Just in time for Christmas, I installed some multi-coloured battery powered LED Xmas lights into the van to add a bit of festive colour. It was only meant to be a short term install over Christmas and the new year, but I have now grown to like the lights in the van. So it was time to make them a more permanent feature.
I chose the lights as they are operated by 3 AA batteries, and would require no wiring into the van. The batteries last for a long time as the LED’s don’t draw much current. I had installed them into position with some duct tape before Christmas, but with fluctuating temperatures inside the van, the tape wasn’t holding all that well. So I needed a more permanent solution – stainless steel hook screws!
I sourced the hook screws on eBay, they are really small and quite discreet, and are advertised for holding up Christmas decorations – and 10 hooks for £2 with free delivery, they weren’t going to break the bank!
As you will see in the video above, the first thing I did was get a small drill bit and put in a pilot hole in various locations around the van. The positions of the holes/screws were chosen to line up approximately with the an LED fitting on the string of lights. This allowed me to tension the lights a little and the hook screw would stop the light string from sagging. Take a look at the photo below to get an idea of what I mean.
I managed to only put one hook screw into the outside wall of the van, as I wanted to minimise any drilling into the insulated side walls. I didn’t drill into the roof for the same reason. The rest of the holes were into the wooden cabinets and overhead lockers.
Then it was a simple case of screwing in the hooks and attaching the lights to them. It was a nice straight forward job which took around 10 minutes to complete.
So if you’re looking for a neat way to install any kind of fairy lights into your campervan or motorhome, I hope the video and this blog post has give you some ideas!
