Where's my bedroom reading lights?

[maclean]

Bought a new 24T and can't believe there's no lights above the head of the bed!!
The lights are shown in the literature but not included.
Jayco recommends I purchase battery operated led lightrs and "stick them overhead".
I hope he was joking!!
I've had nearly a dozen RVs and all had RV battery powered reading lights.

Any suggestions?

IN THE DARK!

[tlhdoc]

Jayco or your dealer recommend the stick on light?

[chas111]

Originally Posted by tlhdoc

Jayco or your dealer recommend the stick on light?

I have 24t and it has lights above bed.

[Jagiven]

I just installed two lights over our dinette. Same issue it is so dark that you cannot read or play a game at the table. I ran wires there earlier this summer for a 12 volt fan, so I just tied into the same power feed. It took about two hours to run the wires from the other end of the TT and another hour to install the lights and power point for the fan.

[maclean]

Yea

[tinlizzie23]

Maybe it's time to query Jayco and ask if the lights that came standard on the 2010 were eliminated or made optional on the 2012s or 13s. If not, then maybe they just didn't get installed on maclean's unit, and should be retrofitted as a warranty item. If they WERE optional, then I would ask Jayco if wiring is already in the wall for them.

[maclean]

Both the dealer and Jayco suggested the "stick on"!

[Flashman]

Tried the stickons - they fell off after the 3rd trip

[kjohn73]

I tried an AC Delco cheapo stick on. It fell off. We have the head of our bed at the opposite end to what Jayco put the headboard. There isn't a reading light there either. Back to the planning board.

[Jagiven]

It appears the wood paneling has some kind of silicone coating on it. I tried securing a Command hook on a wood paneling, and it kept falling off. Finally I wiped the attachment spot with Goof-Off, since then they have not fallen off the wall.

[kjohn73]

Jagiven: Good tip. I'll give the cleaning a try!! Thanks.

[Steve210]

Has anybody tried adding reading lights to the bed? My 26.5 RKS has a light, but its mounted directly over where your eyes are when you lay down. DW and I read in bed and would like to have separate reading lights. I'm thinking about mounting two 12 volt adjustable spots on the side of the shirt cabinets. Anybody done this?

[bigbird]

I haven't done anything yet but its the first i want to do when she comes out of storage. In the meantime i'm looking for any good suggestions too.

[Jagiven]

Steve210, from your description there are two lights under the OHC. With that said, it should be really easy to add two wall mounted lights. Empty out the OHC. Carefully pry up the paneling (inside of the OHC), it was really easy to do above my dinette. From there you have full access to the wire harness.

They have to get the wires up to the OHC so I suspect inside one of the side cabinets there is a false back (screwed on) that routes the wires up to the OHC, as another option to get power. Once you decide where you want the lights I would run a little wire molding inside the cabinet to your mounting location, add a little reinforcement to mount the light to (inside the cabinet) and enjoy.

[Seann45]

I will bet that if you check under the panel you will find the wires there for the lights if they are optional... then it is just a matter of drilling holes and attaching the lights... I know that cars come wired for all options on that model so all the dealer has to do is plug them in.. and I am willing to bet that RV's are wired in a similar manner.

[Steve210]

Thanks for your suggestions. The 26.5 RKS doesnt have an OHC over the bed. The light is mounted on the ceiling. I may try taking the fixture out and probing left and right with a fish tape - I might get lucky, but I suspect the wiring runs through the ceiling laterally and there are probably crossmembers up there. The easiest thing may be just to tap into the existing fixture and run surface conduit over to a new spotlight mounted at the side.

[Jagiven]

Steve210, I miss understood, where you had lights. I bet under your bedroom you have a basement. How about drilling a small hole in the floor under the bed, then route the wires under the bed to the headboard. Then up the inside front corner of each cabinet right close to the cabinet door in wire molding so it is secure and mostly out of sight. Then reinforce the wall and mount the lights.

Just an FYI, 12V does not need to be in conduit, however securing well may be wise if you store a lot of items under the bed that could hook on the wires.

Fishing wires through the ceiling should not be very difficult. Remove your existing light(s) and explore how your roof is constructed. I have trussed a roof frames, it allows wires and the like to be fished through relatively easily.

Your picture must be a factory picture, due to the setup. Look closely at the OHC and you will notice they installed a small light below the OHC to lighten up the area, when they took the photo.

[norty1]

Sure want to see some pics. This is my next mod, just need to find the right light fixture. Mines needs to be lower but nit out enough to crack my head, like on the headboard.

I am being blinded by the bright overhead light, even with a LED there.