LED Lights Aren't Just for New Boats
LEDs are primarily known as "green" technology: that is, LEDs use much less energy to operate and, as a result, less fuel is needed to run the engines and generators to replace the energy they consume. In addition, LEDs have no toxic materials such as mercury in their design, which makes them more environmentally friendly when discarding or recycling them. A quality LED light can require up to 80% less electrical energy to produce the same amount of light as a comparable incandescent lamp.
A typical 40-watt incandescent bulb, for example, produces approximately 500 lumens of light output and consumes approximately 1.5 amps of current. A 10-watt LED light, on the other hand, can produce 600 lumens of light output while consuming just 45 amps, making it much more efficient. Even better, if you install LED lights within an area like the cab, the LEDs will produce only a fraction of radiant heat, meaning your on-board air conditioning systems will have to perform less to maintain a comfortable temperature in the cab.
Some boat manufacturers take LED installation a step further and also add solar power options. Some solar energy systems harness the energy of sunlight to help replenish battery banks during sunny hours, and when combined with extreme LED efficiency, they provide one or two shocks that actually reduce the cost of producing energy on board. In fact, some smaller LED luminaires, such as those used for walkways or platform lighting, may even be completely independent of the electrical system and work with their own built-in solar-charged battery, just like modern solar-powered landscaping lights that many owners have become fond of using. The latter option is particularly attractive for sailboat owners who have to rely almost entirely on the energy stored in the battery banks for their lighting needs.
One of the best things about LED lighting is that it's not only available to new boat builders. Owners of older boats built prior to the introduction of LEDs can also benefit and can greatly improve the efficiency and performance of their boat in less than a day with an update of the LED devices. Most LED devices designed specifically for navigation applications are intended to be direct replacements for many types of existing incandescent devices. Because of this, it is possible to find LED accessories that screw and connect without the need for any modification to your existing mounting configuration. Because LED Lights consume much less power, you also don't have to worry about laying heavier cables or increasing the load capacity of your switch systems
Some boat manufacturers take the installation of LEDs a step further and add solar power options as well. Some solar power systems harness the power of sunlight to help replenished battery banks during sunny hours, and when combined with the extreme efficiency of LEDs provides a one/two punch that really puts a dent in the cost of producing onboard power. In fact, some smaller LED fixtures like those used for walkways or deck illumination can even be completely independent of the electrical system and run off their own built-in solar-charged battery, much like those trendy solar power-raising lights homeowners have become fond of using. This last option is particularly attractive to owners of sailboats who have to rely almost entirely on power on stored in battery banks for their lighting needs.
One of the really great things about LED lighting is that it is not only available to builders of new boats. Owners of older boats built the introduction of LEDs can benefit as well and can greatly improve the efficiency and performance of their vessel in less than a day with an upgrade to LED fixtures. Most LED fixtures designed specifically for boating applications are intended to be direct replacements for many types of existing incandescent fixtures. Because of this, it is possible to find LED fixtures that will bolt up and wire in without the need for any modification to your existing mounting setup at all. Because LEDs draw so much less power, you won't need to worry about running heavier wires or increasing the load-carrying capability of your breaker systems either.
LEDs can be used almost anywhere a standard lamp is installed.
They can also be used to create some innovative and unique lighting configurations to provide a custom lighting system. For example, many sailors like to wear dim red lights in the cockpit while navigating at night because they feel it helps protect the eye's ability to acclimatize to dark conditions. If you've ever moved from a dark room to a very bright room or had a camera flash on your face unexpectedly, you can understand how easily a bright light can blind you momentarily once your eyes have become accustomed to the dark conditions. Cab LED lights are available and can be connected to a multi-position switch and toggle between a selection of colors for this purpose. These lights can produce red light for night navigation or normal white light when preserving your natural night vision is not that important.
Another way boaters take advantage of LEDs is by using the wide variety of artifact designs available to produce lighting that is hidden but effectively illuminates a galley or cabin area. LED light strip designs are ideal for this type of application and allow you to mount the device under the edge of the enclosures or along the base of the moldings, thus providing a well-spread lighting source that is not directly visible how far the lights on or off turn on.
The device itself remains hidden, however, the light diffuses as much as you would expect the light to be distributed from a typical fluorescent tube lamp. Many boaters are becoming very creative with LED lights strip and installing them along the edges of stairs, under gun pulls and even in machine rooms to provide a well-being path of light that is almost impossible to overlook I even when all the other lighting is off.
A typical 40-watt incandescent bulb, for example, produces approximately 500 lumens of light output and consumes approximately 1.5 amps of current. A 10-watt LED light, on the other hand, can produce 600 lumens of light output while consuming just 45 amps, making it much more efficient. Even better, if you install LED lights within an area like the cab, the LEDs will produce only a fraction of radiant heat, meaning your on-board air conditioning systems will have to perform less to maintain a comfortable temperature in the cab.
Some boat manufacturers take LED installation a step further and also add solar power options. Some solar energy systems harness the energy of sunlight to help replenish battery banks during sunny hours, and when combined with extreme LED efficiency, they provide one or two shocks that actually reduce the cost of producing energy on board. In fact, some smaller LED luminaires, such as those used for walkways or platform lighting, may even be completely independent of the electrical system and work with their own built-in solar-charged battery, just like modern solar-powered landscaping lights that many owners have become fond of using. The latter option is particularly attractive for sailboat owners who have to rely almost entirely on the energy stored in the battery banks for their lighting needs.
One of the best things about LED lighting is that it's not only available to new boat builders. Owners of older boats built prior to the introduction of LEDs can also benefit and can greatly improve the efficiency and performance of their boat in less than a day with an update of the LED devices. Most LED devices designed specifically for navigation applications are intended to be direct replacements for many types of existing incandescent devices. Because of this, it is possible to find LED accessories that screw and connect without the need for any modification to your existing mounting configuration. Because LED Lights consume much less power, you also don't have to worry about laying heavier cables or increasing the load capacity of your switch systems
Some boat manufacturers take the installation of LEDs a step further and add solar power options as well. Some solar power systems harness the power of sunlight to help replenished battery banks during sunny hours, and when combined with the extreme efficiency of LEDs provides a one/two punch that really puts a dent in the cost of producing onboard power. In fact, some smaller LED fixtures like those used for walkways or deck illumination can even be completely independent of the electrical system and run off their own built-in solar-charged battery, much like those trendy solar power-raising lights homeowners have become fond of using. This last option is particularly attractive to owners of sailboats who have to rely almost entirely on power on stored in battery banks for their lighting needs.
One of the really great things about LED lighting is that it is not only available to builders of new boats. Owners of older boats built the introduction of LEDs can benefit as well and can greatly improve the efficiency and performance of their vessel in less than a day with an upgrade to LED fixtures. Most LED fixtures designed specifically for boating applications are intended to be direct replacements for many types of existing incandescent fixtures. Because of this, it is possible to find LED fixtures that will bolt up and wire in without the need for any modification to your existing mounting setup at all. Because LEDs draw so much less power, you won't need to worry about running heavier wires or increasing the load-carrying capability of your breaker systems either.
LEDs can be used almost anywhere a standard lamp is installed.
They can also be used to create some innovative and unique lighting configurations to provide a custom lighting system. For example, many sailors like to wear dim red lights in the cockpit while navigating at night because they feel it helps protect the eye's ability to acclimatize to dark conditions. If you've ever moved from a dark room to a very bright room or had a camera flash on your face unexpectedly, you can understand how easily a bright light can blind you momentarily once your eyes have become accustomed to the dark conditions. Cab LED lights are available and can be connected to a multi-position switch and toggle between a selection of colors for this purpose. These lights can produce red light for night navigation or normal white light when preserving your natural night vision is not that important.
Another way boaters take advantage of LEDs is by using the wide variety of artifact designs available to produce lighting that is hidden but effectively illuminates a galley or cabin area. LED light strip designs are ideal for this type of application and allow you to mount the device under the edge of the enclosures or along the base of the moldings, thus providing a well-spread lighting source that is not directly visible how far the lights on or off turn on.
The device itself remains hidden, however, the light diffuses as much as you would expect the light to be distributed from a typical fluorescent tube lamp. Many boaters are becoming very creative with LED lights strip and installing them along the edges of stairs, under gun pulls and even in machine rooms to provide a well-being path of light that is almost impossible to overlook I even when all the other lighting is off.
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