Switch indicator lights dead? Here's a fix.

Got an electrical switch with an indicator light in it? These little lights illuminate to tell you that say, your water heater is on or your door step is "locked." The problem is, sometimes these little tell-tales die, leaving you "in the dark." Finding a replacement switch can be a costly (if not impossible) task. Here's how to do an inexpensive work-around: Add an LED indicator.

First, you'll need to match up your voltage need. Most stuff in our RVs is 12-volt powered, but you may run into some "shore power" switches. Once you know what the voltage is, visit in person (or on the web) and LED supplier. A handy size indicator is typically about a quarter-inch in diameter. We found some on the web for less than $3 each.

It's best to turn off the power before starting--especially when working with shore power devices. On the switch panel (or nearby) drill an appropriately sized hole and push the LED barrel, leads first, into the hole. Using a similar sized flat push-on speed nut, push the nut over the leads and flush up against the back side of the panel, firmly holding the new indicator in place. Connect the leads of the LED to the switch contacts where the existing wires connect up, in "parallel" with the existing dead indicator lamps.

Update your rig's lights with CFLs or LEDs

Lighting burns up 22% of electricity produced worldwide. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs in your rig that produce the same amount of light by using a quarter of the electricity--and they last for years and years.

Better yet, LED lights last for 10 to 15 years, use 10% to 30% less electricity than compact fluorescent bulbs, and are up to 10 times more efficient than standard incandescent lights, which waste 90% of their energy as heat. And on a hot day, you don't need to be generating more heat from your lighting.

A good source of RV LED lights can be found at the Hitching Post.