Freephone 0800 999 89 85    Sales 01624 819130     EMail

LED Strip Lights - Frequently Asked Questions

 

     
Question   What type of LEDs are used on your LED Strip / Tape?
     
Answer   Our LED Strips are fitted with branded LEDs such as Samsung, or Epistar LEDs with 3 emitters on each chip these are called "5050" LED SMD Chips they are up to 3 times brighter than the many cheaper single LED Chips called "3528" LEDs.
     
Question   Is LED Strip safe?
     
Answer  

Yes and No.  We recommend buying only from a registered Company that specialises in LED Strip Lights, such as us.  We have the knowledge and experience to make sure the Strips that we are selling are safe!

There are many unscrupulous individuals that may be selling very poor quality LED Strip, that may not be able to handle the load being placed upon it.  There are also other factors that could make it unsafe and a potential fire hazard, such as poor quality transformers.  This is especially the case for larger installations of more than 5 Metres of LED Strip.  We have had people calling us for advice when they have purchased cheap strip from auction sites.  One of them, we had to warn that he was creating a potential fire hazard from the type of wire, massive power supplies, and method he was using to link the LED Strip. 

If installing LED Strips in vehicles, Fuses are VITAL.  NEVER, EVER, install without the appropriately rated In-Line Fuse.  

We have to say, get a qualified Electrician to install in your home, and Auto Electrician in your vehicle.

That said, if you are an Electrician and have a large installation of LED Strip, please call us, we can supply LED Strip that will not cause you problems, and provide the right advice for a safe installation.

 
Question   I have seen cheaper LED Strip / Tape elsewhere, why does yours cost more?
     
Answer  

It must be stated, all LED Strips that are not Constant Current will reach their peak brightness at 1000 hours and begin to decline after this, regardless of the LEDs used.  With our Constant Current LED Strip the light continues at an even level with a useful lifetime of at least 50,000 hours.

Our Waterproof LED Strip has a double protective coating with a UV stable filler Injected .  This is much more durable, does not smell, and will not split like Resin LED Tape.  This even allows the LED Strip to be unpeeled and reused elsewhere.  Unlike  Resin LED Strip our Waterproof Strip will notl turn milky white after a few months exposure to sunlight

The LEDs on our LED Strip are from an established (1996) Manufacturer in Taiwan called Epistar. In the past 10 years we have been selling LED Strip, these LEDs have proved themselves to have a long lifetime and are of very high quality. A lifetime of around 25,000-30,000 hours can be expected for our standard LED Strip.  

Epistar LogoMany of the low-grade LED Strips and Tapes sold elswhere may use LEDs which from the outside look identical to Epistar or Samsung LEDs but could be cheap Chinese copies of them with poor internal materials, which give rise to a short lifespan - perhaps as short as 6 months!  The LEDs on these cheap strips are usually mounted to a very thin circuit board with copper tracks which do not adequately dissipate the heat away from the LEDs further shortening the lifetime of the product. Most of these LED Strips are designed for short term use such as festival and holidays.

The cheap Chinese LED Strips can also have LEDs which are poorly graded for colour consistency so the colour along the length of the same strip can look very uneven, for example some LEDs may appear a different white colour to others which can look blue or warm white in colour.  RGB or Colour Changing strip can have poorly matched LEDs resulting in a patchy light along the length of the Strip.  It is cheap for a reason!

For long term use and professional installation our Constant Current LED Strip is a much wiser choice, it will out last most other LED Strip currently on the market.

Click here for more information regarding different Grades of LED Strip.

     
Question   Does LED Strip need Drivers?
     
Answer   LED Strip is usually 12vdc so will require a Power Supply, this is basically a Transformer which reduces mains 240vAC to a safe 12vdc. The Colour Changing RGB LED Strip will need a Colour Controller so that it can display multiple colours.  This can be as simple as our Lightbox which allows you to choose a colour from your phone or tablet.
     
Question   How far can the LED Tape be installed from the Power Supply?
     
Answer   We recommend no further than 15 Meters away using a heavy 2-core cable (1.5mm2) to reduce potential voltage drop which could cause the LED Tape to be dimmer than it should be. For installations beyond this we have a 24vdc Constant Current LED Strip.
     
Question   Can LED Tape and LED Strips be dimmed?
     
Answer   Yes, in the case of single colour LED Strip either from the low voltage side using a 12vdc Dimmer between the Power Supply and the LED Strip.  It is now also possible to use one of our Mains Dimmable Transformers with a Varilight V-Pro Dimmer Module, for controlling from a wall plate.
     
Question   What is the maximum length of LED Strip that can be powered?
    It depends on the type of LED Strip or Tape.  A continuous length of 10 Meters of our On-Board Constant Current Strip.
     
Question   How much LED Strip can be powered from a single power supply
     
Answer   From a 12.5A PSU upto 37 Meters of our Constant Current LED Strip can be powered.
     
Question   Is LED Strip / Tape waterproof?
     
Answer   We have both waterproof and non-waterproof LED Strips, it will be stated if the particular LED Strip is waterproof or not. Submersion under water is not recommended even for Waterproof LED Strips.  The product is particularly suited for use in bathrooms and kitchens or even outdoors.