Can LED Strip Lights be used Outdoors?
LED technology evolves. When it comes to outdoor lighting – there’s been a breakthrough. It is no less important than indoor lighting. Illuminating the spaces outside and surrounding our living areas is very important for visual orientation, security and balancing out the indoor ambience. Which lights should be used outside? Can you use LED strip lights outdoors? Can you add them to the exterior of your property? Let’s find out!
What are LED strip lights?
LED strip light is a circuit board populated with LEDs. Without a doubt, this is the most flexible type of lighting. It can be stuck just everywhere you want to. It’s powerful lighting and its brightness can be seamlessly adjusted. It is very versatile. The great majority of LED strips can be used both indoor and outdoor.
LED strip lights are an increasingly popular way to add light to virtually any space, whether it’s the living room, bedroom, basement or outdoors. But what exactly are LED strip lights and how do they work? In this article, we’ll take a look at how these lights differ from traditional bulbs and how to choose the right one for your needs. We’ll also explore some of the benefits and drawbacks of LED lighting that can help you make your decision.
You have to make sure that everything’s safe. Bet on tested LEDs that are waterproof. Bear in mind that water is conductive. So, in other words, as soon as water gets into an electrical system circuits are altered. What’s more, power surges may occur. Circuits become dangerous to handle. It will not happen, if you choose the right LEDs which are impervious to water. The difference between waterproof and non-waterproof lights is that the former ones have special coating or they are completely sealed.
Are LED strip lights suitable for outdoor use?
LED strips are impervious to moisture and dust by sealing them. They are graded according to the ingress protection standard. IP65 means “protected against water jets from any angle”. It is suitable for the majority of outdoor enclosures which are not exposed to extreme weather conditions like flooding.
In turn, the IP68 rating means a total protection against solid ingress. The IP68 LED tape can survive being submerged. Summing up, the ratings which are accepted as waterproof are from IP65 to IP68. If you look for the best LED tapes suitable for outdoor use, you ought to choose one of those four.
Public settings
We know that waterproof LED lighting can be used almost everywhere in your house. What about outdoors? Where exactly can you use them? It is worth knowing that you can take advantage of this kind of lighting in many public settings.
Outdoor strip lights look very well in parks. It will work fine in parking lots. This is a very functional and reasonable solution because places like this have to be well-lit. Presenting a welcoming atmosphere for tenants and customers is greatly appreciated. When it comes to street lights and sidewalks – it is also a good idea to use LEDs there. LED strips are suitable for outdoor use. They illuminate the surrounding area and they do not cost too much. We can read more about it on the website https://lucasled.ie/led-strip-lights.
Why should you use LED lighting
LED lighting is better than any other form of light in every way. Unlike fluorescent lighting, LED lighting doesn’t emit ultraviolet rays and can’t damage your skin or eyes. It also doesn’t contain mercury or release toxic gases when it breaks down. Its compact size makes it easy to install almost anywhere, such as under kitchen cabinets or behind bookshelves. LEDs also don’t attract bugs like incandescent bulbs do and they won’t burn out quickly like CFLs. If you want to use less energy while saving money on your electricity bill, installing LED strip lights is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Outside the house, in the garden
You can easily use LED strip lighting near your house or in your garden. In comparison to traditional lamps, LED lamps provide better illumination thanks to brighter shade of white. However, you have to remember that excessive brightness causes discomfort. Sometimes less is more. Keep that principle in mind! Have yourself “a bit of luxury” and buy LED strips, which will illuminate your patio, driveway or/and garden.
You can provide a calming ambience near your house – just gently illuminate your porch or garden. You can light up the areas surrounding the structure, swimming pools, fountains, and so on. You can weave your strip light around your plants in your garden. You can also wrap it around your decking. Take the temperature into account, especially in places with warm weather, such as Arizona. You have to make sure that your LEDs and the surface they are attached to are not in the sun.
Don’t forget that you can also use temporary mounting, which means that you can hang your strips for a short amount of time. That could come in handy, especially when you want to bring the lights for a garden party. Another option is using festive RGB strips for Christmas. You can do it in a way that lights are kept in place but not permanently.
Can LED strip lights get wet?
If you own waterproof LED strip lights, it is not a problem at all if it gets wet. Nowadays, there are lots of LEDs that are impervious to water. They are available in different colours and powers. They are resistant to weather conditions. They make dark places brighter. Mounting and installation are quite easy. Not only waterproof LED strips but also other types of LEDs are really environment-friendly and energy-efficient. As you can see, not getting wet is not the only advantage of LEDs.
Summary
The majority of LED strip lights can be used outdoors. You can use them in many places, in gardens, patios, driveways, balconies, porches and decks. Let’s not forget about parks, parking lots and sidewalks. They can be temporary or permanently mounted. They have so many applications – everyone will find something suitable.
