Retrofit Fluorescent to LED

Signs for San Diego is a Commercial Sign Company that services electrical signs: Pylon Signs, Monuments, Marquee letters, and more. Modern illuminated signs and custom signs are LED.  Pylon Signs and Monument signs ten years ago were Fluorescent. 20 years ago, many were neon signs. There are a lot of older commercial signs out there that aren’t LED. Signs for San Diego we do a lot of Retrofit Fluorescent to LED. These are owned by the retail center and not the tenants. They last a lot longer than Marquee Letters or Sign Cabinets for tenants. Over a 20–40-year period these big signs are there. They need service of all sorts, and they are a challenge.

xRetrofit to LED in an Vista Pole Sign
xRetrofit to LED in an Oceanside Pylon

A Retrofit Fluorescent to LED Pylon Sign is an economical choice. It cuts down on service calls. The life expectancy fluorescent lamps are 10,000 hours requiring replacement in under 3 years. If you do not replace all the fluorescent lamps, you will have 2 or more service calls. These Ballasts are all 10 years old or more. They are closer to the end of life than you might think. Add in the savings for electricity and these fluorescent signs don’t look like the bargain they were in 1990. It may be obsolete with fluorescent lighting but replacing some of these signs runs into6 figures. If the rest of the sign looks good, it’s a great candidate for a retrofit. There are many advantages:

Advantage of Sign Maintenance

Sign maintenance costs will be dramatically reduced. LED signs have a long life, and the power supplies last an extremely long time. When dealing with older signs, we see failures at the start: wiring pulls apart, infant failures in the solid-state power supplies, and so on. Once the new LED system is installed, it’s common to go a year without needing to touch it. And after 5 years, rarely needing maintenance is very common. Energy costs are reduced by up to 85%. It depends on the cost of electricity in your area, but LEDs typically spend 1/7th of the amount of electricity, compared to other bulbs.

fluorescent lamp burnout

LEDs are much safer. They don’t break apart or release toxic gasses and powder, and the voltages are 12V DC (very safe). The results are brighter. The number of LEDs really determines this, but generally LED sign looks brighter, attracts more attention, and makes you more money. Often, the difference in brightness it is dramatic.

Should you convert a fluorescent double-face pylon and other fluorescent signage to LED lighting? Probably YES. If your sign is rusting apart, you are scheduled to get a new sign, the city is taking the land with eminent domain, then NO, but other than these… do it. The reduced maintenance, the energy savings will show a quick payback Want to get an estimate. Give us a call. Signs for San Diego makes signs with LED lighting every day. We do a lot of retrofits for customers that are looking at a “repair or replace” an older electric sign.

We do a lot of retrofits, here are a few:

  1. Retrofit Fluorescent to LED Pylon Signs
  2. Retrofit Neon to LED Sign Cabinet
  3. Retrofit Neon to LED Marquee Letters or Channel Letters
  4. Retrofit Neon to LED Sign Cabinet
  5. Retrofit Fluorescent to LED

Let’s get started! Give us a call at 760-730-6118

author avatar
Developer & Designer
I, Frank Murch was born in Honolulu. Dad was an Army Captain. After his separation he drove my 2-year-old self and Mom to Colorado. After starting Kindergarten and terrorizing my parents, brother and sister for 20 years, I graduated both Kindergarten and the University of Colorado. I worked at Coors Porcelain for a time and then a series of high-tech companies in California, Pennsylvania, New York, and Tokyo. Along the way I gathered letters to drag behind my name MSEng, MBA.  30 years later I started Signs for San Diego. Signs for San Diego is a manufacturing company. Much more about building signs than other Sign Companies; it comes from my background. Technical Capability is a focus. We are a wholesale source for the industry. We want to make the best sign possible. It is in my DNA. Applying 30 years of manufacturing experience and 10 years of entrepreneurial experience make us the best sign company around. I also am of the HP management culture, Inclusion, respect and treating people as adults makes Signs for San Diego a happy place to work. We are looking for customers that match our culture, happy, better quality, and better than what is generally available