Can I use LED lighting outdoors

Yes, we use a lot of LED fittings for outdoor and garden lighting.  You need to be aware of the IP rating and use the right fitting for the application.  IP ratings come in the form of IPxx e.g. IP67 where the first number denotes the protection level against solid object and the second the level of protection against water.    Since we’re principally concerned with protection against water ingress we’ll focus on the second number.

  • Px3: Protects against water sprayed from up to 60° from the vertical – rain-proof. Allows limited ingress.  A lot of lanterns carry an IPx3 rating.
  • IPx4: Protects against water splashed from all directions – splash proof.
  • IPx5: Protects against low-pressure jets of water from all directions – jet-proof.
  • IPx6: Protects against strong jets of water (or heavy seas…).
  • IPx7: Protects against temporary immersion down to 1m – water-tight.  Not suitable for permanent immersion.
  • IPx8: Protects against permanent immersion at the specified water depth – water-tight at the specified pressure.

The likely point of failure for any external fitting is the connection between the fitting and its control gear (driver for an external LED fitting).  We recommend that close attention is paid to the manufacturers installation instructions and that the the driver for the external LED light fittings are sited in a suitably water-tight location.

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