LED Trailer Lights, My Experience

A

Adeline

New member
I installed a pair of Sea-Sense Led trailer lights in late '05. I was hoping to put an end to trailer light grief. First, I dunked 'em.
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After a weekend in the bucket I was satisfied that they were waterproof. Next, I wanted to mount them in a way that would avoid case deformation from overtightening.
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So a foam pad went under the case and rubber grommets under the nuts finger tight. Squishy soft.
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Sadly, it didn't stop one from leaking and the loss of half the LED elements. I'm sure more will follow. Here's a good one.
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and here's the bad one.
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So now I'm back to square-one. Can anyone recommend a quality LED that won't leak.
 
That is why I put my LED's on a light bar which I take off when launching. I have heard of many complaints similar to yours, but they are sure great lights!
 
I have an 04 King trailer with LED lights and have not had any problems.

I don't understand why they would not leak in the bucket but did on the trailer. It seems like they could use potting on the electronics and LEDs so if the lights do leak it would not matter.

Good Luck in finding good ones.

Steve
 
My guess is that it is due to a bad ground and that the LEDs are still OK. I've had more problems with trailer lights due to a bad ground than I ever have from burned out bulbs. I have a sealed module type of light and it works great. I'm sure I'll be upgrading the trailer on the 27 with LEDs this summer and one of the things I'll be doing is making sure to have a ground wire going all the way from the plug to the lights.
 
Gary-

Right you are! No lamp performs any better than the wires that energize it.

(Not to derail a thread, but this is IMPORTANT and relevant.)

There are more trailer light problems attributable to bad grounds and cheap wiring than real blub/lamp/LED issues, IMHO.

Weak grounds not only don't light up the lamps, but they sometimes result in funny lighting problems where you get other lights coming on in other circuits as the power seeks a way to ground and finds one through the common ground of the bulb base, back out through a different filament, and eventually to a ground, light up some funny stuff in the process!

The solution to these ground problems is to double up on the grounding process.

1. Ground the ground wire to the frame solidly with a big wire and connector.

2. Run ground wires directly to each lamp from the front harness, then ground that wire at the lamp and also to the trailer frame at the lamp also.

This way the ground is doubled, first through the frame and secondly through a ground wire system, and you get the redundancy that will stop the lack of a ground from being the problem in your circuits.

Another problem is that every *%$@#&^+*%$@? trailer seems to come from the factory with the cheapie flat-four wire wiring harness seen in the photos a few posts above. It keeps the cost down, but leads to a lot of problems in the end. The wire diameter, or gauge, is too small, and the insulation too thin.

The solution is to use much heavier gauge wire, and the best solderless connectors available and seal them over with their own heat shrink collars and liquid electrical tape, or some such double insulated system. Also, use grommets and other abrasion resistant fittings everywhere the wires can be expected to abrade on the trailer frame.

Another tactic is to make connections in sealed connection boxes where water cannot get in and corrode the connections. When you can, place the connections and lamps up high on the trailer to keep them out of water when launching as much as possible.

Lastly, always disconnect your wiring harness when launching to keep the wires from being live and the lamps on when under water, particularly in salt water which conducts electricity very easily and leads to quick electrolysis of wires and connections.

Here's an example of how I replaced my wiring on my CD trailer:

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The big wires running back to the tail/brake lights are 10 gauge, 3-conductor covered utility cord. Smaller double wires run to the marker lights. Don't cut open your main lighting wires half way back to the rear to tap in for the marker lights. Do it up front where you can make better connections and monitor them visually.


Joe.
 
Hi,
I tried the led lights after 9 months and two sets went back to the ones in the bubble, the water leaked in and the leds started shorting out perty quick. The seal around the bolts was the problem both times.
Richard
 
Just a thought. Has anyone ever tried "liquid-tite" boxes and conduit? The higher end stuff is rated to 10 psi and still remain water tight. The reason for the question is when the light assembly was placed in a bucket of water... it was under maybe a foot.

That's roughly 1/2 psi. I have had my trailer lights in the water up to a bit more than 4'. That's a little less than 2 psi or 4 times the pressure leak test in the bucket. I thought I had them sealed however they leaked like crazy. Now I have a weep hole in the bottom of the fixture to let the water out before I plug them back in. As a diver in dry suits... I was amazed at a pinhole would allow water to pour in at shallow depths.

I have a buddy that is a retired Navy Master Chief who has a neat contraption rigged to insure his trailer lights stay high and dry. Let me talk to him for his take and I'll get back to the forum....

Butch
 
I once flagged down a guy about to back up in the salt water at a marina with his trailer lights bright as can be. He looked at me real funny, scowled and continued on down. So much for being a nice guy. Oh well, someday he'll learn...
 
This sounds too simple... but it makes sense :idea .
Here it goes,
What he did was seal off any areas in the light housing back plate with silicone caulk and used the regular single sided sticky tape for a gasket behind the lens cover. When he attached the lens cover to the light's back plate he used a dab of silicone caulk under the head of the mounting screws.

Here is where he get's innovative :idea: :D ... It must be all those years on a submarine service. He drills two holes in the lens cover, one in the bottom center on both length and width axis and the other on the top of the cover in the center and towards the back edge. In the top hole he uses Marine Goop sealer to install a 1/4" barbed hose fitting. In the bottom hole he used what I call a "rubber pucker valve". It will allow water to drain out but won't let water in.

He hooked the two tail lights together with 1/4" aquarium tubing with a barbed nylon "T" connector and ran a single line to the front of his trailer where he had a small 12 V. air pump that could capable of producing enough ait to keep the tail light housing under positive pressure forcing what little water intrusion from the seal out the rubber pucker valve.

It is exactly the same principle used by divers to clear their mask while submerged.

This is is for what it's worth... It actually works. When he backs in the water you can see a steady stream of bubbles come from each tail light.

Butch
 
We solved the trailer light problem by putting a 2"x4" board on the back of the boat close to the end of the boat. It is attached to the trailer with adjustable straps to cinch it down tight. The trailer lights and license plate are attached to the board. There is a wire that runs to the tow vehicle. Just before launching we remove the board and wire and place in the back of the tow vehicle. This way the lights never go into the water and last a long time. Being up high they also are very visible. Side lights for the trailer are attached the regular way. :idea

My boat's name is "CHARITY" because that is where all of my money goes.
 
damason":1ybz7l6t said:
We solved the trailer light problem by putting a 2"x4" board on the back of the boat close to the end of the boat. It is attached to the trailer with adjustable straps to cinch it down tight. The trailer lights and license plate are attached to the board. There is a wire that runs to the tow vehicle. Just before launching we remove the board and wire and place in the back of the tow vehicle. This way the lights never go into the water and last a long time. Being up high they also are very visible. Side lights for the trailer are attached the regular way. :idea

My boat's name is "CHARITY" because that is where all of my money goes.
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Good Idea! We've used the same idea for 30+ years in small dinghy sailboats. Our light bars also have a "Y" or "U" in the center to carry the mast when trailering. I know Bob Austin has also done so in larger boats.

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
We have light bars made of PVC pipe (I think it was 2"--on the C Dory 25 in Calif). We have a 4 pin trailer connector spliced into the regular trailer lights on the right side of the trailer--and keep the regular lights on the trailer--the LED lights on the light bar. It lays on the aft part of the deck, and held in place with bungee cords--the "bar" is kept from rotating by stubs of PVC pipe in "T's" which rest on the side decks.

As for tabernacling masts--never did trailer any of my large sailboats--but we did tabernacle a 60 foot mast, and it laid on a "Crutch" which was fitted into a crutch which was placed in a socket on the top of the transom...The boat was too large to easily trailer (45 feet long, 13 foot beam, and 8 foot draft, plus the freeboard and cabin would have made an "air draft" of +at least 15 feet off the ground when on a trailer...)
 
Our trailer light bars/mast carriers went through three generations. They were first made of wood, then aluminum, and then PVC pipe, like Bob's.

2 inch Schedule 40 PVC is rigid enough for most light bar applications.

As a matter of fact, PVC pipe and all the associated fittings are a wonderful source of building materials for a lot of boat and trailer projects. They don't rust, mildew, or delaminate, and the myriad of fittings and pipe are like a giant Erector Set to tinker with! The pipe cuts easily and glues together strongly. Few tools required, only your imagination.

Joe. :thup :teeth
 
I made my light bar based on a 1" aluminum square heavy wall tube. It is 6 yrs. old and still works great.
This spring I am going to look into replacing the lights with LED type. They are not so fussy about grounding etc. as the filamant type.
Right now my boat is buried under 2' of snow so it is not a problem yet.
 
Journey On's trailer came with LED lights. After 2 launches, one of the lights crapped out, with water inside. I replaced it with one I bought off the internet (don't ask me what kind.) However, I sealed all the joints with RTV silicone, including where the wires went in. That includes where the various parts of the lens, etc. joined. Also sealed the connections with silicone, and the ground connection. Still working 2 years later. Used both blue and red silicone, didn't try clear.

The Southern Boris (which means I can't go the the Seattle Boat Show, but just like Seattle, it's raining here.)
 
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