tired of replacing light bulbs

[markxengineerin]

I have probably 20 lightbulbs in the cabin, and it seems like I'm replacing one of them a month, maybe more. I use various types, whatever the previous owner had stocked up on. I think there are a mix of xenon, halogen, and LED's. I've read somewhere that the life of bulbs is related to the voltage, with higher voltages giving exponentially less life. My battleborn batteries are most often between 13 and 13.7 volts, with occasional (not frequent) trips up to 14.5.

Has anyone installed a 12V regulator for the light circuits, to step any high voltages down slightly? Recommend a product?

If this problem is real, it would be worth a couple hours to install a regulator if it means 10x less frequent bulb changes, for example.

[Emmalina]

Buy bulbs rated 12-24v then they will come with an internal reg !

[jamhass]

Better quality LEDs usually come with built-in voltage regulation. Cheap ones generally don't, only have resistors to limit current and are prevalent to early burnout due to over voltages.

[CarlF]

Old xenon and halogen bulbs burn out often. And they are a waste of battery power. I’d switch everything to LED and then see how you are doing.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by markxengineerin

I have probably 20 lightbulbs in the cabin, and it seems like I'm replacing one of them a month, maybe more. I use various types, whatever the previous owner had stocked up on. I think there are a mix of xenon, halogen, and LED's. I've read somewhere that the life of bulbs is related to the voltage, with higher voltages giving exponentially less life. My battleborn batteries are most often between 13 and 13.7 volts, with occasional (not frequent) trips up to 14.5.

Replace all your bulbs with quality LEDs rated for 10-30VDC.

One source is marinebeam.com.

-Chris

[JBP]

Some bulbs are designed for a fairly regulated 12 volts that you might find in home lighting systems. The 12V voltage on a boat varies widely from 10V when starting the engine, winch, etc. to nearly 16 volts when equalizing. Thus as people have said, get bulbs rated for 12 to 24V for important fixtures, those you use most frequently, and those that are hard to replace. You can use the cheap bulbs in places you rarely use.
Also, heat is a killer of lights. Most LEDs run cool, but some of the cheap ones get hot, and if they are in a tiny fixture they can self destruct quickly.

[markxengineerin]

Thanks for the replies- I still prefer the light from the older style bulbs, and wasting battery is not too much of a concern- plenty of solar power available. I will get through the massive amount of spare bulbs I already have then look for ones with a wider input voltage range.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by markxengineerin

Thanks for the replies- I still prefer the light from the older style bulbs, and wasting battery is not too much of a concern- plenty of solar power available. I will get through the massive amount of spare bulbs I already have then look for ones with a wider input voltage range.

LEDs today are available in different color temperatures. Incandescent lamps are usually 2700 Kelvin - very yellow to my eye. Shop around and get what you want in LED.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by markxengineerin

Thanks for the replies- I still prefer the light from the older style bulbs, and wasting battery is not too much of a concern- plenty of solar power available. I will get through the massive amount of spare bulbs I already have then look for ones with a wider input voltage range.

Yep, LEDs come in various color temperatures. 2700K (up to around 3000K) are generally equivalent to typical household incandescent lights.

-Chris

[jordanbigel]

As others have said, and you proposed in the OP, voltage is the cause I believe. I never found a way to prevent this issue with halogen bulbs, but after switching to LEDs I discovered that you need to look for LEDs which are advertised as "dimmable" - ie. works with a "dimmer" switch. This is their way of saying that the LED can handle variable voltage input, at least, this is what I read somewhere, once. The dimmable LEDs I've bought lately seem to be lasting much longer.

[Emmalina]

Originally Posted by jordanbigel

As others have said, and you proposed in the OP, voltage is the cause I believe. I never found a way to prevent this issue with halogen bulbs, but after switching to LEDs I discovered that you need to look for LEDs which are advertised as "dimmable" - ie. works with a "dimmer" switch. This is their way of saying that the LED can handle variable voltage input, at least, this is what I read somewhere, once. The dimmable LEDs I've bought lately seem to be lasting much longer.

All Light Emitting Diodes are dimmable but modules with there own internal regulators are not !

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by markxengineerin

Has anyone installed a 12V regulator for the light circuits, to step any high voltages down slightly? Recommend a product?

You will either need a buck/boost DC-DC regulator or a "low dropout" regulator that switches to pass-thru when the available voltage drops below 12v.

Add up the wattage ratings of all your incandescant DC bulbs. Divide by 12... and that gives you a current rating. So how you have enough info to go shopping for a lighting regulator.

[boatpoker]

Instllalled 20 LED's from Ikea (threw away their transformer and wired direct) 11 years ago for $10ea. I modified several other lights to accept the Ikea "puck" lights. Have never had an issue with them.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Emmalina

Buy bulbs rated 12-24v then they will come with an internal reg !

Absolutely

These have on board PWM circuitry and operate without radio interference. Marine Beam or IMTRA replacement bulbs. Do not buy automotive (NAPA or other) replacements. I have never replaced one of these and we have over 50 installed.

[Fortytwo]

https://bedazzledledlighting.co.uk/p...al-16-led-red/

https://bedazzledledlighting.co.uk/p...ba15d-adaptor/

On Battleborn batteries 8~9 years no issues. I’m in the US. Shipping took a minute, but I’m happy. I saved the old incandescent bulbs for spares.