LED Light over Stove

**rlp84070** · 10-14-2017, 08:04 PM

My DW has voiced displeasure over the darkness under the microwave when cooking in our 15 379fl. So today I checked off another project to make cooking in the dark a thing of the past. In my pictures you can see how the microwave throws a shadow over the stove from the light above it. I decided to put a LED light strip under the microwave and take power from the light switch under there so that when the light on the ceiling got turned on the LED light strip would also come on. In the process of getting power from the light switch I ran into a problem after taking the light switch off because the wires and connectors were suspended in a glob of black silicone behind the switch. When I removed the switch the connectors stayed right in place. Almost as if you could just plug the switch back in, however that was not the case. Even when I freed the connectors from the silicone they were not long enough to even come out of the hole. There was no service loop at all. I had to make extension wires to put it back in place.

**JCR GD** · 10-15-2017, 07:58 AM

Looks good.

FYI there is a light on the bottom of the microwave (when 120v is on.) At least there is on ours.

**rlp84070** · 10-16-2017, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by JCR GD

Looks good.

FYI there is a light on the bottom of the microwave (when 120v is on.) At least there is on ours.

Yes she is aware of the lights under the microwave but they are dim and yellow. She wanted brighter lights.

**TucsonJim** · 10-16-2017, 10:26 AM

I need to figure out lighting under our microwave also. Ours is over the stove in our 297RSTS. We have a pretty bright light on ours when we turn on the microwave light, but we do a lot of dry camping without hookups. So it's dark in the stove area if I don't have 120V readily available.

Your third picture (where the wires are located) drives me nuts. Is that hole in the wall really the best work that these Amish "craftsmen" can do?
Jim

**rlp84070** · 10-16-2017, 10:40 AM

Tucson Jim I have to agree with you. I can understand someone like me making a hole like that but when you are "professionally" building a unit you would think that they would have a much better way of doing it and being sure that it was done with precision. I could have made that hole with hammer!

**TucsonJim** · 10-16-2017, 11:01 AM

RLP84070 - I just sent a copy of your picture to Bill Martin (GDRV management). He responded that he's going to show it to senior factory management and see if there is a better way of cutting these holes. Hopefully, things will improve.

Jim

**Canyonlight** · 10-16-2017, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by TucsonJim

RLP84070 - I just sent a copy of your picture to Bill Martin (GDRV management). He responded that he's going to show it to senior factory management and see if there is a better way of cutting these holes. Hopefully, things will improve.

Jim

Jim - thank you, for being a good forum voice with GDRV leaders/other team members. My concern is that this is probably not a one off. I suspect that there is (was I hope) a team member(s) and/or team or certain situations or conditions where things like this are occurring more often than we think. Hopefully GDRV leadership/management will be concerned as well and take it further to learn more and take corrective action as may be needed.

Dan

**JCR GD** · 10-16-2017, 01:36 PM

It looks to me like they used a rotozip type tool with a shaky hand.

**cebreeding** · 10-19-2017, 09:10 PM

I took the lazy way out. I removed the two bulbs that were in the bottom of the microwave, went to Lowes, and bought 40 watt bulbs to replace the 30 wat ones installed by the microwave manufacturer, and had more light with less power required. I believe the 40 watt equivalent bulbs use 4 watts.

**BabyBober** · 10-20-2017, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by TucsonJim

I need to figure out lighting under our microwave also. Ours is over the stove in our 297RSTS. We have a pretty bright light on ours when we turn on the microwave light, but we do a lot of dry camping without hookups. So it's dark in the stove area if I don't have 120V readily available.
Jim

Hi jim:
Our 303 has the same problem and we dry camp a lot. Worse off there is no 12v close by. I tapped off the fridge 12v, ran a line up and into the area and put up some 12v strip lights and a switch. Problem solved. Photos attached