LED Strip for house outline
- Thread starter Jon_101
- Start date
Reason many do not like strip light because it is VERY hard to repair when a section goes out and to waterproof.
Once you cut it down to size, you've got to waterproof the ends and do it well otherwise water will wick into it.
I got given this lot of strip from someone;
You can see there is a lot of corrosion.
Using Bullets and square trunking makes it look neat for a permanent installation. The Americans like to call this "Permatrack",
This is a video showing it;
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbRbYt_fZM
But I'm not going to scare you away from strip. It looks great and works if you put the maintenance into it.
Another person in NZ uses strip for almost everything in their display. There is occasional issues with the strip bending and breaking. With good care they'll work.
auschristmaslighting.com
Once you cut it down to size, you've got to waterproof the ends and do it well otherwise water will wick into it.
I got given this lot of strip from someone;
You can see there is a lot of corrosion.
Using Bullets and square trunking makes it look neat for a permanent installation. The Americans like to call this "Permatrack",
This is a video showing it;
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGbRbYt_fZM
But I'm not going to scare you away from strip. It looks great and works if you put the maintenance into it.
Another person in NZ uses strip for almost everything in their display. There is occasional issues with the strip bending and breaking. With good care they'll work.
Sleigh Ride by Pentatonix (ShellNZ, 2019)
Christmas lights video from ShellNZ (2019).
auschristmaslighting.com
I use conduit and clamps so I don't drill holes into the house.
It hasn't fallen down and won't leave marks if you're careful.
[7:26]
View: https://youtu.be/bo3bPXVVwMU?t=446
You could drill holes in the conduit for bullets or zip tie strips. I've used C9's because they look nice.
I use both strips and nodes in my display. I've used sheathed strips since 2013 and I have never had water get into them. You just need to take a few precautions so that they last:
I don't think strip is difficult to divide, join or repair but I have had practice. When I first started using strip, I overheated some of its solder pads which caused the joins to fail the following year. Don't heat the strip for too long when soldering it, especially if it doesn't have double-sided solder pads with a hole from one side to the other.
There is a thread with strip mounting ideas here https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/10364/
- Check that the ends of the strips have been properly sealed by the supplier. Add more silicone glue when needed.
- Keep the strips away from sharp things.
- Don't squash them too hard with cable ties. This pinches the sheath.
- Make sure your silicone glue hasn't gone bad before using it.
- Don't crush or kink them.
- Mount the strips in such a way that the wind doesn't blow them around.
- Use neutral cure silicone glue.
I don't think strip is difficult to divide, join or repair but I have had practice. When I first started using strip, I overheated some of its solder pads which caused the joins to fail the following year. Don't heat the strip for too long when soldering it, especially if it doesn't have double-sided solder pads with a hole from one side to the other.
There is a thread with strip mounting ideas here https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/10364/
Ava_Garcia
New elf
- Joined
- May 17, 2021
- Messages
- 1
You don't need to drill or hang them there are led strip lights that come with 3M tape (that's very reliable). So you can just paste them on the wall and enjoy.
i find repairing strips quite simple, silicon + clear heatshrink makes it waterproof again when you cut off the offending section.
Adsy
Full time elf
Silicon cable tie mounts(350-600mm spacing) minus the provided sticky back to almost any surface
Led Strip cable tied to conduit
This is a tried and tested method as others would agree.
Nothing wrong with strip, it just needs a little more TLC
Led Strip cable tied to conduit
This is a tried and tested method as others would agree.
Nothing wrong with strip, it just needs a little more TLC
HertzSwift
Apprentice elf
I'm upgrading from fairy lights outlining my house to dumb IP68 and IP67 RGB strip lights. To prevent the strip from moving when installed, and to keep the lights rigid to get that nice neat lighting effect, I'm planning on installing it inside aluminum channel. The frosted cover will help diffuse the light instead of seeing a dot of light as well.
I may or may not have to drill holes in the channel to allow water to drain if its able to seep between the cover and the channel, I'll need to do a test.
I may or may not have to drill holes in the channel to allow water to drain if its able to seep between the cover and the channel, I'll need to do a test.