Questions about LED strips in profiles?
Don't know how to fit your LED Strips into profiles? Don't know if they will look good? In this post we want to answer all those questions and give you some tips on how to combine these two products.
1 What is an LED strip and an LED Profile exactly?
Profiles: Supports generally made of aluminum or other metal that allow the installation of LED components inside. They have an opal or transparent diffuser that helps diffuse the light and at the same time provides an aesthetic touch to it. LED Strips: They are linear devices made up of chips of different types that provide linear lighting and make them an attractive product for decorative use.
2 Why is it recommended to install LED strips on profiles?
When installing LED strips It is important, if not essential, to install them on an aluminum profile or, failing that, an aluminum plate. It is recommended because even though LED strips do not generate much heat, it is highly recommended for their useful life that the heat be dissipated. This is a standard that is followed when installing LED strips, although there are different cases in which the installation of profile strips is not recommended for reasons that we will explain later.
3 Can LED strips be glued directly to wood or plaster?
The answer is NO. These materials are not good heat transmitters and we are going to base them on a physical property that all materials have, called thermal conductivity. This property of all materials measures the ability of a material to conduct heat. To quantify it, it is necessary to use the thermal conductivity coefficient, which is measured in W/(m*K). The higher the value of this coefficient, the greater the material's ability to transmit heat. Let's see examples of different materials.
- Aluminum: 160 W/(m*K)
- Gypsum: 0.488 W/(m*K)
- Pine wood: 0.148 W/(m*K)
4 What type of strips are recommended to be installed on aluminum profiles?
As an installation recommendation, only those LED strips that are 12/V DC, 24V DC or 220 VAC and that have IP25, IP20 or IP33 protection should be installed in the profile. The reason is because by not having the silicone gel they will not overheat and a mini greenhouse effect will not be produced that will cause the silicone gel to turn yellow, the strip will heat up excessively and its useful life will be affected.
5 I plan to install 220 strips on profiles. Why shouldn't I?
Most LED strips that connect directly to the network have an IP65 protection rating (resistant to dust and splashes of water) guaranteed by a plastic cover. As mentioned previously, if we house an LED strip with this type of protection, we will see how the useful life is affected as well as the quality of the light that said LED strip emits.
6 What type of strips are recommended to be installed on aluminum profiles?
- Profiles help us with heat dissipation
- With the diffuser that the profile incorporates, it will allow us to reduce visual discomfort or glare produced by the LED strips and the light points that make it up.
- They provide an aesthetic touch to the installation since both the LED strips and accessories and wiring used in the installation can be hidden.
- The installation of the profiles is carried out on the surface, which reduces both the hours of installation and the works to be carried out for the installation of the profiles.
