LED Retrofits: When to Upgrade an Outdated Lighting System

Just because your illuminated sign still lights up doesn’t mean the lighting inside it is doing its job as it should. We see plenty of older signs that are technically working, but half the cabinet is dim, one letter is brighter than the others, or the color looks different from one end to the other.
A lot of those signs still use fluorescent lamps, neon, or older LED systems. They may keep going for years, but eventually the repairs become more frequent and the sign never looks quite right for very long.
At some point, it makes more sense to update the lighting than to keep fixing the same old system. That’s when we start talking about LED retrofits.

An LED retrofit means keeping the existing sign and replacing the outdated lighting inside it with a properly designed LED system. Depending on the sign, that may include removing old lamps, ballasts, transformers, wiring, or early-generation LED components.
We don’t believe in replacing a good sign cabinet just to sell somebody a new sign. If the cabinet, channel letters, faces, structure, and mounting are still in good shape, we can often leave them where they are and update what’s inside.
Of course, we need to inspect the sign first. A retrofit doesn’t fix rust, damaged faces, bad wiring, water intrusion, or a cabinet that’s coming apart.

Uneven lighting is usually one of the first things people notice. One letter is brighter than the next, part of the cabinet looks dark, or the whole sign seems dull compared with the other signs around it.
Sometimes it’s a simple repair. A lamp may have failed, a connection may be loose, or one component may need to be replaced.
The situation changes when we replace one lamp and another goes out a few weeks later. If the system has several aging components, fixing them one at a time can turn into a routine.
LED retrofits can give an older sign more even illumination, especially when the modules are spaced correctly for the depth and shape of the sign. You shouldn’t see bright spots, dark corners, or shadows through the face.

Every illuminated sign will need service eventually. If you’re calling for repairs several times a year because another lamp, ballast, transformer, or section has gone out, it’s worth looking at the total cost.

Service calls include more than the replacement part. There may be travel time, troubleshooting, lift equipment, access coordination, and labor involved in opening and closing the sign.

We’ve seen customers spend money keeping an old system alive when that same money could have gone toward an LED retrofit. That doesn’t mean every repair should turn into a conversion. We look at the sign, its age, the condition of the existing components, and the cost of both options before recommending anything.

If you’re unsure whether you need a repair or an upgrade, our sign repair and LED retrofit information covers some of the questions we hear most often.

This has become a bigger issue with some older lighting systems, especially fluorescent. Certain lamps, ballasts, sockets, and other components aren’t as easy to get as they once were.
Sometimes we can still find the part, but the price is higher and the repair only addresses one piece of an aging system. You may be back in the same spot a few months later with a different component.
An LED retrofit removes much of that older equipment and gives the sign a current lighting system that’s easier to service. We still use components suited to the sign and the Arizona heat. Putting LEDs into a cabinet without thinking about heat, spacing, power supplies, and weather protection is asking for trouble.

Most LED systems use less electricity than the fluorescent or neon systems they replace. That can be useful when your sign runs 10 or 12 hours every night, especially if you have several signs or locations.

You probably won’t open the next electric bill and think you won the lottery. Over time, though, lower energy use and fewer service calls can add up. The U.S. Department of Energy’s LED overview explains how efficiency, useful life, and overall system design affect LED performance.

The condition of the existing sign and the hours it operates will affect the payback. We’d rather give you a realistic answer after looking at the sign than make a big savings claim without seeing it.

This is probably the biggest thing we try to explain to customers. A lighting problem doesn’t automatically mean the whole sign has reached the end of its life.

If the sign cabinet, channel letters, faces, and structure are still solid, an LED retrofit may be all it needs. The finished sign can look brighter and more even, and many of the older components that caused repeated service problems are gone.

Sometimes we inspect a sign and recommend a basic repair. Other times, the existing lighting has had a good run and continuing to patch it no longer makes much sense.

At Bootz & Duke, we’ve been building and servicing commercial signs in Arizona since 1964. We can inspect your sign, explain what we find, and tell you whether a repair, LED retrofit, or replacement is the better use of your money.

Is your sign getting dim or needing service more often than it used to? Contact Bootz & Duke or request a free quote. We’ll take a look before telling you what it needs.