Overheating light bulb in storage compartment

[wiarcher]

I have a 2020 Jayco Redhawk 22c. In two of the storage compartments on the motorhome there is a light which is operated by a rocker switch. I assumed that these lights would be LED, like all the other lights in the RV. However, on a recent trip, at one of my stops I detected a hot/burning smell and discovered that it was coming from one of these storage compartments. When I opened the compartment I found that the light had been turned on by stored items and it had overheated to the point of melting through the light cover and also through my outdoor awning rug.

If these lights were LED then this would not have happened. With the use of halogen bulbs in an enclosed space, coupled with easily operated rocker switches this kind of thing is inevitable. This is especially true when it is in a storage area which users tend to fill with all kinds of items.

Has anyone else had this kind of issue?

[norty1]

Glad to hear you caught that. I hope you are replacing the bulb or the fixture with a LED asap!

[Camper_bob]

I too was annoyed to find that virtually ALL other lamps in the camper are LED except those in storage. If I had known that, I would've kept the panels out of my trailer when I traded it in.

Thankfully, none have been turned on accidentally, and I have remembered to turn them off when I've used them. But I feel like it's only a matter of time before this happens to me. If I'm lucky (which I probably won't be), I'll be able to replace the bulbs with panels before this happens.

But for now, I'm just remaining aware of the possibility for these to be left on, and checking them frequently. Thankfully I'm pretty much the only person in my family who goes into the storage bays, so my son is not likely to leave one on. And we don't have enough gear or of the appropriate shape in any of our compartments to trip any of the switches accidentally.

Still, this was a SUPER annoying place for Jayco to cheap out...

[wiarcher]

I wish I had known they were halogen before this happened. I had recognised that there was a real possibility that the lights may be activated accidentally but I though with LED that is not a problem. The design and position of the rocker switch means that anything bumping against it will turn it on.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by wiarcher

With the use of halogen bulbs

Mine aren't halogen but normal incandescent bulbs and I've had *almost* the same thing happen.

Never that severe, but hot enough to melt a little and brown the socket. Not only this RV but our previous one too.

Some LED bulbs will get very warm too.
Not the bulb per se' but the heat-sink, PCB and panel.