If there is some down time, maybe we can get a project done!

Since we're still in Grants Pass, we decided to tackle a project that has been on our list for a while...

The bus has rope lights in a lot of places... around the windows, outlining the design on the ceiling, along the bottom of the cabinets near the floor, under the countertops, and around the base of the bed. We had used some of these as "night lights" - enough lighting to allow us to walk around the bus at night without tripping over something or stepping on a cat that might be sleeping on the floor. Unfortunately, slowly, the little bulbs in the rope lights were burning out. The "aisle" lights which were around the base of the bed and along the bottom of the kitchen cabinets near the floor, and under the front of the (now non-existant) couch had only one or two bulbs working. The light under the countertop in the toilet room likewise only had a couple of lights still working. In place of the aisle lights we had started using the under-countertop rope light in the bathroom/hallway and kitchen, but we had a goal to replace the rope lights with LEDs - hoping that they would not only take the place of the burned out rope lights, but also use a little less electricity when we're boondocking.

I had looked at LED light strips a few times and couldn't decide what to get... I don't like the "cool" white lights and someone had recommended getting 3000K as they more mimic the light of incandescent bulbs. When I looked on Amazon a week or so ago, they had a 16' length for $6.49... so we decided to order it (LED warm white light strip on Amazon). We also got connectors (LED light strip connectors) for $4.99 for 4 of them. What we really needed was "light strip to bare wire connectors", but, (1) I didn't know that and (2) they were $5.99 for 4 ... so we cut one end of the light strip connector off of each to allow us to connect in with the bus wiring.

We started in the toilet room. It was a short length to replace, and it was not at floor level so it was easier to access!

All the tools laid out on the countertop -- the rope light is under the part where the grey part of the counter comes out... it isn't on in this picture - in fact, I think I can see the two wire ends on the right side of the picture about in the middle, above the 3 light switches. One of those light switches controls the rope light.

The previous lights were in a plastic tubing...

This is what the previous lights looked like once they were pulled out of the plastic tubing - there were tiny little bulbs, like 1/3" long, connected to the red wiring.

Testing the LED light strip - it works!

 The light strip had an adhesive strip that we could have attached to the cabinet, but we decided to put it into the plastic tubing as the bus had nice connectors that held that to the cabinet, and we figured the adhesive would be likely to come loose and get dirt and hair attached to it...

Light strip installed under the countertop - wow - it provides a LOT of light!

 Going from only a few lights working (and a separation of lights being about 4" apart) to all the lights working and about 1" apart makes the LED light strip a lot brighter. If we were going to replace more of the ones that are under the countertops or the ones on the ceiling, I think I would want less bright or fewer lights per foot on the light strip. I'm guessing that is available, though I have not looked for them.

This is preparing to do the ones under the cabinets in the kitchen near floor level - you may be able to see the tubing attached above the brass/gold reflecting area, and some of the fasteners that connect it to the cabinet.

There were two "runs" of the lights under the cabinet, both connected underneath via the same hole. (Note, the light source in this picture is from the super-bright flashlight that my brother sent us - it was very helpful!)

Here you can see where the two tubes were wired in under the cabinet. This is right beside the Aqua-Hot heat vent... so we had to take everything out of the under-part of the sink cabinet to get to the wires under the floor of the cabinet.

We were able to get all three of the sets of lights that we most wanted changed out - under the countertop in the toilet area, under the kitchen cabinets near the floor, and around the bed base - all done with the 16' length that we ordered.

Under cabinet lighting in kitchen...

Under bed / bed base lighting - with Tabitha demonstrating how easy it is to see a kitty and avoid stepping on her with the new lights!

I think you can particularly see with this lighting in the bedroom that if it was higher up (under the countertops in the main part of the bathroom) it would probably be disruptive for sleeping. Under the cabinets in the kitchen, and as low as it is under the bed, and in the toilet area where it is under the countertop but not a room open to the rest of the bus, it is not proving to be a problem.

So... a to-do has moved to "to-done"!!!

** After I wrote this post, both of the kitties posed... so adding another picture!

Miss Kitty on the scratching block, and Tabitha on the floor, exchanging "sniffs". (Dwayne says I should have moved the trash can that is between the camera and Tabitha, but I would have disturbed them if I had done that! It does, however, look like Tabitha is kind of poking her head out of the trash can....)