Can you mix LED and regular bulbs. Planning on replacing nav. but not mast head bulb. Read some where to not to ? nies
my nav and steaming lights are original but the anchor and 3 lights in the cabin are LED. no problems since changing over years ago.
No problems with what you are doing. Mixing within the same fixture can be an issue, and it's more of a problem with 120V household bulbs.
Thanks....,nies
Hello Nies! Nice to hear from you again!
I was planning to retrofit my nav lights with LED's and install an anchor light. On the Aqua Signal website there is a article stating that their lights were designed, tested, & certified with the original incandescent bulbs. Replacement with anything else could mean that they would not meet NMMA certification.
In the event of an accident this is one of those technicalities that could void insurance coverage or even make the boater with "improper equipment" liable.
mike
Yes. USCG certification is only valid so long as the manufacturer's original lamp is installed. A lot of people ignore this and get away with it, but it would be a real bad day if your boat were involved in a collision and the other party argued that you were not flying USCG-certified lights. Lawyers get paid a lot of money to make this kind of argument.
S/V Sophie is 100% LED except for nav lights, for this very reason. I have Aqua Signal series 25 lights (standard on a lot of Compacs) and I use the standard incandescent festoon lamps. I don't run after dark very often, and generally overnight in marinas, not at anchor, so my lights don't see much use.
Wes
Interesting subject.
Wes, Do you use the actual Aqua Signal replacement bulb p/n 9040017700 or 90400200? Any other festoon 10W incandescent would have the same issue. I haven't looked that closely at any of my bulbs, is there any kind of identifying mark to show that it's an "Aqua Signal" bulb? I guess this would be one more good point to put on a used boat inspection list. I can't imagine too many folks are going out of their way to check every nav. light bulb when buying a used boat.
"Could" is the important word in the warning. I would think as long as you can show that the light still meets the requirements of the regulations that there would be no legitimate case against it. I know my LED anchor light is a heck of a lot brighter than the original bulb and it can be seen further away. But it is a risk that would need a lot more work to prove out compared to just showing that you are running the certified fixture & bulb.
Perhaps someone has more detailed information, but ...
Marine fixtures and lamps appropriate for power boats are not necessarily appropriate for sailboats.
It's not just brightness. It's also vertical angularity of light projection.
Because sailboats heel, they are required to have great vertical angularity of light projection to compensate.
Sorry, I am unable to cite chapter and verse of the appropriate regulations.
Just be cautious of substitutions.
There is more at stake than simply whether are they electrically functional.
Regards, Roland
Slode - I should clarify. I did not mean that you have to buy the lamp from the fixture manufacturer, just that you are supposed to use the lamp type that the manufacturer submitted to the USCG at the time the fixture was tested and approved. That is a 10 watt incandescent festoon. No, I do not buy mine from Aqua Signal.
I'm not a lawyer, but I've been a business owner long enough to know that you can have logic on your side and still lose a court case, or spend a lot of money defending yourself. A very basic principle of liability is that plaintiffs go after the deepest-pocketed defendants. If you get sued in our hypothetical accident situation, you want your lawyer to be able to say "hey, he bought the boat from Com-Pac, who are professional boat builders, and they equipped it with a certified fixture from Aqua Signal, who are professional manufacturers of marine lights. Why don't you go sue those guys and leave my poor client alone?"
The moment you "improve" your fixture with a non-certified LED lamp, you take on much more legal liability. Why take that risk?
Wes
Thanks Bob......................nies