Neon is no longer the best choice for a channel letter sign.
I can hear the argument now, it is brighter then an LED, so it promotes my business more. This is true, however there are a number of reasons why neon is no longer the best choice for channel letter . We intend to present you with information so that you can make an educated choice when you purchase a channel letter sign. This is what neon is all about.
The nature of the neon in your channel letter sign
So, where does neon come from anyway? Neon is a gas that is common in the universe, but rare on Earth. It is only found in trace amounts in the air, and commercially extracted for use. It can be used in either the gas form or it can be processed into a liquid form. The gas form is what is used in the bulbs for a channel letter sign. When the gas is in the tubes and illuminated it give a reddish orange glow. Technology allows us to change those colors by adding phosphorous to the glass tubes that changes the color displayed.
Neon is also what the tubes that hold the various gasses for a neon light are called. The two most widely used gases for a neon light are neon (obviously) and argon. In order to illuminate the argon a different process is used. And therein lies the danger.
What are the dangers of neon in my channel letter sign?
Under natural conditions argon does not pose a threat. It has little effect on us or the environment. However argon does not illuminate on it's own. In order to create the condition that will allow argon to illuminate liquid mercury is injected into the glass tube. This makes it very dangerous for the glass blower who created the neon bulbs. The neon bulb is very fragile, and while making it that fragility increases. If a glass blower were to break a bulb for a channel letter sign while make it he would be exposed to the mercury.
In a bigger sense it is also bad for the environment. If you have a neon light and the bulb goes bad what do you do with it? You throw it away. You are now potentially exposing many to that toxic poisoning. Not only could an animal accidentally break the bulb and poison itself, but the mercury escaping into the air and leeching into the ground poses a threat to the environment as a whole.
Imagine a balloon full of water. You stand on the roof of a building and drop that balloon. splat! It lands on the sidewalk and the area where the water hit is now darker then the rest of the sidewalk. It has been exposed to a concentrated amount of water. Now imagine a similar scenario with a neon bulb and it shattering on the ground. Suddenly there is mercury seeping into the soil, rising in the air to the trees, spreading across the ground to the grass. While one little bulb wouldn't wipe out the earth, the cumulative effect can be far reaching. And our environment is priceless.
The environment may be important, but my channel letter sign promotes my business
The environment may not be high on your priority list, or you may feel that the greenhouse effect is all a myth. So why should you change your ? To save money! You are a business person, you can understand the importance of saving the company money and helping the bottom line, right? So why are you wasting money with neon? Neon lights routinely use up to 15,000 volts of electricity. The high voltage of the light makes that electric meter spin like a top!
If that isn't enough to persuade you consider this that same high voltage that raises your electric bill also creates a fire hazard. No matter how much insurance you have, some things are simply irretrievable. One final argument, in case your electric bill or losing everything to a fire doesn't effect you, neon bulbs for a channel letter sign are not only fragile as I mentioned earlier, they are also quite expensive to replace.
There are lighting alternatives that are more cost effective and safer for both your business and the environment. You may want to consider changing over to an LED light when the time comes to replace the next bulb that burns out!
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