LED light assembly usage with high end inverter/charger units? Hot & smoking LEDs

Back in March I installed a Magnum Industries 2500 watt inverter/charger along with a trimetric monitor. Everything is working great without issues. This was a great mod that I wished I did earlier. After our first trip this year to make sure everything was working properly, I purchased about $65.00 worth of LED bulbs and assemblies to switch all the light over to LED lighting. I purchased 4 different bulbs T10, G4 and 15S based bulbs. The T10 and G4 based bulbs are working without issues. The 15S based bulbs work fine as long as the Magnum is not in the charging mode. Once I start the charging process these bulbs smoke and give off a burnt plastic odor. Has anyone else experienced this? I purchased 2 different bulbs for the under cabinet and ceiling light fixtures. Both use 5050 LEDs, half are 18 SMD and the rest are 27 SMD assemblies.

12 volt lighting is supposed to withstand voltage between the 11.5 -15 volt range. When my unit is bulk charging, it is sending 14.4 volts to the battery and absorb charging is done at 13.8 as per battery manufacturing specs. I also measured the voltage to the fixtures with a multimeter to be at 14.3 volts. LEDs were smoking and hot to the touch. The incandescent lights also get hotter then normal while charging is going on but not enough for me to worry about overheating.

I also know that I bought cheaper ebay variety LED lighting. Has anyone else experienced this? Do the more expensive LED bulbs have technology that will allow them to withstand the higher voltages while charging is going on? I also know that most of my charging will be done during daylight hours but I want nothing to do with these cheaper bulbs.

The only way we discovered this was we recently went to the trailer to exercise the generator and discovered that no one had placed the battery disconnect switches to the off position. My batteries were completely drained. So we hooked up the Honda 3000 inverter to the trailer and while the batteries were charging I decided to kill time by installing the new LED lights. Why deciding if we wanted the 18 or 27 SMD lights over the galley sink, they started to smoke. As stated the G4 and T10 lights are fine but the are very small bulbs for accent lighting. This happens with both the Honda 300 suppling power as well as the on board Onan.

The ebay seller's ad states that the 18 SMD had 216 lumens and for all applications interior and exterior of a trailer. I have done a little research on the internet and some retailers are stating that LEDs are not made to exceed 13 volts and that auto/RV/boat users should only use LED lighting with voltage regulators. I hope no one finds out the hard way and I am glad I discovered this before something bad happened. I will be looking into the more expensive led lighting to see if they react the same way or not to our charging modes

I believe the LEDs have micro circuitry in them. It could be that particular brand/model of bulb has inferior circuitry.


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Just as an update to my post. Yesterday I stopped into an Autozone and purchased one pair of Sylvania 1156 LED replacement bulbs. They work properly and stay cool to the touch even when the batteries are being charged. The construction of the housing is also completely different. Another example of you get what you pay for. Anyone else that bought those ebay bulbs really needs to check them while you un is charging the 12 volt side. during the charging cycles it is not uncommon for the batteries to be up over 14 volts and these bulbs were smoking at 13.8 volts as tested by a multimeter. Please be careful. I still plan on going full LED, but with the cost of the better bulbs it will take me longer to get there.

John, I have bought two sets of these LEDs (20 total) and have about 14 in the trailer. 3 week long trips so far with no issues noticed.

Thanks Duane. Is this the same seller that you bought from? I noticed one big difference in the ads. The ad in your link actually show a voltage range from 11 volts up to 30. The ad I purchased from states no such range. I think that I might just go with the Sylvania bulbs. Your bulbs are 3.30 a piece and I found the Sylvania for around 7.00 a bulb(cheapest so far). Not too expensive for the piece of mind.

Second question, Are you using any LEDs in the exterior light fixtures, brakes, marker, or floods?

Same seller.
So far I am using LEDs about every where I can. Haven't found one yet for the light above the dinette. Eric Van Opstal hooked me up with 10 or so of the push in 198's, they are in all the running lights (including the golf cart)

My brake light strip was LED from the factory.
All the lights in the compartments now have the linked LEDs
The rear flood lights are still original. They are bright and I use them as reverse lights as well. So far they are staying stock - incandescent.

The side flood lights have the flat type LED panels. Not real impressed with them as far as light output.

BTW, did you see my post about my ramp failing?

I saw the ramp failure a while ago. To be honest we do not use the ramp as much as you do because we never have the room for the bike, we always have the dogs and I do not like leaving them behind. Although some day the bike or bikes will be an option. I did caulk my ramp in both sides with a good silicone caulk after reading about your failure. While at Martinsville this year, I completely re-caulked the drivers side of the unit but still gotta finish the other side.

My Dinette area has two sconces on the wall next to the bigger window and 5 puck lights tucked into the ceiling of the slide out, the same as the 2 puck lights in the bedroom slide, over the bed. If you go back to my original post and follow the links to T10 and G4 bulbs, those are the ones that I used in my dinette without issues. I just do not remember which one went in the sconces and which ones went in the pucks. The are not as bright but they do work. One of the two also fits the light in the range hood.

The ebay seller is offering to take back these bulbs and issue me a refund. He is claiming that his 12 volt lights only work at 12 volts and no more. He claimed that I should have read his ad better. I am just glad that I had the charger running when I installed these and that we did not find out while out on a trip.

porthole said:

John, I have bought two sets of these LEDs (20 total) and have about 14 in the trailer. 3 week long trips so far with no issues noticed.

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Same here, including the push-in jobbies that fit in the fixture above our table. Have put the LEDs in the outside "porch" and ODS (clear) locations. Have not incurred any noticeable heat with them. 3rd trip, so over 20 hours at minimum on 'em.