it to an inside switch...Something to remember on my "next" build...

Al in Asheville :thumbsup:
Last edited by Alfred on Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby mikeschn » Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:23 pm

I liked my porch light so much on the Baja Benroy, I use the same thing on the Generic ET aka Giant Teardrop...

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Postby Miriam C. » Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:06 pm

We used a portable motion sensor light from Harbor freight. Just sit it on a box or the truck and it comes on when the door opens. Course if the bear knows it is there he might keep it from coming on. 8)

I use an amber rope light to find the tear at night....
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Yes

Postby ssrjim » Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:35 pm

Yes for the reasons Sharon said. Mine are very small LED lights but they put out plenty of light in a dark campground.

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Re: Yes

Postby Kelleyaynn » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:49 am

ssrjim wrote:Yes for the reasons Sharon said. Mine are very small LED lights but they put out plenty of light in a dark campground.

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Where did you get those lights? They aren't too obtrusive.
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Postby Kelleyaynn » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:51 am

planovet wrote:
asianflava wrote:Some sound like Arroooogggghhhhaa!!! make you wonder what is going on.


That's just Spinnernut pulling into camp :lol:

I have porch lights and I like them. I used 12V deck lights. They are more expensive than the traditional RV porch lights but I liked the look and heft of them (they are made of stainless steel). They point down toward the ground, not in your face. I put a switch inside so I can turn them on to look outside if I hear noises at night.

Image

Image



Where did you get those lights? They look pretty nice.
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