DIY LED potting liquid

[mmcp42]

I'm building my own LED arrays
got all the parts
now I need to make it waterproof, well splash proof

thought I'd use the sort of transparent seal the builders use round kitchen/bathroom worktops
a lot of them are marked "not suitable in an aquatic environment"

should be glad they pointed it out, but now I'm stuck

the only stuff that isn't so marked is "translucent" rather than clear

wise words wanted please!

 

[Gorgok]

If it gets wet you probably have other issues to worry about... How close are you putting them to water?

 

[mmcp42]

haven't finished building yet, so dunno!
probably 6" to 12" above the water
more a preventative measure against evaporation/condensation
water and electricity do mix, but the results are not always pleasant!

 

[Gorgok]

LEDs will not be cold enough to condense anything i'd say, so not much issue there. At worst they are room temperature, and then everything would be condensing the vapors... If you have that happening now you might want to exhaust the vapors instead.

If you really want to protect against a splash, a simple acrylic sheet with some standoffs to the heatsink will be much easier to do and not insulate the entire bottom of the heatsink (better for cooling if its not insulated).

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

my DIY led fixture has been sitting 8" above my tank for 3+ years now with no issues, i really don't think i would worry all that much about it…

from what i have heard though you can coats the soldered pads and open pads with clear nail polish and be done with it...

 

[zachts]

A splash gaurd would be much better than potting the LEDs. If doing linear strips on either channel or one of the linear heatsinks out there, T12 lamp shields (just a clear acrylic tube) available from most hardware stores work great, just slit it down the center and attache to the bottom of the heatsink. You could then seal it to the heatsink and seal up the ends if you wanted it to be nearly waterproof.

 

[mmcp42]

good stuff chaps, thnks

 

[jedimasterben]

A splash gaurd would be much better than potting the LEDs. If doing linear strips on either channel or one of the linear heatsinks out there, T12 lamp shields (just a clear acrylic tube) available from most hardware stores work great, just slit it down the center and attache to the bottom of the heatsink. You could then seal it to the heatsink and seal up the ends if you wanted it to be nearly waterproof.

Hmmm. The T12 lamp shield would be a great idea - wrap it in a 'sand' diffuser for better blending with almost no light loss, and boom, fluorescent lamp replacement

 

[zachts]

Hmmm. The T12 lamp shield would be a great idea - wrap it in a 'sand' diffuser for better blending with almost no light loss, and boom, fluorescent lamp replacement

I just take a few passes with 100 grit and then 600 grit sand paper before splitting it, I also do this on acrylic sheeting, gives a very light diffuse effect maybe around 5%, just enough to make the disco lines blur together a bit if you have any. Takes all of about 5 min. to difuse a 4' tube.