Edge Lights

[Sean Donohue]

I have two blown Edge lights. How do you change them. I can figure out how to take them apart. the two blown bulbs are over the kitchen counter area.

[Mike Nunn]

If it is the same as our 07 you just pull the lens or cover whichever you call it straight down. that should give you access to the bulb. It is a litle hard to pull down and you should pull it down slow. I changed all the ones in our coach and after a couple it was no problem. mike

[Tim Westman]

On my coach, it is necessary to twist the lens off.  Often it is necessary to put considerable pressure pushing up while twisting counter-clockwise because of the pressure put on the cover by the ceiling.  Some can be challenging.  Hope that helps.

Tim

[Ken Buck]

Flush mount can light with brushed stainless ring and frosted glass lens? Twist the stainless ring counter clockwise about 1/4" and it comes off. The glass lens is held with 3 plastic fingers placed evenly around the edge. A thumbnail pulling the lens down and a thumbnail pushing on one or two of the plastic tabs will release the lens.

You want a G4 halogen 20 watt bulb. These are 12 volt and available everywhere from Wal-Mart to Lowes to Ace or most any other light bulb store. $4 - $6 is pretty common price. I buy online for a better price since I use them in the MH and the boat.

Being halogen you don't want to touch the bulb with your bare hands. Using a thin exam glove is probably the easiest way to get bulbs in and out. The little prongs are difficult to line up sometimes. A little wiggling and fiddling is sometimes needed. The bulbs under the cabinet in the head room and the shower room seem to be the toughest for me to get back in.

There are three screws that hold the can portion into the cabinet that can be removed and then the fixture gently pried out of the cabinet for those that you just can't get the bulb to go back into. You know how I know that, thanks for not asking the embarassing question.

Ken

[JimDyer]

I swirched the halogen bulbs out for 24 LED ones. Very little difference in light output, power consumption difference is noticeable with 38 or so of them in my rig. I paid $3.19 each for the bulbs. Heat generation is much less - I really didn't like the way the halogens melted the roof insulation around them. On edit: the frosted glass on mine was melted insulation. windex brought them back to clear.

[Mike Nunn]

on our coach the edge lights in the ceiling pull down. the under cabinet lights twist off. perhaps the 08 is different.

[Ken Buck]

Whoops, terminology miscue. My description is for Under Cabinet Lights. I almost never use the Edge Lights which are over the couch and recliner so I have never had one apart. The Galley Ceiling Lights are the same design as the Edge Lights, and we do use those, but have never had one burn out yet. I guess I need to read the switches to know what lights I'm talking about.

Ken

[Joel Ashley]

I find that using an exam or rubber glove helps grip the trim ring as you press it up and turn to disengage it;  ditto for replacement, but I've ran into some pretty stubborn rings, because as Tim mentions, the ceiling material can push back hard, or the fixture may be imperceptibly mismounted in a cabinet.  If you have some anti-skid shelf material commonly sold for RVs, you can try that in lieu of gloves.

As 2bucks said, don't touch a halogen lamp;  the oils from your fingers can shorten its life, just like a halogen headlamp for your car.  Handle the bulb using either the same gloves you use for the trim ring, or keep the little bag the lamp comes in between the bulb and your fingers when installing.

If you can convert to LEDs, like Jim did, do it at least for the heat elimination, but they'll greatly reduce battery drain when dry-camping also.  Just make sure you get the right ones and that they are dimmable like the halogens;  like fluorescents, LEDs require a minimum amount of juice to work at all, and won't always respond to dimming circuits.  Bulk purchase online is probably the only real cost-efficient option.

Joel

[Mike Humble]

On our 2008 Contessa, the edgelights are composed of three metal rings with a lens in the middle.  I put a thin knife between the inner  and middle ring and gently pry to get the inner ring out.  Be real careful you don't drop the lens since it took us about a year to find a replacement.
Mike

[Bill Sprague]

[quote author=].....You want a G4 halogen 20 watt bulb. These are 12 volt and available everywhere from Wal-Mart to Lowes to Ace or most any other light bulb store. $4 - $6 is pretty common price. I buy online for a better price since I use them in the MH and the boat. [/quote]
Ken,

Mine are 10 watt.  If I used 20 watt bulbs, I think something would melt or burn.  

Bill

[George H. Wall]

Mine are 10 Watt also, as these were the originals that Beaver installed with my unit. I'm not surprised the 20 Watt melt things!!  

[Gerald Farris]

Bill is right about the bulb wattage that should be used in the halogen lights. The 20 watt bulbs run to hot and will cause heat damage to the light fixture or surrounding materials if left on to long. The proper bulb size is a 10 watt.

Gerald

[Ken Buck]

Interesting note on bulb wattage. My coach came used with a supply of replacement bulbs, all 20 watt. In normal (for us) use, we haven't had any problems to speak of. If I start having problems I'll know what to do.

Ken

[Edward Buker]

Ken,

The 10 watt bulbs in these fixtures gets hot enough to burn your hand. I cannot imagine that a 20w bulb in these hoiusings would not be close to being a fire hazard. Might be worth reading the max wattage on the fixture just in case to be safe.

Later Ed