Hi all!
We are new owners of a 1993 16' scamp and new to this community! We are loving the scamp and enjoying making it our own. We are wanting to remove the horizontal light fixture that sits over our counter with the stove/fridge. We have changed light fixtures before in our home but never in a camper. We are not wanting to replace it with another light, rather a shelf for storage. My main concern is making sure the wiring is either safely stored or removed fully, as well as making sure there is no power going to this light while we uninstall it. Any and ALL advice would be much appreciated. Here is a photo of what we are wanting to remove:
Thanks so much!!!
The Freshwaters
If you unplug the trailer, there is no power going to anything. You can also turn the light on and then turn the 110 circuit breakers off one at a time to find the one the light is on. I believe the power for that light comes from the outlet box showing on the wall in your picture. You can probably use the light mounting rivet holes for stainless steel screws as part of your shelf installation, with new snap caps on the outside. Enjoy your Scamp.
Thanks for the advice. Not wanting to make myself seem like a total novice when it comes to the camper...but I am :) This is a new venture for us. So on that note, "unplug the trailer" meaning disconnect the battery or just the main plug not being plugged in?
Secondly that was my exact thought for the shelf installation!
Thanks again!
Stephen and Cameron Freshwater
That light is the only light that is house power, the rest are 12v battery. You don’t need to disconnect the battery to remove that light just don’t be plugged into shore power.
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Thanks Greg for the clarification! That is very helpful!
Any advice on securing and/or removing the wires so that we do not create any kind of fire hazard?
Stephen and Cameron Freshwater
I really like that light. It is in a good place and mine really puts out a nice warm light.
I like that light, too, but we camp off-grid quite a bit, so it's not available. I installed an LED light on the bottom of the cabinet to replace it (although I have not removed the flourescent fixture - yet). Here's what I installed:
Randy
Randy in Paonia
Thanks so much for yall's input. We are sure we want to remove it as we want to change to LED lights under the cabinet. We mostly camp off the grid so wont be using it much anyway and would like a sleek look when we install our backsplash. The less cutting and fitting I need to do, the better :)
As for the LED, Randy, I really like that one. Thanks for the link. We found a package of six smaller battery operated ones that work by touch or by remote. Now we will have to compare!
Stephen and Cameron Freshwater
That light left early on. If I remember correctly there is romex running from the fixture to the outlet, as mentioned by LEberhardt. The romex just runs up behind the rat fur and you can pul it out gingerly without disrupting the insulation. I wired in some Ikea disc lights to the bottom of the cabinets that run off the house 12v, but there are som many good options out there for LED lights to match your needs and style. The only incandescent bulbs we still have in the trailer are the old school reading lights that use trailer bulbs.
Have fun!
I removed that fluorescent light in my ‘77 13’. In my trailer the wiring that went to it was a piece of Romex that was behind a thin layer of fiberglass under the “elephant skin”. I made a slit along the bump that was the wire and used a Dremel to grind away the glass and then removed the wire down to the level of the countertop. This made the wall smooth, and I just re-glued the elephant skin and caulked the seam. Ultimately, I installed a spice rack behind the sink, and used the same two holes from the light to secure it to the wall. I installed an LED light under the upper cupboard, which is a huge improvement over the original fluorescent.
Now, all of my lights are 12V LED and run off the battery and solar panel, which makes it handy when off the grid. If I’m camping where there’s shore power, everything runs off the converter, including the fridge (which also can run on propane).
I commented previously on where to find the wire. We got our Scamp 16' in 2006, before LEDs were commonly available. I replaced the light with a 12V fluorescent and ran power from the light in the cabinet above. I believe I just disconnected the 110 wire and left it in place. I used the existing rivet holes and drilled matching ones in the new fixture. It still works fine and doesn't use much more power than a comparable LED fixture would. I like a bright light over the kitchen counter.