How to Maintain Your LED Sign

For LED signs, exposed to rigorous environments, glaring sunlight or the curse of age, increasing the life expectancy has become a core question for owners. While LED signs enhance the popularity of your business and help get your message across to the audience, nobody wants to splurge a fortune on LED signs, only to have to replace them a few years down the road. Here are a few tips to maintain your LED sign to ensure trouble-free operation and add a few more years to its useful life:

KEEP IT CLEAN

Dirt tends to accumulate on LED signs, especially in arid, sandy climates making them dull and less effective. Wiping the signs regularly can eradicate the grime and restore their vitality. However, only a dry, lint free and soft cloth should be used for cleaning, as an abrasive material can cause lasting damage to the screen. Avoid using water, soap, window cleaner, cleaning fluids or wax but a screen cleaning solution can be purchased to remove greasy marks from the sign.

Remember to unplug the sign before cleaning it. When using a screen cleaning solution, it should always be sprayed over the cloth and never directly over the screen. Be gentle when wiping to protect the delicate screen and let it dry completely before plugging it back in.

PERFORM ROUTINE CHECKS

A disabled LED sign can greatly diminish the visibility of your business so it is prudent to spot minor issues beforehand. Make a habit of routinely checking the equipment your sign uses and look for any pitfalls, such as wear and tear, reduced performance, damage, and abnormal electricity consumption, amongst other things.

TURN IT OFF

Some businesses leave their outdoor or window signs switched on at all times, without affording a break. This keeps your business in the spotlight even when your doors are closed. However, unseen indoors signage can be turned off when your business closes, to reduce energy consumption and extends the life-span of the electrical components. The average lifespan of a LED sign is estimated to be about 100,000 hours, under appropriate conditions. However, during this time the the brightness of the sign will be reduced by 50%. Powering down your sign can help extend its useful life. Make a note on your opening and closing checklist, reminding employees to take care of the signs.

The images on color displays shouldn’t show pure white, or pure blue as high contrast settings cause a high current to flow. This will result in increased energy consumption and power supply temperature. Obviously, all these considerations can decrease the life of the LED display and it’s preferable you program to low contrast settings.

PROTECT IT

Be mindful of the height of installation of your LED sign, as too low a sign could make it easier for unauthorized people to tamper with it. Make sure your sign is at a perfect height, high enough to be out of reach, while low enough to be accessible to the audience.

If you have more questions about the maintenance of your LED Signs, call LED Sign Authority at 800-282-0950 for answers