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4 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Waterproof LED Lights

4 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Waterproof LED Lights

Posted by Apex Lighting on 19th Dec 2022

Did you also know that waterproof LED lights have different levels of waterproofing to suit different marine needs? They’re categorized into Ingress Protection (IP) ratings, and the higher the IP number, the higher the level of waterproofing.

Waterproof LED lights have become the go-to source for marine lighting needs. They will:

  • Light up your deck
  • Aid in navigation
  • Light up underwater
  • Decorate your boat
  • Illuminate your dock

Simply put, waterproof LED lights deliver what they promise.

#1 Best Seller #2 Best Budget Seller #3 Best Overall

TritonLED 20-Inch Waterproof HIGH OUTPUT

Lumitec Exuma Courtesy Light

Mantis Dock Light Kit 3-Lights

Best for:
  • Under gunnels of boats
  • Linking multiple strips together
  • Use inside small engine rooms

Best for:
  • Mounting on inside or outside steps
  • Use on helm stations
  • Use inside hatches or lockers
Best for:
  • Mounting of dock pilings
  • Attracting fish to your dock
  • Adding "wow" factor to your home
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We’ve rounded up four fascinating truths about them to help you see how they can add value to your marine experience.

Fact 1 - They Can Last Up to 15 Years and Still Remain Energy-Efficient

marine LED lights

Waterproof LED lights “live a long full life”—up to 25,000 hours! Incandescent lights, on the other hand, last for about 1,500 hours.

Fluorescent lights may beat incandescent lights by burning for 10,000–15,000 hours, but they’re still far from LED’s record-breaking 25,000 hours.

Therefore, waterproof LED lights are the ultimate long-lasting choice.

They’re the most energy-efficient light option today, consuming 75% or four to six times less energy than incandescent bulbs and outlasting them by up to 25 times.

LED lights have a complex design made of:

  • Capacitors: Eliminate excess heat and flickering
  • Resistors: Prevent LEDs from burning out
  • Inductors: Eliminate noise from LEDs

These three components help LEDs burn for years while remaining energy-efficient. Incandescent lights don’t last as long because they have only two contact wires connected to a filament.

If you own a yacht, you need quality light inside and outside your marine vessel. LED lights will save you from constant bulb replacements and high energy consumption.

By 2035, most light installations in the United States are expected to switch to LED technology due to their energy-savings ability.

It will cost you $9.95–$19.91 to purchase any of our G4 Bi-Pin LED bulbs, but they’ll outlive fluorescent and incandescent bulbs, which may only cost $1–$4 but require replacement every one or two years.

When you factor in how many lights you have on your boat, you can save a lot of energy by replacing all the lights with waterproof LED lights from Apex Lighting.

A happy customer ended excess power consumption by replacing his halogen bulbs with our 2.2W LED Bulb G4 Back-Pin:

“Replaced six bulbs with cool white LEDs. Much brighter now and no power depletion. Will replace six more this week.” — Tom

Fact 2 - The Cooler the Weather, the Better They Perform

LED lights shining bright in cool weather

Cold weather is the best for LED lights. In fact, the colder it gets, the more stable their overall functioning.

Why does this happen?

Waterproof LED lights contain cold-resistant outlet wires and good quality drivers that can withstand low temperatures, whereas fluorescent lamps use a combustible source easily damaged by cold weather.

As a general rule of thumb, LED lights work at -31º–60ºC (-25ºF–140ºF). The closer the temperature moves towards -31ºC, the more stable their performance.

Interesting Sub-Fact: For comparison purposes, the lowest temperature recorded on earth at ground level is -89.2ºC (-128.6ºF).

The fact that waterproof LED lights can handle a temperature as low as -31ºC makes them appropriate for lighting the interior of deep freezers. They, therefore, work well for outdoor lighting, even during winter.

You can use LEDs for your boat’s deck lights, flood lights, or light up your boat dock without worrying that they will succumb to the cold.

Expert Tip: Since LED lights aren’t affected by cold, if you notice yours flickering during cold weather, the problem could be related to a component made of a cheap material that froze up.

Buy LED lights with genuine parts from top brands like Lumitec and Scandvik, available at Apex Lighting.

Fact 3 - LED Lights Wear a Coat of Many Colors

boat with colorful LED lights

Waterproof LED lights aren’t limited to white. Some are as colorful as the rainbow and add cool lighting effects to the interior and exterior of your boat.

LED strip lights or LED ropes are great choices for illuminating your boat, available in warm white, cool white, and other colors such as red, green, and blue.

If you’re not interested in a basic white light, you can opt for a fixed-color LED, which emits just one color throughout.

For a flashier look, your boat or yacht will look fantastic with color-changing LED ribbons from Apex Lighting. They include red, blue, and green (RGB) colors that flash alternatively.

For different colors that flash simultaneously, use a red, green, and blue + independent chip (RGBIC) strip. It displays its colors in beautiful patterns that resemble the  Northern Lights.

Interesting Sub-Fact: It’s possible to combine red, blue, and green colors on LED strips and come up with more than 16 million colors!

We’ve summarized the differences between the RGB and RGBIC LED strips in the table below.

RGB LED Strips RGBIC LED Strips
Display white or RGB colors alternately Display RGB and combination colors simultaneously
Produce basic color patterns Produce complex color patterns
Lacks an integrated circuit chip and so individual color segments can’t be controlled Use multiple integrated circuit chip which controls individual color segments
Can be cut to the desired size at the copper markings Cannot be cut due to the presence of individual chips
Standard brightness Ultra brightness

Fact 4 - No Excessive Heat, No Toxins Released—Just Pure Light

bright, shiny LED lights

Waterproof LED lights are the coolest to the touch because they emit the least heat (about 20%) compared to incandescents which are the hottest and release 90% of their energy as heat.

The 90% heat released is why so many people burn their fingers when they accidentally touch lit incandescent bulbs.

LED lights release less heat because they have components that convert high-voltage electricity to low-voltage, minimizing heat production in the process.

The parts responsible for heat management are called heat sinks or exchangers, which absorb heat and then expel it to the surroundings, saving the LED light from overheating.

When you replace incandescent bulbs with LED lights, you minimize the chances of accidental burns when touched.

More severe cases have occurred, like the 1992 Windsor Castle fire that happened when a light bulb overheated and ignited a curtain next to it.

Besides overheating, some lights, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), contain mercury which is released when the bulb is shattered. When inhaled, mercury can cause difficulty breathing, vomiting, and headaches.

According to a study by the State University of New York, defects in the CFLs may also release UV rays, which damage skin cells and cause cancer.

LED lights don’t contain mercury or emit UV radiation. The fact that they emit no UV rays makes them the most suitable lighting option in art galleries, where years of exposure to UV rays from fluorescent lamps will disintegrate the artwork.

If you like reading while lounging in your boat and don’t want a lamp emitting UV radiation on you, LED lights are the best choice.

Also, our reading lights won’t strain your eyes or draw much power. A customer found an excellent LED light for reading at Apex Lighting and said:

“This is the second boat we’ve used these reading lamps and they’re fantastic. Nice to have them.” — Verified anonymous buyer

facts about waterproof LED lights photo snippet

Get Your Waterproof LED Lights From Apex Lighting, Home of Great Marine Brands

It’s not easy to find all the best brands under one roof, but Apex Lighting brings together  top brands to give you the best collection of waterproof LED lights and accessories.

See how beautifully they lit up this dock and this corner dock with the latest remote-controlled and color-changing lights. If you want to replicate this look, contact the company for help.

Besides giving docks a lighting makeover, this company has the best waterproof LED lights to keep your boat looking awesome as you fish or hang out with your family and friends.

Why should you trust Apex Lighting? Because thousands of boaters on the East Coast and across the nation already do.

Apex Lighting knows what makes great lighting. Let them cover all your marine lighting needs.