Having led strip lights in your kitchen or any other room that is near water can be a great way to add some ambiance and style. There are many different types of led strips on the market, but some people wonder what happens if they get wet?
If your led strip light gets wet it means that particular type of led strip light is not rated waterproof, water-rated, or damp-rated, and what will happen is that the water the gets onto the strips can cause the lights to short out or may even cause an electrical shock.
If your led strip light does not have a water-proof rating, then it is not meant for use in places where it will get wet.
If you are looking to buy led strip lights, make sure that you purchase led strip lights that are meant for use in wet areas or at least have a water-resistant rating. This way, if it does get damaged from any water damage, it will be covered under warranty.
1. Wet LED Strip Light Can Result In Electrocution
When your led strip light gets wet one of the first and common things that is bound to happen is it could cause an electrical shock or electrocution.
The way this happens is when the led strip light gets wet, water gets into the internal components of the led strip light and causes it to short out.
This is because led strip lights that are not waterproof are not sealed so water can easily drip or leak into them, and the water that gets into them cause an electrical shock or electrocution when you touch it because
And we all know electrical shocks are never comfortable and can result in serious injury or death if you touch the water and a doorknob with wet hands.
If an LED strip that has a water-resistant rating is exposed to moisture and it’s rated for outdoor use it may be protected against water that is traveling down the surface of a wall or other vertical surfaces.
Make sure that if your led strip lights get wet, you turn off any light switches and power outlets that are near the lights so you do not get any electrical shocks from them.
2. Poor Quality Lighting
Another thing that happens when your led strip lights get wet is that the quality of lighting has a chance to be diminished.
The water can cause all sorts of chemical reactions to happen inside of the led strip lights, which can cause some interesting things to start happening.
For example, you may experience a color shift or a color shift in the quality of lighting that happened due to water exposure.
But wetting the lights can also cause them to start leaking or caused condensation on certain areas, which can cause the lights to start cutting out.
In some cases, this condensation could lead directly into the water from inside of the light strip, which means it is time to replace the light strip.
It’s important that if your led lights get wet you make sure there are no water leaks on the surface of them and make sure they are dried off before you start using them again.
3. Components Become Corroded
Another thing that can happen when your led strip lights get wet is corrosion.
This happens because water contains all sorts of minerals and chemicals, and if your led strip lights get wet the internal components will start to corrode.
The water can also contain minerals and chemicals that make it a great place for bacteria and other microbes to grow.
If your led strip lights get wet, you need to make sure they are dried as soon as possible.
If they are not dried immediately, you can have a serious corrosion problem on your hands which will cause the quality of lighting to be diminished and will cause some damage to the internal components of your led strip lights as well.
4. Lowers The Lifespan Of The Lighting
The next thing that can happen is when your led strip light gets wet, it may end up lowering its lifespan. This means your led strip light will not last as long as it is meant to.
A lot of the time, when your led strip light gets wet you will find that one or two specific colors are being affected by the water, which can affect the color quality of your lights.
And while this may not be a huge deal for some people, there are others who want their led strip lights to maintain all of the same color quality, brightness and last long for them.
5. The Adhesive Could Weaken
The water can affect the adhesive in many different ways.
Firstly, The water can also affect the adhesive that is used in the construction of your led strip lights. It may cause the components to start coming off of your led strip light, which is a problem.
Secondly, the adhesive that is used to stick the led strip light onto a surface weakens. It could cause the adhesive to weaken and become loose while being used, which means you may need to replace the adhesive.
These can happen because when water leaks on or around some types of adhesive it causes them to start coming off the surface where they have been mounted.
If this happens to you, then it is time to ask a professional to replace the adhesive or get rid of your led strip light because the adhesive will not be able to be used again.
6. Short Circuit
The next problem that can happen when your led strip light gets wet is a short circuit.
A lot of the time, this happens because the water that gets on your led strip light is very conductive.
When this happens, it can cause a short circuit because the power from the light that is flowing through it gets turned into heat, which can cause the led strip lights to start melting.
If this happens to you, the best thing you can do is to shut off the power from your led strip light and let it dry out, especially if there are any signs of melting or any other kind of damage.
7. The Connections Could Melt And Become Damaged
This happens because water can cause the connections of your led strip lights to become damaged.
When this happens, it makes it harder for electricity to flow through them.
It can also cause the heat to build up if there is already water on your led strip lights, which means you will have a problem with melting.
If this happens to you, then it is time to shut off the power from your led strip light and have a professional check it out to see if they can fix the problem.
8. The Led Strip Lights Could Instantly Get Damaged
And finally, if your led strip lights get wet and they are not properly dried out you can find that there is condensation on the surface of your led strip lights, which can cause damage to them.
Also, damages could occur because there are many different types of led strip lights that have different components in them.
In the case where your led strip light has a diode or other component inside of it that is damaged when the water enters the light and comes across the diode or other component, it can cause them to get burned out.
If this happens then it is time to replace the component that has been damaged.
In some cases, if your led strip lights have a diode and get damaged, you may need to replace the whole strip light.
This happens because when a component in your led strip light gets damaged it can cause the whole strip light to stop working.
FAQs
Q: What if I have a waterproof led strip light?
A: If you have a waterproof led strip light then it is not going to be an issue if it gets wet. Waterproof led strip lights are designed to be able to take a lot of abuse and still work just fine, even if they get wet.
Q: What if the led strip light is not waterproof?
A: If you have an unwaterproofed led strip light and it gets wet, then it is going to cause a lot of problems.
You should always be sure that you have led strip lights that are waterproof because they are a lot more reliable and will last longer.
If the led strip lights that you have do not end up being waterproof, then you need to be careful about when you use them because if they get wet then it can cause a lot of problems.
Q: Can I still use my led strip lights if they get wet?
A: If your led strip light gets wet, you can still use it. However, you must be sure that the light has completely dried out before turning it back on.
If you turn your led strip lights on without letting them dry out completely, then it is going to cause problems with the components inside of them.
Q: How long do I need to let my led strip light dry out?
A: You should always be sure that you allow your led strip lights to dry out for at least 24 hours before turning them back on.
If you turn your led strip lights on without letting them dry out completely, then it is going to cause problems with the components inside of them.
Q: What if my led strip light gets wet by accident?
A: If your led strip lights get wet by accident, then it is not too big of a problem.
You should always be sure to turn off your led strip light and let it dry out, especially if there are any signs of melting or any other kind of damage.
If you do not let your led strip light dry out, then you will get condensation on the surface of it and this can cause a lot of damage.
