Lights: Don't Get Burnt

A fire hazard in the waiting... It's very important that when changing light bulbs, you replace them with bulbs of the same model number, voltage rating, and wattage rating. There are many potential fire hazards waiting to happen if careful attention is not paid to three three simple criteria based on what we've seen in the past.

• The latest incident involved bulbs of the wrong model number having been placed in three different light fixtures on the same boat. The larger bulb size caused them to touch the lenses, with no air gap. The result: all three lenses melted.
• In another case, 12v bulbs were used in a 24v lighting system, resulting in much more heat being produced. These lights were in a cedar-lined clothes closet, and the owner witnessed flaming plastic melting from the lights and falling onto her clothes. The entire boat could have burned down had she not seen this in time.
• LED lights are the preferred choice. They are known for their low power drain, which is great when they are running off batteries, and they generally produce far less heat, making them a much safer product then normal bulbs.