LED strip lights can be used outside? It’s a question that some people may ask. Factually, there is no problem at all with led strip lighting for outdoors.
But there’s something you should pay attention to once you decide to enjoy outdoor led strip lights. The changing weather, air humidity, and temperature of the outdoor environment all affect the use of led light strips.
Why There Are Outdoor LED Strip Lights?
The alternation of day and night is a natural law. During the day, there is plenty of light and we don’t need extra artificial lights to supplement it. But at night, all activities need bright light to carry out.
Whether you are having a barbecue or hosting a party in your yard, waterproof led strip lights are always a good choice.
- Light up your exterior outdoor space.
Outdoor LED strip lighting allows for a variety of colors to illuminate your patio, deck, or pool. The color changing light gives the outdoor space a different feel.
- Add color to your patio, deck, pool, etc.
The paths in the garden are areas that require special attention. Walking at night in the backyard without light is an unsafe thing to do. If there are outdoor led lighting strips, the strip lighting can guide your way forward.
- Give you guidance on your walking path.
Installing led light strips outdoor in the space under the house eaves is a common way to use them. It’s enough to illuminate the perimeter of the house and minimize the dark corners to avoid accidents.
Also, the bright lights make it impossible to hide anything, including thieves who try to break into your home.
- Illuminate dark areas to ensure safety.
What Are Outdoor LED Strip Lights?
When buying strip lights, we often see words like “IP20”, “IP65”, “IP67”, and “IP68”. What do they mean?
They represent their performance in terms of water and weather resistance. That is, whether they are suitable for your outdoor location.
Simply put, the second letter after IP (ingress protection) shows the waterproof rating of this led light strip. The larger the number, the better the waterproofing.
You also need to know exactly what scenario they can be used. It’s about whether you can enjoy your outdoor lighting. If you buy the wrong led strip light fixture, it certainly adds a hindrance to your process.
Quickly find which waterproof grade you need:
- IP20 rating for indoor lighting, it’s non-waterproof, suitable for drying environments like bedrooms, living rooms, ceilings, game rooms, etc.
- IP65 rating for kitchen or bathroom lighting, or outdoor backlight, the strip is hidden and will not be affected by water. It’s splash and water-resistant.
- IP67 rating for most outdoor lighting applications, but it can not be immersed in water for a long time.
- IP68 rating is completely waterproof, you can use it for pool lighting and under water lighting.
*Note: The default option for light strips is usually IP20, so when purchasing an outdoor led light strip, be aware of its IP rating.
Considerations of Choosing Outdoor LED Strip Lights
Almost all outdoor lights need to carry the intrusion of two major factors.
One is the humidity of the outdoor air. This can be solved by choosing the correct IP waterproof rating.
The second is the outdoor temperature change, that is to say, the temperature difference between day and night. This requires the led strip outdoor lighting has good temperature suitability, which can resist both low and high temperatures.
Typically, the operating temperature of the led lights strips is between -4C (-20°C) and 122°F (50°C). If you want to install the light strip in an extreme environment, such as a sauna or a freezer, it is best to make sure the led strip will work properly in such conditions first.
How to Make LED Strip Lights Waterproof?
LED strips are made waterproof by coating them with a waterproof layer. Drop a glue layer on the circuit board (IP20 non-waterproof led strip) to cover all the electronic components, or wrap the whole strip inside the glue, so that it becomes a waterproof led strip light.
There are three major kinds of materials on the market that are used to waterproof led strip lights. Epoxy resin, PU (Polyurethane) glue, and silicone glue. Among them, the best is silicone glue (an environmentally friendly material).
| Waterproof Material | Epoxy Resin | PU Glue | Silicone Glue |
| Cost | Low | Medium | High |
| Low Temperature Resistance | No | Yes | Yes |
| High Temperature Resistance | No | No | Yes |
| Thermal Conductivity | Worse | High | High |
| Yellowing | Yes | No | No |
| Toxic | Low | Yes | No |
It is worth noting that the waterproof layer hinders the heat dissipation of the lighting emitting diodes to a certain extent.
To solve this problem, you can put the waterproof led light strips into the aluminum channel, or choose a waterproof led light strip with less power. This way to carry out the thermal management of the led diode.
*The transparent waterproof layer would raise the color temperature of the outdoor waterproof led strip lights by about 1000K. So carefully choose.
How to Mount Outdoor LED Strip Lights?
Installing outdoor led light fixtures is not a difficult task. Many led strip lights outdoor can be secured with 3M double sided tape.
Although the double sided tape has strong adhesion and will not fall off easily, cleaning the mounting surface should still be the first thing you start doing. This is because any debris or dust will affect its adhesion.
If you are worried about the outdoor led lighting strip falling off, you can put extra glue on the double sided adhesive tape to increase its adhesion.
As the double sided mounting tape sticks for a longer period of time, when you try to remove it, it will take away something extra and cause the installation surface to become less intact, especially drywall.
There is also a situation where the double-sided tape remains on the surface. For this situation, you can use a hair dryer or a heat gun to soften off the adhesive residue so that it can be easily removed.
In contrast, using mounting clips and screws to fix outdoor waterproof led strip lighting is a little less damaging. It just got a few more holes.
Of course, you can use your talents according to what you have on hand to ensure the installation is effective while minimizing the impact on the installation place.
Think about this question: Do you want to install your outdoor led lights strips temporarily or permanently?
*Note: Test the strip light for problems before you do it. Make sure your waterproof outdoor led strip lights are working properly.
How to Hide Outdoor LED Strip Lights?
Any object with a protruding part is a good vehicle for hiding the outdoor waterproof led strip lighting.
If you don’t want to see the light fixture, place it in a groove or aluminum profile. The plastic diffuser mask that comes with the led channel will cover the fixture. This way you will get a spectacular result.
Note: The LED strip channel is not waterproof. For outdoor use, you still need to choose a led strip lighting waterproof.
There are a few outdoor led strip lighting ideas:
- Underneath the deck railing of the patio
- Under the eaves of your house
- Yard fences
- Stone walls
- Sides of walkways
- Landscapes
- Window edge
- Stair steps
- Outline the pool edge
- For boats
How To Power Outdoor LED Strip Lights?
A complete wiring layout should be:
Low voltage outdoor led strip light – connect to – (led controller) – connect to – AC to DC converter – plug into – AC socket
Or:
High voltage led strip light outdoor – (with or without controller) – plug into – AC outlet
Before starting the outdoor waterproof led strip lights installation, do a mock up.
1. Determine the location of the power supply. If the led power supply and connection cable are exposed to the outdoor air, it’s best to choose a waterproof led power supply and waterproof cable.
2. determine the location of the led strip lights for outdoors.
3. Which position of the led strip lighting needs to be cut, and which position needs to be connected? Do a good job of waterproofing at the cut and re-connect position. If it doesn’t need to connect after cutting, take an end cap to cover the strip end, sealed with glue, and then set the heat-shrinkable tube.
4. Do all the preparations, and now you can start the action.
Installing multiple rolls of strip lights requires determining if there is a voltage drop. If it exists, each roll generally needs to be powered separately.
Parallel several rolls of color changing or color chasing led light strips, please select the controller with a synchronization function. This way you can remote control all the lights at the same time. And there will be no case where one roll is lit and one is not.
*Note: The capacity of the power supply should be greater than or equal to 1.2 times the power of the outdoor strip supplied.