About backlighting features
Backlighting projects require the coordination of several trades to be successful. Often, one will need a contractor, electrician, stone or alternative material installer, and lighting provider. In many cases, a knowledgeable tradesperson can handle many of these facets.
A backlighting feature is created through the combination of a few different layers. From the bottom to the top, you have the base layer support, the lighting products, the diffusion, and the forward-facing material. Once the lights are hidden beneath the other materials, they can be challenging to get to. Materials like natural stone tend to weigh quite a bit. So, how do you service the lighting system should the products need to be replaced? It's not quite as simple as changing a light bulb.
Products and providers
With the difficulty of replacing LED lighting products in a backlighting feature, it's imperative to use high-quality products from a reputable brand. Cheaping out on the lighting system is not worth it in the long run.
Evo-Lite has built up its positive reputation in the backlighting world because we take an extraordinary amount of time to engineer products that are incredibly reliable and long-lasting. Furthermore, we provide excellent support from concept to completion so your installation is crafted to the highest standards possible. If a question comes up during an install, just give us a call and our Colorado-based team will help you out. Have questions before buying? Schedule a video chat with us and we'll take you into the Evo-Lite Tech Lab to demo the product and answer all of your questions. We'll go above and beyond to ensure no corners are cut due to inexperience or otherwise.
Evo-lite's LED products offer a solid 50,000-hour rated life. If you were to run your backlighting application for 8 hours a day, it would last for over 17 years! Many people use their lights for far less time per day. With that in mind – if you had a kid and installed a backlit countertop, you wouldn't have to replace the lights until they were off to college!
The 50,000-hour rating is determined by extensive factory testing. This does not mean that at 50,000 hours your lights will stop working. Over time, LEDs become dimmer. The typical rated life stat typically means that at 50,000 hours, the lights will put out 70% or less light than when it was new. It may be something you won't even notice, at least not until the lights have lost an extreme amount of brightness.
Often, the power supply will fail before the lights. If your backlighting system is functioning unexpectedly, you may want to start there. Replacing a power supply is usually fairly easy.
In the end, LED lights last an extremely long time. You'll likely want to remodel the space before encountering noticeable issues with your lights.
Replacing the product
Sometimes, a lighting product is poorly installed or gets damaged by improper care. In these rare instances, how can one go about getting it fixed? There are a couple of options at this point.
One great idea is to build the backlit feature in a way that allows service access to the lighting system. We've seen installers create a drawer-type system that allows the lighting system to slide out easily. Other backlit applications deploy easily removable forward-facing materials for service access.
There are fewer options in cases when a heavy forward-facing material is over a troublesome lighting system. In this scenario, it will be best to reach out to the professionals who first completed the work. They'll need to lift the forward-facing material and troubleshoot the lighting system. Materials like stone can crack if not raised with the correct tools and techniques, so it's best to leave that to the professionals who will guarantee their work.
Set yourself up for success
In summary, Evo-Lite's LED products last an extremely long time when installed correctly. The vast majority of the time, the lighting system will work flawlessly until you're ready to remodel. In extremely rare circumstances, you may have to have your installers come out to service the project.
The best way to prevent having to replace your backlights early is to work with a reputable company that offers proven products and guidance like Evo-Lite does. Do your research and use well-reviewed trade professionals to craft the system to the highest possible standards.
