LED Puck Lights

When accessibility is at a premium, puck lights are an excellent solution for tight spaces. They can have more pragmatic uses than providing a light source for tight spaces or under cabinet lighting, however. For example, puck lights make excellent night lights, especially if they’re dimmable.

Some puck lights are linkable to motion sensor arrays and security systems for increased safety. A puck lights kit with a remote control can provide illumination for landscaping or artwork as well.

LED puck lights are an inexpensive way to provide accent lighting or task lighting to a space without having to run new electrical lines. Since they generally run on AA batteries or AAA batteries and easily surface mount in small spaces, puck lights can make dark areas more inviting.

Hardwired, low voltage, 12VDC (volt direct current) puck lights require external power but provide a permanent, energy-efficient solution. If a user requires more consistent, even lighting, strip lights provide an unbroken row of light without having to mount multiple puck lights in close proximity.

Typically, users can expect 20,000 to 50,000 hours, which means that with continuous use, LED puck lights can last well over five years. Realistically, since these lights are rarely on for more than a few hours, puck lights can last more than 20 years.

In general, LED puck lights give a max of 400 to 500 lumens, though puck lights that can produce 800 or more lumens are available. Connecting puck lights to a dimmer allows users to drop the brightness to a much softer 50 to 100 lumens.

Puck lights individually are generally rather dim compared to a typical light fixture. By way of comparison, a 60-watt incandescent light bulb produces more than 800 lumens of light. While there are puck lights that can achieve and exceed that figure, they are rare.

Battery-powered under-cabinet puck lights don’t need to produce high lumens, especially if their purpose is to provide low-level nighttime illumination.

Puck lights offer many creative solutions, whether a user intends to use a power cord or prefers battery-operated lights. Low-lumen puck lights make excellent night lights, whether for users who require a bit of light to fall asleep or for those who want dim lights for nighttime trips to the bathroom or kitchen. Puck lights can provide light for a cozy reading nook as well. Users often install puck lights to spotlight art or pieces of decor.

In many cases, puck lights stick in place via an adhesive backing. For permanent or recessed installations, the lights will mount using clips or screws. If multiple lights are being installed at once, each light should be spaced 6 to 10 inches apart.

Puck lights that run on 12VDC will require a power supply that converts AC to DC, so they will need to be near an outlet. Many puck lights are battery powered, using AA or AAA batteries, though some may have an internal rechargeable battery that charges via a USB cable.

Puck lights can be mounted via adhesive backings or screwed/clipped into place. For battery-powered lights, there will likely be an accessible battery compartment, though some require peeling the light from its surface mount to expose the compartment.

If the lights operate via a wall-mounted dimmer switch, hardwiring and solid mounting are preferable. For plug-in puck lights, mounting via screws or clips is the best long-term solution.

The most common color for puck lights is a cool white. A cool white light is what you’ll find in a typical computer monitor and has a CCT (color-corrected temperature) range of 5000K to 6500K (Kelvin). This color temperature isn’t always the ideal color, especially for those who prefer warmer tones, which is why some puck lights mimic the 2700K to 3000K warm white of a traditional incandescent.

To provide even more variety, a color-changing LED puck light with RGBW (red, green, blue, white) can produce warm or cool tones as well as custom colors.

Some buyers may prefer a battery-operated, remote-controlled, adhesive-backed cool white puck light, while other uses may call for a hardwired, permanently mounted, warm white puck light. The important metrics are longevity, aesthetics, ease of installation, reliability, and functionality. You will also want to check for a manufacturer’s warranty should you need to return a defective light.

LED lights produce much less heat and are far more efficient than incandescent lights, providing an energy savings of around 75%. Incandescent bulbs heat wire filaments to high temperatures within a sealed bulb filled with inert gas.

LED lights, or light-emitting diodes, use a transformer or driver to reduce the incoming 240 volts to 12 or 24 and pass this electricity through a set of diodes. Diodes consist of a pair of electrodes called an anode and a cathode. As electricity passes from the anode to the cathode, a semi-conductive material emits visible light.

LED puck lights are excellent for spaces that require light but might not have external power available. Anyone who wants to add lights to kitchen cabinets and countertops, dark closets, or needs efficient, inexpensive night lights will find puck lights to be an outstanding solution.

Installing puck lights is a quick way to transform spaces from dark and uninviting to pleasant and cheerful. HomElectrical offers a wide variety of LED puck lights that are simple to install and maintain.

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