Marine Led Lights
Used by the U.S Coast Guard for years, led lighting was at one time restricted to use by only the U.S. Coast Guard and Marines. After realizing led lights lasts longer than other traditional types of led lighting and reliable, marine led lights' access was granted to civilians. Marine led lighting is now standard on many new boats. Because this lighting burns more coolly, it uses less electricity than florescent or halogen bulbs. Though this technology has been around for 40 years, it has become of greater value in just the last five years. Marine led lighting lasts longer and uses 80 percent less electricity than incandescent, halogen or florescent lighting. This is a benefit for boat owners because this means less drain on any boat's electrical system. Batteries will require less charging, using engines or solar panels.
Should boat owners retrofit older boats with Marine led lights? Boat owners should weight the benefits, costs and their options carefully before retrofitting any marine led light fixtures to use marine led lights. Though these led lighting replacement units usually come factory sealed and have specially designed lenses to dispense led light, they are not cheap. Units with quality fittings can cost between $60 and more than $300 depending on the type of fitting required. Boat owners who cannot afford to get their fixtures retrofitted, can also take advantage of one other option: replacement bulbs. LED replacement bulbs may cost a little more than an ordinary bulb, but they won't cost as much as retrofitting any fixtures. And, Marine led lights can offer light for up to 50,000 hours before they need to be replaced.
Things to remember before replacing any Marine led lights or bulbs Any Marine led lights bulb will run on extremely low voltage and need an advanced power supply to drop the voltage to the correct level. If the Marine led lighting current is too high, it can affect a marine electrical system. Some advanced led power supplies are known as constant current drivers. Other marine led lights that call for replacement bulbs use only a resistor. What is the difference? Led lighting with a constant current driver will control the voltage. Marine led lights replacement bulbs using a resistor will not control the voltage flow. The major difference is replacement bulbs that last months as opposed to years.
Remember heat dispersement, polarity and color temp with marine led lights Though marine led lights may not produce as much heat as halogen lights or florescent lights, they still need to release heat. Aluminum circuit boards allow for this. However, beware of plastic. Cheaper green plastic boards designed to allow marine led lights to release heat may not stand up as well to the task. By nature, leds only allow power to flow in one direction. However, good quality units will reverse the flow of polarity without making a boat owner rewire their fitting to make their new marine led lighting bulb work. And lastly, don't forget about color temperature. Marine led lights can be found in a wide range of colors. The key to choosing led lighting is to choose the right color for the application. You may not want to install cool white marine led lights in any living quarters, as this led lighting will give you the same color as halogen or incandescent bulbs.
