Outdoor LED Strip Lights - Comprehensive Guide
LED lights use about 75% less energy compared to incandescent lights. They have become one of the most popular ways to make business houses, residential homes, and holiday parties neat and feel updated to today's standards. LED strip lights not only make a building look nicer but also add extra security to the business or residence. The main feature of LED lights is that, if bought correctly, they can be used inside and outside both.
While outdoor
LED strip lights are nothing that is unheard of before, it is quite
different and can be tricky to navigate the first time, especially the strip
lights. If you are planning to buy them but are not sure about their installation,
keep reading this blog.
Selecting the right exterior LED strip light for your needs
There are essentially three main categories of LED
lights, with each category better suited to specific environments. These
include:
- Non-weather-resistant LED: these lights are
used indoors
- Weather-resistant LED: these lights are used
outdoors
- Waterproof LED: These lights are mostly used
to light up pools and other areas near water
If you are planning to install LED strip lights, you will
have to know about the Ingress Protection (IP) rating. The IP rating measures
the amount of water and solids an LED light unit can sustain before any
complications arise.
Length
One of the biggest obstacles of LED strip light
installation is measuring the required length. When calculating the space you
want to light, ensure to account for the corners you want to cover. Along with
it, calculate any gaps and elevations in the path of illumination.
It is essential to know the exact length you will need
because every LED strip has a maximum measure of length that can be
continuously powered without a voltage drop. If this length is exceeded, the
LEDs won't be as bright at the end of the strip. Once you have measured the
total required length, compare the length with the LED strip's maximum run.
Higher voltage strips have higher maximum run.
Voltages
and Power Supply Capacities
When you are deciding on which power supply to use, make
sure its voltage matches the voltage of the strip lights you are planning to
fit. Strip lights come in either 12 or 24-volt variants.
If you're having trouble determining the right power supply unit for your needs, there's no need to worry, as you're not alone. Thankfully, there is an easy equation that can be used to find the wattage of the required power supply. Follow these simple steps:
- Find watts consumed per foot by the strip lighting.
- Multiply this value by the length of your strip lighting (in feet)
- Once you get that value, multiply it by 1.3
- The number you get after this calculation will be the smallest value of the power supply you will need to run all of your LED strip lights
Colour
and Illumination
Once you navigate your way beyond the laborious task of
LED strip light installation, you can finally begin working on the fun part.
There are different brightness levels you can choose from to suit your
requirements. There are a variety of LED strip lights you can choose that have
varying illumination levels.
Color-changing strip lights offer a great way for you to
easily alter the mood of your environment as you desire. They also come with
remote controls, allowing you to have complete control over their color,
brightness, and timing, without the need to adjust the bulbs directly.
The quality of the LED strips is usually evident from the
brightness of the light. However, you may not always want your residential or
professional premises to stand off as the brightest in the block. So, if you're
going to change the brightness of your LED strips frequently, you can wire your
strip to a dimmer device. All you need to do is connect the output wires of
your power supply to the dimmer, and then connect the dimmer to the input wires
of your light strip.
Installation
Once you have considered all the things mentioned above
and gathered the equipment and tools, you can begin to install your outdoor LED
strip lights. The difficulty of installation depends on the type of strip
lights you have chosen.
If you opt for the adhesive variant of strip light, you
can easily install them by pulling off the back cover and sticking them to the
surface you desire.
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