When you experience lighting issues with LED police light bars, it rarely stems from a defect in the lighting. Typically the most common problems come down to mistakes that occurred from the wiring. If you experience issues with your light bar after installation, make sure to check for these points for the safety of you and your vehicle and for the longevity of the product. Most of the time the product is in excellent working condition and the issue arises upon installation; so, be sure to thoroughly read through this handy guide before installing.
Loose Wiring or Wiring Obstructions
An issue to easily overlook with wiring is the possibility of having unstable and unattached wires or something obstructing the wires in your LED light bar. In many cases, you can see this when the lights either don’t work at all or if the color is missing from the RGB (red, green, blue) installation. Typically this is caused by a lack of wire connection into the terminal block from the wire casing not being stripped back far enough, or from the wire being pushed too far into the terminal block that the connection is over the casing. All LED police light bars come with a warranty that the product should be free from defects in both material and workmanship for up to 5 years. If you feel at any time that you’re experiencing an issue due to a faulty product, please submit an RMA (return merchandise authorization) right away.
Drops in Voltage
A voltage drop has everything to do with your wiring layout. In many voltage drop situations, this wiring issues stems from the wires being inside of a serial connection instead of a parallel connection. Parallel connections provide the most consistent and even lighting output. Think of it this way: parallel connections are similar to powering directly into the power supply, allowing you fewer voltage drops and serial connections.
Overlapping or Worn Wires
Another common mistake in wiring is worn or overlapping wires. If the wires aren’t clean and straight, then at some point you will experience some form of wiring issue. It only takes one single wire strand to touch another wire or connection to your LED light bar to place it at risk for mixing color effects or even causing an electrical short. If you are soldering, make sure the wires are clean, straight, and never touching one another or overloading a wire connection.
Improper Wiring
When trying to determine the problem in your LED installation, it is vital to double, triple, or even quadruple check every connection. Anyone can make fundamental wiring mistakes, even the most skilled electrician. However, it is crucial to remember to ensure that the wires are exposed and making the correct contact and connections with the right wires and/or ports to your lighting products. Should you have questions while installing your LED light bar and do not have another professional with you, you should have an installation guide or video ready for support.
Additional Wiring Tips
There are many causes to wiring problems. However, there is a wide assortment of other potential breakdowns you should avoid while wiring. Some helpful tips to remember include:
• Never Use Serial Connections - When wiring your LED installation, it may seem like the “common sense” option to use serial connections. However, what people do not understand is that with each serial connection, you take a little more voltage away from the next connection. Therefore, the longer you run your lights, the more voltage drops will occur and the less lighting there will be.
• Only Use Wire Splitters - One of the most significant mistakes people make with wiring LED lighting bars is to jam multiple wires into a single wire connection to try and simplify the installation, which can be a possible grave fire hazard. Instead, you need to use terminal blocks and wire splitters.
• Never Use Solid Wires - Solid wires can cause heating to the connection due to multiple small contact areas between the connection and solid wire.
• Avoid Fray Wire Leads - Frayed wires can put you at risk for many different wiring problems, such as voltage drops, electrical shorts, and potential fire hazards.
Ultra Bright Lightz ships just about everywhere in the world, so if you have any questions about international destinations, let us know. Shipping rates vary based on the availability of the product and the shipping speed you choose. Plus, depending on the product you order, the weight will also affect the cost of the overall shipping. Any cancellation should be made within one hour of ordering. If you have more wiring or shipping questions or are interested in buying LED police light bars for your vehicle, contact the staff at Ultra Bright Lightz by calling 1-888-562-5125 today.