Damaged Blue LED Rope Light?

[Ralph A]

Hello,

I was at a loss when I saw that my LED rope light went bad. I'm really not sure what cause it and was asking for advise and input on what some of you thought may have happened.

I mounted my blue LED rope light on the inside of my CCR Arches. Think of them as spokes to a wheel and you will have an idea of what it looks like. The rope light was bought at Action lighting two years ago. After the show in 2010, I put the arches outdoors under a protective overhang off my storage shed. I also covered the arches with a tarp. Last year, I did not use them but did take a good look at them and they were a little bit yellowed form the elements. Also, remember they did sit in the open for about two months, November and December. Wanting to preserve the rope light I took them off the arches and stored then in a plastic storage container and placed them in the shed. I just took them out and they are completely ruined due to them turning a dark brown. You can see in the pictures that the one on the right is a new section and you can see how bad they turned color in the last year. My only guess is heat. I live in Texas and in a storage shed in a plastic container in the summer it gets hot, very hot. However I have not had any other problems that I am yet aware of.

Any ideas of what you all think may have happened?

Thanks!!!

[George Simmons]

That's the same way hearing aids and earmolds discolor after a while. Sure would take a lot of earwax to do that to the rope light though... One way you can check is to sniff the rope light - if it smells like earwax, then that's your culprit.

Could it have been plasticizer migration between the storage tub and the rope light?

What color are they if you plug them in?

[Jerry]

Well ,you could paint them all yellow ,not sure what color you might end up with being the bulbs are blue.

If the discoloration is on the inside , I would think it has something to do with condensation getting in there.

[TJ Hvasta]

Jer, doesn't blue & yellow make green? I seem to remember seeing that everyday..

[Ralph A]

• "
  "That's the same way hearing aids and earmolds discolor after a while." George, do you speak from personal experience?
  

Jerry, I too was thinking that maybe condensation may be a factor, but there was never any indication of that. Thanks for the advise and the jokes. I guess I can spend another $225.00 that I was not planing on. This hobby can get very expensive!!

[Steven]

I just took them out and they are completely ruined due to them turning a dark brown.

What color are they if you plug them in?

Yes, don't give up on them yet! Plug them in (at night or in a dark room) and see what color you get. You may be surprised at how little difference the discolored plastic makes to the final light output.

I have some while C6 LED strings that I left on the roof for 4 years. Although the plastic caps turned yellow, the light is still bright white at night.

[Jerry]

TJ , I think yer right. Then again , you might end up with a color or shade that no one else can get .