A custom LED display is an attractive and impactful addition to your business, school, health center, sports facility, or religious institution. Investing in a custom display gives you a creative and compelling means to share your message with the world.
Custom LED screens are longer-lasting, clearer, and more energy-efficient than many alternatives. However, the success of your LED display project depends on your ability to keep everything in good repair. We’ve created this guide to help you maintain your indoor and outdoor digital displays.
The Importance of Maintaining Your Custom LED Display
There are so many positives to LED display screens. Sometimes, people assume these display solutions are maintenance-free, and that’s not entirely true. It takes effort to ensure your LED light display remains bright and displays clearly.
Without regular maintenance, your high-quality custom LED display could become a source of embarrassment instead of an attraction.
Follow Maintenance Recommendations
The company that fabricates and installs your creative LED display should give you helpful maintenance information. They will tell you who to contact for repair and how to operate your system. Remember that they take pride in their custom designs and want them to look attractive.
Contact your installer if you have questions about operating or maintaining your sign. They should be happy to help you or send a technician to review your issue.
Proper Ground Protection
One of the best features of LED is that it doesn’t take a lot of power to run. That said, the power it uses needs to be consistent. Spikes or surges in power can cause real damage.
Installers must have experience working with LED and use high-quality components. If they don’t, the lifespan of the sign could be reduced, and damage is possible.
Ground protection is an important part of your sign’s electrical system. This mechanism takes the excess power in a power surge and directs it away from your sign and its components.
Cleaning the Surfaces
Both creative and standard LED displays should be cleaned regularly. Outdoor displays especially need a lot of attention. They can collect dirt and grime. Without proper cleaning, data ports can become clogged, leading to overheating.
Indoor LED signs should also be kept clean to prevent damage and ensure your sign displays in full color.
A good plan is to have your sign cleaned thoroughly once every year; this means disassembling the entire sign and cleaning all of the components.
Keep the Custom LED Display Cool
There are LED displays designed to work in virtually every climate. Your display will have a temperature range that it can work within. Follow this range as a guide, but also keep in mind that temperature regulation is an important part of maintenance.
For example, if you install your LED sign in an extremely humid area, the air temperature may be misleading. The actual temperature could be much higher, especially if there is no breeze or shade. Over time, a sign that is subjected to extreme temperatures could have problems with its display.
Your sign installer should take steps to help mitigate heat issues. One thing they will do is install a heat sink, which will direct heat away from delicate components to prevent damage.
Also, you want to learn the MTBF for your sign. This is the mean time before failure. This is the amount of time the system can run before it fails. Each sign needs a break to cool off; otherwise, it could overheat. The mean time before failure is the max amount of time you have before you need to turn off the sign and allow it to cool.
Schedule Professional Inspections
A professional sign company will help you determine the right LED sign and configuration, including choosing the correct pixel pitches. These details will ensure you get a better return on your investment.
Additionally, they will carefully display your sign so that it is secure. However, even if they are very thorough, your sign will need to be inspected annually. Bolts may become loose over time, and certain weather conditions can cause corrosion.
A sign inspector or maintenance team will check for loose fittings, bad electrical connections, corrosion, and even rodents. These inspections can catch and correct issues before they become very expensive problems.
Power It Off Correctly
An LED sign isn’t just a board lined with flexible LED strips; it’s an expensive device capable of connecting to your phone or laptop. These displays can broadcast video, animations, and a range of colors.
It’s important to treat LED signs carefully, much like you would other electronics. There is a proper sequence to follow to power the sign up and back off again. Always follow this sequence and avoid turning off the power abruptly. Improper use could damage the component or cause software errors.
Update the Software
Your LED sign is a connected system.It’s just like a smart device or computer, relying on software to work correctly. That software lets you determine the message or video that will be displayed, and it also ensures that it is displayed correctly.
One of the most important components of LED sign software is security, and proper software will contain modules that allow only authorized users to control the sign.
Remember that your LED sign software will only work if it is kept updated. Follow the instructions to allow for regular updates. These could be installing important security patches.
Finally, the different configurations you add to your LED sign are stored in files. Over time, these can crowd your system and make it run slowly. Every so often, you should delete unused files to keep your system running efficiently.
When you keep your LED sign operating system updated, you will be able to:
- Create and edit graphics and text
- Organize, tag, and manage your content
- Create content playlists
- Schedule content for display
- Review reports and error messages
Of course, the availability of these functions is subject to the abilities of your sign. Not all models have all features.
Swap Your Content Out
This step doesn’t really impact the physical condition or safety of your sign. But it does impact how well it works for your business. It loses impact when your sign displays the same message for weeks or months, and it simply blends into the background, and people stop “seeing” it.
You can avoid this problem by changing your message content from time to time. In fact, this could bring you a bit of extra attention. People walking or driving by could come to look forward to the new message you have for them.
Protect the Display Panel from Extreme Weather
An outdoor LED video wall or sign will have a weatherproof rating. However, it’s still important to exercise caution in severe weather. If water gets inside, that could cause damage to the electrical components. Protect your sign by turning it off during extreme weather.
Do You Have to Replace Bulbs?
With some electrical displays, the light bulbs burn out over time. Then, you must replace them to keep your sign displaying properly. This isn’t the case with LED lights. Instead, they slowly fade over time.
Fortunately, this takes a very long time. If you do notice your LED lights dimming quickly, there could be an issue with the electrical components. Poor temperature management can also be a factor.
What Does Sign Repair Cost?
Good maintenance is important for keeping your LED sign in working order. By keeping it clean, protecting it from the weather, and operating it correctly, you can make sure your sign will last longer. When you keep a closer eye on your sign, you can ensure small repairs are done quickly.
Unfortunately, most signs will need to be repaired by a professional eventually. When this happens, it helps to know what to expect. Specifically, most owners want to know about cost.
The cost to repair an LED sign can vary depending on the size of your display and the extent of the damage. The repair could be as simple as replacing wiring or an inexpensive component.
However, some damage could mean you have to replace the entire sign. You can check with your insurance provider about coverage that would pay for damage caused by vandalism or acts of nature.
It’s impossible to put a precise dollar amount without inspecting the damage in person. The best approach is to avoid major repairs by following the maintenance instructions above.
Know Your Service Agreement and Warranty Information
You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you understand your service agreement with the company that fabricated and installed your LED sign. After all, you paid for a custom sign. If any repairs or maintenance are covered, you should take advantage of that.
Also, in many instances, your warranty may depend on having maintenance performed by an approved contractor. Protect your investment and save money by working directly with your sign company on any repair or maintenance projects.
National Signs Will Keep Your LED Display in Good Repair
At National Signs, we pride ourselves on being your single source for all things sign-related. We will work with you to design and fabricate the perfect LED sign in various custom shapes. Then, our team will install your sign safely and securely to ensure your sign lasts as long as possible.
Once your sign is in place, we will continue to help you with ongoing maintenance and repairs, and all of our signs come with a 5-year warranty!
Are you ready to talk about an LED sign for your business? Contact us today.
