How To Protect LED Signs From Houston’s Humidity: 5 Tips For Easy Upkeep

January 24, 2023 customsignhaus

LED signs are powerful tools for business branding, wayfinding, and sales promotions. But in order to maximize their impressive service life and get the greatest return on your investment, you need to know how to beat the heat—or, more specifically, the humidity.

Just like your mobile phone and laptop, LED signs are susceptible to water damage. And while they are more water-resistant than other electronic devices, extreme humidity can lead to screen damage, diode failure, and performance drop-offs.

And as you know, we are no strangers to high humidity here in Texas. In fact, the climate in Houston is classified as a “humid tropical sub-climate,” consistently ranking among Weather.com’s top-10 most humid cities in America.

Don’t worry—there is plenty you can do to protect your LED signs from Houston’s humidity, and our team is here to help.

Read on to learn 5 tips to protect your LED signs on humid days, or call the team at The Custom Sign & Graphics Haus at (936)-539-4200 to speak directly with an LED sign specialist in Houston, TX.

How To Protect LED Signs From Houston’s Humidity: Top-5 Tips

1. Strive For Perfect LED Sign Placement

Modern LED signs are lightweight, durable, and water-resistant, which opens up all sorts of options for indoor and outdoor installation. But be careful—your choice of installation area can drastically affect how much humidity your LED signs are exposed to.

To minimize the risks of water damage and keep your maintenance duties to a minimum, we generally recommend avoiding installation areas prone to high humidity, such as:

Near bathrooms, sinks, and plumbing pipes
In kitchens, especially around cooking appliances and kettles
Near gas heaters
In poorly ventilated rooms (especially up high, where heat and humidity rises)
In rooms under renovation
Under air conditioners, where condensation can drip onto your sign

Most modern LED signs are quite resistant to humidity, so don’t think a single day’s exposure in these areas will ruin your investment. But prolonged use in high humidity areas without any of the humidity controls recommended below could lead to problems over time.

2. Wipe Down Your LED Sign Whenever It Gets Wet

Some LED signs are water-resistant, but none are completely waterproof.

On rainy or humid days, it’s a good idea to unplug and wipe down your LED signs before any water gets inside. Try to wipe moisture away from any electrical components or the corners of LED screens. Unlike traditional neon signs, modern LEDs are protected by durable polymer tubes, so you can wipe them down without risk of them breaking and releasing glass particles or hazardous gas into your place of business.

While wiping down your sign, you should also assess moisture levels. If your cloth is soaked by the time you finish, it’s a good sign you need to find a new display area.

3. Dust Your LED Sign Often

If your LED sign gets dirty, any moisture in the air will mix together with the dust and create an unsightly gray-black mess. Dusting won’t make much difference with regards to humidity levels, but it will make your wipe downs much easier and keep your LED sign looking great for longer. Additionally, piles of dust can have a sponge-like effect, trapping moisture in place on your LED sign and disrupting the natural process of evaporation.

4. Dehumidify Your LED Sign Display Area

When the relative humidity exceeds 65% RH, you’ll need to physically dehumidify your LED sign’s display area. This can be done by turning on the air conditioner or placing a desiccant dehumidifier in the room to remove moisture from the air. You should also try to maintain adequate ventilation in your display area at all times.

5. Consider Waterproofing Your LED Sign

Some LED signs can be made even more water-resistant with acrylic casings, protective coatings, and special coverings. These are critical for LED signs intended for outdoor use. To explore some options for increasing your LED signs’ water-resistance, get in touch with our team at The Custom Sign & Graphics Haus.