Engine room lites? LED?

34 Californian LRC had two 12 volt lights in the engine room along the center line about 8 feet apart. 12 volt, single bulb, mounted to the overhead, the underside of the deck. I need more light, can I get it by going to LED? If so how do I pick the one with the most lumens, etc.? Fixture needs to be able to spread 180 degrees more so than straight down. There are hundreds of LED lights on the market, but what do I look for regarding some reference to numbers to get an idea of appropriate bulb or bulbs? Thanks

In my under main saloon deck engine compartment: Additionally to 4 bright 12V lights on bottom of the floor, I utilize a clampable and angle adjustable wind-up energized spot light. I also wear a bright strap on head lamp whose angle is adjustable for tight places. If all else fails I use the 3M W portable spotlight I always keep charged - and sunglasses! LOL.

Plus, in daylight, our Tolly has big windows that shed much light!

I think you get more intense light from conventional incandescents than LEDs.
Output seems to be measured more in watts drawn than lumens. You should be able to find LEDs to fit your existing fittings,look for something giving all round light rather than "directional' (at the end). I replaced 12v 25watt incandescents in the cabin with 2-3 watt draw LEDs, not as bright but acceptable. I`ve not replaced the ER ones yet.
A big plus is the low draw if you accidentally leave the ER light on, so easy to do.
I second Art`s advice on the LED head torch,well directed bright light, free hands and the batteries last well.
BruceK

Also look into neon lights. They are great for engine rooms because they spread a lot of light and don't get very hot.

Looking for more light when I crawl into the access port to the engine room that opens from underneath the ladder that goes down in to the bunk/head area. Want to go in there now and than to check on conditions when underway. If I intend to do work will open the hatches in the cabin floor and use 120 volt clamp lights.

Until I get more confidence in the boat intend to check the engine area when underway every now an than. Last time out had a hose blow off and lost water in stbr. engine. As it is now, can't see a darn thing with those little 12 volt light fixtures. What ever lites I choose they have to be 12 volt powered. Thanks for the suggestions.

LED Rope Lights: 3/8 diameter 12 volt LED Rope Lights, 24 volt LED Rope Lights - cut to fit LED Rope Lights

Never heard of this supplier but it looks like a person can get creative with these to light up an engine room.

Big difference between the amount of light needed for a quick look check , and the light required for a repair.

A small light will kill the batt set really dead if left on accidentally.

A timer , rather than a switch might work better.

So far I have heard bad things about LEDs. Just too may on the market that have WAAAAY shorter lifespans than advertised (so no savings there).

Also...LEDs if operating generally DON'T like the higher temps of an engine room.

So what is the most common I have seen? Flourescent gives a nice bright white light at lower power draw. But I've never been a fan of the 12V ones...so I'm not sure what's best...maybe the small halogen 12V lights directly wired???

I think on smaller boats not running gensets all the time we suffer from that lack of lighting ability in the engine room. A couple courtesy light are generally all we get and have to use portable battery or plug in area lights.

You won't really get more light with LEDs, the advantage is a 90% power savings. Of course if you install more LED lights, you will have more light (brightness). Halogen lighting is probably the brightest, light for light. An "LED light" is usually an array of several individual LEDs so the more LEDs in the light, the brighter it will be (except that some LEDs are brighter than other LEDs).

There's also the matter of how they are regulated. Constant current drivers are the best. You can recognize these because they will usually accept a wide range of input voltage, perhaps 9 to 30 volts.

Do a couple web searches on "LED" and "LED lighting" and you will find a lot of information to help you reach a decision.

I have been searching the web--way too many lights available, but the problem is understanding how much each light provides and at what angles. I was hoping someone had the problems solved and could give me some hands on advice. It could very well be that a rope light down thru the center line is the answer. I can crawl down the line to the stern, looking at both sides and check for any leaks etc. Thanks

A small light will kill the batt set really dead if left on accidentally.

A timer , rather than a switch might work better.

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An other idea is install an external LED on the light circuit some where obvious. We have one for the engine rooms lights and freah water pump. When the LED's on, we know engine room lights are on or the fresh water pump is running.

FF said:

A small light will kill the batt set really dead if left on accidentally.

A timer , rather than a switch might work better.

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Or a switch on the door or hatch to the engine room. A friend got a new boat and I noticed when the doors to the hanging lockers were opened, the light came on. Well I just had to have that feature so, with a few ebay components sent directly from China, I made it happen.

Just to simplify things, I used an eight cell "AA" battery pack instead of wiring the LED strip light to the boat's electrical system. I used a microswitch with a lever and roller to turn the light on and off as the door is opened and closed.

My engine room lights are on their own breaker marked 'Engine Room Lights'. I leave all the lights turned on the engine and use the breaker to switch off and on when needed. While I've converted everything else to LED's, I've left the engine rooms with the 20 watt bulbs. Gives plenty of light for my tired old eyes for most things. Underway, I seldom go below without a flashlight of sorts.... for all the nooks and crannies overhead lights don't light up. That's usually where the problems are.

I installed 4 ft Florescence on each side of the main 671 and 2 ft florescence on each side of the gen set. For the small detail and/or areas where additional light is required, I wear magnifying cheater glasses with on each small lights on each side. You can buy them at most drug stores.

With the main gen set, the cruise gen set and inverter we have have 120 volts AC.

Home Depot and Rv shops have 12 volt incandessent bulbs sometimes called drop light bulbs. They look just like any light bulb only they are 12 volt.

They come in 25 or 50 watt bulbs. That is all I have found. They may come in brighter bulbs

I bought a couple of shielded out door light fixtures from the Home Depot the kind with the cage around them and just wired them to the 12 volt system. I mounted them to the overhead. Any fixture will work.
I know they draw a bit more power but if I have to fix something in the engine room I want all the light I can get.

I have a switch on the main power board with an led light to show the engine room light is on. So I don't accidently leave it on.

SD

Fighterpilot said:

Looking for more light when I crawl into the access port to the engine room that opens from underneath the ladder that goes down in to the bunk/head area. Want to go in there now and than to check on conditions when underway. If I intend to do work will open the hatches in the cabin floor and use 120 volt clamp lights.

Until I get more confidence in the boat intend to check the engine area when underway every now an than. Last time out had a hose blow off and lost water in stbr. engine. As it is now, can't see a darn thing with those little 12 volt light fixtures. What ever lites I choose they have to be 12 volt powered. Thanks for the suggestions.

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Fighterpilot - I recommend a rechargeable, hand held, 1M to 3M CP flood/spot-light "to check on conditions" as you mention. Just keep it charged and near your access port! Believe me... you will see everything, and squint to boot!

The information concerning LEDs not producing as much light is a bit dated. The new generation white LEDs are extremely bright. I might suggest that look in your area for a large heavy duty truck parts WD. Companies that produce lighting for Class 7,8 rigs have also done quite a bit of development of LED worklights. I have sold quite a few for mining and off road applications and I know they are available in sealed/marine applications. Look for a reputable brand like Grote or Trucklite.

They may be brighter but I just don't like the light they give off.

Kind of bothers my eyes.


SD

One big advantage of LEDs in the engine room (we don't have them) is that they use very little power. So if you have to spend time in the engine room fixing something, particularly if you are mid-cruise and not on ground power, that low draw of the LEDs could be a major benefit depending on the kind of battery capacity you have on your boat.

Not long after getting our old GB with it's 1973-vintage minimal battery setup (2 8Ds) I accidentally left the engine room lights--- 4 12vdc incandescents--- on overnight while we were on a mooring. Next morning the 8D being used as the house battery was just about dead. We still have the same engine room lights but right after that trip we added a bright orange warning light on the DC panel at the helm that comes on when the engine room lights are on. We have since increased our battery capacity somewhat but LEDs in the engine room would certainly make much less of a dent in our battery power if we had to leave them on for a long time.

skipperdude said:

They may be brighter but I just don't like the light they give off.

Kind of bothers my eyes.


SD

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"White" LEDs produce a harsh bluish white light. Fine for an anchor light but not for general lighting. You can buy "warm white" LED lights that are much more like the incandescent lights we are used to.

You have to look for them and specify "warm white".

I don't recommend rope light for the engine room. They give a weak yellowish light. Perfect to create an ambiance in the salon (as I have done and I love it) but less than ideal in an engine room where you need a lot of bright light to do some work and see small things.

I have 4 incandescent lights placed on each side of the engine, one on the front and one in the back. If need be I also have a headlamp.

LED would be the way to go for me if I had to do it again and found some affordable fixtures.

For 120v I used several, I think 4 tube florescent light fixtures, from the corner hardware store, all routed to one switch near the main hatch. Cheap, easy and lots of light.

Just a warning - Many of the lights mentioned are unsafe for use in a gasoline powered boat's engine room. Diesel is fine, gasoline must be ignition protected..

Same for switches.

LED opinion

In the last 6 months I have upgraded most of Fryedaze lighting to LED. I prefer the clean white light they give off. I agree with the previous comment that LED brightness has greatly improved. I removed the four 10 watt dome style lites in my engine room and replaced them with five 24" LED bars from superbrightLed. Power consumption is about the same due to the size of the new LED bars, but the engine room is very bright. I have also retrofitted flourecent fixtures with LEDs. The end result is a fraction of the load and more light. I am a fan of LEDs. If they dont hold up to their longevity claims I wont be a fan of LEDs. Here are a few pictures of what was done. Fryedaze - Lighting upgrade

IMHO

Dave Frye
Fryedaze

Dave, The 24 inch light bars look like a good solution for my engine room as well. Now that I have seen your cabin lights I think I will try to improve mine as well.

What was the item number of the bar lights you ordered for the engine room and for the cabin. I have been to their web site but need a little help in selecting. Did you use the existing 12 volt dc power source that was at your old lights? Thanks

The 24" bars are enclosed , LF-WW48SMD-DI: High Power LED Light Fixture with Switch. They can be wired right into your 12 vdc system. I used the old lite supply leads. You cannot remove the switch. It is some how part of the power conditioning.

The rigid LED strips I put into the flourecent housing were these RLBN-NW30X3SMDNatural WhiteRLBN-NW30X3SMDNatural White5600K20.1 lm342 lm/ft603 lm52019.95RLBN-x30SMD. They can be cut in three inch sections to fit the housings. These wire right into the 12 vdc without any power supplies. Dont forget to by the connectors you need for these.

Dave

I am planning to install a couple of 120vac flouresent lights to compliment the existing 12vdc dome lights. The added light will be for routine maintenance, etc. This is usually done dockside or with the generator running. The 12vdc lighting will be for quick checks and things. At least I can't run the batteries down if I leave on the flouesents -because they are ac only.

JohnP

Dave, I appreciate the detailed information about the lights you used. I have copied that info and printed it out.

John-good idea on the 120Volt lites. I have been running a clamp on light with extension cord for the dock work. Not a good solution--get tangled up in the cord and have to move the light to different locations to do work. Might as well do as you did and put in some fixed lights.

Thanks again for the information.

JohnP said:

I am planning to install a couple of 120vac flouresent lights to compliment the existing 12vdc dome lights. The added light will be for routine maintenance, etc. This is usually done dockside or with the generator running. The 12vdc lighting will be for quick checks and things. At least I can't run the batteries down if I leave on the flouesents -because they are ac only.

JohnP

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my boat has a 4' 2-tube fluorescent 120v ac fixture that is enclosed for a wet environment, the fixture is completly enclosed in a rugged plastic enclosure... a key element is to have the bulbs enclosed so you don't accidently whack the bulbs and have a engine room full of the magic dust and glass from a shattered bulb. If space is a issue there are sealed fixtures designed for closets that take little space and are perfect for a engine room... I had both on Volunteer and they worked really well. Both are available at H. Depot...

Lithonia Lighting - The best value in lighting

HOLLYWOOD

We have used LEDs extensively where I work and I plan to use them on my 34 Californian at some point in the engine room. The LF-WW48SMD-DI at Superbrights looks to be a pretty good fit especially for the price. It draws .65 amps which makes it about an 8 watt fixture. The goal I have for my engine room is four fixtures at about 10 watts each in an LED product. I currently have four 60 watt 12 volt A60 household style lamps in the engine room that draw about 5 amps each. My goal would be to maintain the lighting level in the space. The only thing I didn't like in the LF-WW48SMD-DI is that the lamp color jumped from 2900k to I believe 6500k. The 2900 is a bit yellow while the 6500 is a bit white/blue. Optimum color for me would be between 3500k and 4500k. Don't get anything less than 1/2 amp draw at 12 volts if your looking to light an area. Just as a note florescent lamps put out nearly the same amount of light per watt but you cant beat the LED for size and durability. As mentioned previously heat is the killer of LEDs but I am guessing with the run hours of the lighting in the engine room that this will not be a problem.