This article is here to help you cut through the complex jungle of marketing terms and choose a tri-proof lighting solution that is best suited to your application.
What are Tri-Proof Lights?
Tri-proof lights are special safety lights designed to have three or more forms of protection. Here the light fixtures are sealed and reinforced to have waterproof, dust-proof, and corrosion-proof capabilities. However, most LED tri-proof lights come with additional safety features such as vapor, shock, and explosion-proofing. Tri-proof lights are meant for operations in high-risk and hazardous environments.
You should treat the term “LED tri-proof light” as a subcategory of safety lighting. Almost every tri-proof LED light fixture you see will have some level of water and dust proofing. While corrosion proofing is merely a side-effect of the water sealing process. So for most consumers, a tri-proof branded LED light from a reputable supplier will be more than adequate.
However, high-risk environments with trace amounts of flammable or corrosive materials require additional assurances. To find the best lighting solutions you should filter your options using the term tri-proof and then further refine your choices through IP Ratings and safety certifications.
Importance of LED Tri-Proof Light Fixtures
LED Tri-proof lights are a quick and easy way to find safe and reliable lighting equipment. These light fixtures can handle most harsh environments, have very low energy requirements, and are widely available. We should never underestimate the power of convenience.
You can think of LED tri-proof lighting as a one-stop shop solution to lighting safety. Regardless of the application details, most customers can just buy a tri-proof light, and rest assured. Whether you need humidity protection, desire outdoor safety, or require some general robust lighting, the solution is always to invest in some good LED tri-proof lights.
Tri-proof lighting has made the process of selecting a lighting solution convenient and hassle-free. The less time a business owner is spending on the light selection, the more time they will have to make their business a success.
Tri-Proof Lighting vs. Other Safe Lighting Solutions
Nowadays there are several different safety lighting solutions for your business. All these solutions have different names and often have overlapping feature sets. It is quite common to see LED tri-proof lights marketed under names like water-tight or vapor-tight LED lights in different regions of the world.
A seller might sell the same LED light fixture as a tri-proof light in one part of the world and as an intrinsically safe light in other parts. The difference in naming mostly comes down to local safety certification and marketing. Manufacturers and suppliers will often name their products according to the most popular term in your local region.
But the important question here is whether there is a tangible difference between these different safety lights. Let’s break down the various other safe lighting terms and later compare them to tri-proof lights.
Water Proof Lights
Waterproof lighting is only designed to handle splashes of water or submersion for a small amount of time. LED lights are quite resilient but they are susceptible to rust like all electronics. A water-proof light is secured using silicone sealing rings around the premier of joints.
These lights are mostly meant for outdoor installations where rain protection is a major concern. Waterproof LED lights are an absolute must for landscape and garden lighting. An important factor to consider here is corrosion-proof lighting.
Since water-tight lights prevent liquids from coming in contact with the LED elections, they do prevent various types of corrosion damage. As such you will often see waterproof lights marketed as vapor proof as well.
Keep in mind that these LED lights have limited corrosion proofing, they can stop rust and damage from a few harsh chemicals. But the silicone sealing rings are not designed to handle acids, alkalis, and other fuel-based chemicals.
Vapor-Proof Lights
Vapor-proof LED lights can be thought of as the successor to water-proof LED lighting. Water has an inherent adhesion property that makes droplets stick together and form larger water bodies. Water (or other) vapors by comparison are much smaller and easily pass through the smallest of openings. Hence the testing criteria for vapor-proof LED lighting is much stricter than waterproof lighting.
While a waterproof lighting fixture is designed to withstand direct and active water sprays, vapor-proof light is designed to stop passive vapor creep. So you would typically need a vapor-proof lighting solution for extra humid environments or places with constant steam and vapor.
Tropical areas and seaside resorts will often only have vapor-proof lighting as the environment faces constant humidity. However, the ideal application for vapor-proof lighting seems to be saunas.
Shock-Proof Lights
The name says it all, shock-proof lighting solutions are meant for protection against impact damage. Impact damage is a broad term that includes bumps, hits, and even fall damage. Light fixtures for shock-proof equipment are made of sturdy materials that won’t crack or break on impact. Additionally, you will find some form of cushion materials like foam or soft rubber covering the sensitive electronics.
Shockproof lighting is best suited to factory use and similar busy environments. Any place that will have lots of small chips and pieces flying or heavy equipment being moved around. You will rarely see shock protection on a commercial lighting solution. These lights are often order made to fit the client’s application.
LED tri-proof lights will occasionally come with shock protection features. So if you want some impact-resistant lighting for home use these are a good alternative.
Corrosion Proof Lights
Corrosion proof is a tricky term to define. Strictly speaking any damage over time that degrades the base material or results in material removal when exposed to a certain environment is called corrosion. Hence corrosion can range from normal rusting or degradation from acids.
So if you see a water or vapor-proof light that advertises itself as corrosion-proof, it is technically correct. But it is not safe from all types of corrosion, especially chemical liquid/vapor damage. Here the technical details matter significantly more than any other safety lighting solution. It is the material used for the seals and gaskets that determines the resistance to various chemicals.
Silicone rubber seals are resistant to heat, ozone, and water damage, but they will quickly degrade when exposed to most industrial chemicals. Contrarily nitrile rubber seals have the necessary chemical resistances but lack flame and temperature protection.
Intrinsically Safe (IS) Lights
Intrinsically safe LED lights are the ultimate safety lighting solution. These lights are specially designed and certified to resist any form of damage and corrosion. IS lights run on lower wattages and install with thicker safety wiring to avoid all sources of ignition and combustion. This incredible level of safety is achieved by using high-performance gaskets and seals that also result in excellent water, dust, and vapor protection.
The only difference between IS and tri-proof lights is the resistance to combustion. IS lighting is meant for high-risk environments where flammable liquids, combustible fibers, and ignitable gasses are very common. These lights are often used in mine shaft lighting to prevent accidental ignition of natural gas pockets.
It should be noted that due to power limitations IS lights using the same electronics will often produce less bright light than LED tri-proof lights.
Explosion Proof (EP/Ex) Lights
Explosion-proof is a term that often gets confused with intrinsically safe. That’s because explosion-proof lighting is essentially a subcategory of IS lighting. The only real difference between the two lighting solutions is power consumption. EP lights are designed to consume a lot more power and produce a brighter light.
Due to the high power consumption, the light fixture of an EP light is designed to contain the explosion inside the casing and prevent further damage. Explosion-proof lighting is meant for applications where brightness is a higher priority.
LED Tri-Proof Lights Comparison
By this point, you already know about LED tri-proof lights. So this is just a small comparison table showing the differences between the different safety lighting solutions.
As you can see from the above table, LED tri-proof lights have a lot more potential than other safety lights. Combined with the fact that most manufacturers are offering custom-made lighting solutions, you can get a LED tri-proof light that fulfills all your criteria.
5 Benefits of LED Tri-Proof Lights
LED tri-proof lights offer a multitude of safety and convenience benefits over the competition. The following are our top five benefits of using LED tri-proof lights.
1 – Diverse Range of Applications
The best reason for anyone to get LED tri-proof lights is their incredibly versatile range of applications. You can install these lights in pretty much any environment where fixture safety is a key consideration.
LED tri proof lights are used in everything from residential apartments to large commercial buildings. You can use them for your small business or scale them up to factory size. Examples of LED tri-proof lights include car washes, water filtration plants, landscape lighting, tropical region lighting, and many more.
2 – Zero Hassle Installation Method
Due to the nature of LED tri-proof lights, they come in a completely sealed box with some basic mounting options. You can go for a direct wall (or ceiling) mounted installation or suspension mounting solutions.
A reasonably quick installation method means less time is spent changing and maintaining your LED tri-proof lights. Industrial applications in particular don’t always have convenient mounting surfaces. So the benefits of the zero hassle installation method can never be understated.
3 – Energy Efficient Light Fixtures
LED tri-proof lights are incredible for a number of reasons. But one that stands out the most is their energy-efficient operation. Typically an efficient LED lighting system will always be recommended for large workspaces where several lighting units are deployed. The reduction in electricity bills might not be evident at first glance but over the course of their lifetime LED lights will save you a considerable amount.
Alternatively, lighting solutions like fluorescent tri-proof light fixtures are just good in their own right. But they can’t hold a candle to the energy-efficient LED competitors. We understand that good energy efficiency is not always the highest priority when it comes to industrial applications, but it is still a quality of life upgrade.
4 – Uniform Diffused Lighting
The illumination from a light source (light emitting diode) originates at a point and then spreads to the surrounding area based on the beam angle of the light fixture. The beam angle is a measure of light coverage from the origin point.
A wider beam angle will result in more coverage area but have a dimmer light beam. Contrarily, a narrower beam angle will have a brighter more focused light, but will only be able to cover a small area. Narrow beam angles also produce a harsh glare that can irritate the eyes.
The additional safety seals and reinforcement to LED tri-proof lights provide a natural diffusion layer on top of the light emitting diode. This produces a much more uniform and even lighting to the workspace. It also increases the beam angle, reduces sharp shadows, and removes harsh glares.
5 – Low Maintenance Costs
As mentioned above, LED tri-proof lights come as a completely sealed unit. This of course provides excellent water, and dust-proof capabilities, but it also means that the light fixture has a much smaller chance of failure and degradation.
The added protection indirectly results in lower maintenance costs. A light fixture that is less prone to wear and tear will naturally need less oversight and maintenance.
3 Considerations To Help You Choose a LED Tri-Proof Light
At this point, you are ready to make an informed buying decision on LED tri-proof lights. But before we wrap up this guide there are three key factors that should be considered. The following are three helpful tips to help you better navigate the market.
1 – IP Rating
Always check the IP (ingress protection) rating of your LED tri-proof lights. The features may vary from brand to brand but the IP rating will always follow standard testing guidelines. IP ratings have two numbers in their nomenclature. The first is a number is a measure of water resistance and the second one is for dust resistance.
Higher numbers mean the light fixture can withstand harsher environmental conditions. But an “X” will mean that the product was never tested for water or dust proofing performance.
- IP65 – Standard rating for safety lighting.
- IP6X – Dust-proof but not waterproof.
- IPX5 – Waterproof but not dust-proof.
- IP69 – Highest possible IP rating.
2 – Customization Options
Modern manufacturing technology has made customization a convenient part of the industry. If you have the capital and the patience for it, you can get a LED tri-proof light that is custom-built to your specifications.
Customization means that you can use any type of light fixture, spot, flood, strip, etc., and convert it into a safety light. You also have the option of adding non-standard features to the fixture Smart control and motion sensor lights allow you the convenience of controlling your lighting system from anywhere.
3 – Additional Costs
You should never compromise on safety lights. Your LED tri-proof lights may cost quite a bit more than standard lighting solutions but the added benefits can not be understated. Additional costs can arise during the installation process.
You may need to invest in a better power distribution setup or more expensive safety cables and wirings. But the biggest cost comes from disturbance to factory operations. Poor quality tri-proof lights or wiring will require consistent maintenance and replacement. Two processes that often lead to a temporary shutdown of the workspace.
A company loses more money when an unexpected disturbance arises in the workflow. So it is advised that you spend more upfront on installation and avoid future issues.
Why Buy LED Tri-Proof Lights from RC Lighting?
RC Lighting has been making quality LED architecture lighting for over a decade. We have built our reputation on our dedication to providing quality lighting solutions on time and on budget. All our products comply with international health and safety regulation and come with a standard 5-year warranty.
Low-cost safety solutions are a major hazard and can ruin a business. Our warranty and quality are second to none and will help you run a successful business for a very long time.
Conclusion
Navigating the market of tri-proof lights is a real challenge, confusing terms and various branding choices can make the selection process very difficult. However, after going through this article you now have all the necessary information required to make the selection process easier. The benefits of LED tri-proof lights can’t be ignored, despite the confusion surrounding the naming, they are still the simplest and often best solution for your business.
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