If you own a motorhome or a caravan, the very thought of drilling holes in the bodywork to secure exterior fixings would likely bring you out in a nervous sweat. Drilling and bolting is a very permanent solution that can leave unsightly holes in the outside of your precious van or motorhome. Thankfully before taking this expensive plunge with drill in hand, Ian from Wiltshire contacted first4magnets looking for a more elegant solution for fixing exterior, solar-powered lights to the outside of his motorhome.
Magnets are a perfect solution as the outside of motorhomes and caravans often have many steel parts, which magnets can attract to. As you can see from the below photos, Ian took full advantage of this. Here’s what Ian did:
1) Firstly, Ian spoke to a member of the technical sales team at first4magnets who advised that 50mm x 10mm x 2mm self-adhesive neodymium magnets would be the ideal solution. Upon receiving the magnets, Ian peeled back the self-adhesive backing and stuck two magnets to the reverse of each light using the premium 3M adhesive.
2) Next, to prevent scratching the paintwork on the outside of his motorhome, Ian covered each magnet in a single piece of black electrical tape. The tape not only protects the paintwork, but will also give the magnets extra protection form the elements and help prevent early corrosion. As the magnets are made from neodymium, the strongest magnetic material available, they are strong enough to attract through the thickness of the tape and hold the weight of the light in a shear position.
3) Now, with magnets in place, Ian was free to position the lights anywhere on the outside of his motorhome that was magnetic. In the below picture, you can see one of the solar-powered lights attached to the sliding door of his vehicle.
4) When approached, the lights detect movement and come on automatically illuminating the way. What’s more, because the units are held in place with magnets they can be just as easily removed before setting off on the next journey!
