LED lights are a major innovation in the lighting industry. They offer all sorts of benefits over traditional incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, including energy efficiency, a longer life span, and a more attractive color temperature. However, with time, led strip lights to turn yellow. You might have noticed this happened and I’m here to tell you why this happens.
So, why do led strip lights turn yellow? Below are the reasons led strip lights turn yellow;
- Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow As They Age
- Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow If They Are Left On For Long Hours
- Overheating Cause Led Strip Lights To Turn Yellow
- Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow Because of a Corrosion Process
- Led Strip Lights Will Turn Yellow From Exposure To Smoke
- Water Exposure Can Turn Led Strip Lights Yellow
- Humidity and Hot Air Cause Led Strip Lights To Turn Yellow
- Humidity and Hot Air Cause Led Strip Lights To Turn Yellow
- Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow Because Of The Voltage
Keep reading this article to learn the details on why led strip lights turn yellow.
1. Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow As They Age
It is a pretty normal thing for led strip lights to degrade with time. It’s actually a measure of the quality and durability of your led strip lights.
One of the common ways led strip lights to degrade is a color change. And that is why led strip lights may sometimes turn yellow.
While this is a natural occurrence, there are some things you can do to delay the effects of this – more of which we will discuss later in this post.
So if your led strip lights are turning yellow, chances are they are old, and it’s time to purchase some new ones.
In some cases, it may be possible to reverse this effect by simply re-lamping the led strip lights. However, whether this is worth it will essentially depend on how much the entire setup costs.
2. Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow If They Are Left On For Long Hours
The next possible reason why your led strip lights are turning yellow is that they may be left on for long hours.
If you’re the type of person who leaves your led strip lights on long hours throughout the day and even leaves them on why you go to bed or out of the house then it is possible that might have caused them to turn yellow.
Doing this weakens the strips and greatly decreases their lifespan. If this happens, it does not necessarily mean your led strip lights are defective. But it does mean that they have begun to deteriorate – which will only become worse over time.
But if you have a habit of leaving your led strip lights on for long hours, there are some things that you can do to minimize the effects of this. Keep reading as I will share all those juicy tips.
3. Overheating Cause Led Strip Lights To Turn Yellow
9 out of 10, chances are overheating is the main reason why your led strip lights are turning yellow.
LEDs, by nature, have a very high-temperature threshold which makes them highly resistant to overheating – unless you give them a reason to.
The two main reasons that cause led strip lights to overheat are poor ventilation and power surges.
When you place your led strip lights in tight corners or close to other equipment, the temperature rises. This causes them to overheat and thus affects their life span.
If this is the case, it’s time to re-locate your led strip lights and improve your ventilation.
Another reason why led strip lights overheat is power surges, which shortens their lifespan and causes them to turn yellow. You can avoid this by purchasing a good quality power surge protector which will protect your led strip lights from sudden changes in voltage.
4. Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow Because of a Corrosion Process
Another reason why led strip lights turn yellow is due to a corrosion process. This is usually the case if your led strip lights are exposed to either salt or chlorine water, which can cause them to corrode and eventually turn yellow.
The corrosion process is accelerated when the water exposure lasts for a long time or if they are exposed to excess moisture in the air. More on this later!
If your led strip lights are exposed to salt or chlorine water, it is best that you remove them as soon as possible and treat them with a protective coating.
If you don’t, the corrosion process will continue and eventually cause them to turn yellow or even break.
5. Led Strip Lights Will Turn Yellow From Exposure To Smoke
Another common cause of led strip lights turning yellow is due to exposure to smoke.
If your led strip lights are exposed to smoke, it will cause them to discolor. This can be smoke from cigarettes, fire, or even cooking.
Smoke contains tiny particles of soot and other chemicals that coat the led strip lights. Once this happens, it will cause them to discolor and eventually deteriorate faster than they normally would.
When your led strip lights are exposed to smoke for a long time, the chemicals in the smoke will eventually cause them to turn yellow or change to other colors.
If this is your problem, you can either purchase new led strip lights or just treat them with a smoke-resistant coating that you can purchase from hardware stores.
If you are not willing to do either of these things, you have two options – replace the led strip lights or just let them turn yellow and change them when you can.
6. Water Exposure Can Turn Led Strip Lights Yellow
Although there are a lot of led strip lights that are waterproof or water-rated, there is a lot that isn’t too.
I will admit this is not one of the major causes of led strip light yellowing but it is still something you should be aware of especially if your led strip light is not water-rated.
If your led strip lights are not water-rated, it’s best that you don’t place them in a location with water exposure.
Water exposure causes the led strip lights to deteriorate faster than usual and can cause them to discolor or even break. It’s best that you avoid this by simply not placing them in areas with water exposure.
7. Humidity and Hot Air Cause Led Strip Lights To Turn Yellow
Humidity and hot air are also one of the major causes of led strip light yellowing. If your led strip lights are exposed to humidity or hot air, it can cause them to discolor and turn a different color.
This is especially the case for led strip lights that are not protected or coated with a special material designed to protect them from humidity and hot air.
This is why it’s important that when you use your led strip lights, you should try to avoid exposing them to humidity or hot air.
This way, you can prevent them from discoloring or turning yellow and make sure they are able to last for a long time before you need to replace them or do any maintenance on them.
If you are using led strip lights that aren’t protected or resistant against humidity and hot air, you can use strip channels and diffusers that are made of materials that can protect against humidity and hot air.
8. Non-Conductive Surfaces
Mounting led strip lights on non-conductive surfaces like wood or plastic is also one of the major causes of led strip light yellowing.
For example, cement walls tend to be the best surfaces to mount led strip lights on.
If your led strip lights are mounted on non-conductive surfaces, it can cause them to deteriorate faster than usual.
This is because the led strip lights will lack a good ground connection and when this happens, the led strip lights will corrode very fast.
If you are using non-conductive surfaces to mount your led strip lights on, you should consider getting led strip lights that are already coated or designed to be resistant against non-conductive surfaces.
This way, you can prevent them from deteriorating faster than usual and you can make sure they last longer.
9. Led Strip Lights Turn Yellow Because Of The Voltage
Another yet common cause of led strip light yellowing is voltage as I might have hinted earlier in this post.
If your led strip lights are not designed to work with a specific voltage, it’s important that you check the voltage of your outlet and make sure it matches the requirement for your led strip lights.
If you are using an outlet that has a voltage that is higher than the voltage requirement for your led strip lights, it can cause them to deteriorate faster.
10. Cheap Led Strips
Cheap led strip lights will definitely turn yellow faster than led strip lights you buy from a reliable brand. The reason for this is that cheap led strip lights are not made or designed to last.
This is why it’s important that you make sure to buy led strip lights from a reliable brand if you want them to be of great quality.
If you are using led strip lights that are not designed to last, it’s important that you make sure they don’t get exposed to humidity, hot air, and all the other conditions that tend to cause them not only to yellow but deteriorate faster.
How To Prevent Led Strip Lights From Turning Yellow
Now that we know some of the common things that cause led strip lights to turn yellow, it’s important that we also know how to prevent them from turning yellow – and the best way to avoid this is to prevent the conditions that cause them to turn yellow in the first place.
- First, you should avoid placing your led strip lights in places where they will come into contact with water or near a source of humidity and hot air.
- So with this, you would want to be careful when putting led strip lights in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors.
- Enhance the airflow in the space where you install your led strip lights, which will help prevent heat damage.
- This way you can also enhance the protection against humidity and long-term exposure to hot air.
- If possible, you should also keep led strip lights away from non-conductive surfaces like wood or plastic which can lead to corrosion.
- Use aluminum channels as they are able to cool led strip lights quicker on any surface.
- Run separate wires to each strip so that the overall current does not have to pass through the first LEDs. This helps to reduce the risk of damaging them.
- Make sure you use led strip lights with an IP rating so that they can withstand or be resistant to dust and water exposure.
- Look for the most thermally efficient method to install the wiring for your led strip lights. For example, do not put too many led lights in one single series.
- Aluminum and stainless steel are excellent surfaces as they help to keep the led strip lights cool.
Final Thoughts
And with this, I hope you have learned a lot about Why Do LED Strip Lights Turn Yellow and what can cause them to turn yellow.
With this information, you should be able to easily prevent led strip lights from turning yellow and make sure they last longer.
FAQ’s
Q: Where can I buy led strip lights that won’t turn yellow?
A: You should definitely find a reliable brand to make sure you’re buying quality led strip lights. Do some research online and you’ll be able to easily find a reputable brand.
Q: Where can I place my led strip lights so they won’t turn yellow?
A: Place your led strip lights in dry and ventilated areas. Avoid placing them near water or high humidity as this will cause the led strip lights to deteriorate quickly.
Q: What happens if my led strip lights turn yellow?
A: You should be able to use them as long as they are still functional. However, it is best to replace them with new ones if you want proper lighting and if you want them to last.
Q: When will my led strip light turn yellow?
A: It depends on how you use it and how well it was installed in terms of materials and location. For example, if you keep them in humid places for a long time, or if you leave them on for prolonged hours, etc, then they will turn yellow faster than normal.