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The battery disconnect switch in our 2022 Airstream Flying Cloud Office is encircled by an incredibly bright LED light. During the day, the light is a non-issue. But at night – hooo boy! – that light casts a neon green glow across the entire interior of the rig like an alien ship coming in for landing. It’s bothersome enough that we got in the habit of keeping the bedroom curtain closed when we slept. While that effectively kept the light out of the bedroom, it also caused the bedroom to get either much warmer or much cooler than the rest of the trailer – depending on whether we were running the A/C or the furnace. You wouldn’t think that a curtain would make that much of a difference, but there have been times when it felt like there was a ten degree difference in temperature from the bedroom to the bathroom. What we really wanted was a way to turn the battery disconnect light OFF at night so we could sleep comfortably without the curtain closed.
When I initially imagined a solution for this problem, my brain conjured images of cartoonish missile launch buttons with protective flip-up covers. Except, unlike the one shown above, I’d obviously need something with an opaque cover. I kept searching google and amazon looking for something that might work, but always came up empty. Then, a few days before we embarked on our most recent Airstream adventure, I apparently punched exactly the right combination of keywords into Amazon and struck gold. Well, maybe silver. What I found isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s definitely Good Enough™.
This is what I found. It’s intended purpose – a decorative cover for automotive engine start buttons – is a bit silly. It’s clearly designed to give sports car owners a certain “mission control” vibe when they start their engines. Regardless, it was the perfect way to throw some shade at the neon lighthouse emanating from our battery disconnect switch. It took about 37 seconds to “install” – just peel and stick – and fit surprisingly well in between the four screws that hold the battery disconnect switch backing plate to the wall. In my extremely precise estimation, I’d say the amount of light visible from the switch at night was reduced by about 99%. No more alien spaceship landings while we sleep.
You may have noticed the words “engine start/stop” in the image above. Yeah. Unfortunately, there’s no escaping that text. As much as I wish there was one that just said “Airstream” or – better yet – had an Airstream emoji in the center, these things are really geared toward car nerds. (Pun accidental. But I’m keeping it.) Lacking an Airstream specific variation, I’d prefer one with no text at all. But the truth is, after a few hours I kinda forgot the text was even there. I’m too busy basking in the darkness as I fall asleep at night.
It’s also worth noting that these things cost about $18 bucks. Is it absurd to pay that much for a plastic cover that spins open and shut? Perhaps. When I initially showed Jill this thing on Amazon she bristled at the cost before rolling her eyes and letting me buy it anyway. But it’s not much more expensive than lunch for two at your local deli, and this at least helps us sleep better night after night. Plus now we don’t have to mess with the bedroom curtain or fret about temperature differences from one room to the other.
Are you intrigued? Do you want one for your rig? Get one for yourself here! Maybe if enough folks like us buy them, the company will design RV specific options.
You can see ours in action in the video below.
Mimi
November 7, 2022 at 10:56 am
Great article! Glad you found a solution!