Waterproof LED Strip Lights for Outdoor Use

Normal LED strip lights can be installed in your bedroom, living room, or TV. These lights are extremely efficient and have zero issues when used indoor. But what if you want to illuminate some space outdoors? What if you want to illuminate a place where there’s a lot of water?  

Waterproof LED strip lights are the solution to this problem. Place them in your bathroom, swimming pool, or an outdoor setting where there’s dust, sand, or water. They will be completely safe and secure.

Along with being completely safe from dust, sand, and liquids – these Waterproof LED strip lights can also be used with a battery pack. You can turn these LEDs into battery-powered LED strip lights by enclosing the battery pack in a water-tight box that will make them truly portable.  

Places like a swimming pool, patio, kitchen, or bathroom are not easy to illuminate with normal LED strip lights. There is always water or dust in these places, and only Waterproof LED strip lights can help. Though LEDs are awesome in their own way, the non-waterproof LEDs in a place like these will cause trouble. 

Non-waterproof LED strip lights come without any IP rating, and they should not be used in places where they stay immersed in water, or face splashes of water, dust, sand, or any other pressure. Their lifespan can be highly affected if they are not waterproof and you place them in a place like that. 

Now, what is an IP rating? IP stands for “Ingress Protection”, which is an international standard for measuring the protection of the items from solid objects like dust, sand, and liquids. The measurement is described with two numbers, for example, an IP56 or an IP65 rating. The first number depicts its protection against solid objects while the second number shows its protection against liquids. 

There are different standards/ratings for different types of waterproofing. You must choose the right one for your usage. In this guide, we will educate you on choosing the right waterproof LED strip lights for you.  

When to choose Waterproof LED Strip Lights?

If the normal LED strip lights are so awesome, should you choose the Waterproof versions? There are situations when you should go with normal LED strip lights over the Waterproof LED strip lights. It may not make sense to spend extra money on benefits that you would never utilize. Waterproof LED strip lights should be chosen only when,

1. You want to install them outdoors. Outdoor conditions like that of a swimming pool, patio, or your yard are not completely protected from sand, dust, and water. And, if you install normal LED lights in these locations, they will be prone to encountering both liquid and solid objects like these. It can harm their lifespan. So, if you plan to illuminate your outdoor spaces, you should consider Waterproof LED strip lights instead of the regular ones. 
   
2. You want to illuminate your kitchen or bathroom. Installing LEDs in places like your bathroom or kitchen will also expose the lights to water, or at least splashes of water. This can be harmful to normal lights. Therefore, consider using the Waterproof LED strip lights instead of the regular ones here as well. 
   
3. You want to install LED strip lights on your car or truck in areas that they might get wet.

Apart from deciding whether you should go with the Waterproof LED strip lights or the regular ones, you will also have to decide between different types of Waterproof LED strip lights.

There is a type of Waterproofing that is good to go when installing in places like your bathroom, kitchen, or your patio, but if you intend to install these lights in your swimming pool or fish tank – that would keep them immersed underwater, there is a different type of Waterproof LED strip lights to use.

Different types of Waterproof LED strip lights 

As there are different types of IP ratings, there are different types of Waterproof LED strip lights as well. Here are the usual types of Waterproof LED strip lights that we see in the market: 

LED strip lights with an IP 65 rating – these lights are “Water resistant”, not Waterproof. This means that these LEDs are protected from splashes/jets of water but are not protected from acts like washing them or placing them underwater. 

LED strip lights with an IP 67 rating – these lights are also “Water resistant”, but you can submerge them in water for a short time (around 10 minutes). These are known as Water resistant plus LEDs and you can wash them with water. Remember, you can submerge them underwater for longer periods as they are not waterproof. 

LED Strip lights with an IP 68 rating – these lights are the real “Waterproof LED strip lights”. You can wash them with water and it’s safe to put them underwater on a permanent basis. They will be completely safe. These lights also have upper-moderate protection from solid objects like dust and sand, so you can feel free to install them outdoors. 

Are Waterproof LED strip lights difficult to install? 

The straightforward answer, no!

There is no difference in the installation processes of the Waterproof LED strip lights and the regular ones. The process is exactly the same. There is nothing to worry about.

So, if you have decided to go with the Waterproof LED strip lights, don’t hesitate about the installation – it’s the same!

Also, the Waterproof LED strip lights come in both single-color and multi-color options like the regular ones.