Mod: Lighted Drawers
DETAILS: Lighted Drawers
I’ve added several LED accent lights throughout the motorhome, but noticed that the new 2020 Views and Navion’s come standard with hard-wired lighted drawers with an automatic switch, so I wanted to add the same! This mod was relatively easy if you’re comfortable with 12v wiring.
Mounting the LED Light Strip (two deep drawers)
I wanted the light source to be a soft glow vs. a harsh spotlight inside the two larger drawers. To achieve this, I mounted the light inside the front lip of the drawer and aimed it toward the back — not straight down into the drawer. I purchased corner moulding at Home Depot which created both a surface to mount the self-adhesive LED light strip as well as a base to double-side tape to the inside lip of the door frame (for easy removal and/or adjustment).
I cut two pieces of corner moulding, each to a length of 22.5” which is 1/2” longer than the width of the opening (the moulding extends 1/4” beyond each side of the 22” opening, ensuring a full-width light). The LED light strip can be cut to the desired length at the indicated marks to match the length of the corner moulding.
Mounting the LED Light Strip (shallow top drawer)
The top drawer is not very deep vertically, so it needed a different lighting solution. I mounted the LED light strip inside the back of the drawer itself (see 3rd to last photo). The light shines forward and illuminates the entire drawer, helped by my clear drawer organizers. To diffuse the light, I added a small piece of plastic cut from a large ceiling tile used in old-school florescent ceiling boxes.
Since the drawer moves, so do the wires that power the light. I enclosed the two wires in black conduit and arranged them such that they will not interfere with the drawer below it (see the last two photos).
Switch Location
I mounted the automatic light switch on the right side of each drawer, just above the track (see photos). This location is both out of the way and out of sight. It’s important to mount the switch flush with the side wall so that the closed drawer pushes the button in fully (see photos). The switch interrupts the positive (yellow) wire prior to powering the light. When the button is pushed in (drawer closed), the light turns off. When the button is released (drawer open), the light turns on.
Power Source
I tapped into power in the area beneath the bottom drawer. There are many 12v power sources in this location, but I chose the positive (yellow wire) and ground (white wire) that lead to the HDMI splitter (black box attached to the wall). If your year/model doesn’t have this splitter, than you can choose from an array of power and ground sources in the rats nest of wires under the drawers (refer to your rig’s wiring diagram).
Automatic Light Switch (2-pack): www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5YP9PR
LED Light Strips (2-pack): www.amazon.com/dp/B00WQFP1LU
Wood Corner Moulding: https://thd.co/2Sqeo61
Top Drawer Clear Organizer (2-pack): www.amazon.com/dp/B07NYV1KZ6