Flocal Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 My boat still has very ancient 12v Fluro lighting throughout. When i try and use the fluro tubes, they are very dim and now and again flicker very bright like they should always be then go back to dim. I have bought two new bulbs and tried it in some of the fixings, but the same thing happens. My batteries are charged and it does this when engine is running. Could it be the old wiring not being upto the job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottle Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 More probably the bits inside the fitting, may be time for an update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob18 Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Wiring and connectors are feeling their age. Loosen and re-tighten every screw in every connector, switch and 12v light fitting you can find. Look for green or black "fungus" on what should be shiny copper of tinned cable, light fitting, 12v plugs and sockets, then scrape it off. Check for broken and distorted springs and clips in the light fittings. and so on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge38 Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Would fitting LED lights solve this problem?? I use some LED lights & in certain places found no difference in preformance compared to other light opitions.. My boat still has very ancient 12v Fluro lighting throughout. When i try and use the fluro tubes, they are very dim and now and again flicker very bright like they should always be then go back to dim. I have bought two new bulbs and tried it in some of the fixings, but the same thing happens. My batteries are charged and it does this when engine is running. Could it be the old wiring not being upto the job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottle Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 The difference is usually LED's use less power (watts) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat B Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 My boat still has very ancient 12v Fluro lighting throughout. When i try and use the fluro tubes, they are very dim and now and again flicker very bright like they should always be then go back to dim. I have bought two new bulbs and tried it in some of the fixings, but the same thing happens. This type of light is often temperamental, they have a small inverter which generates a high voltage to light the tube, and can be affected by damp or corrosion as mentioned above. I have just fitted these: Bedazzled link they are expensive but I am very happy with them and expect them to last a long time. m@ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Nibble Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 It will most likely be components devalueing in the paleolithic inverter or corrosion as Bob18 says. If you do find corrosion a good tip is to use a piece of glassfibre rod from a model shop on it like a pen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taslim Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 This type of light is often temperamental, they have a small inverter which generates a high voltage to light the tube, and can be affected by damp or corrosion as mentioned above. I have just fitted these: Bedazzled link they are expensive but I am very happy with them and expect them to last a long time. m@ Nice one. Thanks' for the link.. You may have just solved a problem in my truck. Taslim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob18 Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 But don't ignore checking the switches and wiring, it could be very frustrating for you if you found your nice new lights did more or less the same thing because a switch was handing its notice in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Nibble Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 But don't ignore checking the switches and wiring, it could be very frustrating for you if you found your nice new lights did more or less the same thing because a switch was handing its notice in... Agreed. Check the lot in one hit by measuring input voltage at the lamp with it switched on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 This type of light is often temperamental, they have a small inverter which generates a high voltage to light the tube, and can be affected by damp or corrosion as mentioned above. I have just fitted these: Bedazzled link they are expensive but I am very happy with them and expect them to last a long time. m@ Or these from Baddie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bagdad Boatman (waits) Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 I dumped the original LEDs when they started to fail as they required 12v and not down to 10v lately on finding that the newer led where more tolerant of voltage I dug the old expensive swivel fitting out of the garage. They all had one pin of the old lamps rusty strange or what? the new ones have a gentler light as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flocal Posted November 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Thanks for the info guys i will have a look over the weekend! It seems they are just outdated, the screens are very stained and look 21 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 I dumped the original LEDs when they started to fail as they required 12v and not down to 10v lately on finding that the newer led where more tolerant of voltage I dug the old expensive swivel fitting out of the garage. They all had one pin of the old lamps rusty strange or what? the new ones have a gentler light as well. How often do you drop to 10 volts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob18 Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 At the wrong end of a bit of dodgy wiring with lots of voltage drop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchcrawler Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 At the wrong end of a bit of dodgy wiring with lots of voltage drop... Or some very well abused batteries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flocal Posted November 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 The batteries aer 3 x Numax 110ah only 8 months old, not them, or i hope not The inverter runs fine and the lights wer elike this when i first bought the boat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Featured Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now