LED lights are one of the most efficient and economical light sources we mostly use to decorate and brighten our homes, offices, shops, etc.
Nearly all LED lights have some mechanism to stick them on surfaces at 90 degrees, such as walls. To do this, LED light strips have double tape at the back. It helps them stick to different surfaces in different patterns. This article discusses, “Why do my LED lights keep falling off the wall?”
Why Do My LED Lights Keep Falling Off The Wall?
They keep falling because of dust and dirt accumulation on the wall. Start by wiping down the wall where the LED lights will be installed. Dust, grease, or other leftovers can stop the glue from working properly. Make sure the area is clean and dry before moving on by using a light detergent or rubbing alcohol.
Make sure that you use the right glue for your LED lights. Many LED light strips come with a sticky back, but if it’s not holding up, try using stronger double-sided tape or adhesive strips made for heavier loads.
When putting the LED lights on the wall, you should press down hard and evenly along the whole length of the strip. It helps the glue stick well to the surface. You can apply pressure with your hands or a brush.
1. Clean The Dusty Wall Surface Before Installing LED Lights
3. Change The Double-Faced Tape on The LED Light Strip
5. Use Adhesive Friendly Plaster
Clean The Dusty Wall Surface Before Installing LED Lights
Dust is an enemy to the adhesive force of your LED light tape. It weakens it enough to fall down the wall. Hence, you must properly clean the surface of the wall or furniture where you want to stick your LED strips. It will allow the tape to stick firmly to the surface.
Dust can make it harder for your LED light tape to stick. It makes it weak enough that the lights come down. To ensure your LED strips stick well, clean the wall or furniture where you want to put them. It will help the tape stick well.
Mount on a Straight Wall
Try to make your walls smoother so you can mount your LED lights. Fill in any small gaps that are present on your wall. If these gaps are because of the decorations, try doing something creative to fill them and make them look normal. Now, installing your LED will not cause them to fall.
In case of fancy walls that do not allow you to stick your LED lights strip, you can use screws and other accessories to mount them on the wall. You can use paint or stickers to hide the screws or clips if they look bad. Another option is using some other plaster instead of fancy at the place of lights.
Change The Double-Faced Tape on The LED Light Strip
Your LED light strip’s glue may lose its stickiness over time, especially if the strip is heavy. If your LED lights fall because the glue isn’t strong enough, you can fix the problem by getting new double-sided tape.
Old and expired tape does not have enough power to keep your LED lights stuck to the wall’s surface, as the strip has its weight. You can fix this issue by replacing such a tape. The double-faced tape is available in the market. You can choose the one that will easily serve your purpose.
Stop Water Leakage
Immediately stop the water leakage and get that part of the wall dried out. Install a humidity sensor to note down the moisture levels. It will help you maintain the humidity levels to protect the tape at the back of your LED strips from going bad. Fix the roof if there are any leakages in it.
By putting in a humidity sensor, you can keep track of the amount of moisture and keep the surroundings safe for the tape on the back of your LED strips. Also, fix any leaks in the roof that could be making the problem worse.
Use Adhesive Friendly Plaster
Apply a coat of something that helps your LED lights stick properly if the plaster on the wall does not provide enough grip to the tape. Changing the plaster of the whole place is unnecessary, but the only part where you are trying to mount your LED light strips.
Overheating Issues
Install a proper ventilation system to dissipate the heat from the LED light strip. Try to make the place less stuffy, as it will also make it more beautiful. Move the electric heater away from the LED lights and change its direction, especially when facing the strips.
Put in a good airflow system so the heat from the LED light strip can escape. Ensure the room has enough air flow to keep the temperature comfortable and improve its appearance. Keep electric heaters away from the LED lights and turn them so the heat doesn’t hit the strips straight on.
Lift The Power Cable
Carry the power cable higher than or equal to the height of LED lights if the strip is falling because of the weight of the power cable. You can use clips to mount the cables on the wall so it does not affect your lights, causing them to fall. Install the clips carefully, as they can damage the cable.
What are The Main Reasons Your LED Lights Keep Falling Off The Wall?
The uneven and dusty wall surface is responsible for this issue. There are air gaps on such a surface, which causes the LED lights to fall, having less grip. Most of the fancy walls also cannot hold the LED light strips. Dusty wall surfaces can be the second culprit, causing the lights to fall repeatedly.
All LED light strips have double tape at the back to stitch them to different surfaces such as walls or furniture, etc. One side of the tape is permanently stuck to the LED strip, while the other side sticks to the surface on which this light is mounted. It is how you stick your LED lights on the walls.
- Dusty Wall Surface
Nearly all LED light strips have double-sided adhesive tape at the backside to stick them on different surfaces. Dust is a notorious enemy of the adhesives used in such tapes. The dust is stuck on the tape if you accidentally mount your LED light strips without cleaning the surface.
Such a tape with less adhesive force cannot bear the weight of your LED lights and keep falling off the wall. The reason behind this is that most of the other side of the tape is not working 100% because the dust particles have zero adhesive force. There is no solution to this issue but to replace the tape.
- Uneven or Fancy Wall
Uneven wall surfaces have air gaps on them. The LED strip tape is unable to stick on these gaps. As a result, it does not have as much adhesive force as required to carry its weight to keep it mounted to the wall. It all results in your LED lights falling from such a wall no matter how many times you stick it.
Most fancy walls have plasters that do not allow you to stick anything on them. LED light strips have a reasonable amount of weight that keeps pulling them down from the walls. So they need a suitable, even surface to stick them firmly to carry this weight. Otherwise, they fell repeatedly.
- Old or Expired Adhesive on The LED Lights
Each kind of adhesive has its shelf life. It means it expires after some years and loses its power to stick to the surfaces it was made to stick with. This mostly happens to the goods stuck at customs or placed in the godown for a long time. It can also happen to the tape of your years-old LED lights.
If you keep changing the place of your LED light strips, the adhesive on their tape becomes less powerful because it now has dust or plaster particles stuck to it. As a result, tape loses its adhesive force and cannot carry the weight of your LED strip, which causes it to fall iteratively.
- Water Damage
Just like dust, water is also a notorious enemy of the property of stickiness of the tape at the back of your LED lights. Hence, your LED lights may be falling off the wall because that part of the wall is wet. It is impossible to mount tape-based things on such surfaces.
Your walls can become wet if your room is full of moisture from the evaporator, air cooler, air conditioner, etc. It is very harmful to the adhesives of your LED light strip as there is a continuous presence of high humidity and moisture in the place where your lights are stuck on the wall.
- Chemical Repels
Different wall plasters have different characteristics as they comprise different types of chemicals. The adhesive on your LED light’s tape is also a chemical. Some chemicals can repel the adhesive. It can be a reason behind our LED strip falling off the wall iteratively.
- Overheating Issues
LEDs and the other electronic components installed on your LED light strip generate heat. This heat must dissipate in the air to protect the strip. The LED strips become overheated when installed in stuffy and confined spaces. Heat destroys their adhesive power, and they fall.
- Cable Problem
Each LED light strip has a cable at the end. The strip has a reasonable amount of weight, and the power cable adds to it. Hence, your lights’ power cable is the culprit if your LED strip falls from that side. Cables are usually heavy as they are made up of a highly insulating material.
How Do I Stop My LED Lights From Falling?
Most of the LED light strips have double-sided tape stuck. With the passage of time and other factors, it loses its stickiness. First, use alcohol to clean the surface as the LED strips installed on a dusty surface fall. It happens when the tape loses its stickiness because of the dust particles.
Secondly, the LED lights fall from the corner where you try to forcefully bend them at 90 degrees. This bent stretch stretches and your LED lights keep falling off. The best way to solve this issue is to use corner connectors. Instead of bending, you should make a loop in the opposite direction.
Stick back the fallen part using new and powerful double-sided tape. You should cut small pieces of this tape from 2 to 3 inches long, depending on the weight of your LED lights. Installing mounting clips will also work as they have double-sided tape at the back and can also hold the LED strip.
Conclusion
Dusty wall surface causes your LED lights to fall as dust makes the tape behind the LED strips lose its stickiness. You should properly clean the surface before sticking the lights. Use alcohol for wooden surfaces. Uneven and fancy walls cannot hold your LED lights. Use screws and clips on such walls.
Old and expired adhesive causes you to experience this issue. It happens after some time, such as years or months. You can use new double-sided tape or mounting clips to fix this issue. Water also makes the LED lights fall as it destroys the stickiness of the adhesive behind the light strip.
Before using the new tape or clips, fix the moisture problem first. Make the wall surface dry and clean. Use humidity monitors to maintain the moisture in your room. Use a proper ventilation system if you want to solve the overheating problem. Overheating causes your LED lights to fall repeatedly.
Instead of bending the strip at 90 degrees, use the corner connectors. Until then, you can loop in the opposite direction on each corner. Power cables can be a reason why your LED light strips keep falling off the wall. Fix them higher or at an equal height using tape or mounting clips.
