Ocean LED underwater light installation: total disappointment

Cableguy Greg

I have Coastal Night Lights DS model on my 280 on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh. Granted the water has gotten cleaner over the years, but I can see 12-15 feet back when the water is cloudy. I had the same brand lights on my 232cc when the river wasn't as clean and I got 8 to 12 feet depending on the water. I would revisit the circuit along with all connections. Consider upgrading the wire size from the switch to the lights. In this case, bigger can't hurt at all.

Michael T

@MDboater the Ocean LED Pro 8 extreme color changing lights were installed on my boat while I was out of the country. I did not even see them out of the package. With that in mind there is only one question left that I can think of.

If I remember correctly the colors will synchronize themselves by switching off the lights several times.

However, (and this may be a really stupid question), is there any way to install those lights so that their wiring puts them, electrically speaking, out of phase - resulting in them receiving less power?

MDboater

Michael T said

However, (and this may be a really stupid question), is there any way to install those lights so that their wiring puts them, electrically speaking, out of phase - resulting in them receiving less power?

There are only 2 leads (12V and ground).  I don't believe the lights would light at all if the polarity were reversed.  

MDboater

As a comparison I lowered an AGPtek drain plug light to the approximate position of one of my OceanLEDs and pointed it aft.  The AGPtek light is rated at 1800 lumens while my Ocean LEDs are rated at 2100 lumens.  The difference is remarkable (the much brighter one is the AGPtek).  So water quality alone cannot explain my experience.  To be fair, it has been 2 1/2 weeks since I last cleaned the growth from the lights so that could be part of it.  Nonetheless, the AGPtek is much brighter than my OceanLEDs from my first post.  Even lowering the AGPtek light about a foot under water through the opening in the swim platform and pointing it straight at the bottom produced more visible light around the swim platform than the OceanLEDs.  I didn't have time to dig into the circuit and start rewiring but that's up next.  

MDboater

I am writing to close the loop on my underwater light saga.  Turns out that @Dream_Inn identified the problem from the very beginning.  The water clarity in the northern Chesapeake tributaries is truly horrific and the reason for the low light output that I experienced.  In case you missed it, the following picture shows the lights on my old boat at its new home in the Ohio River.  As you can see, the lights look pretty good, and nothing close to what I observed in my neck of the woods.  I'm glad that someone gets to enjoy those expensive lights.  

So I think the best takeaway from all of this is that folks in the northern Chesapeake (at least) should seriously consider this before investing in underwater lights.  Thanks to everyone who submitted comments and suggestions and especially to @Michael T who went out of his way to seek help from a professional installer on my behalf.  I feel guilty for wasting people's time (and my own) on this.  

OceanLED handled my dilemma admirably by prompt communications, connecting me with someone technical to help troubleshoot, and then allowing me to return the lights for evaluation outside of their normal return window (to alleviate the cost of hauling my boat mid-season for this purpose).  
 

Michael T

@MDboater, it was a pleasure to TRY to help you problem solve. It was certainly frustrating that an answer was not more readily available to all of us! Thank you for the up-date!

JonnyM

MD, I truly am enjoying them and I am very happy you installed them.  Sorry they did not work for you.  One thing I noticed when I cleaned the bottom before I put it in the Ohio River is that there was quite a thick film on the lights and around the water line that was not easy to get off.  It was almost like a brown plasticky substance.  I'm not sure what it was but it was totally covering the lights.  I pulled the boat again last week (to drill the hole for the macerator) and they still looked clean.  Not sure what is in the water where you are but I don't think was necessary the clarity of the water.

I will give another update when I pull the boat for the winter... ugh.

MDboater

That film was about two weeks of growth.  In my area we get that growth basically wherever there is no bottom paint.  I had cleaned the lights every week or two (using a microfiber cloth) while anchored in a shallow spot.  The lights never worked well in my area even when freshly cleaned.  

vegas

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vegas

Then you can illuminate them with the led light. Underwater words, I think the led effect will be slightly better?
https://www.ledsmaster.com/180-300-360-540w-rgb-led-flood-light.html

JUSTINTIME

My Ocean Led's look great on the OHIO River

Cableguy Greg

JUSTINTIME said:

My Ocean Led's look great on the OHIO River

Where are you at on the Ohio?