How To Change An RV Ceiling Light Bulb?

You are here because you are looking for the proper guidance to remove an RV ceiling light bulb to replace it with a new one. Glad to let you know, this major stumbling block will never haunt your mind again as your search ends here. With a very easy-to-follow guide, replacing the light bulb in your RV would be a walk in the park for you.

When And Why To Change The RV Ceiling Interior Light Bulb:

There are many reasons to replace your old overhead light fixture in your RV with a new set.

To begin with, you might not be satisfied with the brightness of your current light bulb, or just can’t get it to work. Certainly, for this reason, getting a new set of light becomes a matter of urgency.

Or maybe you find your lighting fixture eyesore and so you want a new set of bulbs to give your motorhome or RV a fresh new look.

Your old set of lighting fixtures can be inaesthetic to the overall appearance of your RV or motorhome interior. When renovating your RV, there are several items and appliances that will be replaced in line with the new layout to make the entire interior more visually appealing to the eye.

This list could go on for a while as there a plethora of more reasons.

But whatever the case is, we are here to help and assist. We are covering this topic primarily because replacing the ceiling light in your RV can be an intimidating task. We ensure that we would make it simple for you so that you don’t face any difficulty or unnecessary complications while installing a new light bulb.

How To Change RV Ceiling Light Bulb:

Step 1: Turn off the lights

Before fiddling with any electrical appliance, be sure to turn it off or disconnect it from the power source. We always remind you of this point because the safety of our readers is our top priority. Therefore, firstly, power off the electric supply to the bulb or disconnect the connection directly from the RV battery if possible.

Step 2: Remove the Dome shaped casing/cover of the RV light bulb

A significant number of light bulb casings are dome-shaped. In most cases, you can pop this case out by squeezing it from the opposite sides. If you have trouble opening it with your bare hands, use a screwdriver instead. Make sure to not damage the exterior surface of the casing during this process. Also, when opening, be careful not to tamper with the electrical fixture. Taking these precautions can save you from a hole in your pocket considering the recent surge in prices of these appliances.

Step 3: Remove the light bulb from the fixture

Assuming the bulb would be hot on the outside, use a glove or a piece of cloth to detach it from its fixture. Use a small durable ladder to stand on. If this is not possible, only then use a chair that is sturdy enough to support your weight. In this way you will safeguard yourself against falling over.

Properly dispose the old bulb by wrapping it in a piece of old newspaper or the container or box that the new bulb came in. Before throwing it away, be careful not to keep it near any children, as the sharp edges of the glass can easily cut the skin and cause a medical emergency. If both the bulbs are identical, keep the old one away from the new bulb, as you don’t want yourself getting confused between the two.

Step 4: Install the new light bulb

Take the new bulb and carefully insert it into the bulb holder, aligining with socket pins, either pushing it in or twisting it to lock it in the socket properly.

Continue to turn the bulb clockwise until it is properly seated in the socket. Bear in mind that clockwise rotation is for inerting and counterclockwise rotation is for removing. Screwing the base of the bulb into the socket too tightly may result in a damaged base. Try pulling the bulb out with light pressure to make sure it doesn’t fall off when you’re done installing it. Pulling with too much pressure can result in a damaged socket.

If your bulb is a screw cap category bulb then in order to install it in the lighiting fixture, you have to keep on twisting.

RV Bulbs vs LED Bulbs

So, back when LED lights were a fairly new concept, they were pretty expensive and not really realistic for the budget. Well, stop believing all those rumors because that’s not true anymore. In the long run, the LED light is a pretty smart and budget-friendly purchase.

First of all, can we talk about how much it costs to run those old light bulbs in your RV per year? And yes, there are a lot of them in an RV if you haven’t looked lately.

A typical incandescent bulb costs about $4.80 per year, and it only lasts about 1,000 hours before it breaks. In comparison, the LED light bulb costs less than $1.00 and lasts a full 25,000 hours, if not more.

Although they are a little more expensive to buy, they will save you money in the long run.

But that’s just talking about efficiency for your budget. There is so much more to it than that.

As you could see from this little breakdown of cost efficiency, the LED light bulbs are also much more energy efficient. The typical LED light bulb uses just 10% of the electricity that the old light bulbs in your RV use. This also means you are saving battery power in your RV. I don’t know about you, but I’m convinced.

And have you removed the light bulbs lately? Do you have those nice burn marks on your ceiling from those bulbs? Yeah, talk about unreliable. Unless you accidentally got the wrong type LED bulb, you shouldn’t have that problem with the newer bulbs.

Another thing: toughness. Have you ever taken your RV on a pretty uncomfortable road with lots of potholes, bumps, and hills? I know I have, and those pesky bulbs for RVs don’t seem to be built for that much rough terrain. (Did someone forget to mention the fact that they are used in RVs?).

The bulbs can easily wobble, flicker, fall off and shatter, but the LED lights are meant for RV rocky road roughness. Take your RV out on the rockiest road you can find once you replace the incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs and test it out. The LED bulbs are meant to withstand these shocks without damaging them in any way, let alone flickering. Do you know what that means? They need to be replaced less. Now is that great or not?

Now that you’ve found the right size bulb for your RV, understood how to replace them, and had a refresher course on why they’re beneficial to your life, you’re ready to hit the road and enjoy those long-lasting bulbs!

Can I replace RV bulbs with LED bulbs? (300-500 Words)

There are several reasons why you should switch to LED lighting. The most important of all these reasons is safety. Generally, conventional light bulbs are safe, but you can suffer a serious burn if you were to touch these extremely hot bulbs. This can be dangerous if you have children around.

LED, on the other hand, stays cool to the touch, so you don’t have to worry about your kids getting burned. If you like camping, LED lighting is perfect for you. You can conserve your battery as the LED lights consume less power. They work effectively with low voltage.

Yes, LED bulbs can cost more than traditional bulbs, but you will save more with reduced electricity costs. You can expect to pay about $10 per bulb. Curiously, that’s cheaper than it used to be, and that will likely continue to drop as more people opt for LED lights.

More and more people are appreciating the benefits of LED lighting. LED Light bulbs are more efficient. They last longer. They can last 50,000 to 100,000 hours of use longer than average incandescent bulbs. Therefore, you save more money in the long run because you don’t have to buy bulbs as often as you do with traditional incandescent bulbs.

Just make sure you get your light bulbs from a reliable store. Why not take a look at our shop. We have a selection of LED light bulbs that are perfect for your RV. Check them out now.

Conclusion

Replacing an RV ceiling light bulb is actually the same as replacing a regular ceiling light bulb. If you know how to change a light bulb at home, then you know how to change an RV ceiling light bulb. For those who haven’t done much handyman work, these steps will teach you how to replace old light bulbs with new ones.

So, now that you know how to change light bulbs, buy a new one for your RV today! Once you do, just follow the steps we mentioned above and you’re good to go.