I have had a permanently installed outdoor LED strip for the past 4 years. It is installed with a nodeMCU running WLED and is around 15m in length. The issue I have had is that around a year in one of the LEDs failed and all the LEDs down stream from that LED stopped working properly. So I cut that LED out and soldered in a small piece of LED strip to bridge the gap. The issue now is that it wasn’t waterproof anymore. A few month later the patch job failed because of moisture damage. It has since needed fixing another 3 times for the same reason, despite using loads of hot glue.
Given the LED strip is mounted upside down and given there is no laxity in the LED strip, it makes repair very difficult. I also can’t think of a way to stop this from being an issue. I.e. I can’t think of a way to make the LED strip easily repairable or a way for it not to fail after a given period of time.
I have now repaired it again, but all in all I dont see how installing permanent LEDs can ever be a feasible option unless you are prepared for it needing maintenance every so often.
I have seen a lot of videos about installing permanent LED strips but I have never seen this brought up as an issue. Has anyone had similar experiences or can offer some insight into this?
The connectors are not waterproof, the LEDs and their WS28xx chips are. The connectors are likely water resistant, but not waterproof. If you have a solder repair that succumbed to water damage- specifically corrosion, then you probably had a cold solder joint.
My point is that one way or another there will be a failure. Either one of the LEDs will fail or something else. And repairs on permanently installed LED strips are difficult and not worth it imo.
Try neutral cure silicone sealant instead of hot glue.
Make sure it is the neutral cure type. The common sealants that smell like vinegar will eat the copper traces as they cure.
Do you have your LEDs installed in an aluminium channel?
This not only helps with preventing water ingress but acts as a heatsink that helps prolong the life of the LEDs, especially when run at 100% brightness.
Installing a channel track with your strip mounted inside that would be better (with or without the diffuser). I know if might be hard now. You will need to ensure your joints are sealed well, if your running long lengths.
I recently fixed a section of LED strip in our kitchen: it’s downlights under the top cupboards and I suspect some steam created some issues. To protect the new solder joints, I used a little bit of heat shrink to protect it.
Nail polish is also a pretty good conformal coating.
Use clear. Don’t be tempted by the shiny, glittery ones that may have conductive particles in them no matter how much they appeal to your fashion sense
Thermal shrinking tube? Probably white, as I’ve not seen transparent one… I use these for all repairs of outdor installations and never had a problem afterwards…
I already fixed it before making the post. Designed and 3d printed a mould and filled it with hot glue. It looks good, but I’ll have to see how well it works over time.
And yes, I do have aluminium channels installed.
If I get another issue with these lights, I’ll probably end up ripping them all out.
If you’d already fixed it before making the post and you’re convinced you’ll rip everything out if you encounter the same issue, why did you create a post asking for people’s insight?
I thought someone might have another solution to permanent LEDs without needing a complex repair every couple of years. Also thought it might be useful for someone who was thinking of installing something similar. I’ll make sure to make that more clear next time. Thanks everyone for your input.
p.s. I did mention that I had already repaired it in the original post
I’m guessing hot glue does not stick well enough to the silicone that the LEDs are potted in. Water loves to wick through small gaps due to its insane surface tension.
Neutral cure silicone sealant would ne better. Though messier.
Hot glue is likely failing because it can’t adhere to the LED strip properly. It’s too slick - I had the same issue with some that I just wanted to glue a cap to; it lasted like 10 minutes.
When the hot glue cools, it has no fibers to hold on to like you do in wood or paper, and the slightest movement of the LED strip will break any bond it has and then moisture can get in, get trapped and be worse than if you hadn’t glued it at all.
As was mentioned - neutral cure silicone is what you need. You’ll also want to ensure that when you’re repairing and sealing the fixed area, that you’ve completely removed all corrosion and any contaminates that could cause further corrosion. If you’re soldering anything, make sure you’re cleaning it with a flux cleaner to remove any flux. You can also wipe the area down with rubbing alcohol before you use the neutral cure silicone.
I’m not sure how the LED strip and/or hot glue deal with temp changes (seems it can depend on the hot glue used - acrylic supposedly withstands colder temps). Depending where you are, if the temperature swings enough it could naturally work the LED strip from being bonded to the hot glue. Silicone wouldn’t have that issue as it can withstand a much larger temp range without effect.
